Wednesday, April 16, 2025 | | | Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we bring you details of the latest Android security feature, a mega round for a data orchestration startup, and a look at Figma's IPO plans. We also have a look at Grok's newest feature, Nvidia's tariff troubles, how Google is cracking down on fraudulent advertisers, and much more. Let's dive in! – Rebecca | | | Image Credits: Joan Cros/NurPhoto / Getty Images | 1. Leveling up security: Android smartphones will now automatically restart if they're locked for three consecutive days, following Apple's lead from last year. The thinking is that it would make life more difficult for someone trying to unlock or extract data from a phone. Read More 2. It's hammer time: Hammerspace's system that helps companies use troves of unstructured data easily is being used by heavy hitters like Nvidia, Meta, Tesla, Palantir, and the U.S. Defense Department. Now, the startup has raised $100 million at a valuation of over $500 million from backers including Altimeter Capital and ARK Invest. Read More 3. Liquidity at all costs: Figma has filed confidential paperwork for an IPO, a surprising move given the market volatility from Trump's will-he-or-won't-he tariffs. Figma could still shelve its plans, though, like its peers Klarna and Stubhub have. Read More | | | Image Credits: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto / Getty Images | ⌚ Better late than never: Grok now has a canvas-like feature for editing and creating documents and basic apps. Grok Studio can generate documents, code, reports, browser games, and possibly even important public policy, in a separate window. It's also received support for Google Drive integration. Read More 💸 No escaping the tariffs: Nvidia has been hit with unexpected U.S. export controls on its H20 chips. The company said in a filing that the government now requires it to get an export license, which will lead to $5.5 billion in related charges in Q1 2026 alone. Read More 🔄 AI everywhere: Browser company Opera is making its AI assistant Aria available on the Android version of its lightweight browser, Opera Mini. Opera is using a mix of models from OpenAI and Google for Aria. Read More 🏃 Unfashionably late: Visa-backed Nigerian fintech Moniepoint is launching a remittance product targeting the U.K.-Nigeria corridor. But TC's Tage Kene-Okafor questions if the move is too late, given that most immigrants have already chosen a remittance app. Read More 🚨 Caught r-ad handed: Google is using AI to crack down on fraudulent advertiser accounts, and in 2024, it took down 39.2 million of them. The giant sought out signals like business impersonation and illegitimate payment details, and now says it can identify the majority of suspect ad accounts before they ever serve a fraudulent ad. Read More 🤖 Outsourcing the drudgery: The U.S. has been building so many solar farms that companies can't get the help they need to install parts fast enough. "It's terrible work in remote places," said James Emerick, CEO of Cosmic Robotics, which wants to build robots to help speed up solar deployments. Read More | | | 🐮 That milk comes from somewhere: Bots are being used everywhere it seems, including in dairy farming. IEEE Spectrum takes a look at how dairy farms are being transformed by robotics, and the cows don't seem to mind it very much. Read More 🛠️ Repair, reuse, recycle: DIY supplier iFixit and refurbished device retailer Back Market have partnered to launch a marketing campaign that encourages consumers to replace phones every five years instead of every 2.5 years. The goal is to also push manufacturers to extend their warranties, per Wired. Read More | | | 🆓 How open is your AI: A developer has created a "free speech eval" benchmark, SpeechMap, to test how different models from ChatGPT to Grok treat sensitive and controversial subjects, including political criticism and questions about civil rights and protests. Read More | | | Featured jobs from CrunchBoard | | | Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. | | | Update your preferences here at any time | | Copyright © 2024 TechCrunch, All rights reserved.Yahoo Inc. 680 Folsom Street,San Francisco,CA | | | | |
