Social media is giving us trypophobia

 We aren’t so much seeing through a lens darkly when we log onto Facebook or peer at personalized search results on Google, we’re being individually strapped into a custom-moulded headset that’s continuously screening a bespoke movie — in the dark, in a single-seater theatre, without any windows or doors… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

These startup exits delivered the biggest bang for the buck

 Big IPOs by the best-known brands tend to dominate attention in startup circles. But when it comes to delivering significant returns on invested capital, it’s often lower-profile companies that come out on top. We look at some of the top-returning large exits, first for tech and Internet companies, and then for life sciences. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

CTRL+T podcast: Artificial intelligence may become a human rights issue

 Welcome back to another glorious episode of CTRL+T. This week, Henry Pickavet and I explore Amazon’s new cashier-less stores that promise no waiting in line — except to get in — and Uber’s newest C-level executive hire. Later in the episode, I rage with Safiya Umoja Noble, a professor at the University of Southern California and author of “Algorithms of… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Gillmor Gang: Body Language

Gillmor Gang Artcard The Gillmor Gang — Doc Searls, Esteban Kolsky, Denis Pombriant, Keith Teare, and Steve Gillmor. Recorded live Friday, January 26, 2018.
G3: White Roses — Halley Suitt Tucker, Francine Hardaway, Maria Ogneva, and Tina Chase Gillmor. Recorded live Friday, January 26, 2018.
@stevegillmor, @dsearls, @ekolsky, @kteare, @DenisPombriant
Produced and directed by Tina Chase Gillmor… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Scout networks are latest VC salvo in war for founders

 Founders are extraordinarily busy, even for their own investors. A decade ago, they might have had relationships with a handful of VC partners as they scaled their businesses and raised additional rounds of capital. Today, it is hardly rare to see as many as fifteen or twenty investment firms and angels listed on the cap table following a seed round. If you add up all the partners at those… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Twitter now lets advertisers sponsor publishers’ Moments

 Twitter has added a new advertising product to its lineup. The company announced today it’s offering brands the ability to sponsor Moments – the “Stories”-like feature that includes a series of tweets, often including images, GIFs and video – from select publishers. The first Sponsored Moment is already live, Twitter says, and the feature is now broadly available… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Facebook lets you tip game live streamers $3+

 Facebook Live is launching monetization for video gameplay streamers, allowing users to tip creators a minimum of $3 via the desktop site. Right now, the contributor of the tips doesn’t get any special call-out or privileges, though Facebook tells me it’s considering different options for creators and gamers. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Strix Leviathan wants to build a better enterprise platform for crypto trading

 We are still in the early days of cryptocurrency — or at least that’s what all of the startups that are jumping into this space NOW hope. And when there’s a gold rush, there’s plenty of money to be made by selling shovels (or ASIC rigs) to miners. It’s no surprise, then, that we are now seeing the emergence of a new class of B2B startups in crypto, too. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

MoviePass pulls out of AMC’s top theaters as negotiations fail

 MoviePass, the monthly subscription service for seeing movies in theaters, has pulled out of 10 high-traffic AMC theaters, as a negotiating tactic with the theater chain. AMC, so far, has shown no interest in working with MoviePass or sharing revenue with the service for the foot traffic it brings to theaters. For instance, in a call with analysts in last year, AMC’s chief executive… Read More


Source: Tech Crunch

Up close with Apple’s HomePod

 The HomePod is much smaller than I remember. I hadn’t seen one since June, when Apple announced the speaker back at WWDC. Apple pushed back its projected December launch date because the company needed, “a little more time.” That time, it seems, has finally arrived, and I spent a bit more time with the smart speaker this week. Read More


Source: Tech Crunch