Qualcomm may be trying to buy Intel | TechCrunch
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Qualcomm is reportedly attempting to acquire Intel; The Wall Street Journal first reported on September 20, 2024, that Qualcomm approached Intel about a takeover; The New York Times confirmed the story, noting no official offer has been made; Intel has been struggling with a $1.6 billion loss in Q2 2024 and is implementing a $10 billion cost reduction plan, which includes cutting 15,000 jobs; Intel plans to spin out its chip foundry business; Intel's market cap is approximately $90 billion, while Qualcomm's is around $190 billion; Both companies face competition from Nvidia amid the AI boom.

#Qualcomm #Intel #Acquisition #Chipmaker #Technology #MarketCap #Ai #FinancialLoss #CostReduction #BusinessStrategy

https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/21/qualcomm-may-be-trying-to-buy-intel/ 

 OffDeal wants to help small businesses find big exits with AI agents
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OffDeal, founded by Ori Eldarov and Alston Lin, aims to assist small businesses in selling their companies using AI agents; small businesses employ nearly half of America's workforce and contribute 44% to GDP; traditional investment banks focus on deals over $25 million, leaving small businesses with limited options; OffDeal automates M&A services for small businesses, matching them with buyers and creating pitch decks; currently under contract with nine institutional buyers and over 250 on a waitlist; raised $4.7 million in seed funding led by Radical Ventures; charges 5% to 10% of transaction value, similar to traditional banks; uses OpenAI's GPT-4 models; part of Y Combinator's Winter 2024 batch.

#Ai #SmallBusinesses #M&a #Startups #Investment #YCombinator #Funding #Technology #Advisory #Automation

https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/12/offdeal-wants-to-help-small-businesses-find-big-exits-with-ai-agents/ 

 Instagram now allows users to add multiple audio tracks to Reels
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Instagram now allows users to add multiple audio tracks to their Reels worldwide. Users can add up to 20 tracks in a single Reel and trim them to include only the desired portion of audio. The feature eliminates the need for creators to use another editor to mix multiple tracks into one. Instagram will attribute the overall combined track to the creator, allowing them to urge their fans to reuse the unique mix. Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated that the platform will focus on short videos rather than long-form videos to prioritize connecting people with friends. The company aims to provide creators with expanded creative flexibility by allowing them to visually align audio with elements like text, stickers, and clips. The feature is available globally.

#Instagram #Reels #AudioTracks #SocialMedia

https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/16/instagram-now-allows-users-to-add-multiple-audio-tracks-to-reels/ 

 visionOS can now make spatial photos out of 3D images
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Apple announced at WWDC 2024 the ability to turn existing images into spatial photos using visionOS. The feature utilizes machine learning to build out additional angles and is part of the visionOS 2 release. It allows users to convert older photos captured on older devices, increasing content creation for the mixed reality headset. The machine-generated images may not be as accurate as those captured with depth cameras. The visionOS 2 release is expected later this year.



https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/10/visionos-can-now-make-spatial-photos-out-of-3d-images/ 

 Tesla shareholders sue Musk for starting competing AI company
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Tesla shareholders are suing CEO Elon Musk and members of the automaker’s board of directors over Musk’s decision to start xAI, a competing AI company, and divert talent and resources from Tesla. The lawsuit alleges that Musk and the board breached fiduciary duties to shareholders and unjustly enriched Musk by allowing him to launch a competing company. The plaintiffs are asking the court to force Musk to disgorge his stake in xAI and hand it over to Tesla. The suit was filed just before Tesla's shareholder meeting, where shareholders will vote on a $56 billion compensation package for Musk. The lawsuit comes after Musk threatened to develop AI outside of Tesla unless he is awarded more voting control over the company. Musk launched xAI in 2023 and recently secured $6 billion in funding for the startup. The lawsuit claims that Tesla has been diverting talent and resources to xAI, with at least 11 employees joining xAI directly from Tesla. The plaintiffs also allege that Musk diverted a shipment of AI processors from Nvidia that had been reserved for Tesla to his social media company X. The lawsuit accuses Musk and the board of breaching their fiduciary duty to protect the interests of Tesla and its shareholders.

