In Brief

Block scales back TIDAL investment and shutters TBD in favor of Bitcoin mining

Jack Dorsey’s Block is scaling back its investment in TIDAL, the music streaming platform once owned by Jay-Z, according to a shareholder letter on Thursday. Block is also shutting down TBD, a Bitcoin-focused arm of the business that previously set out to build a decentralized internet, dubbed “Web5.” These cuts will free up the company

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Crypto CEO kidnapped in Toronto, released after paying $1M ransom

The CEO of Canadian cryptocurrency firm WonderFi was kidnapped and held for ransom on Wednesday, according to CBC. Dean Skurka was reportedly shoved into a vehicle in downtown Toronto during rush hour, only to be released uninjured after electronically sending $1 million (presumably CAD) to his captors. The WonderFi CEO is the latest crypto celebrity

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AI-powered parenting is here and a16z is ready to back it 

AI wants to help us drive better, write better, and diagnose diseases faster. Now imagine AI helping you be a better parent.  Andreessen Horowitz partner Justine Moore introduced a new investment thesis for the firm on X on Thursday, endorsing “a new wave of ‘parenting co-pilots’ built with LLMs and agents.” She pointed to companies

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Australia looks to ban social media for kids under age 16

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday announced plans in the country to ban social media for children under 16, saying that “social media is doing harm to our kids, and I’m calling time on it.” The proposed legislation will enter parliament this year, taking effect a year after lawmakers ratify it, said Albanese, adding

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‘Prediction markets’ set to pay out $450M to election bettors

Following Donald Trump’s election victory, thousands of bettors anticipate a potential $450 million payout from online betting sites, says Reuters. As Trump’s odds surged on so-called prediction markets near the end of the race, platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket gained attention for diverging sharply from traditional polls, which suggested a much closer race.  Talking with

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Apple to be fined for breaching EU’s Digital Markets Act, Bloomberg reports

The European Union’s flagship market contestability regulation has been in force on a handful of tech giants for months. Since March, the bloc has had open investigations on several gatekeepers. But it’s Apple that will face the first Digital Markets Act (DMA) fine, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the case. Apple’s App Store rules

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