Safer security cameras

Plus: NYC's top VCs under 30

View this email online in your browser By Karyne Levy Sunday, October 6, 2024 Image Credits: Plumerai Good morning! I'm Karyne Levy, TechCrunch's deputy managing editor, and I'm subbing in for Anthony this week.  My house is decidedly a Google Home. I have a Nest Hub in every room; a Nest doorbell to alert me when a delivery lands on my doorstep; and a Nest Thermostat that's been learning my heating and cooling habits for years. With all this "security" around, it's hard to remember that the devices themselves can be cause for alarm. As Brian Heater writes, "Remote server requirements introduce their own security/privacy concerns. Even more issues arise when Ring's parent Amazon and law enforcement enter the picture." Brian chatted with iPod creator Tony Fadell about the new company he's backing, Plumerai, which developed a way for cameras to perform tasks like people detection and familiar face identification, without needing to send data to a remote server. It will be incorporating its tech into Chamberlain Group's cameras, starting with an outdoor cam. Keep reading to see what else TechCrunch is covering this weekend. Weekend news and opinion Image Credits: Getty Images/iMrSquid Call me on my dumbphone: If you're yearning for that Luddite life but still want to be connected, Paul Sawers offers a list of five feature phones that can still use WhatsApp — and even a few other apps, like Facebook Lite — but don't have all the bells and whistles (and price tags!) of smartphones. Read more Squarespace embraces AI: Anthony might be on vacation, but he still had time to catch up with Squarespace CPO Paul Gubbay. They discussed the company's broader AI strategy and how the technology is being implemented across its website-generating tools. "It's about making sure that the thing that gets pre-created … feels bespoke," Gubbay said. Read more VCs under 30: I love a good list, and Dominic-Madori Davis' list of New York's top VCs under 30 does not disappoint. They're at big firms, like Female Founders Fund, and at smaller ones, like Chai Capital. They're working in areas like growth, consumer, and health. And they're helping to shape the future of venture capitalism in New York City. Read more What else we're reading 📘 DirecTV recently reached an agreement to buy Dish Network, Sling TV, and the rest of EchoStar's TV business (EchoStar is Dish's parent company). If the deal goes through, the new business would serve roughly 19 million customers. The Verge provides a timeline of the events leading up to this very significant merger. Read more 📗 Wired reports that, over the last few years, the military has ramped up its use of a popular form factor that anyone with an Xbox or PlayStation will recognize. Troops are using controllers that resemble those that come with popular video game systems to control various advanced weapons systems. Read more Before you go San Francisco Museum of Modern Art + sports = I'm in. Featured jobs from Crunchboard Senior Data Scientist, IEEE (Piscataway, NJ) IT Director, the Quaker School at Horsham (Horsham, PA) General Manager, airSlate (Brookline, MA) Data Manager, Murmuration (Remote) Director of Marketing and Communications, AidKit (Remote) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.   Check out some of our other newsletters: Startups Weekly TechCrunch Events TechCrunch AI TechCrunch Mobility Got a tip? tips@techcrunch.com Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Update your preferences here at any time Copyright © 2024 TechCrunch, All rights reserved.Yahoo Inc. 110 5th St,San Francisco,CA Privacy Policy

