Author: TechCrunch News

Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Monday that the company is now profitable. Durov said the chat app’s total revenue surpassed $1 billion in 2024. The company, which launched its premium subscription service in 2022, now has 12 million paid users. Durov also said that the app is finishing the year with more than $500 million…

OpenAI’s efforts to develop its next major model, GPT-5, are running behind schedule, with results that don’t yet justify the enormous costs, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. This echoes an earlier report in The Information suggesting that OpenAI is looking to new strategies as GPT-5 might not represent as big…

Becoming a venture capitalist has become the latest status symbol In Hollywood.  Everyone from Olivia Wilde to Emma Watson is investing in startups. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only…

Climate tech is about a decade old, and people are itching for a rebrand. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only…

On November 15, Peter Wang posted a message requesting ideas for a new incubator and fund to support experimental projects built on the burgeoning Bluesky/AT Protocol ecosystem. Four weeks later, Skyseed emerged with an initial commitment of $1 million. This turnaround, a speed underscored by the fact that the fund doesn’t even have a website…

Struggling electric van startup Canoo has placed its remaining employees on what it’s calling a “mandatory unpaid break” through at least the end of the year, according to an email obtained by TechCrunch. The company told employees they are being locked out of Canoo’s systems at the end of the day Friday…

Sam Altman dismissed what he called a “conspiracy theory” from a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only…

LockBit is believed tobe responsible for at least $500 million in ransom payments alone. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only…

On the first day of Y Combinator the founders of PearAI got “cancelled.” They used the hate to launch a new product, raise $1 million. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only…

What happens when a chemical engineer, who’s previously built a hydrogen-powered drone, becomes a venture capitalist? Energy Revolution Ventures, that’s what. The VC has now closed an $18 million Seed and Series A fund to invest in deeptech, such as energy storage, carbon capture, and, yes…