techcrunch

Smart speakers have become integral to U.S. households in a big way. The adoption rate of the devices increased from 21.5 percent in 2017 to 41 percent in 2018, TechCrunch reported, citing RBC Capital Markets. Smart speakers had a great holiday quarter, according to new research by Consumer...

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX)'s aggressive Chinese expansion plans have been hit with some unexpected competition. Luckin Coffee, a Chinese coffee chain founded in 2017, has taken direct aim at Starbucks and has opened  2,000 stores in China alone. The company said it plans to open...

Plaid, the fintech company that develops technology connecting banks with services like PayPal Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL)’s Venmo, has reportedly conducted a fundraising round that values the company at $2.65 billion. The San Francisco-based company is a Benzinga Fintech Summit alumnus...

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL)’s social networking platform, Google+, was launched in 2011 as a way to compete against key players like Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB). Google said Monday that a software glitch in the site allowed outsiders access to private profile data between 2015 and 2018...

Social media giant Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) promised Instagram co-founders autonomy as part of the 2012 acquisition -- a pledge that reportedly wasn't kept which led to their resignation. What Happened Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger resigned Monday and didn't offer...

Like just about every other company, Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) is being drawn into the Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) force field. Developers for the social platform are working on a product scan, search and identification feature that would direct Snapchat users to Amazon’s bank. TechCrunch...

Streaming video platform Hulu will begin offering users the ability to watch content offline. The company also announced it past 20 million U.S. subscribers. What Happened Rival streaming video platform Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) introduced an offline viewing feature in 2015 that was expanded...

Streaming music provider Spotify has released its first-ever guidance ahead of its highly anticipated April 3 initial public offering. What Happened Spotify expects to grow its total paid subscriber base from 71 million users in 2017 to as many as 96 million by the end of 2018, Recode said....

Even as recent surveys show that Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP) is increasingly finding favor with younger users, another issue has come to haunt Snapchat's parent company: turnover.  The company is facing brain drain of sorts, with the latest casualty being a sales executive. Snap's VP of...

Cryptocurrency mining has lifted results for chipmakers NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD) in recent quarters — although the benefit from this newest market opportunity may not last.  Now, SAMSUNG ELECTRONIC (OTC: SSNLF), the...

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) beat out multiple rivals, including Spotify and Snap Inc (NYSE: SNAP), in acquiring the music and image recognition platform Shazam, TechCrunch reported. What You Need To Know Apple didn't disclose the price tag on its latest acquisition, but sources close to the...

Shares of Square Inc (NYSE: SQ) hit a new all-time high of $41.80 Wednesday after TechCrunch reported that Square's platform is testing support for bitcoin with a small number of users. What You Need To Know Square confirmed the pilot program, but the biggest takeaway from can be found in the...

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)'s new feature Amazon Cash allows consumers to add cash to their Amazon account at brick-and-mortar retailers, including thousands of 7-Eleven stores. Customers who still want to use cash to shop online account for 27 percent of all consumers, TechCrunch said in a...

Just a few months ago, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) fell in infamy as it pumped suicide, sexual assault and even homicide clips through its channels. The platform was exposed to host child porn. Its good repute was sullied. But now, the company is on a lighter path, intent on being a source of...

When an imitation is smarter than the innovation, what should one deduce from it? It could be due to the imitator bringing its own unique strength and appeal to the table or the copycat version proving to be an improvement over the original. Hard data proves Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB) has found...