Google is rolling back its ban on cryptocurrency advertisements – following a similar move made by Facebook earlier this summer, CNBC reports. Google in March was among the first of the major platforms to announce it would no longer run…
Category: A Head Start
Roborace to replace F1 racing drivers with robots at Disrupt
Formula E is so 2017. This year, it’s all about Roborace, an upcoming F1-style competition. And the big new thing is that it’s all about self-driving cars. I’m excited to announce that Roborace CEO Lucas DiGrassi will come to TechCrunch…
Facebook sends Sphero robots so classrooms can apply coding education
Program a robotic toy to move and you could be hooked on coding for life. That’s the idea behind Facebook’s newest educational initiative called CodeFWD. It provides online coding tutorials for teachers and students powered by Code.org, and if classrooms…
Applications for TC Top Picks at Disrupt Berlin 2018 close Friday
If you’ve even vaguely considered applying to be a TechCrunch Top Pick at Disrupt Berlin 2018, which takes place on 29-30 November, you need to act now. The application window closes on Friday 28 September, so get moving and apply to…
India’s budget hotel startup OYO raises $1B for international growth
OYO, the India-based startup that operates a network of budget hotels, has pulled in $1 billion in new funding to grow its business in China and expand into other international markets. The majority of the funding — $800 million, to be exact…
Stripe is testing cash advances, following Square and PayPal’s moves into business finance
Stripe, the fast-growing payments startup that is now worth over $9 billion, is working on a new product to help it fill out some of the gaps in its product suite as it bids to become the go-to financial services…
The Surface Go is the laptop of the year
As a nearly constant traveler I’ve been looking for something like the Surface Go all my life. I’ve lugged around everything from massive ThinkPads to iPad Pros and I’ve always found myself stuck in one of two situations – the…
macOS Mojave is now available
Enjoy reading lots of words about new operating systems? Good news! There are plenty of those here. Enjoy actually downloading and running said new operating systems? Gooder news! macOS 10.14 Mojave is now available in final public form over at…
macOS 10.14 Mojave review
Against my better judgement and repeat warnings from those who knew better, I went ahead and installed Mojave on my work computer the first chance I got. Sure, there were certain standard beta bugs and capability issues that made me…
License caps and CCTV among ride-hailing rule changes urged in report to UK gov’t
Uber and similar services could be facing caps on the number of licenses for vehicles that can operate ride-hailing services in London and other UK cities under rule changes being recommended to the government. CCTV being universally installed inside licensed…
Facing Adversity In Early Retirement
This one is going to be a little darker than usual. I’m an upbeat guy and I tend to write positive uplifting blog posts. For example, I recently asked Can You Become A Millionaire? The answer is, of course you…
Airbnb wants to give its hosts equity in its business
Airbnb wants to give the homeowners who power its service the opportunity to own a piece of its business. That’s why, as Axios reports, the $31-billion-valued company has written to the SEC to ask if its rules around security ownership…
Toyota’s autonomous mobility lead to speak at Startup Battlefield MENA
Hard to believe, but Startup Battlefield MENA is just over a week away. We’ve got some of the top founders and investors in the region speaking, including Magnus Olsson of Careem, Imad Kreidieh of Ogero, Mai Medhat of Eventtus, Konstantinos…
White House says a draft executive order reviewing social media companies is not “official”
A draft executive order circulating around the White House “is not the result of an official White House policymaking process,” according to deputy White House press secretary, Lindsay Walters. According to a report in The Washington Post, Walters denied that White House…
Cinematic train wreck, “The Room”, is now on YouTube in its entirety
The Room has been ranked with Plan 9 From Outer Space as a strong contender for the “best” worst movie ever made — and it’s now available in its entirety on YouTube. Written, directed, and starring Tommy Wiseau, The Room belongs in the…
Singapore is the crypto sandbox that Asia needs
Singapore Blockchain Week happened this past week. While there have been a few announcements from companies, some of the most interesting updates have come from regulators, and specifically, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The financial regulator openly discussed its views…
Fintech startups: Apply to exhibit for free as a TC Top Pick at Disrupt Berlin 2018
Fintech promises to be one of the hottest topics at Disrupt Berlin 2018, and you can take that to the bank — see what we did there? On 29-30 November thousands of attendees will descend on Berlin, and what better way to…
A Lime scooter rider died this morning in Washington, D.C., marking the second fatality this month
Lime, the 18-month-old, San Francisco-based company whose bright green bicycles and scooters now dot cities throughout the U.S., launched a pilot program in Tacoma, Washington, today, but that tiny victory might have felt short-lived. The reason: on the opposite side…
Early-bird tickets close today, 9/21
TC Sessions: AR/VR on October 18 at UCLA is gearing up to be a great show. Early-bird sales end after today, September 21. Don’t miss out on the biggest savings for this event — book your $99 tickets here before…
Luxury fashion marketplace Farfetch opens trading on NYSE at $27, a pop of 35 percent
It’s been a strong year for tech IPOs so far, and it looks like today’s debut of Farfetch — a UK-based shopping site for luxury fashion — is on trend, so to speak. The company opened trading today — on…