Author: TechCrunch News

In the aftermath of TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s brutal five hour Congressional hearing on Thursday, TikToker and disinformation researcher Abbie Richards summed up what so many creators were thinking: “It’s actually remarkable how much less Congress knows about social media than the average person,” Richards told TechCrunch. Across TikTok, users mocked congresspeople for misunderstanding…

W elcome to the TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. When The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith said he was “sickened” by Ticketmaster fees, many of us felt vindicated. The platform then refunded some…

Budget-minded entrepreneurs and early-stage startup founders take heed — this is no time to procrastinate. We have only 7 days left of early-bird pricing to TechCrunch Early Stage 2023 in Boston on April 20. Don’t wait…the early bird gets the…SAVINGS: Buy a $249 founder pass and save $200 before prices increase on April 1 —…

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. It’s hard to be proactive after the tide has already shifted. However, that’s what we’re seeing happen in the solo GP world, where investors, hearing…

Launch startup ABL Space Systems has landed a $60 million contract to build out its “responsive launch” operational capacity, as part of the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Air Force Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) program. The new funding, which equally matches government funding with private investment, comes as the company prepares for the second launch…

Darrell Etherington @etherington / 8 hours Welcome to another episode of The TechCrunch Podcast where we break down the biggest stories in tech news with the people who cover it. This week, I talk with Taylor Hatmaker about the TikTok CEO’s congressional testimony and Jacquie Melinek is here to catch us up on everything that’s…

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important crypto stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday at 12 p.m. PT, subscribe here. Welcome back to Chain Reaction. It was a big week in the crypto world as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission clamped down on major crypto companies like Coinbase and Tron…

Meta, the self-styled “metaverse company” formerly known as Facebook, has taken on a novel role de-hyping the virtual world technology its founder bet the farm on just a few short years ago. No, it hasn’t announced another pivot — rather it’s been forced to dial down the multicolored metaverse hype as it lobbies against a…

As electric bikes grow in popularity, the number of deadly fires caused by faulty lithium-ion batteries has also risen. One of the main culprits? Cheap e-bikes delivered from non-reputable, overseas companies direct to consumers. A reintroduced bill that would provide Americans with a federal rebate of up to $1,500 toward the purchase of an e-bike…

Oma Fertility is on a mission to improve in vitro fertilization. The company says it accomplishes this by offering clients better technology, respectful care, and ethical pricing. Founded by Gurjeet Singh in 2020, the company raised $71.5 million over three rounds of funding. Chrissy Meyer and Root Ventures invested in the last two rounds. I’m…