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Amazon to invest $4B in Chile to launch AWS infrastructure region
TechCrunch· 2025-05-07 15:08
Amazon is making a sizable investment to support new and existing Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers in Chile.The tech conglomerate announced on Wednesday that it will pour more than $4 billion into building an AWS infrastructure region of data centers in Chile by the end of 2026. The investment will go toward establishing three availability zones, or groups of isolated data centers, in the new AWS region. Amazon said it also plans to hire and develop local talent to operate and support its region in Chil ...
CrowdStrike says it will lay off 500 workers
TechCrunch· 2025-05-07 14:25
Group 1 - CrowdStrike announced a layoff of 5% of its global workforce, approximately 500 employees, as part of a strategic plan to enhance operational efficiency [1] - The company aims to achieve $10 billion in Annual Recurring Revenue and plans to hire in key strategic areas throughout its fiscal year ending January 31, 2026 [1] - CEO George Kurtz emphasized that these changes will enable the company to operate more efficiently and maintain its leadership in cybersecurity [1] Group 2 - CrowdStrike gained prominence in 2016 for investigating the Democratic National Committee hack, attributing it to the Russian government [2] - The company faced negative publicity in the previous summer due to a faulty software update that affected 8.5 million Windows devices globally, causing significant outages and disruptions across various sectors [2]
Amazon is working on an AI code generation tool
TechCrunch· 2025-05-07 10:01
Core Insights - Amazon Web Services is developing a new AI-powered code generation tool named "Kiro" which can generate code in near real-time using prompts and existing data [1] - Kiro is designed to create technical design documents, identify potential issues, and optimize code, enhancing its functionality beyond existing tools like Q Developer [2] - The AI-powered coding tools market is experiencing significant activity, with companies like Anysphere achieving a $9 billion valuation and Windsurf nearing a $3 billion acquisition by OpenAI [3] Company Developments - Kiro will feature web and desktop applications, multimodal capabilities, and compatibility with third-party AI agents, indicating a versatile approach to code generation [1] - The launch timeline for Kiro was initially considered for the end of June, but there may have been changes to this schedule [2] Industry Trends - The demand for AI-powered coding tools is increasing, as evidenced by substantial funding and acquisition activities within the sector [3]
OpenAI expects to cut share of revenue it pays Microsoft by 2030
TechCrunch· 2025-05-07 07:47
Group 1 - OpenAI plans to reduce its revenue share to Microsoft from 20% to 10% by 2030 [1][2] - The company is restructuring to become a public benefit corporation while remaining under the control of its nonprofit division [1] - Microsoft has invested tens of billions in OpenAI and has a contract that includes revenue sharing and rights to OpenAI's IP [3] Group 2 - Microsoft has not yet approved OpenAI's proposed corporate structure, seeking to protect its investment [3] - The current agreement between OpenAI and Microsoft is set to last until 2030 [3] - OpenAI's new plan aims to align its financial interests with its business partners [2]
Rivian earnings: EV maker cuts delivery guidance because of Trump's tariffs and trade wars
TechCrunch· 2025-05-06 21:37
Core Viewpoint - Rivian is expected to deliver fewer electric vehicles (EVs) this year than previously forecasted, primarily due to the impact of President Trump's tariffs and regulatory changes, reflecting broader challenges faced by the automotive industry under the current administration [1][3]. Delivery and Production Forecast - Rivian now anticipates delivering between 40,000 and 46,000 EVs by the end of 2025, a reduction from the earlier estimate of 46,000 to 51,000 vehicles for this year [2]. - Delivering fewer than 46,000 EVs would mark a setback for Rivian, which has already been experiencing stagnant volume growth, having delivered 51,579 vehicles in 2024 and 50,122 in 2023 [5]. Financial Performance - In the first quarter of 2025, Rivian generated a gross profit of $206 million from 8,640 deliveries, marking the second consecutive quarter of gross profit [6]. - Despite the gross profit, Rivian reported a net income loss of $541 million for the quarter, an improvement from a loss of $1.4 billion in the same period the previous year [7]. Revenue Insights - Automotive revenue decreased to $922 million from $1.12 billion in the first quarter of 2024, although total revenues saw a slight year-over-year increase due to a significant rise in software and services revenue [9]. - Software and services revenue reached $318 million in the first quarter of 2025, nearly a fourfold increase from $88 million in the same period last year, attributed to advancements in vehicle electrical architecture and software development services [9]. Capital Expenditure Guidance - Rivian raised its capital expenditure guidance to between $1.8 billion and $1.9 billion, up from the previous guidance of $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion, due to anticipated impacts from tariffs [2]. Industry Context - Rivian's earnings report follows similar actions from Ford and General Motors, both of which withdrew their guidance for the year due to economic uncertainties linked to Trump's tariffs, with Ford estimating an additional $2.5 billion in costs and GM around $5 billion [3]. - Rivian has previously warned that changes in government policies and a challenging demand environment could threaten vehicle demand, particularly if the federal tax credit for EVs is eliminated [4].
