Analysts say unknown hackers are spreading malware via Call of Duty online lobbies

TechCrunch Newsletter

By Christine Hall Thursday, July 27, 2023

Today, someone is taking "game on" to the next level. Activision said it had to take Call of Duty offline to investigate how self-spreading malware is infecting the game. Find out more. Next, Android users now see the new X logo. And read what a former Twitter employee had to say about working with Elon Musk. Meanwhile, in Kenya, FarmWorks continues to plant its AI seed in crop production following a $4 million cash infusion. Read more. Then, Upgrade strikes a deal to acquire buy now, pay later startup Uplift for $100 million. Find out why that's such a good deal. And Tesla is being called out for exaggerating the range of its vehicles. Get the scoop. Image Credits: Activision

More top reads While the writers are away, Netflix is going to play. The streaming giant is raising eyebrows after some job openings, including one for an AI product manager role with a salary tag of $900,000 per year, were discovered. Is Netflix screwing over the talent or simply exploring its AI capabilities? You be the judge. Sometimes you want the whole picture: Photoshop's new generative AI feature lets you "uncrop" images. It's time to cut back: Samsung extends its cut in memory chip production and will focus instead on high-end AI chips. Hacked: A U.S. government contractor says MOVEit hackers accessed the health data of some 8 million individuals. "Patently messy": How a $6 billion acquisition deal may spur more IP lawsuits. A glimmer of glamor: GlossGenius raises $28 million to expand its bookings and payments platform for beauty businesses. It's like Venmo, only global: Eco unveils Beam, a P2P crypto transfer service. Canceled delivery: Cash-strapped instant delivery giant Getir, trying to close funding, pulls out of Spain, Italy and Portugal. A surge of energy: EV.energy snags $33 million to help utilities save billions on grid upgrades. (TC+) Get ready for your close-up: WhatsApp now lets you record and share short video messages in chats. Alert!: Android will now warn about unknown Bluetooth trackers, like AirTag, that are traveling with you. More for your Thursday: Bloom Money raises £1M to digitize finance for ethnic communities Reddit is testing its own verification mark and new accessibility features EU opens competition probe of Microsoft bundling Teams with Office 365 Helpful secures $7.5M to launch family caregiver app Flipturn hauls in $4.5M seed funding to help trucking fleets electrify for less (TC+) Image Credits: Frederic J. Brown/AFP / Getty Images

GitLab announces the expansion of its startups program! Sponsored by GitLab for Startups GitLab's startups program supports qualifying startups with external funding. Eligible startups can access our full DevSecOps platform free for the first year, and continue to receive deep discounts in the second year. Sign Up Now

Ask Sophie: Which US visas are best for international founders? Dear Sophie, I am from Georgia but I live in Poland. I created my startup in Delaware a few years ago. To realize it and grow it, I need to move to the U.S. I have a business plan and a market plan, but no immigration plan. What's your advice? Which visa should I apply for? — Global Georgian TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription. Read More Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Senior Full Stack Developer at Nylon Technology (New York, NY, USA) POLICY & RESEARCH ANALYST EDUCATIONAL EQUITY - Early Childhood at Catalyst California (Los Angeles, CA, USA) Systems Administrator I or II at City of Newport (Newport, OR, USA) Founding Full Stack Engineer at Move AI (Washington, D.C., USA) Founding Product Design Engineer at Move AI (Washington, D.C., USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

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X Gon' Take It From Ya: Company formerly known as Twitter commandeers @x username

TechCrunch Newsletter

By Christine Hall Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Today's top story answered our question from yesterday about the fate of the person who was using the Twitter @x handle. I'm not going to ruin the surprise, but if you've been following our Twitter coverage this year, chances are you won't be shocked about what actually happened. Read all about it. Next, look who's launching credit cards. Swiggy, India's food delivery giant, now has one, as does Shopify, which is expanding farther into fintech. Over at Stability AI, the company continues to refine its generative AI models in the face of increasing competition — and ethical challenges. Learn about its latest image-generating model. Meanwhile, it looks like another cybersecurity company is poised to be acquired. Find out who. And put your game face on because Mirrorscape's new AR tabletop platform could enhance your D&D campaign. Read more. Image Credits: Guido Rosa

More top reads Today’s top TechCrunch+ story, Don't fall into the toxic workplace trap, looks into some causes for how and why this type of workplace can happen. What's a "novel cobot”?: Investors want to know and are infusing $30 million into Collaborative Robotics to find out. Find your new BFF: Bumble launches a separate BFF app for friend, uh, friending. Harvesting carbon dioxide: Dioxycle raises $17 million for its electrolyzer that turns CO2 into ethylene. Writing your own rules: OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic form a body to oversee safe "frontier AI" development. Do you believe in Magic?: Shopify Sidekick is like ChatGPT, but for e-commerce merchants. Investing in India: BlackRock and Reliance's finance unit form a joint venture to tap India's asset management industry. Clearing your head: Dial up a therapist like an Uber? Wangie aims at Gen Zers and the time-poor. All about Samsung: Brian Heater followed the Unpacked in Seoul event to give us the latest on Samsung's new gadgets. First up is Galaxy Z Fold 5, which got an upgraded chip, thinner body and an $1,800 price tag. Next is Galaxy Z Flip 5, which Brian writes finally fixes the foldable's biggest problem. Then read all about the Galaxy Watch. Finally, the Galaxy Tab S9 arrives with a new chip and water resistance. In the fight against climate change: Materials Nexus raises £2 million seed to discover clean climate material. Gather 'round: Graft is building an AI development platform for the masses. Plugged in: Leading automakers partner to create a massive EV charging network. Finding fraud: Two companies with solutions for detecting payment fraud announced funding today, including from Trustmi and Effectiv. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch+

From the "pod" files In today's Equity podcast, Alex sat down with Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz to chat about her upcoming book, "Extremely Online," on the history of online platforms and the rise of creators. They got into why online work has long been considered "a sideshow," the rise and fall of Vine, and the progression of new formats and platforms. Listen here. Read More Image Credits: Bryce Durbin

How to prevent an 'operational catastrophe' Julia Ivzhenko, head of operations at Futurra, launched a new edtech app with a 20-person team that answered students’ questions in real time. Network effects drew in a growing stream of new users, but “we concentrated on scaling and didn't have time to think if the resources of our team were enough to keep going with such speed,” she writes in TC+. “To prevent the approaching catastrophe,” she developed a five-step plan (shared in the article) that analyzed key processes and highlighted bottlenecks that ultimately generated “a timeline for optimization.” TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription. Read More Image Credits: https://www.gettyimages.com/search/photographer?photographer=MirageC / Getty Images

Get your TechCrunch fix IRL. Join us at Disrupt 2023 in San Francisco this September to immerse yourself in all things startup. From headline interviews to intimate roundtables to a jam-packed startup expo floor, there's something for everyone at Disrupt. Save up to $600 when you buy your pass now through August 11, and save 15% on top of that with promo code DC. Learn more. Read More

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Senior Full Stack Developer at Nylon Technology (New York, NY, USA) POLICY & RESEARCH ANALYST EDUCATIONAL EQUITY - Early Childhood at Catalyst California (Los Angeles, CA, USA) Systems Administrator I or II at City of Newport (Newport, OR, USA) Founding Full Stack Engineer at Move AI (Washington, D.C., USA) Founding Product Design Engineer at Move AI (Washington, D.C., USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

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