[[{“value”:” SoftBank is in talks to invest up to $25 billion in OpenAI as part of a broader partnership that could see the Japanese conglomerate spend more than $40 billion on AI initiatives with the Microsoft-backed startup, according to Financial Times. The potential investment would make SoftBank OpenAI’s largest single backer, the report said, surpassing Microsoft, […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Meta says end of fact-checking hasn’t impacted ad spend
[[{“value”:” Meta says its controversial decision to put an end to its fact-checking program hasn’t impacted advertiser spend. On its Q4 2024 call, Meta CFO Susan Li assured investors that advertiser demand remains strong and the company’s commitment to brand safety remains unchanged, despite the new measures. Meanwhile, CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted that the community notes […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Zuck shrugs off DeepSeek, vows to spend hundreds of billions on AI
[[{“value”:” Meta is doubling down on AI spending despite markets briefly panicking over concerns DeepSeek will reduce AI demand. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. “}]]
LinkedIn passes $2B in premium revenues in 12 months, with overall revenues up 9% on the year
[[{“value”:” LinkedIn, the social platform where people look for and talk about work, may be less visible in Microsoft’s earnings compared to the years when it was an independent company. But around earnings time, LinkedIn often reveals some figures that point to how it continues to grow. On Wednesday, as Microsoft reported its Q2 numbers, the […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Elon Musk claims Tesla will launch a self-driving service in Austin in June
[[{“value”:” Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that his company will launch a paid ride-hailing robotaxi service in Austin, Texas this coming June, the latest in a long line of sky-high promises he has yet to meet about autonomy. Musk was unsurprisingly light on details. He said that there will be no people in the cars, […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Threads adds another 20M monthly users since December, reaching 320M
[[{“value”:” Threads, Meta’s microblogging service, is growing at a fast pace as users gravitate to the app over rivals like X. During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings presentation on Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Threads now has 320 million monthly active users (MAUs), up from 300 million last month. The app had 275 million monthly active […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Hackers are hijacking WordPress sites to push Windows and Mac malware
[[{“value”:” A cybersecurity company says hackers are pushing Mac and Windows malware through sites that are using outdated versions of WordPress. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. “}]]
Microsoft brings a DeepSeek model to its cloud
[[{“value”:” Microsoft’s close partner and collaborator, OpenAI, might be suggesting that DeepSeek stole its IP and violated its terms of service. But Microsoft still wants DeepSeek’s shiny new models on its cloud platform. Microsoft today announced that R1, DeepSeek’s so-called reasoning model, is available on Azure AI Foundry service, Microsoft’s platform that brings together a number […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC seeking $1B for new fund
[[{“value”:” 8VC, a venture firm led by Palantir founder Joe Lonsdale, is seeking nearly $1 billion for its sixth fund, according to a regulatory filing. The Austin-based firm’s latest fund aims to raise nearly 14% more than its previous $880 million flagship vehicle, which closed in February 2023. TechCrunch has reached out to the firm for […] © 2024 TechCrunch….
DeepSeek might have a trademark problem in the U.S.
[[{“value”:” Chinese AI company DeepSeek has been accused of IP theft, faced privacy inquiries in Europe, and has been the target of an enormous cyberattack. Now, it appears the company has a new headache on its hands: a U.S. trademark conflict. On Tuesday, DeepSeek filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeking […] © 2024 TechCrunch….