Friday, April 4, 2025

Happy Friday, y'all. I'm back with the afternoon rundown. We have news of President Trump extending the deadline for the TikTok ban and some new AI developments from Microsoft and Google. Let's dive in.

TechCrunch Top 3

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😭 Well, the end has come: Meta is officially getting rid of its U.S. fact-checkers come Monday. The company previously announced it would get rid of fact-checks back in January, when it also said it would loosen rules around content moderation.

🤳 In some not-quite-shocking news: President Trump announced an extension to the deadline for the TikTok ban by 75 days. He announced the deadline extension via his Truth Social account, stating that he would sign an executive order to give more time for a deal to finalize.

🚀 Turbine takeoff: Debt platform Turbine raises $22 million in a round co-led by Alpha Edison and TTV Capital to give limited partners access to funds using fund stakes as collateral.

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Afternoon must-reads

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🛑 Usage caps: GitHub Copilot might get pricey for some users. It announced on Friday a limit on actions that can be taken for new models without having a subscription.

🎫 Speaking of a Copilot: Microsoft is teaching its Copilot to peruse the web for users and complete tasks such as making reservations or booking tickets. It can also remember things about its users, just like ChatGPT.

📈 Prices go up: Google announced API pricing for its Gemini 2.5 Pro, making it a bit more expensive for developers compared to Google's other AI models.

☁️ Obsessed with Bluesky? Well, we have the rundown of other consumer-facing apps seeking to give users more control over their social media and personal data. Many of these apps are built either on top of Bluesky or its underlying protocol.

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Around the web

💰 Tariff troubles: The impact of Trump's tariffs is being felt around the nation. Klarna and Medline, which were both looking to IPO this year, have postponed their public offering debuts as the tariffs rock the global markets, according to the Financial Times. Those companies aren't the only ones taking a pause.

🏞️ Pondering parks: Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk is looking to build a park in Austin, featuring everything from walking trails to a playground and tennis courts. His footprint down in Texas has been growing, the outlet said, as he funds schools, buys houses, and tries to incorporate a city.