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Groupon CEO Andrew Mason: I'm Following The Arnold Schwarzenegger Guide To Leadership
Jan 22, 5:46AM
This evening at the Crunchies, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason took home the coveted CEO of the Year award. But we couldn't let him leave the stage without taking the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the red-hot company. Our own Michael Arrington kicked things off by asking about Groupon's press release for its recent funding round, when it "Raised, Like, A Billion Dollars". Groupon and Mason have long had a very amusing and irreverent sense of humor. But how long can they keep that up before it causes a deal to fall through, or something else undesirable to happen? Mason replied that he's taking the Arnold Schwarzenegger approach to leadership. That is, he's taking the first part of his career and doing everything stupid he can think of, so people have no expectations for him down the line (then again, he did just win CEO of the Year, so he's not setting the bar too low).
Congratulations Crunchies Winners! Twitter Takes Best Startup Of 2010
Jan 22, 5:45AM
This year's fourth annual Crunchies Awards have just concluded, and we're happy to say that it was an overwhelming success. For those who weren't at the event or watching our livestream, we've included the list of nominees and winners below. Our most sincere congratulations to the winners and to all of the nominees as well. It was an incredibly tight race for many of the categories, and it's safe to say that everyone on this list is at the top of their field. We'd like to take a moment to point out Twitter's win for "Best Overall Startup Or Product", the first time the company has won a Crunchie in this category. Twitter has become an indispensable part of social communication and a key ingredient in the fabric of the web. And congratulations to Groupon's Andrew Mason, who won for CEO of the Year; Mark Pincus, who took Best Founder of the Year, and Quora, which took Best New Startup in 2010. 
TechCrunch Giveaway: An Apple iPad #TechCrunch
Jan 22, 5:07AM
We've given one away before, and we are doing it again. Earlier in the month we asked our Facebook fans a question we were curious about. We asked, "Choosing from all of the cool gadgets we write about, if you had the chance to win one, which one would you want?" We had hundreds of fans chime in and the number one thing people wanted was an Apple iPad. We thought since Apple had such a tremendous quarter, an iPad is the number one thing our fans want, and the iPad just won a 2010 Crunchies Award for Best Device, why not give one away?
What Scares Twitter CEO Dick Costolo? Foreigners. (Well, Scaling For Them.)
Jan 22, 4:38AM
Tonight at our Crunchies Awards in San Francisco, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo took the stage with our own Michael Arrington. The topic of discussion? Well, it was sort of all over the place — more of a fun conversation. Mike asked Costolo what he thought about the recent news that Eric Schmidt was being replaced as CEO of Google by co-founder Larry Page. You'd think Costolo would have some insight about the news simply because he himself just took over as CEO of Twitter, replacing Ev Williams, a co-founder (who also stayed with the company).
The Crunchies Awards Livestream [Video]
Jan 22, 3:33AM
It's the most wonderful time of the year! We're live at the The Crunchies Awards at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. We've partnered with fellow blogs VentureBeat and GigaOm to celebrate the best technology achievements of 2010. Those of you at home or backstage like myself can watch them on the livestream above, and chat about them here. The show starts at 7:30 pm, or shortly.
Brickify: Turn Any Image Into A Lego Statue!
Jan 22, 3:20AM
Everyone loves Legos. There is no debate. In fact, there may only be one thing better than Legos: customized Legos. And a new web service aims to provide those to all. Brickify is a website that allows you to put in the URL to any image on the web and it will output a "brickified" image. Yes, it's an image just like the one you just put in — but made of bricks. "Bricks" are the generic and non-trademarked term for Legos, but make no mistake, we're talking Legos here. 
PostUp Acquires UberTwitter, Renames Itself (Again) To UberMedia
Jan 21, 11:25PM
Bill Gross is up to something. The CEO of PostUp, who previously founded (and sold) Overture, answers.com, and a number of other companies, has just acquired his second Twitter client in as many weeks. On January 5 PostUp acquired EchoFon, and today the company has announced that it's acquired UberTwiter, which makes Twitter clients for iPhone and BlackBerry. In addition to the acquisition, PostUp has another piece of news: it's changing its name to UberMedia. This is the third name for the company, which was originally called TweetUp, but changed its name last summer to PostUp as it added support for Facebook and LinkedIn.
