Here’s why ServiceTitan was on the clock to go public

When ServiceTitan dropped its S-1 notice of an impending public offering on November 18, many VCs likely rejoiced. A successful IPO by the company, which builds operating software for trade businesses, could be what the quiet IPO market needs to start shaking loose. But the timing of ServiceTitan&

IMAX embraces AI to expand original content reach

With global content consumption rising and demand for non-English content surpassing that for English movies and shows, IMAX is leveraging AI to scale localization on its original content. The entertainment and media industry grew 5% to $2.8 trillion in 2023, according to a report by PwC. The indu

Threads tests the ability for users to choose their preferred default feed

Since Threads’ launch last year, users have asked for the option to set their “Following” feed as their default feed. Now, more than a year later, Threads is finally testing the ability for users to do so. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Monday that the social network is n

Apple again snubs AI in its ‘iPhone App of the Year’ finalists

On Monday, Apple’s list of finalists for its coveted “iPhone App of the Year” award once again reveals how the iPhone maker is downplaying the impact of AI technology on the mobile app ecosystem. As it did last year, Apple’s 2024 list of top iPhone finalists favors more trad

Bluesky falling foul of EU rules by not reporting user numbers across the bloc

Bluesky, the social network that’s currently surging in popularity due to an exodus of users from rival X, is in breach of European Union (EU) regulations that stipulate all online platforms must regularly publish regional user numbers. The Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into full ef

Instagram takes on Snapchat with new location-sharing feature

Instagram is introducing the ability for users to share their locations with their friends via DMs (direct messages), the company announced on Monday. The feature indicates that the Meta-owned social network is looking to challenge services like Apple’s Find My and Snapchat’s Snap Map,

Pestle recipe app can now save dishes from TikTok

Recipe app Pestle is rolling out a new feature that can automatically turn your favorite TikTok recipe videos into detailed, step-by-step instructions, using AI. The new feature processes the video’s caption, where creators tend to document their ingredient list and instructions, but is powe

Anthropic proposes a new way to connect data to AI chatbots

Anthropic is proposing a new standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data resides. Called the Model Context Protocol, or MCP for short, Anthropic says the standard, which it open sourced today, could help AI models produce better, more relevant responses to queries.

Appcharge raises $26M to help gaming apps cut out Apple and Google from virtual goods revenues 

As Apple and Google continue to battle with regulators and publishers over whether their app stores are monopolistic, a startup called Appcharge has raised some funding to build an alternative for game developers who want a different avenue for monetization. Appcharge sees itself as a kind of “S

Bending Spoons is taking video platform Brightcove private in $233M acquisition

Brightcove, a cloud platform that helps businesses manage and monetize video content, is being taken private by Italian technology company Bending Spoons in an all-cash deal valued at $233 million. The transaction prices Brightcove at $4.45 per share, translating to a 90% premium on its 60-day ave

UK seeks collaboration for security research lab to counter Russia and ‘new AI arms race’ 

The U.K. is seeking collaboration for a new AI security research lab that’s designed to counter Russia and other hostile states in what it dubs the “new AI arms race.” While the U.K. government has launched numerous funding initiatives in the past to support cybersecurity project

Corning offers bundle of commitments in bid to settle EU antitrust probe

After the European Union opened a competition investigation into Corning earlier this month, citing concerns over alleged exclusive dealing, the Gorilla Glass maker has offered a raft of changes to its contract clauses aimed at settling the probe. The U.S. company is a supplier to major electroni

PlayAI clones voices on command

Back in 2016, Hammad Syed and Mahmoud Felfel, an ex-WhatsApp engineer, thought it’d be neat to build a text-to-speech Chrome extension for Medium articles. The extension, which could read any Medium story aloud, was featured on Product Hunt. A year later, it spawned an entire business. ̶

South Korean prosecutors request 5-year jail sentence for Samsung chief Jay Lee

South Korean prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence and a 500 million KRW fine, equivalent to $375,000, for Samsung Electronics chief Jay Y. Lee at an appeals court on Monday. The appeals case comes 10 months after Lee and 13 former Samsung executives were originally acquitted of manipulati