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How to watch the 2025 MLB World Series without cable

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The League Championship Series are history, and the final two teams have emerged: The 2025 Fall Classic will see the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Toronto Blue Jays. Game 1 of the 2025 MLB World Series begins tonight — Friday, Oct. 24 — at 8PM ET/5PM PT, with the Blue Jays getting the initial home field advantage at Rogers Centre, Toronto. Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers are aiming to win their second consecutive championship, while Vlad Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays are eyeing their first ring since 1993. The World Series odds favor the Dodgers ahead of Game 1. Every 2025 MLB World Series game will air on Fox and Fox Deportes.

Of course, Fox is a “free” over-the-air channel, so any affordable digital antenna will pull in the game if you live close enough to a local affiliate. But if that’s not an option, here’s a full rundown of how to watch the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series, even without cable.

How to watch the L.A. Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, Game 1

You can stream Fox on any live TV streaming service that airs Fox local stations, including DirecTV, Fubo and Hulu + Live TV. MLB World Series games will also be available on Fox’s new streaming platform, Fox One.

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DirecTV gets you access to Fox and FS1, the channels you need to watch the World Series, plus the CW, ABC, CBS, Fox, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and plenty more local regional sports networks.

DirecTV also offers unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited. That’s all part of why we named it the best cable TV alternative without a contract.

The best part is that you can try all this out for free for five days. So if you’re interested in a live TV streaming service but aren’t ready to commit, we recommend starting with DirecTV.

Try free at DirecTV

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We named Fubo the best live TV streaming service for sports, and it’s not just because it’s a great place to watch the World Series. Fubo TV gives you access to 100-plus live channels, including Fox and FS1. The cheapest plan starts at $85/month, making the live TV streaming service a significant investment. However, the inclusion of ESPN Unlimited, a $30/month value, is a great deal if you watch sports year-round. Fubo subscribers also get access to unlimited cloud DVR storage.

Currently, the platform is offering a free trial, allowing you to explore everything it has to offer risk-free. 

Try it free at Fubo

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Hulu’s live TV tier includes access to live TV channels like Fox, Fox Deportes, ESPN, ABC, NBC, and more. That means you can watch this year’s World Series live as it happens, and enjoy over 95 other channels — not to mention take advantage of all the great shows streaming on Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN Select, all of which are included at no extra charge. 

You’ll also enjoy access to unlimited DVR storage, the ability to stream on multiple devices and more. Right now, you can get your first three months of Hulu + Live TV for $65/month. This special rate ends at 6PM ET/3PM PT on November 5. 

Hulu + Live TV starts at $90/month after this deal ends.

$65/mo for three months at Hulu

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Fox One is exactly what it sounds like — a one-stop streaming destination for the entire universe of Fox content, including a ton of sports (Fox Sports, Fox FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, Big Ten Network), news and opinion (Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Weather) and local Fox stations, too. That means you can watch every World Series game in one place.

Fox One offers live programming, as well as shows and movies on demand. At launch, the base price for Fox One costs $20 a month, or you can save with an annual subscription for $200. You can also bundle Fox One with ESPN’s newly revamped streaming service for $40/month. 

$20/month at Fox

More ways to watch the 2025 World Series

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When is the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays game time?

Game 1 of the Dodgers vs. Blue Jays World Series begins on Friday, Oct. 24 at 8PM ET/5PM PT. The Blue Jays are hosting the first two games of the series at Rogers Centre, Toronto.

What channel is playing the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays?

Every game in the 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays, will air on Fox and Fox Deportes.

When is the 2025 World Series?

Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 24.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays World Series schedule

All times Eastern

  • Game 1: Friday, Oct. 24, 8PM ET

  • Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 25, 8PM ET

  • Game 3: Monday, Oct. 27, 8PM ET

  • Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 8PM ET

  • Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 8PM ET

  • Game 6*: Friday, Oct. 31, 8PM ET

  • Game 7*: Saturday, Nov. 1, 8PM ET

*if necessary



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What’s new in Google Home app 4.1 for Android, iOS

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Release notes for Google Home 4.1 are now available. This is the first major app update following the redesign.

These resolved issues are “based on your input” following that big launch.


