TechCrunch

 To successfully address the unprecedented man-made environmental crises we face, it’s time to retire the word sustainability. Read More

 The Gillmor Gang — Doc Searls, Denis Pombriant, David Weinberger, Frank Radice, and Steve Gillmor. Recorded live 9.30.17. Cluetrain meets Blockchain, Twitter and the death of brevity, Who are the arbiters? G3: Algorithm and Blues — Francine Hardaway, Elisa Camahort Page, Mary Hodder, Kristie Wells, and Tina Chase Gillmor. Social media, Facebook and the Russians, bad algorithms,… Read More

 Defakto is a small German watchmaker that has made a name for itself over the years thanks to the unique, but classic designs it boasts thanks to mark founder Raphael Ickler. The latest watch from Ickler and Defakto, the Vektor, continues this tradition of smart, minimalist looks, but adds a very slim case thanks to use of a Miyota 9015 automatic Japanese movement, and brings some extra… Read More

 All too often the fact that human lives are increasingly enmeshed with and dependent on ever more complex, and ever more inscrutable, technologies is considered a good thing. Negatives don’t generally get dwelled on. And for the most part people are expected to move along, or be moved along by the tech. Read More

 When Motiv told me what they were working on just ahead of CES, I perked up. It wasn’t the functionality — there are a million trackers out there that do what the device does and much more. It was the potential the product represents — the beginnings of liberation from the tyranny of the wrist. It’s easy to understand why so many companies are so attached to that… Read More

 2017 has been the year of AI, reaching a fever pitch of VC and corporate investment. But, as with any hot technology, AI is outgrowing this phase of experimentation and hype. According to research firm Gartner, we’re past the “peak of inflated expectations.” Next up is a necessary recalibration of the space—one that will separate the winning AI-driven companies from all… Read More

Elon Musk plans to use SpaceX spaceships for travel on Earth, Apple has quietly acquired Regaind and South Korea decides to ban ICOs. All this on Crunch Report. Read More

 The Securities and Exchange Commission today has charged both a diamond and a real estate initial coin offering scheme with defrauding investors. REcoin, which promoted itself as the first cryptocurrency-backed real estate company and DRC World, a diamond company, are owned by businessman Maksim Zaslavskiy. In a statement, the SEC accuses Zaslavskiy of selling unregistered securities and… Read More

 Former Uber chief Travis Kalanick has appointed two more people to the ridesharing company’s board. One of the seats is going to Ursula Burns, former CEO and Chairwoman of Xerox. The other is going to John Thain, who has served as CEOs of CIT Group, Merrill Lynch and the New York Stock Exchange. A spokesperson for Kalanick provided us with the following statement: “I am happy to… Read More

 StackCommerce, which sells articles sponsored by brands and published on websites, has acquired the online video marketing company Joyus in an all cash transaction to expand its advertising footprint in media targeting women and work more with online video. The media market for fashion, women’s health, and shopping is a new one for StackCommerce which has worked closely with websites… Read More

 I have financed nearly 50 early-stage companies and the question of proper valuation comes up in every financing. There is the obvious tension: Generally speaking, the existing shareholders would like the highest valuation possible, while the new investors would prefer the lowest. For founders, understanding how VCs look at valuation is critical for a successful fundraising process. Read More

 Digital streaming business Roku has soared in its public debut. After pricing its IPO Wednesday at $14 per share, Roku finished its first day of trading at $23.50, up nearly 68%. And by the end of Friday, Roku closed at $26.54, or up 90% in less than 48 hours. The company is now valued at about $2.6 billion. So this must be great news for the company, right? Well, sort of. Read More

 Venture capitalists are in a pickle. Companies have raised more than $1.7 billion through initial coin offerings, or ICOs, this year by selling their own customized virtual currencies. For the companies, the trend is a godsend. They can raise the money and use it to fuel new projects without having to give away a piece of their company to venture capitalists. Meanwhile, both accredited and… Read More

 Emilio Ferrara has been thinking about botnets for over a decade. As the first social networks climbed out of the mire, he noticed that they were very easy to game. Now, it seems, all of those early tools have finally been weaponized. I spoke to Ferrara about his research work as well as his fascinating study that found that Twitter bots can be used for good. In this episode of Technopia we… Read More

 Three female, former Oracle employees, Rong Jewett, Sophy Wang and Xian Murray, are suing Oracle for allegedly paying women less than men in similar jobs. The lawsuit, filed August 28, seeks a class-action status to represent all other women who have worked at Oracle. Read More

 If you’re like me, you switched your default browser over to Chrome years ago and never looked back. Chances are, before you made the switch, you used Firefox or Internet Explorer. What made Chrome stand out back then was its speed and simplicity, especially at a time when Firefox felt like it was getting slower and heavier with every update. But times have changed. Read More

 Facebook has its own version of Apple’s Face ID. If you get locked out of your Facebook account, the company is testing a way to regain access by using your face to verify your identity. That could be especially useful if you’re somewhere that you can’t receive two-factor authentication SMS, like on a plane or while traveling abroad, or if you lose access to your email… Read More

 Walmart’s Jet.com is going after millennial shoppers with the launch of its own grocery brand called Uniquely J, which is expected to arrive in a couple of months. The goal with the brand — beyond an obvious desire for increased margins — is to attract a younger shopper. Read More

 French startup Heetch has been around for quite a few years. Although things were running smoothly, the company had to start over mostly from scratch. In March 2017, a court in Paris ruled that Heetch had been illegally operating a transportation company. The startup is now rising from the ashes and raising $12 million to fund its new service. Read More

 Podcasts are a growing area of interest even for media companies that typically work in TV and other formats, and AMC/Sundance is extending its bet on making something of streaming audio. The show is called “Deadly Manners,” and it’s a fictional murder mystery with some big-name stars, including Kristen Bell, Anna Chlumsky, RuPaul, LeVar Burton, Denis O’Hare and Alisha Boe. Read More