TechCrunch’s editor-in-chief, Connie Loizos, sits down with Astro Teller, Captain of Moonshots at Alphabet’s X, to explore what it takes to build a factory for truly game-changing innovation. Astro reveals the three components that define a true moonshot — a huge problem, a science fiction-sounding solution, and a glimmer of breakthrough technology — and why […]
Astro Teller isn’t afraid of killing ideas; here’s why Read More »
After a two-week blackout, YouTube TV and Disney announced Friday that they have reached a deal. In addition to bringing Disney networks like ABC, ESPN, and FX back to YouTube’s streaming TV service, the deal will also see ESPN make its new direct-to-consumer service available on YouTube TV at no additional price. YouTube will also
Disney and YouTube TV reach deal to end blackout Read More »
Google’s $32 billion acquisition of cloud security company Wiz took has taken step closer toward the finish line. Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport said at a Wall Street Journal event on Tuesday, as reported by Reuters, that the acquisition had cleared its antitrust review by the U.S. Department of Justice. Rappaport added that while a milestone,
Google gets the US government’s green light to acquire Wiz for $32B Read More »
Alphabet hit just over $3 trillion dollars in market cap on Monday as investors continue to reward it after a federal judge declined to break the company up. On Sept. 2, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta outlined softer-than-feared remedies for his year-ago ruling that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in search. The DOJ had proposed
With no DOJ breakup, Alphabet becomes a $3 trillion company Read More »
Google faces a new lawsuit accusing the company of illegally using news publishers’ content to create AI summaries that damage their business. The lawsuit comes from Penske Media (PMC), which owns industry publications such as Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Vibe, and Artforum. While Penske’s suit is the first targeting Google and its
Rolling Stone owner Penske Media sues Google over AI summaries Read More »
Andrew Ferguson, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Trade Commission, recently expressed concern that “Alphabet’s administration of Gmail is designed to have partisan effects.” In a letter addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Ferguson pointed to a recent story in the New York Post describing complaints by Targeted Victory (a consulting and PR firm that’s
FTC chair warns Google about Gmail’s ‘partisan’ spam filters Read More »
Alphabet’s life sciences arm Verily laid off staff and eliminated its entire devices program Monday. CEO Stephen Gillett announced the “difficult decision” to wind down the program in a staff memo, according to Business Insider. “Over the years, Verily has built a legacy in developing world-class, innovative medical devices,” Gillett wrote, noting that the “path
Verily is closing its medical device program as Alphabet shifts more resources to AI Read More »
In a Bloomberg interview Wednesday night in downtown San Francisco, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai pushed back against concerns that AI could eventually make half the company’s 180,000-person workforce redundant. Instead, Pichai stressed the company’s commitment to growth through at least next year. “I expect we will grow from our current engineering phase even into next
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai dismisses AI job fears, emphasizes expansion plans Read More »
Last week, Google quietly released an app that lets users run a range of openly available AI models from the AI dev platform Hugging Face on their phones. Called Google AI Edge Gallery, the app is available for Android and will soon come to iOS. It allows users to find, download, and run compatible models
Google quietly released an app that lets you download and run AI models locally Read More »
The California Public Utilities Commission has approved Waymo’s request to expand its commercial robotaxi service area, opening the door for the Alphabet company to bring its driverless ride-hailing vehicles into more communities south of San Francisco. The company said in a post on X the approval won’t change its plans in the near term. Today,
Waymo gets OK to expand robotaxi service into more of Silicon Valley Read More »
