Josh Constine
TechCrunch
San Francisco, CA, United States
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Recent articles by Josh:
Facebook appoints Treasury’s Kimmitt as lead independent board director –
Facebook has filled the lead independent board director role with former Deputy Secretary of the Treasury and U.S. Ambassador to Germany Robert M. Kimmitt. Meanwhile, the CEO of The Cranemere Group Limited Jeffrey D. Zients will not seek re-election to Facebook’s board at the 2020 annual meeting, but will serve until then. “The lead independent […] → Read More
Tech giants should let startups defer cloud payments –
Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are the landlords. Amidst the Coronavirus economic crisis, startups need a break from paying rent. They’re in a cash crunch. Revenue has stopped flowing in, capital markets like venture debt are hesitant, and startups and small-to-medium sized businessesf are at risk of either having to lay off huge numbers of employees […] → Read More
Snapchat’s Zenly launches coronavirus Stay Home leaderboard –
Snapchat’s location sharing app acquisition Zenly has gamified shelter-in-place during the COVID-19 outbreak. Today the app launched its Stay At Home challenge that shows a leaderboard of which friends have spent the most percentage of the last three days in their homes. Users can see who’s social distancing the best and share stickers of the […] → Read More
Instagram launches Co-Watching of posts during video chat –
Now you can scroll Instagram together with friends, turning a typically isolating, passive experience into something more social and active. Today Instagram launched Co-Watching, which lets friends on a video chat or group video chat browse through feed posts one user has Liked or Saved, or that Instagram recommends. Co-Watching could let people ooh, ahh, […] → Read More
Hospital droid Diligent Robotics raises $10M to assist nurses –
28% of a nurse’s time is wasted on low-skilled tasks like fetching medical tools. We need them focused on the complex and compassionate work of treating patients, especially amid the coronavirus outbreak. Diligent Robotics wants to give them a helper droid that can run errands for them around the hospital. The startup’s bot Moxi is […] → Read More
Instagram founder launches gift card site for quarantined restaurants –
Coronavirus quarantines are hurting local businesses, but Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger wants to help them keep revenue rolling in. Krieger and his wife Kaitlyn this week launched SaveOurFaves, a directory of Bay Area restaurants selling gift certificates to offset lost income amidst ‘shelter in place’ orders across the region. Users can search for restaurants or […] → Read More
Instagram prototypes Snapchat-style disappearing text messages –
Instagram is finally preparing to copy Snapchat’s most popular feature, and one of the few it hasn’t already cloned. Instagram has prototyped an unreleased ephemeral text messaging feature that clears the chat thread whenever you leave it, a Facebook spokesperson confirms to TechCrunch. That could make users more comfortable with having rapid-fire, silly, vulnerable, or […] → Read More
Facebook now lets most users opt-in to dark mode desktop redesign –
Facebook today officially rolled out its sweeping desktop redesign that offers dark mode, tabbed homescreen, and a cleaner profile. Facebook tells TechCrunch that “starting today, the majority of people on Facebook will have access to the new desktop design” which it announced at last year’s F8 conference. Users can opt-in to turn on the redesign […] → Read More
The 20 best startups from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day –
With world events overtaking the tech world’s preferences to meet for coffees and convene at events, Y Combinator skipped its famous two-day live Demo event and went for a radical experiment: no demos at all, but instead a long list of the nearly 200 startups in its Winter 2020 batch, with links to their sites […] → Read More
Around is the new floating head video chat multitasking app –
You have to actually get work done, not just video call all day, but apps like Zoom want to take over your screen. Remote workers who need to stay in touch while staying productive are forced to juggle tabs. Meanwhile, call participants often look and sound far away, dwarfed by their background and drowned in […] → Read More
Beware of “ZoomBombing”: screensharing filth to video calls –
The world is vulnerable to a new type of trolling as people turn to Zoom video calls to feel connected amidst quarantines. Jerks are using Zoom’s screensharing feature to blast other viewers with the most awful videos from across the internet, from violence to shocking pornography. That’s just what happened today on the WFH Happy […] → Read More
Facebook’s spam filter is blocking some coronavirus links –
Facebook appears to have a bug in its News Feed spam filter, causing URLs to legitimate websites including Mediu and USA Today to be blocked from being shared as posts or comments, including posts related to coronavirus. Facebook has been trying to fight back against misinformation related to the outbreak, but may have gotten overzealous […] → Read More
All the companies from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day, Part IV: Healthcare, Biotech, Fintech and Nonprofits –
With YC's W20 Demo Day coming in at nearly 200 companies, we've decided to split our recap into multiple posts for easier reading. These are the Healthcare/Biotech, Fintech, and Non-profit companies. → Read More
All the companies from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day, Part III: Hardware, Robots, AI and Developer Tools –
With YC's W20 Demo Day coming in at nearly 200 companies, we've decided to split our recap into multiple posts for easier reading. These are the hardware, AI/ML, and developer-focused companies → Read More
All the companies from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day, Part II: Consumer Companies –
With YC's W20 Demo Day coming in at nearly 200 companies, we've decided to split our recap into multiple posts for easier reading. Here are this cohort's consumer-focused companies → Read More
All the companies from Y Combinator’s W20 Demo Day, Part I: B2B Companies –
Y Combinator’s Demo Day was a bit different this time around. As concerns grew over the spread of COVID-19, Y Combinator shifted the event format away from the two-day gathering in San Francisco we’ve gotten used to, instead opting to have its entire class debut to invited investors and media via YC’s Demo Day website […] → Read More
Torch & Everwise merge into affordable exec coaching for all –
While companies might pay for a CEO coach, lower level employees often get stuck with lame skill-building worksheets or no mentorship at all. Not only does that limit their potential productivity, but it also makes them feel stagnated and undervalued, leading them to jump ship. Therapy…err…executive coaching is finally becoming destigmatized as entrepreneurs and their […] → Read More
To make locks touchless, Proxy bluetooth ID raises $42M –
We need to go hands-off in the age of coronavirus. That means touching fewer doors, elevators, and sign-in iPads. But once a building is using phone-based identity for security, there’s opportunities to speed up access to WIFI networks and printers, or personalize conference rooms and video call set-ups. Keyless office entry startup Proxy wants to […] → Read More
Instagram uses its power to put coronavirus tips atop feed –
Instagram is embracing its potential as a news source, employing its ubiquity to distribute coronavirus prevention techniques through a new call-out at the top of its homescreen feed. In some countries, Instagram will show a link to information from the World Health Organization and local health ministries, along with a message like this: “Help Prevent […] → Read More
Desperate to exit, a $10B price tag for Magic Leap is crazy –
Augmented reality headset maker Magic Leap has struggled with the laws of physics and failed to get to market. Now it’s seeking an acquirer, but talks with Facebook and medical goods giant Johnson & Johnson led nowhere according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Ed Hammond. After raising over $2 billion and being valued between […] → Read More