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Founders Fund, a Peter Thiel-founded firm, is set to close its third growth fund at the end of March, raising $3 billion.
Apple and Google update their maps to reflect US President Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. Let’s dive deeper…
In today's ContentBuffer update:
Founders Fund raises 3 billion for growth investments
Apple Maps renames Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America, following Google's lead
ChatGPT's energy appetite: 0.3 watt-hours per query
Amazon redirects shoppers to competitors' sites
Delete Instagram account in 2 easy steps
Google I/O 2025 set for May 20-21, Sundar Pichai to keynote
5 new AI tools & 5 new AI jobs
More tech news
Latest Development
Vc Funding
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Founders Fund's new growth fund will invest in successful late-stage portfolio companies; fund expected to be significantly oversubscribed
Key Points:
The firm will not raise a ninth core fund for early-stage companies due to the 2022 $3.4 billion fund being fully invested.
Founders Fund has an enviable portfolio of growth companies including Anduril, SpaceX, Stripe, OpenAI, and Figma.
The new growth fund is expected to be significantly oversubscribed, with investors eager to invest in the firm's successful late-stage portfolio companies.
Why it matters: Founders Fund's growth fund is significant because it allows investors to capitalize on the firm's success in late-stage investments
Geographic Technology
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Apple Maps will soon rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, following Google's similar changes. The change is in compliance with US President Donald Trump's executive order. Users may see the 'Gulf of America' as early as Tuesday.
Key Points:
Apple and Google have updated their maps to reflect US President Donald Trump's executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
The change was made to comply with the executive order, which officially changed the name of the body of water.
Users may see the 'Gulf of America' as early as Tuesday, and the company will soon roll out the name to users in other countries.
Why it matters: This change reflects the political impact on geographic naming conventions and highlights the influence of executive orders on global technology platforms.
Artificial Intelligence
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Epoch AI analysis reveals ChatGPT's energy consumption is lower than expected, using around 0.3 watt-hours to answer a single question. Reasoning models require more computing power and thus energy, which will lead to increased data center usage. Users can reduce their energy footprint by using smaller AI models like GPT-4o-mini and sparingly processing or generating data.
Key Points:
Epoch AI analysis reveals ChatGPT's energy consumption is lower than expected
Reasoning models require more computing power and thus energy
Users can reduce their energy footprint by using smaller AI models
Why it matters: The study highlights the importance of accurately estimating AI's energy consumption to mitigate its environmental impact.
Online Shopping
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Amazon tests new feature that redirects customers to other brands' websites if the product is out of stock. The feature is currently available for select customers on iOS and Android versions of its mobile app.
Key Points:
The feature will show select products in search results even if Amazon doesn't sell them, linking to the retailer's website so customers can click through and evaluate the product.
Amazon will not share users' personal information with the brand when they click links.
Some brands may offer Buy with Prime, a checkout service that lets Prime members transact on a retailer's website using their Amazon account and payment information.
Why it matters: The new feature aims to improve customer satisfaction by providing more options and choices for shoppers. It also helps Amazon stay competitive in the e-commerce market.
Social Media
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Delete Instagram account, delete associated Threads account, and learn how to permanently remove your profile in just a few easy steps.
Key Points:
Go directly to the Accounts Center and click on Deactivation or deletion.
Click on the account you want to delete and then select Delete account.
Confirm that you want to delete your account by clicking Continue.
Why it matters: Deleting an Instagram account can be a necessary step for various reasons, including privacy concerns or account inactivity. Knowing how to do it correctly is important to prevent any potential issues or data loss.
Technology
Image source: TechCrunch
Summary: Google I/O 2025 confirmed for May 20-21, Sundar Pichai to keynote. The event will feature a mix of public- and developer-facing content, including AI features.
Key Points:
The two-day event is set to take place at the usual spot, Mountain View's Shoreline Amphitheater, a few minutes — depending on traffic — from Google HQ.
Last year's show was overloaded with news focused on Gemini, Google's generative AI platform, and there's no reason to expect this year to be any different.
The I/O 2025 site is already up and running with some developer content from previous years.
Why it matters: Google I/O 2025 matters because it provides insights into the company's latest innovations and developments in AI, which continues to heat up with competitors like OpenAI and DeepSeek.
New Tools & Job
Untitled 📝 - A no-description available platform for content creation.
Wroolo 💼 - A project management system with kanban boards and discussion channels.
SWMS AI 🚧 - Create and manage safe work method statements with AI assistance.
Chatfolio 💬 - A chatbot for portfolio websites that answers questions about experience.
Chatwebby 🤖 - Build AI chatbots with your content for customer support and lead generation.
Wisnam - Cloud Software Engineer
Dotsfty - Machine Learning Operations Engineer (MLOps)
Scalable Path - Machine Learning Engineer for Agentic AI
EveryoneSocial - Senior Backend Engineer (profitable startup, veteran team, market leader)
SKYCATCHFIRE - Senior Django Developer
QUICK HITS
📰 Microsoft adds 389 MW of solar power to meet AI demands, expands renewable energy portfolio.
📅 Google has removed various cultural and national observances from its default calendar, citing scalability concerns.
🚀 The US Army plans to grant Anduril control of the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) project, pending DoD approval.
🐘 Tumblr will federate with the open social web via ActivityPub, allowing users to connect with other platforms like Mastodon.
💸 TechCrunch's fintech roundup: Bench files for bankruptcy, Stripe closes on Bridge acquisition, and Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley invests in Ramp.
THAT’S A WRAP
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