Friday, August 4, 2017

Google had its acquisitive eye on Snap. It's the Daily Crunch.

THE DAILY CRUNCH
FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 2017 By Darrell Etherington

Snap received big buyout interest from Google, the FBI goes after WannaCry hero and Elon Musk wants to take back control of his Hyperloop vision. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for August 4, 2017.

1. Google apparently offered $30 billion for Snap

A new report claims Google made a $30 billion offer for Snap prior to its IPO and most recent funding round. The news is helping buoy Snap's suffering stock price.

Axios' Dan Primack says he's heard the same reports, but says it's mostly coming from the Snap side, with the Google side suggesting the offer was never formal, and only discussed theoretically. Doesn't seem like anything that will help save its business at this stage, but that could be an exit route if things get too bad for the Snapchat maker.

2. FBI arrests the researcher who helped shut down WannaCry

Researcher Marcus Hutchins was arrested by the FBI as he prepared to depart from the annual DefCon conference in Las Vegas. Hutchins is accused of helping distribute Kronos, banking malware that stole online banking and credit card credentials. This story is likely to get a lot more interesting as more info comes to light.

3. Elon Musk wants to build his own Hyperloop after all

This could be bad news for the crop of Hyperloop startups that took Elon Musk's idea for fast, efficient transportation and have run with it: The idea's originator apparently wants to build his own Hyperloop tech, with the aim of deploying it in an underground Hyperloop he's hoping to build across the U.S. Musk never has liked watching others try to interpret his visions.

4. GM's Super Cruise is road ready

Automated driving is still far away for most drivers, but GM's Super Cruise is an intermediary step that aims to take over in many highway driving scenarios. It's a lot like Tesla's Autopilot, and Matt says it works exactly as advertised, and proves a good new ADAS feature on the Cadillac CT6.

5. Surgical robot company raises $280 million

Auris Surgical Robotics has raised a $280 million Series D. The company focuses on robotics surgical systems, which are likely to eventually become the standard in healthcare, replacing hotshot surgeons whose egos likely won't be able to stand being replaced by machines.

6. Vector Space Systems gets closer to affordable commercial satellite launch capability

SpaceX watch out: A company founded by SpaceX founding team members is nearing commercial launch capability, with a specific goal of undercutting SpaceX's launch costs for smaller loads, including micro-satellites. While it's unlikely to cut too much into SpaceX's business, it should open up a lot of potential for SmallSat startups.

7. GoPro had a... good quarter?

GoPro's results actually exceeded analyst expectations, with strong year-over-year revenue growth. It's a rare beat for the company among recent financial results, and good news for an action camera maker in desperate need of some.

Get more stories at techcrunch.com 

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