Apple under Ternus: what comes next for the tech giant’s hardware strategy
John Ternus, Apple’s incoming CEO, is a hardware guy, signaling Apple may be putting devices back at the center of its strategy.
AI
Cohere acquires, merges with Germany-based startup to create a ‘transatlantic AI powerhouse’
Cohere, the Canada-based AI company that makes AI tools for businesses in regulated industries, announced Friday it would merge with Aleph Alpha, a German company that also builds AI systems for businesses and governments.
Meta’s loss is Thinking Machines’ gain
Meta has been poaching talent from Thinking Machines Lab. But it’s a two-way street.
ComfyUI hits $500M valuation as creators seek more control over AI-generated media
ComfyUI, whose tools give creators more control over AI image, video, and audio generation, just raised $30 million.
Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic in cash and compute
Google plans up to $40B investment in Anthropic as AI rivals race to secure massive compute capacity, following the limited release of its powerful, cybersecurity-focused Mythos model.
How Project Maven taught the military to love AI
In the first 24 hours of the assault on Iran, the US military struck more than 1,000 targets, nearly double the scale of the “shock and awe” attack on Iraq over two decades ago. This acceleration was made possible by AI systems that speed up the targeting process. Chief among them is the Maven Smart […]
Marked-up Mac minis flood eBay amid shortages driven by AI
Apple’s sold-out Mac mini is spawning marked-up eBay listings as demand surges for the compact desktop, now favored for running local AI models and tools.
AirPods, Touch Bars, and the rest of Tim Cook’s legacy
We knew at some point Tim Cook would step down from his position as Apple’s CEO. Over the last year, it has become increasingly obvious that John Ternus was his likely successor. The news this week was still a surprise, though – and this year’s succession could lead to some important changes at the most […]
Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga joins stacked StrictlyVC SF lineup for April 30 event
Surprise! StrictlyVC San Francisco, which will kick off this year’s events lineup for TechCrunch on April 30 at the Sentro Filipino Cultural Center, is getting a new addition to its increasingly stacked lineup of speakers. Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli Naga will join the rest of the lineup to discuss operating at scale in the age of AI.
Tim Cook is stepping down. What happens to Apple now?
Tim Cook plans to step down from his CEO role in September, handing the reins to hardware chief John Ternus. Ternus may be inheriting one of the most durable businesses in tech, but he’s also stepping into a very different ecosystemthan the one Cook spent decades shaping. The App Store’s 30% cut is under pressure, the behind-the-scenes power Apple once […]