Pornhub owner pays US government $1.8M to resolve sex trafficking probe

Welcome back to Daily Crunch. You made it to Friday and to the long holiday weekend! Today we’re looking back on how the vibe in tech shifted in 2023 and what’s in store for 2024. And if you’re still looking for the perfect gift in the 11th hour, we have some helpful suggestions. Happy holidays, and we’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday!

The TechCrunch Top 3

Pornhub’s parent company Aylo Holdings will pay $1.8 million to the U.S. government to resolve a charge of profiting off of sex trafficking. The company, formerly known as MindGeek, will enter a deferred prosecution agreement, which means that a monitor will be appointed to oversee Aylo and its compliance efforts for three years. Amanda’s got more.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are voicing concerns over the disproportionate impact tech layoffs could have on Black workers, according to a letter seen by TechCrunch. The tech industry has seen more than 240,000 jobs lost this year due to layoffs, and the senators worry minority workers could be affected the most. Dominic-Madori has more.

Google is attempting to resolve competition concerns in Germany over bundling its automotive services, including Google Maps. In an effort to settle the regulatory intervention, Google has offered some service unbundling and the removal of contractual restrictions it applies to vehicle makers. Natasha has more.

More top reads

EV credit: Starting January 1, the rebate will be available when you buy the car, as opposed to something you have to claim when filing your taxes. But there’s a catch. Read more.

Paws up: ​​Dog-themed memecoins might be coming back into fashion. Read more.

Au revoir, Spotify: Spotify is pulling support for two music festivals in France in a protest against a controversial new tax directed at music-streaming platforms. Read more.

Merch money: Simplifying the production of customized merchandise led Lisbon-based startup Bizay to raise $19 million. Read more.

Bitcoin mining: Arkon Energy closed a $110 million private funding round to expand its operations, including to grow U.S. Bitcoin mining capacity and launch an AI cloud service in Norway. Read more.

Spread the love: Move over, naughty or nice list, this is our jealousy list. These are the cybersecurity stories we were the most envious of this year. Read more.

Figma’s doing just fine: Even though Adobe’s $20 billion takeover fell through, things don’t look too bad for Figma. Read more. (TC+)

B2B merger talks: Egyptian B2B e-commerce startup MaxAB and Wasoko are in talks to merge operations, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. Read more.

Ola Electric files for an IPO: The Bengaluru-headquartered startup is looking to raise $661.8 million in an initial public offering. Read more.

Tech’s DEI backlash is here

“Should I go public with the story about the time I was told I can’t be promoted for being a white man?” Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia Capital, tweeted recently.

Two factions have appeared within venture in recent years: those who support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and those who do not. Wealthy power players like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk have been very outspoken against the premise of DEI, with their thoughts shared and spread widely throughout the ecosystem.

Dominic-Madori notes that since affirmative action in education was overturned this year, founders and investors have found an excuse to go back to how things were, and the decreased DEI support in business and tech has created ripple effects. Read more. (TC+)

More TechCrunch 2023 retrospectives

How much do you remember from this year? Our pub quiz takes you through some of the biggest headlines from 2023. Let us know how you did! Read more.

From SVB to OpenAI and SBF, the Equity podcast looks back on some of the year’s biggest events. Listen here.

Mary Ann recalls the biggest hits and misses in fintech in 2023. Read more.

Last-minute gifts for everyone on your list

The clock is ticking to find the perfect gifts for your loved ones. The TechCrunch team has you covered for everyone on your shopping list.

• For the gamer: The best games you might have missed this year. Read more.
• For the curious minds: 20 STEM toys and games to stimulate creativity at any age. Read more.
• For those who want gifts throughout the year: The best subscription boxes. Read more.
• For the frequent flier: The top travel gifts our hardware editor put to the test. Read more.
• For the puzzler: Modern jigsaw puzzles to build with the whole family. Read more.
• For the Lego fan: Themed Lego sets for builders at every skill level. Read more.

Against pseudanthropy

We must stop software from impersonating humans, Devin proposes, before it’s too late. AI should not behave as if it is a living, thinking peer to humans. Instead, it must use positive, unmistakable signals to identify itself as the sophisticated statistical model that it is.

If we don’t, these systems will systematically deceive billions in the service of hidden and mercenary interests, and, aesthetically speaking, because it is unbecoming of intelligent life to suffer imitation by machines.

The advent of large language models has produced engines that can generate plausible and grammatical answers to any question. While they can be put to good use, mechanically reproduced natural language that is superficially indistinguishable from human discourse also presents serious risks. Read more.

• Senior Software Engineer at Zulu Airline Systems, Inc. (Atlanta, GA, USA)
• Systems Administrator I or II at City of Newport (Newport, OR, USA)
• QA Engineer, Data Validation at Murmuration (New York, NY, USA)
• Michigan Online, Software Engineer at University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
• Senior Software Engineer at Opus (New York, NY, USA)

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