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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]
Google and PayPal team up on agentic commerce
TechCrunch· 2025-09-18 14:58
Core Insights - PayPal has entered a multi-year partnership with Google to utilize AI technology for enhancing shopping experiences [1] - The collaboration will integrate PayPal's payment solutions across various Google products and improve its technology infrastructure through Google Cloud [1][4] - Both companies will support the adoption of Google's new Agent Payments Protocol, which facilitates AI-initiated purchases [3] Group 1 - PayPal will leverage Google's AI technology to create new shopping experiences, although specific types of experiences have not been detailed [2] - Google will provide its AI expertise while PayPal will utilize its global payment infrastructure and personalization solutions [2] - PayPal will be a key payment provider for card payments in Google Cloud, Google Ads, and Google Play [4] Group 2 - The partnership includes the integration of PayPal's branded checkout, Hyperwallet payouts service, and PayPal Payouts service into Google's ecosystem [4] - The Agent Payments Protocol has received backing from over 60 merchants and financial institutions, indicating strong industry support [3]
Nvidia buys $5 billion stake in Intel, planning AI chip collaboration
TechCrunch· 2025-09-18 14:31
Core Insights - Nvidia has agreed to acquire a $5 billion stake in Intel, purchasing shares at $23.28 each, which represents a slight discount from Intel's previous trading price, making Nvidia one of Intel's largest shareholders with approximately 4% ownership [1] - The collaboration aims to integrate Nvidia's NVLink interface with Intel's architectures, facilitating faster data transfers crucial for AI applications [2] - Intel will produce customized x86 CPUs for Nvidia's AI infrastructure and develop x86 system-on-chips incorporating Nvidia's RTX GPUs, enhancing Intel's competitive position against AMD [3] - The partnership comes as Nvidia reports record growth, while Intel has faced challenges in the semiconductor market, particularly in AI, indicating a strategic move to regain market share [4] Company Developments - Nvidia's investment in Intel is part of a broader strategy to develop multiple generations of data center and PC products [1] - Intel's new line of x86 CPUs will be tailored for enterprise and hyperscale customers, while the x86 RTX SoCs will target the consumer PC market [3] - Intel has undergone significant restructuring, including a new CEO and workforce reductions, to improve margins and focus on capital expenditure discipline [3] Market Context - The collaboration is positioned to help both companies compete more effectively against rivals like AMD in the semiconductor market [4] - Nvidia's market capitalization has grown significantly, establishing it as one of the largest companies globally, while Intel has struggled to keep pace with market demands [4] - The integration of advanced technologies from both companies is expected to lead to new breakthroughs in the industry [7]
Atlassian acquires DX, a developer productivity platform, for $1B
TechCrunch· 2025-09-18 13:00
Core Insights - Atlassian is acquiring developer productivity insight platform DX for $1 billion in cash and restricted stock to enhance its product suite [1] - DX helps enterprises analyze engineering team productivity and identify bottlenecks [1] Company Overview - DX was founded five years ago by Abi Noda and Greyson Junggren to improve understanding of engineering team challenges [2] - The company has tripled its customer base annually and currently serves over 350 enterprise customers, including notable names like ADP, Adyen, and GitHub [3] Acquisition Rationale - Atlassian's CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes stated that after three years of attempting to develop an in-house tool, the company recognized the value in acquiring an existing solution like DX [4] - 90% of DX's customers already utilize Atlassian's project management tools, making the acquisition a strategic fit [4] Product Integration - DX's platform will be integrated into Atlassian's broader product suite, providing a comprehensive solution for customers to address productivity bottlenecks [8] - The acquisition is expected to enhance the qualitative and quantitative understanding of developer productivity for clients [5][6] Market Context - The acquisition comes at a time when companies are increasingly looking to measure the effectiveness of AI tools and their associated budgets [6] - There is a cultural alignment between the two companies, with both having scaled without significant outside funding [7]
Meta launches Hyperscape, technology to turn real-world spaces into VR
TechCrunch· 2025-09-18 00:43
Core Insights - Meta Connect developer conference highlighted new smart glasses and significant metaverse updates, particularly the introduction of Hyperscape for creating photorealistic virtual spaces [1][5] Group 1: Hyperscape Introduction - Hyperscape Capture is now in Early Access, allowing Quest device owners to scan real rooms and create immersive digital replicas [2] - The capture process takes a few minutes, but rendering the room will take several hours [2] - Initially, users cannot invite others into their digital spaces, but this feature will be available later through a private link [3] Group 2: Featured Hyperscape Worlds - The technology has been used to render notable locations such as Gordon Ramsay's kitchen, Chance the Rapper's House of Kicks, and the UFC Apex Octagon [4] Group 3: User Rollout and Age Restrictions - Hyperscape is being rolled out to users aged 18 and older with Quest 3 or Quest 3S devices, starting gradually from the announcement date [5] Group 4: Additional Metaverse Updates - Meta introduced new VR games for fall, including Marvel's Deadpool VR and Star Wars: Beyond Victory [8] - Horizon TV will support streaming services like Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu, along with partnerships for immersive movie experiences [9]