Meta says goodbye to its fact-checkers

Plus: Copilot can book your tickets

View this email online in your browser By Dominic-Madori Davis Friday, April 4, 2025 Happy Friday, y'all. I'm back with the afternoon rundown. We have news of President Trump extending the deadline for the TikTok ban and some new AI developments from Microsoft and Google. Let's dive in. TechCrunch Top 3 Image Credits: Jens Büttner/picture alliance / Getty Images 😭 Well, the end has come: Meta is officially getting rid of its U.S. fact-checkers come Monday. The company previously announced it would get rid of fact-checks back in January, when it also said it would loosen rules around content moderation.  🤳 In some not-quite-shocking news: President Trump announced an extension to the deadline for the TikTok ban by 75 days. He announced the deadline extension via his Truth Social account, stating that he would sign an executive order to give more time for a deal to finalize.  🚀 Turbine takeoff: Debt platform Turbine raises $22 million in a round co-led by Alpha Edison and TTV Capital to give limited partners access to funds using fund stakes as collateral.   A Message from Silicon Valley Bank Grow from seed to Series A with SVB With 40+ years of industry experience, Silicon Valley Bank gives your seed funding the support it needs to bloom. Learn More   Afternoon must-reads Image Credits: Lionel Ng/Bloomberg / Getty Images 🛑 Usage caps: GitHub Copilot might get pricey for some users. It announced on Friday a limit on actions that can be taken for new models without having a subscription.  🎫 Speaking of a Copilot: Microsoft is teaching its Copilot to peruse the web for users and complete tasks such as making reservations or booking tickets. It can also remember things about its users, just like ChatGPT.  📈 Prices go up: Google announced API pricing for its Gemini 2.5 Pro, making it a bit more expensive for developers compared to Google's other AI models. ☁️ Obsessed with Bluesky? Well, we have the rundown of other consumer-facing apps seeking to give users more control over their social media and personal data. Many of these apps are built either on top of Bluesky or its underlying protocol.    A Message from TechCrunch Events Founders and VCs, meet where it matters — TC All Stage on July 15! Where founders and VCs connect: TechCrunch All Stage, taking place July 15 in Boston. Get insights on early growth and post-Series A scaling with speakers like Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Jon McNeill (DVx Ventures), Jahanvi Sardana (Index Ventures), and more. Breakouts, roundtables, and top networking await. Register now and save up to $210! Register Now   Around the web 💰 Tariff troubles: The impact of Trump's tariffs is being felt around the nation. Klarna and Medline, which were both looking to IPO this year, have postponed their public offering debuts as the tariffs rock the global markets, according to the Financial Times. Those companies aren't the only ones taking a pause.  🏞️ Pondering parks: Meanwhile, Bloomberg reports that Elon Musk is looking to build a park in Austin, featuring everything from walking trails to a playground and tennis courts. His footprint down in Texas has been growing, the outlet said, as he funds schools, buys houses, and tries to incorporate a city.  Featured jobs from CrunchBoard Head of Strategic Finance, GITAI USA (Torrance, CA) Senior Software Engineer, Source (Remote) Engineering & Support Senior Director, AAOS (Rosemont, IL) Research Systems Engineer - Computing Services, Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) Machine Control Technician, Sinacola (Dallas, TX) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.   Check out some of our other newsletters: Startups Weekly TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Update your preferences here at any time Copyright © 2024 TechCrunch, All rights reserved.Yahoo Inc. 680 Folsom Street,San Francisco,CA Privacy Policy