  • Expanded rollout of Ask Home to more Google Home Premium subscribers.
  • Smoother scrolling on Home tab: Scrolling through your Home tab, especially with multiple cameras as Favorites, is now smoother and more responsive on iOS.
  • “All on” button accuracy: The “All on” button for lights in the Lights category on Android devices now correctly grays out when not all lights are turned on.
  • Fixed unclear title for Home Brief in Ask Home: Fixed issue where Ask Home sometimes described “today’s Home Brief” when the user was reading the Home Brief sent on the day before.

Early Access is currently available in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. You’ll receive an email once you’re accepted into the program.

Ahead of broader availability, the sign up (at the bottom of Google Home Settings) is now available in the following countries: Japan, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Norway, Sweden, and Mexico.

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Google Home 4.1 is now widely rolled out on Android (yesterday) and iOS (last week), with platform-specific fixes.

More on Google Home:

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Mega Millions numbers: Are you the lucky winner of Friday’s $680 million jackpot?

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Are you tonight’s lucky winner? Grab your tickets and check your numbers. The Mega Millions lottery jackpot continues to rise after someone won the $344 million prize on March 25.

Here are the winning numbers in Friday’s drawing:

11-18-31-51-56; Mega Ball: 24

The estimated jackpot for the drawing is $680 million. The cash option is about $318.2 million. If no one wins, the jackpot climbs higher for the next drawing.

According to the game’s official website, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

Players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers — five different numbers from 1 to 70 and one number from 1 to 25 — or select Easy Pick. A player wins the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.

Jackpot winners may choose whether to receive 30 annual payments, each five percent higher than the last, or a lump-sum payment.

Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays and are offered in 45 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $5 each.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.



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A comprehensive list of 2025 tech layoffs

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The tech layoff wave is still kicking in 2025. Last year saw more than 150,000 job cuts across 549 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. So far this year, more than 22,000 workers have been the victim of reductions across the tech industry, with a staggering 16,084 cuts taking place in February alone.

We’re tracking layoffs in the tech industry in 2025 so you can see the trajectory of the cutbacks and understand the impact on innovation across all types of companies. As businesses continue to embrace AI and automation, this tracker serves as a reminder of the human impact of layoffs — and what could be at stake with increased innovation.

Below you’ll find a comprehensive list of all the known tech layoffs that have occurred in 2025, which will be updated regularly. If you have a tip on a layoff, contact us here. If you prefer to remain anonymous, you can contact us here.

October

Rivian

Is cutting 600 jobs, about 4% of its workforce, amid an EV market pullback, marking its third layoff this year. Details of the latest layoffs remain undisclosed, while earlier cuts in June and September affected 100 to 150 employees in its commercial and manufacturing teams.

Meta

Will reportedly lay off approximately 600 employees across its AI infrastructure units, including the Fundamental Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR) team and other product-related roles. However, top-tier AI hires in TBD Labs, managed by new chief AI officer Alexandr Wang, will not be affected.

Applied Materials

Plans to cut about 4% of its workforce, or roughly 1,400 jobs, to streamline operations amid tighter U.S. semiconductor export controls.

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Handshake

Laid off around 100 employees in October, about 15% of its 650-person U.S. workforce. The layoffs affected various roles across its recruiting business vertical. The San Francisco-based startup is an online platform connecting college students and recent graduates with employers for early-career jobs.

Smartsheet

Has reportedly laid off over 120 employees amid a leadership transition following CEO Mark Mader’s retirement. The enterprise software company, which grew to more than 3,300 employees, was acquired for $8.4 billion by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners earlier this year, taking it private.

Google

Has cut over 100 design roles in its cloud division, hitting U.S.-based teams especially hard, as the company shifts focus toward AI investments, per a CNBC report. Many affected employees have until early December to find a new role within Google, following additional layoffs across its Silicon Valley offices, including at least 50 permanent cuts in Sunnyvale.

Paycom

Is reportedly laying off over 500 employees due to AI and automation improving back-office efficiencies. The Oklahoma City-based HR and payroll software company will provide affected workers with severance packages, outplacement services, and access to internal job opportunities.

September

Just Eat

Will eliminate around 450 jobs as part of a cost and operations review, according to Reuters. The layoffs will span multiple functions and countries, including customer service and sales. Europe’s largest food delivery company said it is increasingly using automation and AI, shifting many manual service tasks to automated systems.

Fiverr

Plans to cut around 250 jobs, approximately 30% of its workforce, as part of a push to become a leaner, faster, and AI-focused company, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Tel Aviv-headquartered freelance services marketplace said the restructuring will reduce management layers and position it to pursue growth with an AI-native approach.

