Techy Teacher

Hey, TechCrunch besties. After a week in Korea and the Philippines, it’s great to be back in the States — and slightly more tan (i.e., burnt) than before. Massive thanks to Henry, who was forced to step in over the past two weeks thanks to my failing to realize that Korean Air does not offer in-flight Wi-Fi. Talk about a good sport. If you’re wondering about Greg’s status, not to worry — he’s due to return from a well-deserved parental leave in a month and change. In the meantime, I’m here to nag you about TechCrunch’s upcoming headliner events. TechCrunch Early Stage is fast approaching — it’s on April 20 in Boston this year, and it’ll host experts across the venture and tech landscape who’ll speak to solutions in getting a startup off the ground. (Also in Boston: City Spotlight , which kicks off February 27.) On the far horizon, there’s TechCrunch Disrupt (September 19–21), which promises to be an absolute blowout this year. Having taken a peek at the preliminary guest list, let

Welcome to Startups Weekly, a nuanced take on this week’s startup news and trends by Senior Reporter and Equity co-host Natasha Mascarenhas. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here . After tech’s massive exodus of talent, we’re starting to see laid-off talent start companies that are ambitious and aspirational in aim. I’m talking about the legal analyst who got let go from Better.com starting a legal tech startup, or the head of safety at Twitter starting a Twitter rival with safety at the core. It’s refreshing, and it’s palpable. Is it something in the water? Is it breeding grounds from a specific subset of companies? Is it just easier to start a company these days? Unfortunately, it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly is reframing risk in 2023. It may just be that 2022 is over — or it may just be that tech’s great reset has reminded some that it’s time to take the jump, as nothing can be taken for granted. It is worth noting that there’s only a subset of people who can afford to

Imagine this hurtling through space : Scientists have found an asteroid with dimensions similar to the Empire State Building. This asteroid, which recently sped past Earth, has caught the attention of NASA astronomers for its bizarre long shape. The space rock — which has perhaps whizzed by to set the record straight that not all asteroids are vaguely ball-like — is more than three times as long as it is wide. To get a sense of its scale, scientists have estimated the rock is about 1,600-by-500 feet, roughly comparable to that of the world-famous landmark that looms over 100 stories above New York. "Of the 1,040 near-Earth objects observed by planetary radar to date, this is one of the most elongated we’ve seen," said Lance Benner, principal scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement . SEE ALSO: A mistake on the Webb telescope just led to a surprising discovery Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) The asteroid, known as 2011 AG5,

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. The app economy in 2023 hit a few snags, as consumer spending last year dropped for the first time by 2% to $167 billion , according to data.ai’s “State of Mobile” report. However, downloads are continuing to grow, up 11% year-over-year in 2022 to reach 255 billion. Consumers are also spending more time in mobile apps than ever before. On Android devices alone, hours spent in 2022 grew 9%, reaching 4.1 trillion. This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more. Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters This week’s theme seems to be a decline in growth for some much-buzzed-about apps, including a group of Twitter a

The FTC is embracing change with the establishment of an Office of Technology that will help it effectively regulate the fast-moving tech world. Citing “systemic concerns” relating to tech and its potential for fraud and abuse, the FTC’s new division will ensure the agency doesn’t get left in the dust by tech-savvy scammers. Because the FTC is a wide-ranging agency, it is something of a generalist, and when a case requires specialist knowledge, it can bring in outside experts. You definitely want a few good finance people, but do you need a full-timer just for, say, logging regulations? Probably not, but at some point a problem or industry may become prominent enough to warrant a serious and permanent dedication of resources. That is the case being described today with issues arising in the tech world, against which of course FTC Chair Lina Khan has personally inveighed. Whether it’s antitrust or consumer protection, or just telling influencers they need to declare that post is sp

Whether you're trying to stick to a New Year's resolution or you're embracing the thought of making healthier lifestyle choices, here are some of the top fitness equipment deals for Feb. 17: BEST BUDGET DEAL: The Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic under-desk mini bike is ideal for remote workers — $102.99 $119.99 (save $16.99)   BEST DEAL FOR TRENDSETTERS: The LifePro Waver vibration plate exercise machine includes a set of resistance bands, yoga straps, and exclusive access to a variety of workout videos — $159.79 $199.79 (save $40)   BEST DEAL FOR YOGIS: The Gaiam beginner’s yoga starter kit set includes a yoga mat, yoga block, and a yoga strap — $21.49 $29.98 (save $8.49)  Finding the time to go to the gym or get outside to exercise can be a challenge, especially if you're a remote worker with a proper 9-to-5. Luckily, there are plenty of fitness accessories and equipment out there to help you achieve your fitness goals from home. From tre

Indian startup Ultrahuman has made a name for itself since 2019 by building out a subscription fitness platform which offers a range of workout and wellness-related content, integrating with third party wearables like the Apple Watch. In 2021 it expanded into offering medical grade sensing hardware which monitors real-time blood glucose — spinning up a program focused on encouraging users to track their metabolic health as a fitness intervention. This was followed, last summer , by a teaser of more hardware incoming: A smart ring of its own design — to complement the existing CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) sensor program but which it also offers as a standalone health-tracking wearable to compete with the likes of Oura’s smart ring . TechCrunch tried a beta version of Ultrahuman’s Ring (or R1), as its plainly called — testing it in combination with its CGM-based metabolic tracking program (M1) over a month’s use and for several weeks on its own when it did not also have access