TechCrunch has exclusive knowledge of the acquisition of space tug startup Launcher by Vast Space, a business that came out of stealth last September with the goal of developing artificial gravity space stations in low Earth orbit. It will be a first for Vast to gain access to Launcher’s Orbiter …

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Defense shut down a server that had been leaking private emails from the American military to the public internet for the previous two weeks. The exposed server was housed on a Department of Defense server that was part of Microsoft’s Azure government cloud, which …

The company disclosed exclusively that Kaito, an AI-powered search engine for cryptocurrencies, raised $5.3 million in a seed round led by Dragonfly Capital. According to Yu Hu, the founder and CEO of Kaito, “there are people fighting against information overload all the time.” “We are reducing the time it takes …

Transportation-focused weekly newsletter The Station. Click The Station to get the full newsletter in your inbox every weekend. Free signup. Welcome back to The Station, your hub for moving people and packages. EV charging has improved, but it cannot support the number of electric vehicles the Biden Administration wants on …

WhatsApp’s iOS update adds picture-in-picture. This lets callers use WhatsApp or other apps without muting the video. The 23.3.77 iOS app introduced this feature. Previously, if you switched apps on your iPhone during a WhatsApp video call, the other person couldn’t see your feed. The new feature lets you respond …

TikTok launched its “Creativity Program” beta today. The company claims the program will increase creator revenue and opportunities. Invite-only creators can join the program today, with all eligible creators joining soon. TikTok didn’t disclose the program’s budget because it’s still in development. The company didn’t specify how many followers or …

  Japan’s central bank, the Bank of Japan (BoJ), will launch a pilot to test a “digital yen” in April. The BoJ launched a central bank digital currency (CBDC) proof of concept experiment in October 2020, more than two years ago. In April 2021, the BoJ began testing CBDC issuance, …

On Sunday, Facebook-parent Meta launched Meta Verified, a subscription service that lets users add the blue check mark to their Instagram and Facebook accounts for up to $15 a month by verifying their identity, tapping a new revenue channel that has had mixed results for Twitter. Starting this week in …

Seattle-based digital freight network Convoy is closing its Atlanta office and laying off workers. Convoy has fired workers three times in a year. CEO and co-founder Dan Lewis announced the restructuring on LinkedIn Thursday as Convoy moves to a new customer service model that automates many employee tasks. This change …

As part of its streamlining efforts, Jumia cut managerial headcount by 60% in Dubai and over 900 positions across its 11 markets, affecting 20% of its staff. Jumia’s FY2022 financials show this happened in Q4 last year. This follows the Jumia Supervisory Board’s note on senior management shake-ups when it …