Google plans to pack Search with all the AI features

Also: SailPoint is going public, again

View this email online in your browser By Rebecca Bellan Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we've got Google's plans for AI in Search and beyond, Paragon's big spyware customer, and SailPoint's second run in the public markets. We've also got the state of AI in France, fresh funding for deep tech, a Shein crackdown, the problem of AI monopolies in the U.S., a shoe grown from bacteria, a startup that wants to make vaping healthy, and more. Let's go! —Rebecca TechCrunch Top 3 Image Credits: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP / Getty Images 1. A new meaning to 'Google it': Sundar Pichai says 2025 will be one of "the biggest years for search innovation yet," and Google plans to lead it. The company wants to pack Search with as many AI features as possible, whether you like it or not. Read More 2. Big Brother is watching: Israeli spyware maker Paragon Solutions confirmed to TC that it sells products to the U.S. government, among other allied countries. The revelation came after WhatsApp alleged on Friday that Paragon's spyware was used in a hacking campaign that targeted around 90 journalists and members of civil society. Read More  3. IPO time: Okta competitor SailPoint is taking to the high seas of the public markets again. This time, the company plans to sell $1 billion worth of stock at a $11.5 billion valuation. Investors will be watching this one closely to see if 2025 is a good year to open the door to IPOs again. Read More   A Message from Thomas Bravo's Behind the Deal Thoma Bravo's Behind the Deal Podcast is Back for Season 3 Thoma Bravo's award-winning Behind the Deal podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of one of the world's largest software-focused investors. Hear first-hand from CEOs at leading tech companies – think Dynatrace, Adenza, Coupa. Season 3 promises even more exclusive insights into these companies' innovative strategies. New episodes every Thursday on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Listen Here   Morning must-reads Image Credits: Modern Synthesis ♠️ Venture scoop: TC got the exclusive that Hitachi Ventures has secured $400 million for its fourth fund, which will focus on a range of deep tech verticals. The first investments will average around $5 million, with 55% of capital reserved for follow-on opportunities. Read More 🥖 Liberté, égalité, machine learningé: A band of French VCs teamed up to create a report on the current trends in AI ahead of the AI Action Summit. And while all eyes are on China and the U.S., France has raised a not-insignificant amount of funds for its homegrown AI startups. Read More 👡 The woman who lived in a shoe: Jen Kane grew a shoe by coaxing the microbes in bacteria to deposit their nanocellulosic materials into the shape of a sneaker. Her startup Modern Synthesis takes it a step further, harvesting and processing the fibers to create a range of new materials. Read More 🧑‍⚖️ The EU is cracking down on Shein, the Chinese e-commerce and fast fashion giant, with fresh scrutiny into potential consumer protection violations. The move came alongside the European Commission's package of measures and reforms aimed at tackling the risks associated with the surge in low-value e-commerce activity. Read More 🚕 Wayber? Wuber? Ubo? Uber customers in Austin might notice a new offer when they open the app to hail a ride: An invite to signal their interest in a Waymo robotaxi. Customers can't hail one yet, but soon Austin residents will be able to order a Waymo robotaxi via the Uber app. Read More Around the web 🥊 DeepSeek some competition: Former FTC head Lina Khan argues in an opinion piece in The New York Times that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is a warning that when there's not enough competition due to monopolistic practices, "our tech industry grows vulnerable to its Chinese rivals, threatening U.S. geopolitical power." Read More 🎰 Blurred lines: Robinhood is no longer going through with plans to offer betting contracts on the Super Bowl, reports The Wall Street Journal. A federal regulator has raised concerns that the contracts could be illegal, blurring the lines between financial markets and gambling. Although, really, is there that much of a difference in the end? Read More 😶‍🌫️ Dangers of deletion: A piece by Fast Company looks at the Trump administration's new obsession with deleting content and websites operated by the federal government. "Willfully deleting essential facts from the web might be as dangerous as spreading misinformation." Read More Before you go 🚬 A very Gen Z startup: 25-year-old Dalton Signor's Miist Therapeutics is smuggling medicines into vape pens to help people quit smoking and treat migraines. The company raised a $7 million seed from investors like Refactor Capital, 1517 Fund, and Freeflow Ventures. Read More Featured jobs from CrunchBoard BizOps Lead, Elayne (New York, NY) Staff Software Engineer, Murmuration (Remote) Founding Sales Development Representative, Clerkie (Remote) Business Analyst, Air Line Pilots Association (Tysons, VA) CAD 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. 110 5th St,San Francisco,CA Privacy Policy

