Charlie Javice’s high-profile fraud trial has turned into a showcase of missteps on both sides, revealing how JPMorgan Chase was allegedly deceived into acquiring her startup, Frank, for $175 million—despite it having just 300,000 customers instead of the four million claimed. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, a pivotal moment in the trial came when former Frank engineer Patrick Vovor testified that he refused Javice’s request to create fake user data just a week before the sale. Vovor recalled Javice telling him, “Don’t worry. I don’t want to end up in an orange jumpsuit.” After he declined,…
Author: Intern
Factories are becoming a major trend in defense technology. Earlier this year, Anduril announced a billion-dollar “megafactory” in Ohio, while last month, Saronic revealed plans for its own facility to mass-produce autonomous warships.“If we get enough orders, absolutely we are planning to open a facility in the UK,” Rich Drake, Anduril’s general manager for the UK and Europe, told Bloomberg. Now, Anduril is considering expanding its manufacturing footprint to the UK as it broadens its focus beyond U.S. defense contracts. A Strategic Expansion The proposed UK factory would be dedicated to drone production and research and development. According to a…
It was on, then off, and now it’s back—this time with a much bigger price tag. Google’s $32 billion acquisition of cloud security startup Wiz has been finalized, and there’s plenty to unpack about the deal: the why, the how, and what it means for the industry. And, of course, the biggest winners. Venture capital giant Sequoia takes home the top prize for total payout. However, Israeli-based Cyberstarts had the largest percentage gain in the deal. Key Insights from the Deal The latest episode of Equity, TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, covers: Tune in to Listen Equity is hosted by TechCrunch and…
Genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. as it seeks to sell its assets. In a surprising move, co-founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki has resigned, announcing her intention to independently bid for the company. “After a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives, we have determined that a court-supervised sale process is the best path forward to maximize the value of the business,” said Mark Jensen, chair and member of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors. Jensen added that the process will help address operational and financial challenges, including cost reductions and legal…
Meta is testing AI-generated comments on Instagram as part of its broader push to integrate artificial intelligence into its social media platforms. This follows previous AI-related experiments, such as AI-generated characters with unique profiles and personalities, which were eventually discontinued. AI-Generated Comments on Instagram Jonah Manzano, a social media feature researcher, discovered a new “Write with Meta AI” prompt on Instagram. This feature provides AI-generated comment suggestions based on the content of a post. Users with access to the test will see a pencil icon next to the comment bar. By selecting this option, Meta AI analyzes the image and…
Wayve co-founder and CEO Alex Kendall sees promise in bringing his autonomous vehicle startup’s tech to market. That is, if Wayve sticks to its strategy of ensuring its automated driving software is cheap to run, hardware agnostic, and applicable to ADAS (Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems), robotaxis, and robotics. A Data-Driven Approach to Autonomy This unique approach has attracted investors. Founded in 2017, has raised over $1.3 billion in the past two years and plans to license its self-driving software to automotive and fleet partners, such as. Wayve’s Strategy for Automotive Partnerships While Wayve hasn’t yet announced any automotive partnerships, a spokesperson…
Norwegian robotics startup 1X plans to begin early trials of its humanoid robot, Neo Gamma, in “a few hundred to a few thousand” homes by the end of 2025, according to CEO Bernt Børnich. “Neo Gamma is going into homes this year,” Børnich told TechCrunch at Nvidia GTC 2025. “We want early adopters to help us develop this system. We want it to live and learn among people, and to do that, we need people to take Neo into their home and help us teach it how to behave.” The Rise of Humanoid Robots in Homes Interest in home-friendly humanoid…
It was on, then off, and now it’s officially on again—this time for a much bigger price tag. Google has finalized its $32 billion acquisition of cloud security startup Wiz, making it one of the largest deals in tech history. The Equity podcast dove deep into the details, unpacking the reasons behind the acquisition, its implications, and how it all unfolded. Who are the biggest winners? Sequoia Capital takes home the venture capital (VC) prize for the largest total payout, but an Israeli-based VC firm, Cyberstarts, scored the biggest percentage win. Tune in to the full episode to hear exactly…
