TechCrunch
Search documents
Stellantis cancels plans for an electrified Jeep Gladiator
TechCrunch· 2025-09-22 20:23
Core Insights - Stellantis has decided to discontinue plans for an electrified Jeep Gladiator, citing changing customer preferences as a key factor in its reassessment of product strategy [1][2] - The Jeep Gladiator will continue to be produced with its rugged design and will remain the only open-air pickup truck in the industry, while Stellantis focuses on enhancing customer-requested features and powertrain options [2] - The company has also halted the development of a battery-electric full-size pickup under its Ram brand due to low demand for such vehicles [3] Group 1 - Stellantis announced the cancellation of the electrified Jeep Gladiator, which was initially planned for production by the end of 2025 [1] - The decision reflects a shift in customer preferences and a broader reassessment of the company's product strategy [1][2] - The Jeep Gladiator will maintain its current design and features while the company reallocates funding for its long-term growth [2] Group 2 - Stellantis is pivoting towards an extended-range truck that combines a battery with a gas generator, aiming for an estimated range of 690 miles [3] - The automaker's strategy includes a focus on customer-requested features and customization options for the Gladiator [2] - The decision to halt the battery-electric full-size pickup development aligns with the company's response to low demand in that segment [3]
Automaker giant Stellantis says customers' personal data stolen during breach
TechCrunch· 2025-09-22 18:29
Core Points - Stellantis has confirmed a data breach involving customers' personal information, linked to a third-party service provider supporting its North American customer service operations [1] - The breach reportedly involved the theft of 18 million customer records from Stellantis' Salesforce database, attributed to the ShinyHunters hacking group [2] - Stellantis joins a growing list of companies, including Cloudflare, Google, and Proofpoint, that have experienced data breaches related to Salesforce instances [3]
Nvidia plans to invest up to $100B in OpenAI
TechCrunch· 2025-09-22 17:24
Group 1 - Nvidia plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI to build massive data centers for AI model training and operation [1] - The companies signed a letter of intent to deploy 10 gigawatts of Nvidia systems, sufficient to power millions of homes, for OpenAI's AI infrastructure [1] - The deal may reduce OpenAI's reliance on Microsoft, its largest investor, as it allows OpenAI to collaborate with other partners for AI infrastructure [2] Group 2 - OpenAI will work with Nvidia as a "preferred strategic compute and networking partner" for its AI factory growth [3] - The specifics of Nvidia's investment payment method remain unclear, whether it will be in chips, cloud credits, cash, or other forms [3] - Nvidia's investment is expected to complement OpenAI's existing partnerships with Microsoft, Oracle, and SoftBank [2]
Oracle promotes two presidents to co-CEO role
TechCrunch· 2025-09-22 16:45
Core Insights - Oracle is restructuring its executive leadership by promoting Clay Magouyrk and Mike Sicilia to co-CEO roles, aiming to enhance its position in AI infrastructure [1][2] - Safra Catz, the current CEO since 2014, will transition to the role of executive vice chair of Oracle's board of directors [2][3] - Oracle is recognized as a leading cloud provider for AI training and inferencing, with a strong growth trajectory and strategic initiatives in AI infrastructure [3] Leadership Changes - Clay Magouyrk has been with Oracle since 2014, previously working at Amazon Web Services, and has over a decade of experience leading Oracle's cloud infrastructure business [1][2] - Mike Sicilia has held various roles at Oracle since its acquisition of Primavera Systems in 2008 and was most recently the president of Oracle's industries division [2] Strategic Initiatives - Oracle is participating in the $500 billion Stargate Project to develop data centers and AI infrastructure in the U.S., collaborating with OpenAI and SoftBank [3] - The company has secured a significant $300 billion compute deal with OpenAI and is also finalizing a $20 billion compute agreement with Meta [4]
eBay to acquire social marketplace platform Tise
TechCrunch· 2025-09-22 14:45
Core Insights - eBay is acquiring Tise, a social marketplace focused on second-hand fashion and interior design items, with undisclosed financial terms [1] - The acquisition aims to attract Gen Z and millennial customers, enhancing eBay's consumer-to-consumer experience through Tise's community features [2][3] - eBay's strategy includes modernizing its platform, expanding social commerce tools, and strengthening its presence in the sustainable retail market [3] Company Overview - Tise, founded in 2014, has raised $45 million in funding and emphasizes making resale fun and inspiring for sustainability [4] - The deal is expected to close by the end of Q4 2025, subject to customary conditions [4] Strategic Implications - The acquisition is seen as a natural progression in eBay's investment in Tise, aimed at accelerating Tise's strategy and fostering innovation [3] - Tise's community-driven model aligns with eBay's vision to enhance its offerings and connect with younger consumers [4]
Amazon, Google, Microsoft reportedly warn H-1B employees to stay in the US
TechCrunch· 2025-09-21 14:09
Core Points - Large tech companies are advising their H-1B visa employees to remain in the U.S. and avoid foreign travel following President Trump's new proclamation [1][2] - The new proclamation requires employers to pay a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, affecting new applicants but not existing holders or renewals [2][4] - Amazon has issued the most H-1B visas this fiscal year, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google [3] Company Responses - Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have communicated to their H-1B visa employees to stay in the U.S. and return before the proclamation takes effect [2][3] - Memos from Amazon and Microsoft have been published, while Google has also issued a similar memo [3] Government Clarifications - A White House official clarified that the new fee applies only to new applicants and does not affect current H-1B holders or their ability to travel [4] - White House Press Secretary stated that existing H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the U.S. as they normally would, unaffected by the new proclamation [4]