Cruise slashes staff

Plus: Apple wants to party

View this email online in your browser By Rebecca Szkutak Tuesday, February 4, 2025 Welcome to TC PM! Today we learn of multiple tech company layoffs; we get an update on LinkedIn's push into video; and we hear about a man bringing a Polish delicacy to the International Space Station. Blast off!  TechCrunch Top 3 Image Credits: Getty Images 🚗 Cuts at Cruise: Cruise, GM's robotaxi unit, has laid off nearly 50% of its workforce as GM prepares to shut down its operations. Cruise's CEO, chief safety officer, and global head of policy are also departing. Read more 🎉 Apple launches Partiful: Apple launched a new app today called "Invites," which allows iCloud+ members to create and send invitations to events. This seems like Apple's way of taking on the very popular event invitation app Partiful, which already made a dig at Apple on X. Read more 😩 We're doomed: Deepfaked videos can have disastrous consequences if viewers can't tell whether the altered videos are real. ByteDance's OmniHuman-1 model shows that video generators are getting significantly better, which doesn't bode well for trying to keep people safe. Read more Afternoon must-reads Image Credits: Ron Miller / TechCrunch 👀 More layoff news: Okta, an identity management company, laid off 180 employees this week, just one year after the company laid off 400 workers. TechCrunch estimates this latest round of cuts affects around 3% of employees. Read more 🤖 Government AI: Thomas Shedd, the director of Technology Transformation Services, outlined an "AI-first" strategy for the government org. Shedd also plans to run the government department like a "startup." So it's going to burn cash? Read more 🎥 LinkedIn leans into video: LinkedIn is reporting that video creation on its platform has gone up 100% compared to last year. Video uploads also increased 36% in the same timeframe. The only video I've watched on LinkedIn was that CEO crying about layoffs. What videos are you watching? Read more 👻 More models: Social media platform Snap released a text-to-image AI model today. The model can produce images in about 1.4 seconds and runs on a mobile device as opposed to a server. The company expects it will help power features on the app in the future. Read more 🚚 Cruise control, not autopilot: TechCrunch's Maxwell Zeff tested OpenAI's new Operator AI agent and found that while it was pretty good at navigating websites and filling out forms, he had to help it more than he thought he would. Read more   A Message from HSBC Innovation Banking Empowering innovation Unlock new growth opportunities with HSBC Innovation Banking. Our deep sector expertise and international reach provide the stability and agility needed for seamless onboarding. Learn More   Around the web 🍽️ Scientific marvel: Pierogis in space, I repeat, pierogis in space! Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski has been working with a company to create pierogis that he can bring with him on his mission to the ISS. The real question is: Did they make freeze-dried mushroom gravy? Read more 🙈 No thanks, VCs: Invisible Technologies, an AI clickworker startup, is taking a different approach to VC. While many of its competitors continue to raise larger rounds, Invisible is working on buying out its VCs. Read more Featured jobs from CrunchBoard BizOps Lead, Elayne (New York, NY) Staff Software Engineer, Murmuration (Remote) Founding Sales Development Representative, Clerkie (Remote) Business Analyst, Air Line Pilots Association (Tysons, VA) CAD 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. 110 5th St,San Francisco,CA Privacy Policy