Adobe has announced it will acquire the design platform Figma in a deal worth around $20 billion in cash and stock. Figma, which creates cloud-based design software that enables collaboration in real…
Zoom Shares Drop Amid Murky Outlook
Shares of video communications company Zoom fell 16% on Tuesday after the company missed revenue estimates for the second quarter. Zoom reported $1.10 billion in revenue for the three months ending June,…
SEC Swoops on Massive Cryptocurrency Pyramid Scheme
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced it has charged 11 people for their role in an alleged Ponzi scheme called Forsage, which defrauded retail investors for more than $300 million. …
Google Fires Engineer Who Claimed Artificial Intelligence Technology was Sentient
Google has fired the engineer who claimed an artificial intelligence chatbot had gained consciousness. Blake Lemoine, raised ethical concerns with the company last month after he became convinced the AI chatbot he…
Bezos’s Blue Origin Sells Seat on First Spaceflight for $28 million
An unnamed bidder has paid $28 million for a seat on the first crewed spaceflight by Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin. On Saturday the company hosted an online auction, inviting wealthy space enthusiasts…
Construction Startup Katerra to Shut Down After More Than $2bn in Funding
SoftBank-backed construction startup Katerra is to shut down, after receiving more than $2 billion in funding. The company told employees it will be shutting down operations, according to a report in The…
Pipeline CEO Admits to Paying $4.4m to Ransomware Hackers
The CEO of Colonial Pipeline has confirmed the company paid $4.4 million in ransom to the hackers who disabled its pipeline in May. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Joseph…
OurCrowd Jobs Index Shows Startup Hires Growing Despite Pandemic
Startups backed by influential Israel-based equity crowdfunding group OurCrowd are looking to hire in greater numbers, despite the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. The number of jobs listed by OurCrowd’s global portfolio companies more…
Broadband Startup Isotropic Systems Gets $42m Injection from Aerospace Heavyweights
British broadband terminal startup Isotropic has won a $42 million funding round, which it says brings the firm closer to its first commercial product rollout. The round, led by satellite company SES,…
The Top Three Aotearoa New Zealand Startups to Look Out For in 2021
Thanks to a quick-witted government, compliant population and geographical fortitude, Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa is the nation’s Maori name) has suffered the effects of COVID-19 less than perhaps any other developed economy…