Friday, November 8, 2024

Hello, and welcome to TechCrunch PM! I'm Dom, filling in for Becca. Today we're looking at hackers sending fake data requests to tech companies; Tesla's trillion-dollar market cap; and Exosonic shutting down. Have a great weekend!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Getty Images

🚨 FBI alert: Hackers are sending fake police data requests to tech companies as a way to steal private user information, according to the FBI. The FBI is now asking companies to "apply critical thinking" to emergency data requests. Read more

💰 Four comma club: Tesla is once again a trillion-dollar company after shares rallied almost 30% since Election Day. Tesla was valued at a trillion dollars a few years ago before the stock became volatile and shares began to fall. Read more

☎️ Party line: Speaking of Musk, Axios reports that he was on the call when Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke. He is said to have told the Ukrainian president that he will continue to offer Starlink satellites as the war with Russia continues. Read more

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Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Barks_japan / Getty Images

💸 Big money: UnifyApps just raised a $20 million Series A from Iconiq Growth, less than six months after closing its $11 million seed round. The company offers app integration. Read more

🩺 More AI news: Conflixis announced it raised a $4.2 million seed round co-led by Lerer Hippeau and Origin Ventures. The company identifies medical and patient risks to hospitals. Read more

🎵 And even more AI news: The Beatles scored two Grammy noms this year, this time for a song that was refined with AI. "Now and Then" is up against songs from Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Beyoncé. Read more

🕺 Consumer fund: A new consumer fund is in town. T.J. Taylor, a former exec at Raya and Dispo, launched Hobart Ventures to invest in early-stage consumer companies. Read more

🚫 Shutdown news: Exosonic is shutting down after five years. The startup sought to develop supersonic commercial air travel. Read more

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Around the web

🙋 What comes next? A second Trump presidency is almost guaranteed to cause shake-ups in tech. The Verge has a rundown on what Trump as president will mean for sectors such as AI, EV, and crypto. Read more

🤝 Speaking of politics: The Information breaks down how intertwined tech and politics have become these past few years and how people underestimated that relationship until right now. Read more