Indian game firms want to distance themselves from fantasy sports

For over a decade, real-money gaming companies and fantasy sports startups have marketed themselves as video game companies. But as these businesses face increasing regulatory scrutiny, a coalition of more than 70 video game companies in India is urging the government to create a clear distinction between their industries. In …...Read More

OpenAI Startup Fund backs AI healthcare venture with Arianna Huffington

Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are throwing their weight behind a new venture, Thrive AI Health, that aims to build AI-powered assistant tech to promote healthier lifestyles. Backed by Huffington’s mental wellness firm Thrive Global and the OpenAI Startup Fund, the early-stage venture fund closely …...Read More

Data workers detail exploitation by tech industry in DAIR report

The essential labor of data work, like moderation and annotation, is systematically hidden from those who benefit from the fruits of that labor. A new project puts the lived experiences data workers around the world in the spotlight, showing firsthand the costs and opportunities of tech work abroad. Many tedious, …...Read More

TechCrunch Space: SpaceX's big plans for Starship in Florida

Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. On to the news! Want to reach out with a tip? Email Aria at aria.techcrunch@gmail.com or send me a message on Signal at 512-937-3988. You also can send a note to the whole TechCrunch crew …...Read More

Valuations of startups have quietly rebounded to all-time highs. Some investors say the slump is over.

Generative AI businesses aside, the last couple of years have been relatively difficult for venture-backed companies. Very few startups were able to raise funding at prices that exceeded their previous valuations. Now, approximately two years after the venture slump began in early 2022, some investors, like IVP general partner Tom …...Read More

Apple removes VPN apps at request of Russian authorities, say app makers

Apple has removed several VPN apps from its App Store in Russia at the request of the government’s communications watchdog, according to VPN makers. Last week, Russian news agency Interfax reported that Apple had removed 25 VPN apps from its App Store in Russia after Roskomnadzor, a government body that …...Read More

Ariane 6 is the future of European heavy-lift launch — for better or worse

Europe’s next-generation launch vehicle, the Ariane 6, is poised to lift off for the first time tomorrow, as the continent looks to build out sovereign access to space and ensure European missions are launched by European rockets. The heavy-lift rocket will launch from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, …...Read More

Substack rival Ghost federates its first newsletter

Newsletter platform and Substack rival Ghost announced earlier this year that it would join the fediverse, the open social network of interconnected servers that includes apps like Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube, Flipboard, and, more recently, Instagram Threads, among others. Now, it has made good on that promise — with its own …...Read More

Samsung Unpacked 2024: What we expect and how to watch Wednesday's hardware event

Samsung Unpacked 2024 kicks off Wednesday at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET. Why so early for our West Coast pals? The Galaxy device showcase is happening in Paris this year, putting the local start time at 1 p.m. CET. Paris, as luck would have it, is also kicking off the …...Read More

Unpacked 2024: What we expect Samsung to announce and how to watch Wednesday's hardware event

Samsung Unpacked 2024 kicks off Wednesday at 6 a.m. PT/9 a.m. ET. Why so early for our West Coast pals? The Galaxy device showcase is happening in Paris this year, putting the local start time at 1 p.m. CET. Paris, as luck would have it, is also kicking off the …...Read More