Google isn't kidding around about cost cutting, even slashing its FT subscription
TechCrunch· 2025-09-20 05:25
Core Insights - Google is terminating its enterprise subscription to the Financial Times as part of broader cost-reduction efforts, despite reporting strong financial performance [1][2] - The company has been implementing significant cost cuts, including reducing the number of managers and offering voluntary exit programs across various divisions [2] - Google is facing strained relationships with news publishers, with referral traffic from Google Search to publishers declining by 10% from May to June 2025 [3] Cost Reduction Measures - Google is eliminating 35% of managers overseeing small teams and has initiated voluntary exit programs since January 2025 [2] - The finance chief indicated that cost-cutting measures would continue, even after reporting $96.4 billion in revenue for Q2 2025 [2] Impact on News Publishers - Major news outlets like CNN, Business Insider, and HuffPost have experienced traffic declines of 30% to 40% [4] - Publishers attribute these declines to Google's AI Overviews feature, which has reduced click-through rates to external websites from 56% to 69% since its launch [5] - A significant portion of users (60%) conducted Google searches that produced AI-generated summaries, contributing to the decline in traffic to external sites [5] Industry Reactions - The CEO of People Inc. criticized Google as a "bad actor," accusing it of using the same bot for both search engine crawling and AI features [6] - An op-ed by Digital Content Next's CEO described Google's AI overviews as creating a "zero-click" environment, where traffic does not lead to external sites [8]
Nvidia eyes $500M investment into self-driving tech startup Wayve
TechCrunch· 2025-09-19 20:55
Investment Commitment - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced a £2 billion ($2.6 billion) investment to enhance the AI startup ecosystem in the UK [1] - The investment will include contributions from venture-capital investors such as Accel, Air Street Capital, Balderton, Hoxton Ventures, and Phoenix Court [3] Wayve's Strategic Investment - Wayve has signed a letter of intent with Nvidia for a potential $500 million strategic investment in its next funding round [2] - Nvidia previously participated in Wayve's $1.05 billion Series C funding round that closed in May 2024 [2] Wayve's Technology and Development - Wayve utilizes a self-learning approach for its automated driving system, which does not rely on high-definition maps [3][6] - The company plans to sell its "Embodied AI" technology to automakers and tech companies [4] - Wayve's generation 2 self-driving platform is integrated into Ford Mach E test vehicles and uses Nvidia GPUs [8] - The newly unveiled generation 3 platform employs Nvidia Drive AGX Thor, enabling advanced driving assistance systems and Level 4 driverless features [8] Relationship with Nvidia - Wayve has maintained a close development relationship with Nvidia since 2018, allowing its software to run on existing OEM vehicle chips [7] - Nvidia's commitment to Wayve is underscored by Huang's statement about the potential of Wayve becoming a trillion-dollar company [9]
Meta CTO explains why the smart glasses demos failed at Meta Connect — and it wasn't the Wi-Fi
TechCrunch· 2025-09-19 16:04
Core Insights - Meta's new smart glasses technology faced multiple demo failures during the Meta Connect developer conference, raising concerns about the reliability of the product [1][2][3] Group 1: Product Overview - Meta introduced three new pairs of smart glasses: an upgraded version of Ray-Ban Meta, a new Meta Ray-Ban Display with a wristband controller, and the sports-focused Oakley Meta Vanguard [1] - The failures occurred during live demonstrations, including a cooking demo and a WhatsApp video call [2][3] Group 2: Technical Issues - The cooking demo failed because the command to start the Live AI triggered all Ray-Ban Meta glasses in the venue, overwhelming the system [6][8] - Bosworth explained that the issue was due to a mistake in resource management planning, leading to a self-inflicted DDoS situation [9][10] - The WhatsApp call failure was attributed to a new bug where the smart glass display went to sleep, causing a race condition that prevented the call notification from appearing [11][12] Group 3: Company Response - Despite the demo failures, Bosworth expressed confidence in the product's capabilities, stating that the issues were merely demo failures and not indicative of product failure [12][13]
Uber is trying drone delivery again
TechCrunch· 2025-09-18 17:57
Group 1 - Uber will test using drones for Uber Eats deliveries in select U.S. markets by the end of this year, in partnership with Israeli startup Flytrex, which includes a small investment from Uber [1] - The partnership aligns with Uber's strategy of re-engaging with technologies previously developed in-house, including collaborations with autonomous vehicle companies like Waymo and plans for electric air taxis [2] - Uber previously trialed drone deliveries in 2019 but abandoned the initiative due to regulatory constraints, later selling its "Elevate" aviation division to Joby; the current regulatory environment is becoming more favorable for aerial delivery [3] Group 2 - Flytrex has completed over 200,000 deliveries across the U.S. and also collaborates with Uber Eats competitor DoorDash, indicating a growing trend in aerial delivery services [3]