OpenAI to launch its o3 model in a few weeks

Also: Trump fires NSA chief

View this email online in your browser By Dominic-Madori Davis Friday, April 4, 2025 Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we have notes on the departure of the NSA's top exec, OpenAI's plans for its o3 model, and how EV makers are capitalizing on Tesla's woes. We also have TikTok testing ways to help artists, a 9-figure VC fund, Amazon's AI shopping agent, and more. Let's go! — Dom TechCrunch Top 3 Image Credits: Getty Images 1. Change ahoy! The Trump administration is making more cuts. This time, the admin has reportedly fired Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and Cyber Command. Haugh had held the position for little more than a year. Read More 2. Make hay while protests rage: Tesla's rivals are trying to make the most of the EV maker's troubles. Polestar, Lucid Motors, Ford and Volvo have been offering big discounts on their EV cars and attractive trade-in deals to Tesla owners looking to distance themselves from the brand. Read More 3. Stop-gap measures? OpenAI says it will launch its "reasoning" model, o3, and a next-gen successor model, o4-mini, in a few weeks. The company had previously cancelled the consumer launch of o3 in February, and says this change is related to its upcoming GPT-5 model. Read More   A Message from Persona Verify more users without sacrificing security Verify users during onboarding to fight fraud, meet compliance requirements, build trust, and protect your business and customers. Persona's low-code identity verification platform adapts to risk signals in real time — increasing friction for potential fraudsters while fast-tracking good users so you can maximize conversion and minimize risk. Sign Up Now   Morning Must-Reads Image Credits: Cal AI Second chances: TC's Julie Bort caught up with Zach Yadegari — the high-schooler who founded two companies, got rejected by 15 top colleges, and is currently the subject of many conversations on X — about his plans for the future. Read More Gotta keep ya scrolling: TikTok is testing a new platform that will give artists tools to promote their work, understand metrics, and engage with fans. The platform is being tested in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and Indonesia. Read More What VC downturn? Ballistic Ventures, co-founded by Ted Schlien (formerly of Kleiner Perkins), is raising $100 million for a new fund, per SEC filings. The news comes just a little over a year after the firm closed its second fund at $360 million. Read More Everyone wants a piece of cybersecurity: OpenAI has made its first cybersecurity investment. Adaptive Security, which simulates AI-generated "hacks" to train employees to spot such threats, has raised $43 million in a Series A co-led by OpenAI's startup fund and a16z. Read More Hopping on the bandwagon: Amazon is the latest tech giant to unveil an AI agent that can shop for you. The company is testing a shopping assistant called "Buy For Me" that can help users find and buy products on third-party sites without leaving the Amazon app. Read More   A Message from TechCrunch Events Founders & VCs unite at TechCrunch All Stage: Seed to IPO insights Scaling your startup or making smart investments? TC All Stage is the place to be on July 15 in Boston. Gain insights on early growth & post-Series A scaling with top speakers like Charles Hudson (Precursor Ventures), Jon McNeill (DVx Ventures), Cathy Gao (Sapphire Ventures), & more. Breakouts, Roundtables & networking await. Save $210 — register today! Register Now   Around the Web Free for all: The Wall Street Journal reports that mobile advertising company AppLovin is interested in buying TikTok, joining the hordes of businesses vying to buy the popular short-video app. Read More EU fights back: The EU is considering slapping X with a $1 billion fine for breaking disinformation laws, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources. The fine will likely be announced in the summer, though EU officials might settle if X agrees to make changes to its product to satisfy regulatory concerns, the report said. Read More Before You Go AI everywhere: Amazon is adding a new feature to its Kindle e-book readers called Recaps that aims to help users remember plot points and character arcs before they read the next book in a series. These recaps are, of course, AI-generated. Read More Featured jobs from CrunchBoard Head of Strategic Finance, GITAI USA (Torrance, CA) Senior Software Engineer, Source (Remote) Engineering & Support Senior Director, AAOS (Rosemont, IL) Research Systems Engineer - Computing Services, Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA) Machine Control Technician, Sinacola (Dallas, TX) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.   Check out some of our other newsletters: Startups Weekly TechCrunch AI TechCrunch Mobility Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Update your preferences here at any time Copyright © 2024 TechCrunch, All rights reserved.Yahoo Inc. 680 Folsom Street,San Francisco,CA Privacy Policy