Microsoft today announced a new version of Windows 10 that’s specifically geared toward professional users that use high-end hardware to support mission-critical workloads. As rumored, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations will feature Microsoft’s server-grade file system, support for persistent memory, faster file sharing with SMB Direct and support for high-end hardware. Read More
Amazon might get into event ticket sales, according to a new report from Reuters. The commerce giant has eyed the space, which is largely dominated by Live Nation’s Ticketmaster in the U.S., and found it a space for plenty of potential opportunity, according to the outlet’s sources. There’s definitely wiggle room on the side of consumer experience; Ticketmaster receives plenty… Read More
Snap’s Spectacles sunglasses may prove to be more of a fad than a must-have device. Snap revealed during its call following weak Q2 earnings that it generated $5.4 million in “Other” revenue, which would equate to around 41,500 pairs of its Spectacles camera sunglasses at a $130 price point. Read More
There are a million and one services for voice transcription on the market. But even with just one job to do, I’ve never seen a service that can handle the long tail of vocabulary used in the real world. This is particularly challenging if you’re a startup trying to sell your service to enterprises that rely on accurate transcription for their operations. Read More
Snap has an awful Q2 earnings report… but at least its dancing AR hot dog was viewed 1.5 billion times. To prove their confidence, co-founders Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy have agreed not to sell any shares this year, and the company will withhold shares they’re owed to pay for any necessary taxes. Of course, there are only five months left in the year, so this isn’t exactly… Read More
For the past decade the Peruvian economy has been one of the fastest moving in the region — but it’s apparent Peru’s technology ecosystem is still in its infancy. Economically driven by mining, Peru invests just 0.08 percent of its GDP in innovation. By comparison, Chile invests 0.37 percent. Yet Peru refuses to be left behind. Read More
After building a product, the hardest test a startup faces is finding the first five to ten customers who are willing to bet on you when no one has heard of your company and when your product has yet to be battle-tested. Read More
Pig organs are the same size as human organs and function pretty much the same way, but pig to human transplantation has long been an elusive goal for researchers due to fear of activating dormant viral diseases in the pig’s cells. But there’s hope on the horizon, thanks to a new study out in Science today involving CRISPR’d piglets. Read More
Snap’s Q2 earnings report was another failure on a long, downward path for the social media company as user growth slowed under the pressure of Instagram. Read More
Benchmark, the Silicon Valley venture firm and early investor in Uber, has sued former CEO Travis Kalanick. In a Delaware Chancery Court filing, originally identified by Axios’ Dan Primack, the suit alleges that Kalanick committed fraud, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. Both Kalanick and Benchmark hold Uber board seats. Read More
Backblaze is one of the few unlimited backup services standing — in part because of its prowess in securing its own hard drives and building its own cloud services. Today, the company launched version 5.0 of its service and desktop clients. This new version introduces faster backups and restores, as well as improved browsing speed, image previews on the restore page and a new file… Read More
Snap’s cool factor is wearing off. It needs new ways to entertain teens and score ad dollars. That means challenging some of its deepest-held philosophies about who Snapchat is for and how it works. From changing its feed to seducing influencers to fighting Facebook, here’s what we think Snap needs to do. Read More
Global payments processing company PayPal announced this morning that it has agreed to acquire Swift Financial, which provides small business owners with working capital. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition will give PayPal better tools to expand its own Working Capital product. Read More
It’s been quite a week in tech, with now-former Google engineer James Damore’s controversial post about gender going viral and his subsequent firing. So, right on cue, workplace culture and company review platform Comparably has come out with a ranking of the top 10 tech companies for people of color, as well as the top 10 for women. Read More
Uber SVP of Global Operations will be leaving that full-time senior leadership role in the middle of September to “focus” on his role as a director of Uber’s board. Graves, who acted as Uber’s CEO from early 2010 until founder Travis Kalanick took over the position at the end of that year, had been seen as a close associate of Kalanick’s over the course of his… Read More
SoundCloud will soon collapse if investors don’t vote for a rescue funding round tomorrow. The stumbling music streaming community site had to suddenly lay off 40% of its staff last month. Now it’s asking investors for $169.5 million at a pre-money enterprise valuation of just $150 million. That’s a steep drop from the $700 million valuation of its previous rounds. Read More
Facebook malware is nothing new, but an emerging threat offers some unique karmic retribution. In an unpublished report, security researchers at Sydney-based LMNTRIX Labs have identified software advertising itself as a Facebook password stealer that injects malicious code in the background once downloaded, making the user vulnerable to having their own credentials stolen. Read More
Cryptocurrencies are back. But did they ever go away? If you ask cryptocurrency advocates, they’re going to tell you that it’s been a slow and steady rise filled with initial coin offerings, forks and updates. That’s why we’re excited to welcome Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and AngelList co-founder and CEO Naval Ravikant at TechCrunch Disrupt SF. They’re… Read More
Amazon is facing a lawsuit from two former employees that alleges the company harassed them and threatened them physically. The Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF) filed the lawsuit on behalf of the couple, Allegra Schawe-Lane and Dane Lane. Read More
The ascendance of the so-called “hard right” in the US and the Trump administration’s work to protect its power means it’s unlikely the movement will be beaten by Democrats or left leaning parties at this point. The power of the hard right in red-states has become institutionalized. So perhaps the answer is, instead, empowering traditional Conservatives who are… Read More