GM wants you to take your eyes off the road

Plus: Fisker can't catch a break

View this email online in your browser By Rebecca Szkutak Friday, October 4, 2024 Welcome to TC PM! Today we've got a scoop on some new autonomous tech being developed at GM; we look at the latest drama at bankrupt EV startup Fisker; and we noodle on Meta's attempt to make Facebook appealing for Gen Z. Happy Friday! TechCrunch Top 3 Image Credits: GM 👀 Eyes-free driving: GM made a big splash seven years ago when it became the first company to offer hands-free driving. Now GM is working on a system that would allow drivers to take their eyes off the road. Read more 😬 More trouble for Fisker: EV startup Fisker can't seem to catch a break. The company is already bankrupt, and now it's under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC said it has sent the company multiple subpoenas, but the nature of the case is unknown. Read more 🧒 How do you do, fellow kids? Meta has realized that Facebook isn't that hip with kids these days, and it wants to change that. The company is rolling out a number of features to try to get Gen Z more interested in spending time on its platform. Read more   A Message from Carta Startup Fundraising 101 Virtual Event Series Are you a founder who wants to deepen your fundraising knowledge? If so, Carta's Startup Fundraising 101 virtual event series is a great opportunity for you to learn more. Watch the first event of this 4-part series on-demand below. Watch Now   Afternoon must-reads Image Credits: TechCrunch 📲 Including iOS: Back in August, Google rolled out Google Q&A — a feature that allows users to ask the Gemini AI chatbot questions about the contents of their Gmail account — for Android users. Now the feature is coming to select iOS users too. Read more 🤦 Spam snafu: Today YouTube apologized after noticing its systems misfired last night and banned a number of accounts for "Spam & Deceptive Practices" that didn't deserve it. The company is rectifying the situation but did not comment on the cause. Read more 🎙️ Equity: The Equity crew had a lot to unpack on this week's episode. They dove into Toyota's recent investment into Joby Aviation; the drama surrounding YC and PearAI; what happens next with California's SB 1047; and more! Listen here 🚫 You can't do that: In 2022, Kenya passed new regulation meant to crack down on unethical digital lenders. Now Kenya's competition authority has fined Baltic lender Eleving's Kenyan subsidiary for misleading customers. Read more 🪐 Cash and a contract: Impulse Space, a company building in-space transportation, announced a $150 million raise on Tuesday. Now the company is announcing a new contract it landed with the U.S. Space Force for two ultra-mobile spacecraft missions. Read more 💨 Zippy Swiggy: Quick food delivery has proven it can't really work in the U.S., but what about in India? Food delivery unicorn Swiggy announced it has partnered with 2,700 businesses to deliver meals to customers in 10 minutes. Read more 🚙 Van life: There are many small businesses that transform commercial vans into mobile tiny homes for consumers. Detroit startup Grounded is looking to offer the same yassification but to electric vans for businesses. Read more 💵 Crowdfunding: It's not uncommon for a startup to raise capital through crowdfunding before raising a traditional VC round. But the other way around, less so. Tim De Chant talked to EnergyX on why it pursued the strategy despite VC money in the bank. Read more   A Message from TechCrunch Hotel discounts for Disrupt 2024 attendees end tonight! Last chance for Disrupt 2024 attendees — exclusive hotel savings end tonight! Stay at top spots like Intercontinental and Hyatt Regency SF with free Wi-Fi and no facility fees. Book now, pay later. Don't miss out! Book Now   Around the web ✋ A pause on progress: For years it seemed like women were inching toward equality in the tech world. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. The Information's Julia Black wrote about why it seems like the progress is starting to reverse. Read more 👋 Go away, AI: Today, the CEO of FilmPort AI posted an AI-generated live action version of Studio Ghibli's "Princess Mononoke." The Mary Sue reported that the clip ended up going viral because people hated it so much. Literally nobody wants that. Read more Before you go Image Credits: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images 💁 This guy: Meta announced its Movie Gen model today that will turn prompts into videos. Mark Zuckerberg posted a video of how it works that includes him using a leg press machine with a continuously changing background. That's one way to make an announcement. Read more  Featured jobs from Crunchboard Senior Data Scientist, IEEE (Piscataway, NJ) IT Director, the Quaker School at Horsham (Horsham, PA) General Manager, airSlate (Brookline, MA) Data Manager, Murmuration (Remote) Director of Marketing and Communications, AidKit (Remote) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.   Check out some of our other newsletters: Startups Weekly TechCrunch AI TechCrunch Mobility Got a tip? tips@techcrunch.com Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Update your preferences here at any time Copyright © 2024 TechCrunch, All rights reserved.Yahoo Inc. 110 5th St,San Francisco,CA Privacy Policy