Another autonomous vehicle startup shutters, Zoox expands driverless testing and investor fervor for AI escalates

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free. Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. I spent a few days in Austin … Read more

Former Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is putting together an investor group to buy TikTok

Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is building an investor group to acquire ByteDance’s TikTok, as a bipartisan piece of legislation winding its way through Congress threatens its continued existence in the U.S. The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill that if signed into law would force ByteDance to either divest its flagship … Read more

Currys shares plunge after U.S. investor Elliott pulls out of takeover race

A Currys Plc store on Oxford Street in central London, UK, on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images LONDON — Elliott Investment Management said Monday it had decided not to make another takeover bid for British electrical retailer Currys after repeatedly being rejected. Shares of Currys were down 10% in early … Read more

With liquidity rare, VCs may get creative to return investor cash

Welcome to the very last issue of The Exchange! With TechCrunch+ sunsetting this month, The Exchange column and its newsletter are also coming to an end. Thank you for reading, emailing, tweeting, and hanging out with us for so many years. P.S. A special thanks from myself to Anna, who was nothing short of a … Read more

Greece sells 30% stake in Athens airport operator, drawing strong investor interest

ATHENS, Greece — Greece completed a major privatization Friday, selling its 30% stake in the biggest airport operator in the tourism-reliant country during an initial public offering, officials said. Shares in Athens International Airport are expected to begin trading on the Athens stock exchange starting Wednesday, the airport said in a statement. Finance Minister Costis … Read more

Activist investor urges oil giant to scale back green pledges

Activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners is pushing for BP to urgently change tack, saying it is “highly debatable” whether the oil major’s strategy of reducing fossil fuel investments in favor of clean energy has any chance of succeeding. Giuseppe Bivona, partner and co-chief investment officer at Bluebell, on Tuesday said that the FTSE 100 energy … Read more

How ‘quiet luxury’ is subtly taking over investor portfolios

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – NOVEMBER 25, 2022: Karin Teigl is seen wearing Hermès yellow leather mini Kelly, Baum & Pferdgarten green leather jacket, Lumina beige cropped turtleneck sweater and vintage checked green yellow pants. Jeremy Moeller | Getty Images Quiet luxury was one of last year’s biggest viral fashion trends on social media — but unlike … Read more

McDonald’s investor day highlights and top risks in 2024

The Ronald McDonald balloon floats down Central Park West during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23, 2023, in New York City. Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty Images McDonald’s executives painted a rosy portrait of the fast-food giant’s strength and ability to achieve long-term goals at its investor day, but the company … Read more

Sale of Forbes to group led by tech investor Austin Russell collapses

Comment on this storyCommentAdd to your saved storiesSave An $800 million deal to sell Forbes Media Group to a group of investors led by American tech executive Austin Russell, the 28-year-old founder of Luminar, has collapsed after questions were raised about potential Russian or other foreign influence in the acquisition. The current owner of the … Read more

How to build a robust and adaptive data culture that instills investor confidence

Piyanka Jain, CEO of Aryng, is a renowned thought leader with over 20 years in data, analytics, and AI. A No. 1 Amazon best-selling author, she leads Aryng’s SWAT Data Science team, driving business success through data-driven decision-making. Securing funding for startups has never been a walk in the park, and the current economic volatility … Read more