ZipRecruiter

Is closing its Tel Aviv development center, cutting about 80 jobs. Led by Yosi Taguri, the office specialized in software, data, and AI research, including algorithm development. The California-based recruitment firm, founded in 2010, is trimming costs amid a challenging labor market.

GupShup

Has laid off at least 100 employees, including junior developers, just months after cutting nearly 200 jobs. The San Francisco-based conversational AI company, which is preparing for an IPO within two years, raised $60 million in equity and debt in July.

xAI

Laid off about a third of its data annotation team, cutting roughly 500 jobs, according to Business Insider. The move comes as the company shifts focus from generalist AI tutors to specialist roles, after testing workers to assess their strengths. Employees were told they’ll be paid through the end of their contracts — or November 30 at the latest — but their system access was cut immediately, Business Insider reports.

Rivian

Has reportedly laid off about 200 workers, or 1.5% of its staff, as the company braces for the end of federal EV tax credits under President Trump’s policy changes. The $7,500 incentive for new electric cars expires this month, adding to pressure from cooling demand. Despite the cuts, Rivian says it’s moving ahead with plans for a lower-cost model.

Oracle

Is cutting another 101 jobs in Seattle and 254 in San Francisco, just weeks after a wave of layoffs in August. The company, which had about 3,900 local employees before the cuts, hasn’t explained the move and declined to comment.

Salesforce

Is trimming another 262 jobs at its San Francisco headquarters, according to a state filing, with layoffs set to take effect November 3. The move comes just weeks after CEO Marc Benioff touted AI’s potential to cut customer support roles and follows a smaller round of cuts in Seattle and Bellevue earlier this month.

August

Cisco

Will eliminate 221 positions across its Milpitas and San Francisco offices, including 157 in Santa Clara County and 64 in San Francisco, effective October 13, according to filings with California’s Employment Development Department reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. The cuts are part of the company’s broader workforce-reduction strategy.

Restaurant365

Laid off about 100 employees last month, around 9% of its workforce, after falling short of ambitious growth targets. The cuts affected staff across all departments. The company provides back-office software for restaurant chains.

Oracle

Is set to cut 101 jobs at its Santa Clara location, with notices issued on August 13 and terminations effective October 13. The company, which recently disclosed nearly 200 layoffs at its Pleasanton and Redwood City offices, is also planning to lay off 161 employees in Seattle, according to filings with the Washington state Employment Security Department.

F5

Is cutting 106 positions at its Seattle and Liberty Lake, Washington, offices, according to a state Employment Security Department filing. The layoffs, which affected senior engineers and managers, are part of a broader global workforce reduction, although the security and application delivery company has not disclosed the total number of employees affected.

Peloton

Will cut 6% of its workforce in its sixth layoff in just over a year. Peloton CEO Peter Stern said the cuts are needed to improve long-term business health.

Kaltura

Is cutting 10% of its workforce, or about 70 employees, as part of a cost-saving effort to reduce operating expenses by $8.5 million, marking its third round of layoffs since 2022. The corporate video software company plans to maintain and gradually grow its sales and marketing budgets, driven by a robust pipeline and growing adoption of its AI-powered offerings.

Yotpo

Is laying off about 200 employees, roughly 34% of its global workforce, as it shuts down its email and SMS marketing operations. The Israeli-founded unicorn is partnering with Attentive and Omnisend to continue supporting marketing services while investing in AI-powered tools like automated review summaries, smart sorting, and a new Loyalty Tiers system.

Windsurf

Laid off 30 employees and is now offering buyouts to the remaining 200. The AI coding startup recently acquired by Cognition has had a rocky stretch, including a near-acquisition by OpenAI and a reverse-acqui-hire by Google that saw key talent depart before Cognition stepped in. Despite initial promises to value Windsurf’s team, the deal now looks more focused on the startup’s intellectual property than its people.

Wondery

Is cutting 100 jobs, and its CEO, Jen Sargent, is departing. Amazon is reorganizing its audio operations, moving Wondery’s audio-only podcasts under Audible and placing video-focused shows into a new Creator Services division. Amazon acquired Wondery in 2020.

