Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes

More good news for those looking to exit Meta’s social app ecosystem in favor of a more open alternative: An independent developer is building a photo-sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. The soon-to-launch app is powered by the same technology that underpins Bluesky, the AT Protocol, and

Google inks deal with The Associated Press to bring more real-time info to Gemini

In a bid to make its Gemini chatbot app more of a one-stop shop, Google says it’s working with The Associated Press to build “a feed of real-time information” in Gemini. Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s VP of global news partnerships, said that the goal is to “further enhance t

Google raises the price of Workspace plans, includes its AI features for free

Google announced on Wednesday that all AI features in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet are now available to Workspace customers at no extra charge, though the plan will see a $2 per month increase per user.  This change simplifies access to Workplace AI tools, including email summaries, automated no

Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths

Colossal Biosciences, the company that’s famously on a mission to bring back the woolly mammoth and two other extinct species, has raised a $200 million Series C at a $10.2 billion valuation from TWG Global, the investment company of Guggenheim Partners co-founder Mark Walter and the billiona

As Gen Z job applicants balloon, companies are turning to AI agent recruiters

According to some of the latest statistics, employers are swamped by job applications. In the U.K. alone, employers running graduate training schemes received an average of 140 applications for each job in 2024, 59% more than in 2023, according to the Institute of Student Employers. And despite som

Fast-growing South African venture FARO raises $6M to source, refurbish and sell surplus clothing

Global fashion brands are struggling with billions of dollars’ worth of unsold inventory. Mostly, these brands avoid reselling in core markets like the U.K. and the U.S. to prevent market cannibalization. Meanwhile, emerging markets like Africa heavily rely on secondhand clothing imports

OpenAI tests phone number-only ChatGPT signups

OpenAI has begun testing a feature that lets new ChatGPT users sign up with only a phone number — no email required. The addition was spotted by software engineer Tibor Blaho. The feature is currently in beta in the U.S. and India. There are, however, some restrictions. Users wh

PowerSchool data breach victims say hackers stole ‘all’ historical student and teacher data

U.S. school districts affected by the recent cyberattack on edtech giant PowerSchool have told technewss that hackers accessed “all” of their historical student and teacher data stored in their student information systems.  PowerSchool, whose school records software is used to su

Rockfish is helping enterprises leverage synthetic data

For years, Vyas Sekar would call up Muckai Girish, an old friend from undergrad, to talk through potential startup ideas and get Girish’s opinion. The two usually talked through an idea and ended the conversation at that. When Sekar called Girish with an idea involving synthetic data in early

LinkedIn adds free AI tools for job hunters and recruiters

If you've ever applied or thought of applying for a job via LinkedIn, you'll know that the experience can be immediately disheartening: Openings that look interesting typically can see hundreds or thousands of applications in a matter of hours — data that LinkedIn, a social network for th

Microsoft’s newest Copilot plan for business is pay-as-you-go

Microsoft is launching a pay-as-you-go plan for corporate customers that bundles several, but not all, of the company’s existing AI-powered productivity features for Microsoft 365. The new plan, Copilot Chat — not to be confused with Microsoft’s Copilot Business Chat or GitHub Co

UnitedHealth hid its Change Healthcare data breach notice for months

Change Healthcare, the UnitedHealth-owned health tech company that lost more than 100 million people’s sensitive health data in a ransomware attack last year, said on Tuesday that the company has “substantially” completed notifying affected individuals about the massive data breac

Hinge's new AI feature determines if your prompt response is too basic 

Hinge today launched a new AI-powered feature called “Prompt Feedback,” which aims to improve your dating profile by analyzing how you answer prompts and assessing if it needs to be more specific or authentic.  Powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o mini, Prompt Feedback evaluates each response a

SoftBank veteran hunts for profits in payments infrastructure plumbing

In the summer of 2020, as pandemic-driven volatility gripped markets, SoftBank Group shocked Wall Street with a series of massive options bets on U.S. technology stocks. Behind those trades — which earned SoftBank the “Nasdaq whale” moniker — was Akshay Naheta, an executive whose ca