Best of TechCrunch — 2024

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    Open source tools to boost your productivity

    Open source technology offers alternatives to many proprietary software tools, providing benefits like added transparency, customizability, and security. Highlighted tools include Penpot for design, Cal.com for scheduling, Screenity for screen recording, Jitsi for video conferencing, Nextcloud for cloud storage, Ghost for publishing, and more. Each offers features to help individuals and businesses move away from Big Tech incumbents without compromising productivity.

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    Mark Zuckerberg says he’s done apologizing

    Mark Zuckerberg has adopted a new unapologetic attitude, reflecting on past criticisms of Facebook and political issues. He has expressed regrets for not pushing back against pressure from government officials regarding COVID-19 misinformation. Zuckerberg is now more excited about projects outside social media, such as AR glasses, VR goggles, and AI efforts, and stands by the company's rebranding to Meta.

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    Standing desks don’t do squat, per new study

    A study involving over 83,000 adults indicates that standing for more than two hours a day can increase the risk of circulatory problems and offers little cardiovascular benefit. While sitting too much is also harmful, experts suggest moving every 30 minutes to maintain or improve health.

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    How 2 high school teens raised a $500K seed round for their API startup (yes, it’s AI)

    Two 18-year-old high school graduates, Christopher Fitzgerald and Nicholas Van Landschoot, raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding for their AI startup, APIGen. The platform aims to create custom APIs from natural language prompts, catering to web apps, databases, and IoT devices. With strong community support and a keen interest from Varana Capital, the founders are currently building their minimum viable product and plan to release a beta version soon.

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    Watch: Doomscrolling is bad for your brain, study finds

    A recent study published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior Reports links doomscrolling to increased existential anxiety, despair, distrust, and suspicion of others. This study adds to the broader debate on the impact of smartphones and social media on mental health, highlighting the potential risks while acknowledging ongoing disputes among scientists about these risks.

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    Karo is a to-do app that lets you assign tasks to your friends and family

    Karo is an iOS app that allows users to assign and track tasks for friends and family, even if they don't have the app. The app features natural language processing, allows attachments, and can send reminders via WhatsApp or text message. It's designed to appeal to individuals and businesses in locations where dedicated task management solutions aren't common. The app's AI can also break down larger tasks into smaller ones and help with planning activities.

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    How to make your own encrypted VPN server in 15 minutes

    Using a paid VPN service can compromise your privacy as they may log and store your internet activity. Instead, creating your own VPN server with tools like Tailscale or WireGuard ensures greater control over your data. This guide explains how to set up your own encrypted VPN server using spare hardware, a Raspberry Pi, or cloud services for secure browsing from anywhere.

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    Will Smith eating spaghetti and other weird AI benchmarks that took off in 2024

    AI benchmarks in 2024 have taken an unusual turn with trends like generating videos of Will Smith eating spaghetti becoming popular tests for new AI video generators. Although there are more academic standards for evaluating AI performance, they often don't resonate with the general public. Unofficial benchmarks, while entertaining and easy to understand, are not empirically valid but capture attention, prompting speculation about the next viral AI benchmarks.

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    Napkin is a note-taking app that is not about making you more productive

    Napkin is a note-taking app designed with a mindfulness approach, positioning itself in the health and fitness category rather than productivity. Users can capture and reflect on ideas, with AI-generated tags for categorization. Available on the App Store for $6 per month or $50 per year, Napkin aims to be a background companion rather than a disruptive force. With around 4,000 paid users, the startup plans to develop integration features and platforms after reaching its goal of over 10,000 subscribers.

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    17-year-old Eric Zhu’s startup was built in a high school bathroom, now it’s raised $2.3 million and is emerging from stealth

    Eric Zhu, a 17-year-old from Carmel, Indiana, launched Aviato, a private market data analytics platform, from his high school bathroom. Aviato goes beyond competitors like Crunchbase and PitchBook by offering additional metrics like company credit card revenue and employee vesting schedules. The startup has raised $2.3 million in seed funding and aims to refine private market data analytics. Zhu has since moved to San Francisco to focus on growing Aviato while completing his high school education online.

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    The Browser Company teases Dia, its new AI browser

    The Browser Company, known for Arc Browser, announced its new AI-focused browser, Dia, set to launch in early 2025. The browser aims to integrate AI tools directly into the browsing experience, allowing users to perform tasks through natural language commands and automated actions. Demos showcased the AI assisting with writing, managing emails, and even adding items to an Amazon cart. The goal is to create a seamless AI-driven browsing environment while maintaining the usability for the masses.

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    It sure looks like OpenAI trained Sora on game content — and legal experts say that could be a problem

    OpenAI's video-generating AI, Sora, might be trained on Twitch streams and game walkthroughs, raising potential legal issues. Sora can produce videos mimicking popular games like Super Mario Bros. and Call of Duty. Legal experts warn that training on copyrighted game footage could lead to lawsuits, and OpenAI's vague data sourcing adds to the controversy. AI companies face increasing legal challenges as they claim fair use while creators seek protection for their works.

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    The new Reeder app is built for RSS, YouTube, Reddit, Mastodon and more

    The Reeder app has been redesigned to support additional sources like YouTube, Reddit, Mastodon, and Bluesky. Unlike its predecessor, Reeder Classic, the new app provides dedicated viewers for various content types, improving the user experience. The new design also enhances syncing speed by focusing on key items like subscriptions and tagged content. While Reeder Classic still exists, the new Reeder app offers extended features, including shared feeds and upcoming new layout options, for a subscription fee.

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    You can now track and manage bank transactions with CRED

    CRED, a Bengaluru-based fintech startup, has introduced a new feature called CRED Money to help users manage and gain insights into their cash flow by consolidating financial data from multiple bank accounts. This feature leverages India’s account aggregator framework to ensure secure, purpose-specific data sharing and uses data science algorithms to analyze transactions and provide actionable insights. Set to launch in phases, CRED Money is part of the startup's broader effort to enhance personal finance management among its affluent user base.

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    The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained

    A conflict has erupted between WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg and hosting provider WP Engine. Mullenweg criticized WP Engine for disabling revision history to save costs and misleading users by using the 'WP' brand. This led to a legal spat and mutual cease-and-desist letters over trademark use. The clash affected many websites and drew attention to concerns about WordPress's trademark policies and Automattic’s control over the platform. The WordPress Foundation highlighted potential confusion and underscored the need for clarity in trademark usage.

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    Meet the founder who built and sold a $600M enterprise software startup from Sri Lanka

    WSO2, a Sri Lankan open source enterprise software provider, which serves major companies like Samsung and AT&T, agreed to be acquired by EQT for $600 million. The deal emphasizes the importance of equity for employees and spotlights Sanjiva Weerawarana’s key role as a founder amidst challenges, including remaining headquartered in Sri Lanka during turbulent times. The acquisition by EQT, aimed at positioning WSO2 for an IPO, offers new strategic growth opportunities. Additionally, Weerawarana's personal undertakings, like founding the Avinya Foundation and driving for Uber, underscore his commitment to social causes.

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    Experts say Telegram’s ’30 engineers’ team is a security red flag

    Security experts raise concerns about Telegram's small engineering team and its use of proprietary encryption, which is not enabled by default. The app, which also serves as a social media platform, stores a significant amount of user data unencrypted. Experts highlight the potential vulnerabilities and the inability to effectively handle legal requests, abuse, and content moderation with such limited staff. With nearly one billion users, Telegram is a noteworthy target for hackers, making security a critical and growing concern.

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