This week saw one of the The most common computer disruptions In recent years, computer outages have been linked to a faulty software update from the popular cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike. Companies around the world have reported computer outages, including Windows “blue screen of death” errors on their computers, affecting airlines, banks, retailers, brokerages, media companies and rail networks.
OpenAI released Mini-GPT-4o, a simplified version of its latest flagship model. The company says the new model is expected to be more than 60% cheaper than the GPT 3.5 Turbo and will be useful for simple, high-volume tasks. GPT-4o has started rolling out to developers and consumers via the ChatGPT web and mobile apps, with business users expected to get access next week.
USPS has been taken sharing postal addresses of its online customers with Meta, LinkedIn, and Snap. TechCrunch discovered that customer information was being shared through hidden data collection code used on its website, including the addresses of logged-in Informed Delivery customers. The USPS said it has fixed the issue and stopped the practice, saying it was “not aware of it.”
News
PartnerOne pays a fraction for HeadSpin:The Canadian private equity firm paid $28.2 million to acquire HeadSpin, a fraction of its $1.1 billion valuation, documents seen by TechCrunch reveal. In April, HeadSpin’s founder was sentenced to 18 months in prison for fraud. Learn more
Alphabet could buy Wiz: Alphabet is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire cloud security service Wiz for around $23 billion. If the deal goes through, it would be the company's largest acquisition to date. Learn more
Americans Spent Big on Prime Day:Amazon's Prime Day event generated record sales this year, with U.S. consumers spending $14.2 billion on July 16 and 17, according to Adobe Analytics. Learn more
Wordle to learn chess: Echo Chunk created an AI-powered daily game called Echo Chess to help you improve your chess skills — and it just raised $1.4 million. Learn more
Kaspersky closes its doors in the United States: The Russian cybersecurity giant will lay off dozens of employees and exit the U.S. market following a government order banning the sale of the company's software due to alleged security risks. Learn more
Elon Musk redoubles efforts for Texas:Elon Musk vows to move SpaceX and X to Texas, calling the passage of a California bill that would ban schools from disclosing students' sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent “the straw that broke the camel's back.” Learn more
Would you take a robotaxi to the airport? Waymo is stepping up its efforts to get approval to facilitate robotaxis pick-ups and drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport, according to emails viewed by TechCrunch. Learn more
Watch The Weeknd on Apple Vision Pro:Apple introduces new content for Apple Vision Pro, including a short film about the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend game in Indianapolis and an immersive concert by The Weeknd. Learn more
Moon Cave! Scientists have identified what they believe to be an accessible tunnel or cave on the Moon. If proven real, such a feature could define years of development by startups, governments and space companies aiming to create a sustainable lunar colony. Learn more
Cool new headphones have just been launched: Dyson's new retro-looking OnTrac The earbuds are almost infinitely customizable and they offer an impressive 55 hours of battery life with ANC enabled. Learn more
Analysis
Hank Green Takes the Creator Economy Into Account:Hank Green started making YouTube videos in 2007 with his brother, novelist John Green, at a time when Myspace was still a thing and Instagram didn’t exist. Seventeen years later, posting videos to the internet has grown from a hobby to a $250 billion industry. In a wide-ranging conversation, Amanda Silberling spoke with Green about creator solidarity, loneliness on social media, and the companies behind it all. Learn more
Are Women-Founded Startups Being Left Behind? Year-to-date, companies with all-female founding teams have raised 2.2% of the venture capital allocated for the year. The data shows that all-female founding teams have never raised more than 3% of venture capital funding since at least 2014, and over the past four years, they have raised only about 2% of venture capital funding. Dominic-Madori Davis examines how this disparity exists as the amount of capital allocated to US startups has reached record highs. Learn more