George Zachary on Doing 30 Seed Deals a Year, Not Missing Hollywood and Crazy Jim Clark (TCTV)
Jan 21, 11:09PM
George Zachary of CRV was our guest on Ask a VC today, and not only did he answer reader questions bluntly, he indulged us with his craziest story from his days working with Internet icon Jim Clark on Shutterfly. The whole episode is below, or feel free to tune into just the answers to these questions: What sort of materials do you look for when initially being approached by an entrepreneur with an idea? A prototype? A business plan? Since you put out your call to entrepreneurs for an app discovery business plan on Facebook, any takers? Do you think app discovery is a big issue and large market opportunity? ...
Blatant IP Theft In App Store Garners Little Response From Apple
Jan 21, 10:50PM
One of the criticisms of Apple's App Store (and application stores in general) is how it is commonplace for a popular app or game to have dozens of clones. These can be sifted through due to their low popularity and shoddy icons, and on the off chance you prefer an ad-supported knock-off over a 99 cent app, they're a good alternative. But not every clone is flattery and bandwagon-jumping; some are outright theft. Case in point, an iOS game entitled The Blocks Cometh, which is a straight lift, graphics and all, of a Flash game of the same name by developer Halfbot. The iOS app has been approved and is available to buy now, though of course you shouldn't buy it (Halfbot is working on an actual iOS port). A week ago, Apple was notified that the game was clearly made entirely from stolen IP , which isn't surprising, as the rest of the offending developer's games seem to be knock-offs as well. But a week later, Apple has yet to pull the app or give any kind of substantial response.
So, What's this Monkey Statue All About? (TCTV)
Jan 21, 10:43PM
The Crunchies Statue. Sure, everyone wants it. But so many people ask us, "Why the hell is it a monkey?" (Hint.)
Still, no one was quite as confused by it as our new intern. Lucky for us a documentary crew was in that day to catch the footage. Watch below.
The Clock Is Set For A Facebook IPO By April, 2012
Jan 21, 9:43PM
Today, Facebook announced that it raised a total of $1.5 billion in its latest round, giving the company a valuation of $50 billion. But it also disclosed something else: when it will likely go public. Buried at the bottom of its press release, it sets a date for when it expects to start filing public financial reports: 
Electric Vehicle Makers, CODA Holdings, Appoint Phil Murtaugh CEO
Jan 21, 9:35PM
Today, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based maker of electric vehicles and batteries, CODA Holdings, appointed auto industry veteran Phil Murtaugh as chief executive officer. On a conference call, CODA's interim CEO Steven "Mac" Heller described Murtaugh as someone who believes "the automotive industry can innovate rapidly and be more responsible as a global citizen," and is deeply experienced in building American auto businesses in Asia. Earlier this month, the company raised a $76 million bringing its equity funding to about $200 million, sparking IPO rumors. Murtaugh previously worked as chairman and chief executive officer of GM China. Over a decade, he grew GM's presence there from fifteen employees in its Shanghai operations to 15,000 employees throughout the country, increasing the unit's revenue from $300 million to more than $7 billion. In brief, Murtaugh discussed CODA's plans in Asia, and how he will leverage his experience on behalf of the younger car company... 
Facebook Raises $1.5 Billion At $50 Billion Valuation
Jan 21, 9:21PM
Facebook has officially announced that it has just raised $1.5 billion in funding at a $50 billion valuation, according to a release issued today (we've embedded the release below). As stated in the release, the investment was broken into two parts. Goldman Sachs participated in the first round (via an offering to its non-U.S. clients in a fund), which totaled $1 billion. In December, DST and Goldman separately invested another $500 million into the social network. Both rounds gave Facebook a $50 billion valuation, says the company. This brings Facebook's total funding to a staggering $2.336 billion. 
MyNines Relaunches Private Sales Aggregator With New UI, Sales Calendar And More
Jan 21, 8:37PM
MyNines, an aggregator of private sales sites, is relaunching today with a number of new features and a more streamlined user experience. Launched in March of 2010, MyNines aims to help consumers sort through the daily flash sales sites. MyNines aggregates products from various online sample sale sites and allows shoppers to find them all in one location. Users can search and filter by designer, category, highest discounts, as well as deals ending soonest, most viewed items, deals under $100, and newly listed. MyNines currently aggregates from over 80 sites, including eBay's Fashion Vault. 