Rivian cuts delivery guidance because of Trump's tariffs and trade wars
TechCrunch· 2025-05-06 20:06
Core Viewpoint - Rivian is likely to deliver fewer electric vehicles (EVs) in 2025 than previously forecasted due to the impact of President Trump's tariffs and regulatory changes, reflecting broader challenges faced by the automotive industry under the current administration [1][2]. Group 1: Delivery Forecast - Rivian expects to deliver between 40,000 and 46,000 EVs by the end of 2025, a reduction from the earlier estimate of 46,000 to 51,000 vehicles [1]. - This marks a setback for Rivian, which has already been experiencing no volume growth for three consecutive years, having delivered 51,579 vehicles in 2024 and 50,122 in 2023 [4]. Group 2: Financial Performance - In the first quarter of 2025, Rivian generated a gross profit of $206 million from 8,640 deliveries, marking the second consecutive quarter of gross profit [5]. - However, the company reported a net income loss of over $540 million for the same quarter, with automotive revenue decreasing to $922 million from $1.12 billion in the first quarter of 2024 [6]. Group 3: Industry Context - Rivian's announcement follows Ford and General Motors withdrawing their guidance for the year due to economic uncertainty linked to Trump's tariffs, with Ford estimating an additional $2.5 billion in costs and GM around $5 billion [2]. - Rivian has previously warned that changes in government policies and a challenging demand environment could threaten vehicle demand, particularly if the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs is eliminated [3].
Amazon-owned Zoox issues recall following robotaxi crash
TechCrunch· 2025-05-06 19:06
Zoox, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Amazon, paused its driverless testing program for more than a week and issued a voluntary recall of its software following a crash in Las Vegas, according to the company and a filing with federal safety regulators. The April 8 crash, which involved an unoccupied Zoox vehicle and a passenger car, prompted the company to issue a recall for about 270 vehicles equipped with a specific version of its automated driving system. The recall number doesn’t reflect the ful ...
Uber Eats comes to Turkey via $700M Trendyol Go acquisition
TechCrunch· 2025-05-06 14:24
Group 1: Acquisition Details - Uber has acquired an 85% controlling stake in Trendyol Go for approximately $700 million in cash, enhancing its market share for Uber Eats in Turkey [1] - Trendyol Go, the food delivery arm of Trendyol Group, delivered over 200 million orders in 2024, generating $2 billion in gross bookings, a 50% increase from the previous year [4] - The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, allowing users to continue using the Trendyol Go app while Uber integrates key capabilities from Uber Eats over the coming years [5] Group 2: Market Context - The acquisition announcement precedes Uber's first-quarter earnings report, with concerns about consumer spending projected to decline in 2025 due to tariffs [2] - Uber is facing increased competition in the U.S. from DoorDash, which has led to legal action against DoorDash for alleged anticompetitive behavior [6] - DoorDash has also made significant acquisitions, including Deliveroo for $3.86 billion and SevenRooms for $1.2 billion, indicating a competitive landscape in the food delivery sector [7] Group 3: Strategic Expansion - Uber is actively pursuing expansion in various sectors, including autonomous vehicle partnerships across its ride-hail, delivery, and freight verticals [3]
US DoJ wants Google to sell two of its ad products
TechCrunch· 2025-05-06 09:45
Core Viewpoint - The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is proposing that Google divest two of its advertising products to restore competition in the ad tech sector following a court ruling that found Google guilty of maintaining monopoly power in the digital advertising space [1][2]. Group 1: DOJ Proposals - The DOJ's filing suggests that Google should sell its ad exchange product AdX and conduct a phased sale of DoubleClick for Publishers, an ad server for website publishers [2]. - The DOJ also proposes that Google refrain from operating an ad exchange for 10 years after the sale of AdX [2]. - The filing emphasizes the need for Google to open its ad buying tools, including AdWords, to work with all third-party ad tech products on non-discriminatory terms [4]. Group 2: Allegations Against Google - The DOJ alleges that Google has ensured significant revenue losses for publishers that do not use AdX, thereby creating a monopoly by integrating AdX and DFP [3]. - The filing describes the proposed remedies as necessary to terminate Google's monopolies and reintroduce competition into the ad exchange and publisher ad server markets [4]. Group 3: Google's Response - In response to the DOJ's proposals, Google's VP of regulatory affairs stated that the measures would harm publishers and advertisers, arguing that the DOJ's additional proposals exceed the court's findings [5]. - Google has proposed its own remedies, including making AdX real-time bids available to all third-party ad servers and having its actions monitored by an independent compliance observer for three years [8]. Group 4: Broader Antitrust Context - Google is facing antitrust pressure from multiple fronts, including a separate case where the U.S. government is seeking to compel the company to sell its Chrome browser due to findings of monopoly power in the online search market [8].
DoorDash to buy UK's Deliveroo for $3.86B
TechCrunch· 2025-05-06 07:59
DoorDash said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy its U.K. rival Deliveroo for about £2.9 billion (around $3.29 billion), as the U.S. food delivery company seeks to expand into new markets. DoorDash will pay Deliveroo shareholders 180 pence per share, which represents a premium of 44% over the latter's share price on 4 April, when the U.S. firm approached with its acquisition offer, the companies said. The deal would give DoorDash access to nine new markets in Europe, where Deliveroo operates in primarily. The ...