VCs expect a surge in startups offering lower rate mortgages, other loans now that the Feds cut rates

VCs expect a surge in startups offering lower rate mortgages, other loans now that the Feds cut rates

When the U.S. Feds cut interest rates by half a percentage point last week, it was a dash of good news for venture capitalists backing one particularly beleaguered class of startups: fintechs, especially those that rely on loans for cash flow to operate their businesses.  These companies include corporate credit card providers like Ramp or … Read more

Why Index Ventures is bulking up its investment team in NYC

Why Index Ventures is bulking up its investment team in NYC

While online discourse would make it seem that venture has retreated to the Bay Area, with San Francisco being the most important place to build a startup, Index Ventures is looking to bulk up its New York-based investing team. The firm is currently looking to hire another New York-based investor with plans to add three … Read more

Last Hours to Snag up to $600 Off Disrupt 2024 Passes

Last Hours to Snag up to 0 Off Disrupt 2024 Passes

We’re in the final hours to save up to $600 on TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 tickets! Grab your tickets now and seize this final opportunity for major savings before the countdown to Disrupt 2024 starts. This special discount offer ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT. Join a global community of over 10,000 tech, startup, and VC … Read more

Amazon dodges antitrust scrutiny in UK over Anthropic investment

Amazon dodges antitrust scrutiny in UK over Anthropic investment

The U.K.s’ antitrust authority has concluded that Amazon’s partnership and equity investment in AI startup Anthropic can’t be investigated under current merger rules due to the size and scope of the deal. The U.K. Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) announcement comes six months to the day after news emerged that Amazon had completed a $4 … Read more

A Russian warlord said he’ll take Cybertrucks into Ukraine; some experts think that’s unwise

A Russian warlord said he’ll take Cybertrucks into Ukraine; some experts think that’s unwise

In August, a Russian warlord posted a video on Telegram, showing a pair of Cybertrucks patrolling a road in Chechnya, armed seemingly with heavy machine guns. Leaving aside unanswerable (for now) questions about how the vehicles were obtained, Wired thought it worth digging into whether a Cybertruck actually makes sense as a “technical,” the term … Read more

The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained

The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained

The world of WordPress, one of the most popular technologies for creating and hosting websites, is going through a very heated controversy. The core issue is the fight between WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, which hosts websites built on WordPress. WordPress technology is open source and free, and it powers … Read more

WordPress.org temporarily lifts its ban on WP Engine

WordPress.org temporarily lifts its ban on WP Engine

WordPress.org has lifted its ban on hosting provider WP Engine until October 1, after putting a block on it earlier this week. The block prevented several sites from updating their plug-ins and themes and exposing them to potential security risk. WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, who has been in a tussle with WP Engine for over … Read more

Bret Taylor of Sierra joins Disrupt 2024

Bret Taylor of Sierra joins Disrupt 2024

We’re thrilled to welcome Bret Taylor to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. As the former co-CEO of Salesforce, founder of Quip, former CTO of Facebook, the co-creator of Google Maps, and current chairman of the board at OpenAI, Taylor needs very little introduction.  Bret Taylor is one of the most influential players in the world of enterprise … Read more

Binance founder ‘CZ’ released from custody after four-month sentence

Binance founder ‘CZ’ released from custody after four-month sentence

Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao was released from U.S. custody on Friday after serving out his four-month sentence in a low-security correctional facility. CZ’s sentence was the product of a federal investigation that found Binance had failed to stop widespread criminal activity on the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. CZ pleaded guilty to the DOJ’s charges, … Read more