Creator Of Million Dollar Homepage Makes Do Nothing For 2 Minutes
Jan 21, 8:00PM
PopJam CEO Alex Tew, the guy behind the internet phenomenon Million Dollar Homepage, has now gone the opposite extreme. Along with developer Ben Dowling, he has created Do Nothing For 2 Minutes, a site whose purpose is pretty self explanatory. While MDH was a celebration in online excess, DNF2M is a zen treatise on computing and a challenge. Can you sit in front of your computer and not touch your mouse or keyboard for a measly two minutes?
May 1, 2002: Larry Page And Eric Schmidt Talk About Google, The Future, And Their Dynamic
Jan 21, 7:05PM
On May 1, 2002, two men took the stage at a Stanford University event to answer some questions about their startup. The startup? Google. The two men? Eric Schmidt and Larry Page. That was less than a year after Schmidt officially became CEO of the company, taking over the role from Page. Yesterday, after a decade of success, the two announced they would be switching back. And while some answers are starting to trickle out as to why such a change is taking place now, it's fascinating to look back in time and see how it all began. Luckily, Stanford captured the talk in 24 short videos clips found here.
Zynga Acquires Social Game Developer Area/Code; Launches New York Office
Jan 21, 7:00PM
Weeks after announcing its acquisition of social browser Flock, Zynga is continuing its shopping spree today with the purchase of New York-based social gaming developer Area/Code. In conjunction with the acquisition, Zynga is also announcing its first New York office with the launch of Zynga New York. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Based in New York City, Area/Code has developed a number of games on Facebook and for mobile, including CSI: Crime City with partner Ubisoft, Facebook game Parking Wars and Drop7 for the iPhone. According to the startup's site, the developer focused on highlighting "the connections between the interactive systems and imaginary landscapes inside of games and the real world around them." These connections could include, "online games that respond to broadcast TV in real time," "game systems that explore real-world social issues," "urban environments transformed into spaces for public play," or "game events driven by real-world data." 
Verizon Can't Even Stand Net Neutrality Lite, Goes To Court To Challenge FCC's Authority
Jan 21, 6:50PM
Who saw this coming? (Oh, right: everyone.) Verizon has taken umbrage with certain aspects of Net Neutrality, and has taken the rather predictable tract of challenging the FCC's authority in order to get out of complying with the rules. It's nothing more than a simple case of if you can't win an argument based on its own merit attack the credibility of your adversary. Verizon isn't too keen on the provision that would force it to treat all data on its network equally, so it's going to court to make sure it doesn't have to. Verizon, while claiming to be "committed to preserving an open Internet" (whatever that means), says that it's "deeply concerned by the FCC's assertion of broad authority for sweeping new regulation of broadband networks and the Internet itself." Note the presence of the word "sweeping," which is designed to make it seem like the sky is falling. Sweeping new regulations? What kind of evil agenda is at work here? You know, making it so that ISPs don't treat you and your data like dirt. Such an evil agenda, I know.
As Rummble's CEO Is Ousted, The Story Of A European Startup Unravels
Jan 21, 6:27PM
Rummble, one the UK's oldest location-based reviews and social network which actually pre-dated Foursquare, has had its CEO removed by the board and now faces a radical shift away from it's consumer-facing service of four years towards a Business-to-Business future. What we know on the ground right now is that CEO Andrew Scott has departed the company; the existing staff remain in place and Rummble, while maintaining its web site and smartphone apps, is set to move forward towards a B2B strategy which is not white-label, but based on leveraging its core technology. Over the past week TechCrunch Europe has been delving into the story of why Rummble ended up in this situation, and where it goes from here. I have been covering Rummble for over 5 years. I had them pitch at startups events even before I joined TechCrunch and I've written about 45 posts mentioning them in the last three years. So I guess I feel I know the company quite well. So - to be blunt - what the hell happened?
Huh? Two 25-Year-Old Americans Launch A Groupon Clone…In France?
