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When COVID Almost Canceled the Oscars: An Oral History of a Most Surreal Night
The world was a very different place five years ago. The pandemic was killing thousands daily and, with vaccines only just beginning to roll out, normal life and work had largely ceased. Hollywood, meanwhile, was rocked by mandatory production shutdowns, theater closures and postponements of high-profile titles, from No Time to Die to West Side…
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The $32B acquisition that one VC is calling the Deal of the Decade | TechCrunch
According to Index Ventures Partner Shardul Shah, cybersecurity startup Wiz sits “at the center of three tailwinds: AI, cloud, and security spend.” Those tailwinds powered what just became the largest venture-backed acquisition in history — Google’s $32 billion deal, finalized after a declined 2024 offer, antitrust review on both sides of the Atlantic, and an…
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Motional robotaxis join the Uber app in Vegas two years after major reset | TechCrunch
Uber has added another company’s autonomous vehicles to its growing robotaxi network. Hyundai-owned Motional’s self-driving version of the Ioniq 5 is now available to be hailed for rides to and from five areas around the city — with a safety monitor in the car, for now. Starting Friday, the vehicles will do pickup and drop-offs…
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Amazon Prime Video nearly doubles the price to go ad-free and stream 4K video
Starting April 10th, Amazon’s ad-free Prime Video subscription will be rebranded as Ultra as its price increases to $4.99 per month from the current $2.99. Once it launches, it will also be the “exclusive” way to access 4K/UHD streaming, removing 4K streaming access from Prime subscribers who don’t pay extra. Paying the extra five bucks…
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Peacock expands into AI-driven video, mobile-first live sports, and gaming | TechCrunch
Peacock is making a clear bet on two things: AI and mobile-first entertainment. Based on what the streamer previewed at a press event yesterday, Peacock’s mobile app is about to look a whole lot more like a mix of TikTok, a casual gaming hub, and a streaming service. From an AI-powered “Bravoverse” vertical video experience…
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The Big 12 basketball tournament is ditching slippery LED courts for hardwood
They may be great for fan engagement and selling ads, but the Big 12 has decided to replace the innovative glass-covered LED floors at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center with a traditional hardwood finish. It will be used for the remainder of the tournament during semifinal matches and the championship game. The LED floors, which were…
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The FBI is investigating malware hidden inside games hosted on Steam | TechCrunch
The FBI is investigating a hacker suspected of publishing several video games laced with malware on the popular PC games store Steam, the agency said Friday. In its announcement looking for victims who may have been infected, the FBI listed the following games suspected of being developed by the same cybercriminal over the last two…
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Chinese man posts a big note on mum-in-laws suitcase to help her on solo travels
More than a million people online have been touched by a Chinese man who posted a huge note on his illiterate mother-in-law’s suitcase to help in case she needed help during her first solo flight. On February 28, the man from Xian city, northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, posted that his mother-in-law would be flying on…