#Tesla #ElonMusk #Ai #Shareholders #Lawsuit

https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/13/tesla-shareholders-sue-musk-for-starting-competing-ai-company/ 

 Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander still operating on orbit, defying all odds
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Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is still operational in space, defying all odds. The spacecraft has been operational for more than four days despite encountering a dire fuel leak in its propellant system. The estimated operational time remaining continues to extend, with the company updating the estimate from 36 hours to 52 hours as the leak slows. Astrobotic has received critical data from many of the payloads on board, including scientific payloads from NASA, the German Aerospace Center, and the European Space Agency. The remaining payloads on board are passive and do not require power or communications from the spacecraft. While a soft landing on the moon is not possible and the spacecraft's lifetime will be shortened due to the leak, extending its operational life is still a positive outcome for the Astrobotic team and the payload contributors.

#Astrobotic #PeregrineLunarLander #Spacecraft #FuelLeak #PropellantSystem #Payloads #Nasa #GermanAerospaceCenter #EuropeanSpaceAgency

https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/12/astrobotics-peregrine-lunar-lander-still-operating-on-orbit-defying-all-odds/ 

 A comprehensive list of 2023 & 2024 tech layoffs | TechCrunch
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The article provides a comprehensive list of tech layoffs that occurred in 2023 and 2024. The layoffs affected major tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and smaller fintech startups and apps. In 2023, there were a total of 262,735 layoffs, which was 59% higher than the previous year. The layoffs continued into 2024, with significant job cuts in January and February. The article includes specific numbers for each month's layoffs and mentions some companies that conducted layoffs, such as Aurora Solar, Yummly, and Klaviyo. The layoffs reflect the challenges faced by the tech industry and the impact on employees and innovation.

#TechLayoffs #JobCuts #TechIndustry #2023 #2024

https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/05/tech-layoffs-2023-list/ 

 SiMa.ai secures $70M funding to introduce a multimodal GenAI chip
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SiMa.ai, a Silicon Valley-based startup, has raised $70 million in funding to bring its second-generation chipset, specifically built for multimodal generative AI processing, to market. The market for AI-supporting chips globally is forecast to more than double by 2027 to $119.4 billion. SiMa.ai aims to offer its edge AI system-on-chip (SoC) to organizations across various sectors. The startup plans to introduce its second-generation ML SoC in Q1 2025, which will be compatible with any modality, including audio, speech, text, and image. SiMa.ai considers Nvidia as its primary competitor in the edge AI market. The funding round was led by Maverick Capital and brings the total funding raised by SiMa.ai to $270 million.

#Simaai #Funding #MultimodalGenaiChip #AiChips #EdgeAi

https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/04/sima-ai-70m-funding-multimodal-genai-chip/ 

 DeepMind's latest AI can solve geometry problems
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DeepMind, the Google AI R&D lab, has unveiled AlphaGeometry, an AI system that can solve geometry problems. AlphaGeometry can solve as many geometry problems as the average International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist, solving 25 Olympiad geometry problems within the standard time limit. The system combines a 'neural language' model with a 'symbolic deduction engine' to infer solutions to problems. DeepMind created its own training data by generating 100 million 'synthetic theorems' and proofs of varying complexity. The results of AlphaGeometry's problem solving have been published in the journal Nature. The system's approach combines symbol manipulation and neural networks, suggesting a hybrid approach may be the best path forward in the search for generalizable AI.