Earlier this week, Anthropic introduced a web search feature for its AI-powered chatbot platform, Claude, aligning it with competitors that already integrate live search capabilities. Initially, it was unclear which search index powered this feature—one possibility being Anthropic’s proprietary search engine. However, recent findings suggest that the search functionality is backed by Brave Search, the search engine developed by Brave Software. Software engineer Antonio Zugaldia noticed on Friday that Anthropic added “Brave Search” to its publicly available subprocessor list, which details external partners processing data for Claude. Additionally, British programmer Simon Willison reported that results from Claude’s web search closely…
Google is rolling out a major Gmail update designed to enhance email search by prioritizing relevance over chronological order. The new AI-driven system will now consider factors like recency, most-clicked emails, and frequent contacts when displaying search results. Google’s official blog confirmed that this change aims to help users locate important emails faster. A Smarter Way to Search Emails Previously, Gmail searches displayed emails strictly in chronological order, often making it difficult to find the most relevant messages. Now, the updated system ensures that frequently accessed emails appear at the top of search results. Industry experts believe this shift will…
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, is at a critical juncture, according to one of Wall Street’s biggest Tesla advocates. Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, believes Musk’s deep involvement with the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is creating a crisis for the automaker. Financial analysts suggest that Tesla’s brand perception has suffered, with Musk’s political ties drawing controversy. Tesla’s Stock Decline and Growing Public Backlash Tesla’s stock has fallen to $230, a significant drop from its all-time high of $480 in December. The company’s valuation is now lower than before Trump’s re-election, leading to rising concerns…
CoreWeave, a leading provider of cloud computing infrastructure, has announced an IPO price range of $47 to $55 per share, targeting a capital raise between $2.2 billion and $2.6 billion. The company, which specializes in GPU-based cloud solutions, has positioned itself as a key player in the artificial intelligence sector. Recent market insights suggest that CoreWeave had initially aimed for a higher valuation, potentially exceeding $3 billion. IPO Pricing Strategy and Market Positioning To generate investor interest, companies often set an initial IPO price range lower than expected. This tactic helps drive demand and creates momentum before the final pricing.…
A U.S. District Court judge has issued an order blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing Social Security Administration (SSA) databases that contain the personal information of millions of Americans. The ruling, issued on Thursday by Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland, raises serious privacy and cybersecurity concerns regarding the government’s handling of sensitive data. Court Ruling and Privacy Violations In her decision, Judge Hollander stated that DOGE was conducting a broad and unjustified search for fraud, calling it a “fishing expedition” based on “little more than suspicion.”For more details on U.S. privacy laws, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s…
Apple is facing a class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in San Jose over allegations of false advertising related to its Apple Intelligence features. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, claims that Apple misled consumers by promoting AI-powered capabilities that have not been delivered as promised. Details of the Lawsuit The lawsuit seeks class-action status and damages for users who purchased Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones and other devices based on Apple’s marketing claims. The lawsuit suggests that Apple’s AI rollout has fallen short of expectations, leaving customers without the promised functionality. For an overview of Apple Intelligence features, visit Apple’s official…
Nvidia has reportedly acquired Gretel, a San Diego-based startup specializing in synthetic AI training data. While terms of the deal remain undisclosed, sources suggest the acquisition surpassed Gretel’s last valuation of $320 million, placing the price tag in the nine-figure range. More on AI acquisitions reveals how this deal aligns with Nvidia’s growing AI ambitions. Gretel’s Role in AI and Synthetic Data Founded in 2019 by Alex Watson, Laszlo Bock, John Myers, and Ali Golshan, Gretel has been a key player in synthetic data generation. The company fine-tunes AI models and adds proprietary technology before packaging them as commercial solutions.…