Alphabet

UK competition regulator to investigate Alphabet’s investment in Anthropic

Government & Policy /

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching a formal probe into Alphabet’s investment in AI rival, Anthropic. The investigation comes three months after the CMA confirmed it was inviting “interested parties” to comment on Alphabet’s various investments in Anthropic, which includes a reported $300 million early last year followed by another reported $2 billion. The probe […]

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Eric Schmidt’s SandboxAQ aims for $5B valuation for its AI/quantum Google moonshot

AI /

VCs are spending gobs of money on AI startups – especially those run by big names in tech – so SandboxAQ is putting its hand out again, even though it raised a whopping $500 million in early 2023. The spinout from Google parent company Alphabet is reportedly seeking to raise another round that would value

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YouTube blocks videos from Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, others in dispute with SESAC

Media & Entertainment /

A number of YouTube videos featuring music from artists such as Adele, Green Day, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, and R.E.M. have been unplayable in the United States since Saturday. For example, if you try to play Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” (whether it’s the classic album recording or a live performance), you are instead told: “This

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai announces $120M fund for global AI education

AI /

Speaking Saturday at the UN Summit of the Future, Google CEO Sundar Pichai described AI as “the most transformative technology yet” and announced a new fund for AI education and training around the world. Pichai pointed to four broad opportunities he sees for AI and sustainable development, according to a transcript of his prepared remarks

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Sergey Brin says he’s working on AI at Google ‘pretty much every day’

AI /

Google co-founder and ex-Alphabet president Sergey Brin said he’s back working at Google “pretty much every day” because he hasn’t seen anything as exciting as the recent progress in AI — and doesn’t want to miss out. Brin revealed the tidbit in an interview during the All-In Summit in L.A. this week. Last year, several

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Mechanical Orchard, led by ex-Pivotal CEO, scores $50 million round led by Alphabet’s GV

Fundraising /

Digital transformation — the process of transforming outdated apps and processes with cloud technologies and digital workflows — can be a risky undertaking. In 2023, Harvard Business Review reported that while 89% of large companies have a digital and AI transformation underway, they’ve only captured 31% of the expected revenue uplift and 25% of anticipated

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Alphabet X spinoff Skip partners with Arc’teryx to bring  ‘everyday’ exoskeleton to market

Hardware /

Skip exited stealth this week to announce a partnership with outdoor clothing specialist Arc’teryx. The deal is the first to bring Skip’s MO/GO technology to market: “powered pants” that utilize a soft exoskeleton technology, developed in-house at Alphabet’s X Labs moonshot factory. MO/GO, short for “mountain goat,” is a hybrid soft/rigid exoskeleton system designed to

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Alphabet is clearly looking to buy, so who’s selling, and why did Wiz say no?

Venture /

Welcome back to another recap of Equity, TechCrunch’s flagship podcast about the business of startups. This episode is packed with some significant fundraises, a potentially massive acquisition falling apart and looking at what happens when a fintech company suddenly stops serving certain customers. To kick things off, Mary Ann Azevedo walked everyone through Clio’s huge

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Alphabet pours $5B into Waymo, Cruise scraps the Origin and Elon’s bet on autonomy

Transportation /

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! I don’t know about you, but for me, the past few days have offered up even more evidence that our world is vulnerable to software bugs. Yep,

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Alphabet to invest another $5B into Waymo

Transportation /

Alphabet will spend an additional $5 billion on its self-driving subsidiary, Waymo, over the next few years, according to Ruth Porat, the company’s chief financial officer. Porat announced the commitment to a new “multi-year investment” Tuesday during Alphabet’s second-quarter earnings call. “This new round of funding, which is consistent with recent annual investment levels, will

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