#Deepmind #Ai #GeometryProblems #Alphageometry #NeuralNetworks #SymbolManipulation

https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/17/deepminds-latest-ai-can-solve-geometry-problems/ 

 Skyflow raises $30M more as AI spikes demand for its privacy business
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Skyflow, a data privacy startup, has raised a $30 million Series B extension led by Khosla Ventures. The new capital comes after Skyflow expanded its data privacy business to support new AI technologies. The startup saw its revenues from large language model–related usage grow from 0% to around 30% more recently. Skyflow's business is an API that stores personally identifying information (PII) on behalf of customers. The company previously raised a $45 million Series B in 2021 and used a portion of that capital to build out its regional footprint. The round is called an extension instead of a Series C to better tune the fundraising process. Skyflow more than doubled in size last year, expanding its revenues by 110%. The round reflects several trends, including startups seeking more modest capital follow-on rounds, the growth of AI creating healthy businesses for data privacy companies, and the success of API-based tools.

#Skyflow #DataPrivacy #Ai #SeriesB #KhoslaVentures

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/28/skyflow-raises-30m-ai-spikes-privacy-business/ 

 MWC 2024: Everything announced so far, including Swayy's app to tell friends where you'll be next | TechCrunch
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The article provides an overview of the announcements and events at MWC 2024. Some of the key announcements include new Android features from Google, Lenovo's new laptop concept and rollable phone concept, Xiaomi's robotic dog, Ultraleap's haptic touch technology for cars and VR headsets, Swayy's app to tell friends where you plan to go, Brain.ai's generative AI for smartphones, Liveliness's community app for finding workout buddies, Sweanty's wearable patch for tracking athletes' sweat, Qilimanjaro winning the 4YFN pitch competition, Jolla's private cloud and AI router, and many more. The article also mentions the winners and finalists of various pitch competitions, as well as some interesting products and technologies showcased at MWC 2024.

#Mwc2024 #Smartphones #App #Technology #Announcements

https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/01/mwc-2024-everything-you-need-to-know/ 

 Women In AI: Eva Maydell, member of European Parliament and EU AI Act advisor | TechCrunch
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Eva Maydell is a Bulgarian politician and a member of European Parliament. She was elected to Parliament in 2014 at age 28 and was re-elected in 2019. Maydell serves on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and on the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. She was the ITRE rapporteur for the EU AI Act and was responsible for drafting a report on the proposal of the European Commission. Maydell is proud of the work done on the AI Act, which lays out a common European vision for the future of AI. She navigates the challenges of the male-dominated tech and AI industries by being part of a supportive network of women. Maydell advises women seeking to enter the AI field to be themselves and share their unique ideas. The pressing issues facing AI as it evolves include making economies more competitive while ensuring wider social benefit, addressing the spread of disinformation, and setting international rules to ensure AI is developed and utilized according to democratic standards. AI users should be aware of the challenge posed by AI as a vehicle to accelerate the spread of disinformation and deepfakes. Maydell emphasizes the importance of trust in responsibly building AI. Investors can push for responsible AI by investing in a positive force in the world and scaling AI in a responsible way to create consumer and market confidence.

#Ai #EvaMaydell #EuropeanParliament #EuAiAct

https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/18/women-in-ai-eva-maydell-member-of-european-parliament-and-eu-ai-act-advisor/ 

 Rally Cap VC, a fintech investor for emerging markets, spins out $5M climate fund
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Rally Cap VC, a fintech investor for emerging markets, has launched Rally Cap Climate, a $5 million climate tech fund. The firm has reached the first close of $2.5 million and expects a final close of $5 million. The fund focuses on climate tech startups in Africa and globally, with a preference for adaptation strategies and software solutions. Rally Cap Climate invests between $50,000 and $100,000 in its portfolio companies and provides co-investment opportunities to its limited partners. The firm's fintech fund, Rally Cap VC, remains a priority and has a 2x MOIC with 15 startups in its portfolio.

#RallyCapVc #ClimateTech #Fintech #EmergingMarkets #Fundraising

https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/08/rally-cap-vc-a-fintech-investor-for-emerging-markets-spins-out-5m-climate-fund/