TikTok (with Douyin) becomes first app to reach $6B in annual consumer spending

TikTok, including its Chinese counterpart Douyin, in 2024 became the first non-game app to reach $6 billion in in-app purchase revenue in a year. According to a new report from app intelligence provider Sensor Tower, TikTok also generated a record high of $1.9 billion in gross in-app purchase (IAP)

Australia bans government use of Kaspersky software due to 'unacceptable security risk'

Australia has become the latest country to ban government officials from using software made by Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, arguing that the software poses an “unacceptable security risk.”  Australia's Department of Home Affairs last week issued a directive that prohibits go

Researchers accuse North Korea of $1.4 billion Bybit crypto heist

On Friday, hackers stole around $1.4 billion in Ethereum cryptocurrency from crypto exchange Bybit, in what is the largest crypto heist of all time. After the hack, several blockchain monitoring firms, as well as the well-known crypto investigator ZachXBT, have all pointed to the North Korean gove

Flexport releases onslaught of AI tools in a move inspired by 'founder mode'

Freight forwarding and logistics company Flexport is rolling out a suite of new products and features, many of which use AI, in what the company says will be the first in a series of semi-annual announcements of this kind.  If that sounds similar to Airbnb's approach to seasonal product annou

A single default password exposes access to dozens of apartment buildings

A security researcher says the default password shipped in a widely used door access control system allows anyone to easily and remotely access door locks and elevator controls in dozens of buildings across the U.S. and Canada. Eric Daigle said he found exposed residential and office buildings acr

Patlytics raises $14M for its patent analytics platform

For decades, patents have been a bone of contention in the technology world, seen by some as a way to protect intellectual property, but by critics as a blunt weapon against innovation. In the age of AI, they are once again getting revisited. New York startup Patlytics has developed an AI-enabled

Cambium is building an AI that helps turn waste wood into usable lumber

It's a scene that plays out in cities and suburbs across America: A tree gets cut down, and instead of being milled into lumber, the whole thing gets shredded. There are a range of reasons why, none of which have sat well with Ben Christensen. Christensen grew up in New Mexico among the state&

Meta AI arrives in the Middle East and Africa with support for Arabic

Meta has formally expanded Meta AI to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), opening the AI-enabled chatbot to millions more people. Back in October, Meta announced it was launching Meta AI in six additional markets, including Brazil and the U.K. At the same time, the company teased gradual roll

Apple commits $500B to US manufacturing, including a new AI server facility in Houston

The U.S. government is leaning hard on tech companies to make more commitments to building their businesses in the country, and Big Tech is falling in line. On Monday, Apple laid out its own plans in that area: It will spend $500 billion over the next four years in areas like high-end manufacturing

Yope is sparking Gen Z (and VC) interest with an Instagram-like app for private groups

Photo and video apps targeting young adults with social hooks are a dime a dozen these days, so those that show traction with 18-twentysomethings tend to catch the attention of investors looking for the next Instagram or TikTok. In the latest example, photo-sharing app Yope, which lets you share s

Key Cambridge, UK VC launches $126M fund to stem later-stage flight

It's often said that the U.K. and Europe lack the huge level of growth funding for later-stage startups that the U.S. has for its own, and this is correct. According to the European Investment Fund, there are at least seven times more large-size VC funds in the U.S. than in Europe. So the appe

Hyundai's new Tesla charging port comes up short

“Lucky me,” I thought as I navigated the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 into the last spot of a Tesla Supercharging station in Palm Springs.  The EV didn't really need any juice. But this refreshed compact all-electric SUV comes equipped with Tesla's North American Charging Standard por

Palantir CEO's new book says Silicon Valley has 'lost its way'

Palantir co-founder and CEO Alexander Karp opens his new book with a provocative declaration: “Silicon Valley has lost its way.” Over the past decade or so, as the data analytics company rose to prominence with its work for U.S. military and intelligence, Karp has largely stayed out of the lim

Grok 3 appears to have briefly censored unflattering mentions of Trump and Musk

When billionaire Elon Musk introduced Grok 3, his AI company xAI’s latest flagship model, in a livestream last Monday, he described it as a “maximally truth-seeking AI.” Yet it appears that Grok 3 was briefly censoring unflattering facts about President Donald Trump — and Musk. Ove