Tech

General Motors gives up on BrightDrop electric vans | TechCrunch

General Motors gives up on BrightDrop electric vans | TechCrunch

General Motors is abandoning its BrightDrop electric delivery vans, just four years after introducing the vehicles. The company announced Tuesday alongside third-quarter earnings that it made the decision because the “commercial electric delivery van market developed much slower than expected.” GM also blames the “changing regulatory environment and the elimination of tax credits in the United States” — the result …

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Exclusive: Apple alerts exploit developer that his iPhone was targeted with government spyware

Exclusive: Apple alerts exploit developer that his iPhone was targeted with government spyware

Earlier this year, a developer was shocked by a message that appeared on his personal phone: “Apple detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone.”   “I was panicking,” Jay Gibson, who asked that we don’t use his real name over fears of retaliation, told TechCrunch.   Gibson, who until recently built surveillance technologies for Western government hacking tools maker Trenchant, …

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The full Disrupt Stage revealed: Where the future of tech breaks first | TechCrunch

The full Disrupt Stage revealed: Where the future of tech breaks first | TechCrunch

The Disrupt Stage, only at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, is where tech’s biggest bets get made, live and unfiltered. It’s where startup dreams turn into $100,000 prizes in Startup Battlefield 200, and where the industry’s power players reveal what’s next. The industry’s biggest voices take the main-stage spotlight This year, we’re bringing Alphabet’s moonshot chief Astro Teller, Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott, Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone, and Vinod Khosla — never one to mince words — to the stage. Sequoia’s Roelof Botha will …

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Aura introduces a $499 e-ink digital photo frame that lets you go cordless | TechCrunch

Aura introduces a 9 e-ink digital photo frame that lets you go cordless | TechCrunch

Aura is introducing its newest model, the $499 Ink frame, which brings a 13-inch color e-paper display to the company’s otherwise LCD-based lineup. The technology, similar to that found in the Kindle Colorsoft e-reader, uses a six-color ink system to create the illusion of millions of tones. More importantly, using e-ink technology allows the frame to finally go cordless. That …

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X is testing a pay-per-use pricing model for its API | TechCrunch

X is testing a pay-per-use pricing model for its API | TechCrunch

Two years after revamping its developer programs and pricing, X is expanding the closed beta of a pay-per-use plan for its API to more developers. The social network is accepting applications from developers who want to be a part of the program, the company’s developer account wrote in a post on X. “We are expanding a closed beta to both …

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Airbnb is becoming more social by allowing users to connect with fellow travelers | TechCrunch

Airbnb is becoming more social by allowing users to connect with fellow travelers | TechCrunch

Airbnb announced new features today that will help users connect with fellow travelers while participating in the same activity. The company is also improving search by suggesting properties that you might have missed due to your filters, and has redesigned the Maps view to let you search for points of interest such as nearby landmarks, attractions, and restaurants. Earlier this …

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Yelp’s AI assistant can now scan restaurant menus to show you what dishes look like | TechCrunch

Yelp’s AI assistant can now scan restaurant menus to show you what dishes look like | TechCrunch

Yelp is releasing multiple AI-powered updates Tuesday, including an updated AI assistant that can answer questions about restaurants, bars, local attractions, or retailers. The assistant can also scan a physical menu to provide information about dishes. Additionally, the company is improving search with support for natural language and voice queries, and highlighting popular offerings on business pages, including auto shops, …

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Spiro raises $100M, the largest-ever investment in Africa’s e-mobility | TechCrunch

Spiro raises 0M, the largest-ever investment in Africa’s e-mobility | TechCrunch

Africa’s electric mobility story has often been one of promise over progress. Infrastructure is scarce, power grids are unreliable, and most markets still run on cheap imported motorcycles. But Dubai-headquartered Spiro has spent the past two years trying to rewrite that narrative. The company just announced a $100 million investment round led by The Fund for Export Development in Africa …

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YC alum Cercli, an AI-powered Rippling for MENA, raises oversubscribed $12M Series A | TechCrunch

YC alum Cercli, an AI-powered Rippling for MENA, raises oversubscribed M Series A | TechCrunch

In a region long defined by fragmented enterprise systems, outdated compliance tools, and HR software that rarely talks to finance, Cercli is building a unified alternative for MENA businesses with AI at its core. The Dubai-based startup, founded by ex-Careem operators Akeed Azmi and David Reche, has announced an oversubscribed $12 million Series A round led by European VC Picus Capital. Cercli …

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