Monday, July 15, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we’re looking at Trump getting free rein once again on Facebook and Instagram; OpenAI’s sketchy NDAs; and rumors of a mega deal churning up at Google. We’ve also got notes on a fresh EV startup, the return of a bankrupt e-bike darling, an inside look into the evolving creator economy, and handy guides on fighting phishing and improving your own cybersecurity. Let’s dive in! — Rebecca

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

1. Meta removes restrictions on Trump’s account: After originally banning former U.S. president Donald Trump from its platforms after the January 6 Capitol attack, Meta reinstated his Facebook and Instagram accounts in early 2023, but with a lot of restrictions. Now, with the U.S. presidential elections coming up, Meta is removing those restrictions, saying all election nominees should have equal footing. Read More

2. VanMoof wants its old customers back, and it’s got an audacious plan to lure them. The e-bike startup that went bankrupt last year is under new management, and they’re offering customers who paid for but never received an e-bike a €1,000 discount off a new bike. Why not just refund those customers? Well, that money is tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, so good luck getting that back. Read More

3. This company lets you subscribe to drive EVs: EV company Helixx is picking up where Arrival left off — building cheap EVs out of little pop-up factories. But the business model is fundamentally different: Think of a combination of a McDonald’s-style franchise and a Netflix-style subscription to drive. Read More

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Morning must-reads

Image Credits: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv / Wiz

Google in talks to buy Wiz: Google is reportedly in talks to acquire cloud security startup Wiz for around $23 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported. Google’s cloud business grew 28% to $9.57 billion in Q1 this year, so this buy might be a way for Alphabet to fortify that business. But with antitrust regulators breathing down Big Tech’s neck, what are the chances this deal goes ahead without a fight? Read More

OpenAI gets called out for restrictive NDAs: The AI company has been accused by anonymous whistleblowers that it enforced NDAs on its employees and investors that prohibited them from communicating with the SEC, the Washington Post reported. The whistleblowers have written to the SEC, asking it to investigate the company’s severance, non-disparagement and non-disclosure agreements. Read More

A chat with Hank Green about the creator economy: Hank Green is kind of the original creator, especially since he’s been making YouTube videos since 2007 and now runs a social media empire. TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling sat down with Green to talk about solidarity among content creators, the loneliness of social media, and the $250 billion industry behind it all. Read More

How to protect your startup from email scams: In an era of increasing cybersecurity incidents, startups without huge IT budgets need to be extra careful. Phishing is still some of the most common and dangerous tricks in a cybercriminal’s handbook, and it’s led to hacks at larger companies than yours (See: Twilio, Reddit). Stay safe, and read our tutorial on how to spot a scam. Read More

How to tell if your online accounts have been hacked: You’ve probably seen headlines about data breaches from companies that you have accounts with. And if you’re like most people, you just put your head down, maybe change a few passwords, and tell yourself that everyone probably has your data; what’s the harm? Well, the harm is real, and if you want to just triple-check to make sure your accounts are safe, TechCrunch has a handy guide right here. Read More

The AI financial results paradox: Companies that want to hop on the generative AI train want proof that the tech will improve performance and revenue, as promised. Problem is, AI is new, and so are many of the vendors who sell the tech. You can’t really trust their word alone, but most businesses don’t have a choice. Read More

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Around the Web

Conspiracy theories are running rampant on X following the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend, reports The Verge. Meanwhile, X’s owner, Elon Musk, has formally endorsed Trump. Other social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube have directed users to news outlets. Read More

AT&T pays up: After hackers stole call records for tens of millions of customers last week, AT&T paid one of the hackers about $370,000 to delete the data and provide video proof of it, Wired reported. The hacking group, ShinyHunters, initially demanded $1 million from AT&T. Read More

Google, Microsoft use more energy than over 100 countries: TechRadar reports that the two tech giants each consumed 24 TWh of electricity during 2023 — that’s more than entire countries like Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic and Tunisia. The energy use underscores the environmental impact of these companies, particularly as generative AI takes hold. Read More

Before you go

Image Credits: Yale

Robots are getting creepier: Roboticists at Yale University have been doing some strange stuff with soft robots that are meant to mimic unsettling animalistic feats. Think fusing together three robots to cross a gap between tables that’s too big for just one, like how ants work together to build bridges. Yes, it’s ingenious, but also why? Read More