Jan 21, 6:13PM
I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking: Huh? Wtf ? Why would any Americans in their right mind want to leave the happiest business place on earth to launch anything in France?! Maybe the wine? Ok, maybe you're not thinking that. But it doesn't change the fact that 25-year-old American entrepreneurs Anton Bernstein and Joshua David hopped the Atlantic to launch Groupon clone Lookingo in France. 
Google: Spam Really Has Increased Lately. We're Fixing That, And Content Farms Are Next
Jan 21, 5:32PM
Over the last month, you may have seen some of the reports that Google's search results are overloaded with spam. This isn't a new phenomenon (for years now I've been tearing my hair out whenever I try to find a manufacturer instruction manual online), but people are noticing that it's getting worse. Fortunately, Google seems to be listening. Today Matt Cutts, who heads Google's search quality team, has written a blog post stating that there has indeed been a "slight uptick of spam in recent months", and he details what Google is doing to fix it. 
PeopleRank: Quora Is Developing An Algorithm To Determine And Rank User Quality
Jan 21, 5:01PM
It's no secret that Q&A site Quora is exploding in terms of usage and growth. Currently the site is getting around 164,000 unique visitors per month (December 2010 stats from comScore), and we've heard from a source that the service is doubling users every four months. The drawback to that kind of growth is that content could suffer in return (i.e. the Yahoo Answers issue). While Quora co-founder Charlie Cheever has alluded to some of the ways that the company is planning to mitigate this issue, he recently went into more detail about these initiatives in a new Quora post titled 'Scaling Up.' Cheever writes that the startup is working on several new projects to support to new users, moderate massive influxes of content and to help the site scale. One of the most interesting projects he mentioned was that the company is currently developing an algorithm to determine user quality, which will be a huge addition in terms of technology. Here's what Cheever wrote:
Ask a VC: The George Zachary Edition
Jan 21, 4:46PM
With the Crunchies later tonight, TechCrunchHQ is a bit of a mad house today. Paul Carr and I are MC'ing, so we've got interns sorting M&Ms by color, per our rider, while we try to figure out the line between "Oh that's a funny joke" and "you're fired." Laura is polishing Monkey statues. Heather is counting and recounting and counting votes again. There are so many flowers and gift baskets from hopeful nominees, we can barely walk through the office. And at noon today the TechCrunchTV studio will be ripped asunder so the cameras can go to the Palace of the Fine Arts for comprehensive Crunchies coverage. That gives us just enough time to do this week's episode of Ask a VC, starring George Zachary of CRV. Zachary's investments include Twitter, Yammer and Crunchies nominee Millenial Media. Zachary is deeply connecting in the industry and can regale you with stories about working with everyone from the iconic Jim Clark to Elon Musk to Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey. He also spent some time in Hollywood producing movies with other ex-PayPalers, so questions about the Hollywood-Silicon Valley cold war are fair game too. We film in just two hours so get your questions in NOW to askavc(at)techcrunch(dot)com
Move Over, Rover: Next Giant Leap Gets $1 Million Grant To Build Hopping Moon Landers
Jan 21, 3:55PM
Next Giant Leap in Boulder, Colorado— a startup that's making robots that will land and hop around on the surfaces of other planets in order to gather data, detect resources valuable to humans, and more — attained a $1 million grant from the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, to advance their technology and pursue the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize in 2012, the companies revealed today. Draper is a non-profit in Cambridge, Massachusetts that develops advanced technology, and assists and invests in others' innovation for space, air, land and sea exploration. One of Next Giant Leap's team members, Seamus Tuohy (also Draper's director of space systems) explained what NGL is working on and its potential uses...
Great News: Missing Cybersecurity Expert Dancho Danchev Is No Longer Missing
Jan 21, 2:41PM
A week ago, ZDNet ran a troubling story about that fact that one of its contributing bloggers, Bulgaria-native malware researcher Dancho Danchev, had gone missing since August 2010. His last blog post on ZDNet appeared on August 18, 2010, and his personal blog had last been updated three weeks later. ZDNet stated that it had tried to contact them repeatedly, to no avail, and got in touch with Bulgarian CERT authorities to prompt an investigation into his sudden disappearance. Well, good news: Danchev appears to be back online, safe and sound, judging from his Twitter account.
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