Let's unpack the WordPress drama

Thursday, September 26, 2024 Posted by bloggerdaddy 0 comments

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Welcome to TC PM! Today we explain what's going on between WordPress and WP Engine; we also look at the merger between two encryption-focused groups; and then we dive into a new dating app that is trying to eliminate ghosting. Happy Friday Jr.!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: TechCrunch

🍿 WordPress mess: There has been a lot of drama this week between the founder of WP Engine and the CEO of Automattic, the company that owns WordPress. Ivan Mehta lays out what's happened so far and why. Read more

💝 A match made in encryption: Tor Project is merging operations with Tails, a portable Linux operating system focused on privacy. Considering both orgs are focused on privacy and encryption, this makes a lot of sense. Read more

🫵 Software switch: U.S. customers of Russian antivirus software Kaspersky were surprised earlier this week when they were switched to a new software without warning. The company that owns the new software is now defending its decision to automatically migrate users. Read more

Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe / Getty Images

🔌 Finally getting access: It's been well over a year since Ford announced owners of its EVs would have access to Tesla chargers, with many other car companies following suit. GM was the first to announce its car can now access them. Who will be next? Read more

👻 Goodbye, ghosts: Ghosting seems to be par for the course when it comes to online dating apps. But does it have to be? The founders of After don't think so. After requires users to say why they unmatched with someone before they can keep using it. Read more

🏥 A hack! One of India's largest health insurance companies, Star Health and Allied Insurance, announced that it is investigating a cybersecurity breach that resulted in customer data being leaked through Telegram chatbots. Read more

🎙️ Spicy audio acquisition: Subscription management platform RevenueCat acquired Dipsea, a "spicy audiobook" company. While that may seem like a bizarre pairing, RevenueCat said there are a handful of reasons for this transaction. Read more

🔋 Hello, hydrogen: BMW and Toyota announced they are building a hydrogen-powered car. While a lot of the focus as of late has been on battery-powered cars, BMW thinks utilizing both hydrogen and batteries is the only way to reach zero-emission transportation. Read more

⚡️ Zap zap: Zap Energy raised $130 million as the race to commercial fusion power continues to — pun intended — heat up. The new round was led by Soros Fund Management and a mix of new and old investors. Read more

💰 EVA events: EVA, a platform that connects event planners to performers for events like conferences and private parties, raised $2 million in new funding. The company will use that to expand into two more markets. Read more

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Around the web

🗣Changed minds: Back in June, Kristen Bell posted on Instagram that she opposed Meta using her data to train its AI models. Now she's one of the first celebrities inking a deal to "lend her voice" to that very AI model. Read more

😵‍ Psychedelic Sam: Another day, another founder touting the positive effects that psychedelics have had on them. Sam Altman recently went into how psychedelics have made him a happy person. Let's just say there is a sentence in the third paragraph I need everyone to read. Fortune has more

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More OpenAI execs jump ship

Posted by bloggerdaddy 0 comments

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By Rebecca Bellan

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! The tea is piping hot this morning as three OpenAI managers, including its CTO, leave the company, and WordPress officially blocks WP Engine from accessing its resources. We've also got a look at dystopia courtesy of Meta, a list of the top YC Demo Day startups, more funds for defense tech and fusion, and a potential $700M share sale at Wiz. Let's jump in! — Rebecca

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: NurPhoto / Getty Images

1. Jumping ship: Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph, OpenAI's chief research officer and research VP, respectively, left the company hours after OpenAI's CTO Mira Murati said she'd leave. The departures come on the heels of reports that OpenAI is shifting from a nonprofit to a for-profit, and Altman reportedly is set to receive a nice chunk of equity. Read More

2. The lines are getting blurry: Yesterday was a big day for Meta, what with its Orion glasses reveal and other AI and mixed reality updates. But things are only going to get weirder, as evidenced by Mark Zuckerberg's video call with an AI-generated version of creator Don Allen Stevenson III. Read More

3. WordPress drama pops off: The open-source WordPress project has banned WP Engine from accessing its resources, which may cause major problems for the latter's customers. "WP Engine is free to offer their hacked up, bastardized simulacra of WordPress's GPL code to their customers…" wrote WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg in a blog post explaining the move. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

🔥 Top picks from YC Demo Day 1: AI dominated Y Combinator's first Demo Day, and sectors like fintech and healthcare were noticeably quieter or absent. We've gone through the slop to find the 13 companies we think are worth watching. Read More

💰 Thriving post-breakup: TC got the scoop that since Peak XV Partners separated from Sequoia last year, the large India-focused venture firm has realized about $1.2 billion in exit gains. Read More

💥 The power of fusion: Fusion power and its promise of limitless energy supply, are seeing a boost in funding this year. The latest to benefit from this trend is Marvel Fusion, which landed $70 million for its laser-powered fusion wager. Read More

🚀 War is good for business, at least for the European defense tech industry, which has seen investments skyrocket in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Read More

🤝 A leg up for emerging managers: Pear VC is helping emerging venture funds get a step up in the world through its Emerging Manager in Residence Program. The firm will bring three pre-seed and seed funds under its wing to collaborate on deal flow and due diligence. Read More

A Message from VMware

Ensure data privacy & security in GenAI w/ VMware Private AI

GenAI can significantly enhance productivity and revenue, but deploying it requires addressing privacy, security, control, cost and performance. This IDC whitepaper details how VMware Private AI handles these challenges.

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Around the Web

🚗 From Kia Boyz to Kia Men: Kia really needs to improve its security checklist. A group of hackers has found a way to hack and track millions of Kia vehicles through a simple website bug, reports Wired. Kia has fixed the vulnerability, but it goes to show that web security for cars is far from sufficient. Read More

🔋 EV charging is good for business: An MIT study has found that EV charging stations are good for other kinds of business. Because what else are you going to do while your car is charging, if not go buy yourself a treat for being a good eco warrior? Read More

👀 Wiz eyes immense share sale: The Israeli cybersecurity decacorn, which rejected an acquisition bid from Google, is reportedly exploring an up to $700 million share sale at a $15 to $20 billion valuation, reports Bloomberg. Read More

Before You Go

Image Credits: Richard Baker / In Pictures / Getty Images

☎️ Bringing 911 call centers to the 21st Century: A number of 911 centers are landline-bound, often have trouble finding callers, and can't process texts or photos. A startup called Prepared has now raised $27 million to further build its AI agent that can help dispatchers get callers' real-time location, receive texts and images, and answer video calls. Read More