TechCrunch Industry News

Chess.com reaches a new membership milestone as it nears its 20th birthday. Chess.com, the online chess platform that was founded in 2005 and launched in 2007, has surpassed 200 million members. Of those 200 million members, 1.5 million are paying users. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For years, websites included information about what kind of crawlers were not allowed on their site with a robots.txt file. Adobe, which wants to create a similar standard for images, has added a tool to content credentials with an intention to give them a bit more control over what is used to train AI models. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Volkswagen of America and Uber on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to launch a commercial robotaxi service — using autonomous electric VW ID. BUZZ vehicles — in multiple U.S. cities over the next decade. The companies expect to launch a commercial service in Los Angeles, the first city on the list, by late 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Government censorship has found its way to Bluesky, but there’s currently a loophole thanks to how the social network is structured. Earlier this month, Bluesky restricted access to 72 accounts in Turkey at the request of Turkish governmental authorities, according to a recent report by the Freedom of Expression Association. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Linktree is launching a set of new features aimed at helping creators earn more money directly from its platform. The new tools include the ability to sell courses and digital products, earn from brand-sponsored links, and build shoppable storefronts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xerion says it has a new technique to produce highly refined cobalt in a single step. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

AI labs are increasingly relying on crowdsourced benchmarking platforms such as Chatbot Arena to probe the strengths and weaknesses of their latest models. But some experts say that there are serious problems with this approach from an ethical and academic perspective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The tech market doesn’t need to be soaring up and to the right to foster healthy M&A activity. Deals can get done even in down markets. But can M&A thrive in an uncertain market? That’s a harder question. The venture market soured in 2022 as fundraising and exits largely dried up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A digital rights group blasted the Florida bill, but lawmakers voted to advanced the draft law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some ChatGPT users have noticed a strange phenomenon recently: occasionally, the chatbot refers to them by name as it reasons through problems. That wasn’t the default behavior previously, and several users claim ChatGPT is mentioning their names despite never having been told what to call them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices