Author: TechCrunch News

Grimes is stepping into the toy business with “Grok,” a character that she voiced for Curio’s new line of screen-free AI plushies. The toy is not affiliated with the AI chatbot backed by Grimes’ ex, Elon Musk, which is also named Grok. Musk described xAI’s Grok as having a “rebellious streak” and a willingness to answer…

If you’re looking for a gift for someone but don’t want to break the bank, there are a number of great gadgets you can choose from. This list includes a selection of budget-friendly gift ideas, ranging from Bluetooth trackers and wireless earbuds, to smart home accessories. I personally use most of the items on this…

Credit Karma co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Nichole Mustard is leaving the company after 16-and-a-half years, TechCrunch has exclusively learned today. A spokesperson of the consumer fintech, now a subsidiary of Intuit, confirmed Mustard’s departure via email, writing only: “I can confirm she decided to leave the company, her contributions have been significant and we…

A growing number of venture firms may be uncorking champagne ahead of the New Year. Today, a handful of investment firms announced new funds: Artis Ventures, BoxGroup, Playground Global and Singular all closed on funds, while Partech said it was launching a €360 million venture fund. Against a backdrop of layoffs and continuing economic uncertainty,…

E-commerce and fintech company Bolt, which was at one time the subject of a federal probe, confirmed it laid off 29% of its staff, according to a company spokesperson. In an emailed statement, the Bolt spokesperson said the one-click checkout company made the cuts to get Bolt to “an operating model optimized for sustainable growth…

Ukraine’s largest telecommunications operator Kyivstar says it has been hit by a “powerful” cyberattack that has disrupted phone and internet services for millions of people across the country. In a Facebook post confirming the incident on Tuesday, Kyivstar wrote that the cyberattack has caused a “technical failure” that left customers without mobile connections or internet…

Google launched today a new feature for Classroom that allows teachers to turn any YouTube video into an interactive assignment by inserting questions for their students to answer throughout the viewing experience. With the interactive questions feature, teachers can create open-ended or multiple-choice questions, provide feedback on answers and access a dashboard of key insights…

Semiconductors have in recent years become a focal point in the U.S.’s efforts to impede China’s technological advancement. Now Washington has its eye on yet another red-hot tech sector where China is making great strides: batteries for electric vehicles. Earlier this month, the Departments of Treasury and Energy proposed rules that would limit electric vehicle…

Vaishali Kasture, the executive Amazon appointed as the interim head of AWS India and South Asia, has quit the firm, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch, merely seven months into the top role. Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by email and phone. Amazon counts India as one of its…

A lesser-known but significant player in the Silicon Valley tech world is getting acquired today — a move that underscores the changing economics in the world of hardware, and who wants to get more involved in that space. Surfaceink, a company that got its start as Apple’s key hardware engineering partner after the return of…