AI companies upped their federal lobbying spend in 2024 amid regulatory uncertainty

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Companies spent significantly more lobbying AI issues at the U.S. federal level last year compared to 2023 amid regulatory uncertainty. According to data compiled by OpenSecrets, 648 companies spent on AI lobbying in 2024 versus 458 in 2023, representing a 141% year-over-year increase. Companies like Microsoft supported legislation such as the CREATE AI Act, which […]
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Meta to begin testing ads on Threads, its micro-blogging app

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Meta will begin testing ads on its Threads microblogging service with a few companies in the U.S. and Japan, the company said in a blog post Friday.

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TikTok Ban and Trump Executive Order Lead to Tech Company Dilemma

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

The federal law banning TikTok has revealed a major schism among American tech companies: Some are willing to flout the law — and some, including Apple and Google, are not.

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Google, Apple Under Investigation to Determine Compliance with New UK Competition Law

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

If Google or Apple is deemed to have Strategic Market Status in the U.K., the government might force it to make the user data it collects available to competitors, or give publishers more control over how their data is used.

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ElevenLabs has raised a new round at $3B+ valuation led by ICONIQ Growth, sources say

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Companies that want to build AI voice into their products are rushing to work with ElevenLabs, the startup that develops synthetic voice technology like voice cloning and dubbing tools. Now ElevenLabs is turning up the volume on its business with a huge series C raise, just a year after a sizable series A. The New […]
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X expands its vertical video feed to global users

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

X has started expanding its dedicated vertical video feed to users outside the U.S., TechCrunch has exclusively learned and confirmed with the company.
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iOS 18 hits 68% adoption across iPhones, per new Apple figures

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Apple released new figures Friday, highlighting user adoption of iOS 18. Released in public form back in September 2024, the mobile operating system is now installed on 68% of compatible devices. That number jumps to 78% on iPhones released in the last four years. As for the remaining iPhones out there, 19% are running iOS […]
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Neko Health’s unicorn-sized Series B is larger than some Series C rounds

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week was supposed to be a short one in the U.S., as it started with a holiday. But Inauguration Day kept some founders busy, and the […]
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Twilio shares pop 22% and head for biggest gain since Covid pandemic on growth forecast

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Twilio shares had their sharpest rally since 2020 on Friday after the company issued an uplifting forecast for the coming years at an investor event.

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X ‘refused to take down video’ viewed by Southport killer

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Techme101

Australia’s internet regulator said X was the only major tech platform which refused its request.

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