Bluesky plans payments feature to fund itself beyond ads
Bluesky plans to introduce payments in the coming months, the first step in a strategy to make money without relying on advertising, its CEO and COO said at TechCrunch Disrupt.
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1167 storiesBluesky expands Attie into a build-anything tool for communities
Bluesky unveiled new capabilities for its Attie app at TechCrunch Disrupt that let users build websites, games, quizzes, and polls, not just custom social feeds.
Google's Universal Cart shopping tool launches in the US
Google's Universal Cart, a tool that lets users save and track products across Search and the Gemini app, is now available to U.S. users.
Figma adds Specs editor to keep AI agents inside brand rules
Figma unveiled Figma Specs, a markdown editor for design rules, alongside a public beta of code layers and MCP support for 20-plus tools, at its Config India event.
YouTube Music adds AI-disclosure labels amid genAI music surge
YouTube Music is rolling out labels disclosing AI's role in song creation, as Deezer reports receiving nearly 90,000 fully AI-generated tracks a day.
Deezer to let users filter out AI-generated music from search
Deezer is building a toggle, due before the end of the year, to filter AI-generated music out of search after AI tracks made up more than 50% of daily uploads in July.
Facebook lets users steer their algorithm with plain language
Meta rolled out "Your Algorithm" to Facebook, letting users describe in natural language what they want to see more or less of in Feed and Reels.
Google Play now allows private vibe-coded apps on Android
Google Play will let users build and run vibe-coded apps privately on Android, starting with U.S. users 18 and up.
Spotify no longer needs "on Spotify" with Siri on iOS 27
Spotify said iPhone users on iOS 27 can now ask Siri to play music or other content without saying "on Spotify," as long as Apple Intelligence is enabled and the device isn't in the EU.
SpaceX Super Intelligence folds Grok, Cursor and X Premium into one plan
The company now known as SpaceX Super Intelligence is combining X Premium, Grok, and Cursor into a single plan called "The X Subscription," in a bid to attract more subscribers.
Amex builds a framework to vet AI agents' purchases before checkout
American Express is rolling out an "Intent Intelligence Framework" designed to capture and authenticate a customer's purchase intent before an AI agent completes a transaction.
Character.AI files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after five years
Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and agreed to sell some assets to Disney for $20 million, five years after its 2021 founding.
Ex-Plaud exec raises $26M for AI app that listens all day
Ambi, started by former Plaud executive Peter Mo, raised $26 million for an AI app that listens to users all day to deliver real-time assistance.
Apple discloses deal to hire team, license tech from Huxe
Apple disclosed in a European Commission filing that it has agreed to hire certain employees of the now-shut-down personalized podcast startup Huxe and license its technology.
LumenUs built an AI platform to ease grief's paperwork burden
LumenUs, founded by Sara Tashakorinia after her husband's death, uses AI to help grieving families handle the roughly 570 hours of paperwork it takes on average following a loved one's death.
Orkut's founder wants to bring the social network back
Orkut founder Büyükkökten is asking users to register support for reviving the social network Google shut down in 2014, without confirming a relaunch is planned.
A16z's Olivia Moore sees upside in consumer AI's economics
Andreessen Horowitz partner Olivia Moore says consumer AI is still early, with only three types of apps — building, marketing, and work tools — driving most of today's revenue.
Natura's $99 smart ring lets users summon AI agents by touch
Startup Natura unveiled Interface, a $99 smart ring that lets users trigger AI agents and track health metrics with a press of a finger, with preorders expected to open next month.
Spotify turns its internal dev tools into an enterprise software business
Spotify launched technology.spotify.com on Thursday, formalizing years of selling internal developer tools like Backstage, Confidence, Portal, and Xirp to outside companies.
Google launches Mac app to rival AI note-taker Granola
Google released Google AI Edge Foresight, an offline Mac app that uses its on-device EmbeddingGemma 2 model to take AI-generated meeting notes, challenging note-taker Granola.