Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we've got good news for people who want flying taxis; Amazon's latest perks for Prime subscribers; and how good UX design helped make Airtable a success. We've also got notes on startups preferring to stay private, new ways the government can spy on you, the perils of using chatbots too much, and more. — Rebecca

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Joby Aviation

1. Cleared for takeoff: The eVTOL industry just got a huge lift from the FAA. The agency issued a final ruling to set up guidelines that will allow eVTOL vehicles to share airspace with helicopters and planes, train pilots, and much more. Read More

2. Bezos wants a share of your gas money: Amazon is offering discounts on gas for Prime members, much like the offering from Walmart+. And next year onwards, Amazon will also offer discounts on EV charging. Read More

3. Get the basics right: Smart user design is the key behind Airtable's success, per the startup's co-founder Howie Liu. We hosted Liu on this week's episode of Found, and the talk was full of sharp insights. Listen Now

A Message from Criteo

Electrify your retail media competitive edge.

Criteo's latest report, "The State of Consumer Electronics," is fully charged with exclusive insights to wire your retail media campaigns for success. Based on a survey of 14,000+ shoppers around the world and commerce data from hundreds of brands and retailers, this report uncovers key drivers behind consumer behavior and purchasing decisions in the category, with actionable recommendations you can implement today.

Download Here

Morning Must-Reads

Image Credits: Steve Jennings / Getty Images

🧑‍💻 A16z's GPU stockpile: Andresseen Horowitz has finally confirmed that it is using a massive cluster of Nvidia H100 GPUs to help its portfolio of AI startups meet their compute needs. It's great for the startups in the firm's umbrella, but what about the rest of the market? Read More

⛔ That's my private business: Ro's co-founder and CEO Zachariah Reitano says the benefits of keeping a company private are growing. Like keeping prying eyes off that balance sheet, perhaps? Read More

🛒 No humans, no problem: Contactless stores are taking off, whether that's because people actually hate interacting with other folk, or corporations just want to cut costs. Sensei has entered the fray with €15 million in fresh Series A funds. Read More

🧑‍⚖️ Class action season: SoLo Funds has been hit with a new class action lawsuit from customers who allege the company charges hidden fees that are hard to opt out of, making its loans more expensive. Read More

🤖 Automate all the jobs: Fixify is an IT help desk platform with an automation twist: It fills the gap of existing IT ticketing systems by automatically categorizing tickets, identifying problem "hotspots," and using AI to identify root causes of problems. Read More

😞 Chatbots are not your friends: Character.AI has been targeted in a lawsuit that alleges a 14-year-old Florida boy committed suicide after he became obsessed with a chatbot on the platform. Read More

A Message from TechCrunch

Save up to $400 or bring a +1 for half the price of 1 Expo+ pass

Disrupt 2024 is 5 days away! These are the last days to save up to $400 before all ticket prices rise. You can also get the Expo+ 2-for-1 Pass for you and a +1 – get 2 passes for half the price of 1. Connect with 10,000 startup and VC leaders, explore startups' innovations, and engage in hands-on sessions at Moscone West in San Francisco from October 28-30. This offer ends on October 27.

Save Now

Around the Web

👀 Big Brother is watching: 404 Media has a report about a demonstration from privacy advocates that shows how a tool called Locate X used by U.S. law enforcement agencies could be used to monitor abortion clinic patients without a warrant. Read More

🌊 The rising tide of AI: Much of the AI race is being dominated by the biggest players, but some startups are getting a boost in the process. Crusoe is one such startup that just got a $3.4 billion loan to build a data center for OpenAI, per The Information. Read More

🗞️ AI to help with local news: OpenAI and Microsoft are funding a $10 million fellowship project to support local journalism with AI tools, per Axios. Hey, gotta help your sources of original content stay alive. Otherwise, what would you scrape to train your large language models? Read More

Before You Go

Image Credits: photovs / Getty Images

💚 Green cement: Did you know cement production is actually a major source of carbon emissions? Furno is trying to address that with micro-kilns that promise to reduce pollution and lower transportation costs. Read More