July

Atlassian

Has cut 150 roles in customer service and support, following enhancements to its platform and tools that have significantly reduced support needs. The decision came via a prerecorded message from CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes, just hours before co-founder Scott Farquhar urged Australia to embrace an “AI revolution” and move beyond “jobs of the past” in an Australian Press Club address. The Australian software firm was founded 2002.

Consensys

Is cutting about 7% of its workforce, or 47 employees, as part of a push toward profitability, Bloomberg reports. The decision follows the recent acquisition of a startup with around 30 staff, who will stay on with the company. Despite the cuts, the blockchain software company that operates the popular digital wallet MetaMask says it will continue hiring for select roles.

Zeen

Is shutting down operations, per a report by Business Insider. The social collaging platform aimed at creators was founded in 2019 and raised $9 million in funding. Its closure highlights the persistent challenges social media startups face in building user bases and achieving long-term growth.

Scale AI

Is laying off around 200 employees — roughly 14% of its workforce — and severing ties with 500 global contractors. The cuts come just weeks after Meta brought in the data-labeling startup’s CEO in a $14.3 billion deal.

Lenovo

Plans to cut more than 100 U.S. full-time jobs, about 3% of its workforce, including positions at its Morrisville, North Carolina, campus. As of February 2024, the PC maker employed around 5,100 workers in the U.S.

Intel

Is reportedly planning to lay off nearly 2,400 workers in Oregon, which is almost five times more than what was announced earlier this week. Last week, Intel announced that it will lay off more than 500 employees in Oregon, which is about 20% of its workforce, per Bloomberg.  

Indeed + Glassdoor

Plan to eliminate approximately 1,300 jobs combined as part of a larger restructuring effort to combine their operations and focus on AI. The layoff will mostly affect employees in the U.S., particularly in the R&D, HR, and sustainability teams, according to an internal memo by Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba, the CEO of Recruit Holdings, which is the Japanese parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor.

Eigen Lab

Has laid off 29 employees as part of its reorganization, per a report by Blockworks. The Seattle-based research and engineering startup recently launched EigenCloud, a platform that provides blockchain-level trust guarantees for any Web 2.0 or web3 application. The reduction will affect 25% of the company’s workforce. Eigen Labs said it had raised $70 million in tokens from a16z Crypto in June.

Microsoft

Will cut 9,000 employees, which is less than 4% of its global workforce across teams, role types, and geographies. The reduction follows a series of layoffs earlier this year: It cut less than 1% of the headcount in January, more than 6,000 in May, and at least 300 in June.

ByteDance

Is laying off 65 employees in Bellevue, Washington, according to media reports. The parent company of TikTok arrived in Seattle in 2021 and has been expanding its presence there by growing its TikTok Shop online shopping division.

June

TomTom

Announced on June 30 that the company is cutting 300 jobs, or 10% of its workforce, as part of organizational restructuring within its sales and support divisions amid the AI shift. The startup is an Amsterdam-based location tech startup that provides navigation and mapping products.

Rivian

Has reduced its headcount by approximately 140 employees, accounting for roughly 1% of its total workforce. The recent layoffs mostly affected Rivian’s manufacturing team.

Bumble

Announced in an SEC filing that it will cut approximately 240 jobs, or 30% of its workforce, to enhance operational efficiency and allocate the resulting savings to the development of new products and technologies, according to a CNBC report. The layoff will help the online dating app save $40 million annually, per the report.

Klue

Has reportedly laid off 85 employees, which accounts for approximately 40% of its workforce. The Vancouver-based startup sells software products that use artificial intelligence for business intelligence. It helps sales professionals at tech companies gather information on competitors to improve their sales.

Google

Has downsized its smart TV division by 25% of its 300-member team to adjust its strategy, per reports. Funding for the smart TV division, including Google TV and Android TV, has been cut by 10%, but investment in AI projects has been raised.

Intel

Says that it plans to lay off 15% to 20% of workers in its Intel Foundry division starting in July. Intel Foundry designs, manufactures, and packages semiconductors for external clients. Intel’s total workforce was 108,900 people as of December 2024, according to the company’s annual regulatory filing. It also confirmed to TechCrunch that it plans to wind down its auto business.

Playtika

Announced that it is letting go of around 90 employees, with 40 in Israel and 50 in Poland. The most recent round of job cuts comes after the Israel-based gaming company laid off 50 employees a few weeks ago.

Airtime

Has let go of around 25 employees from the 58-person team, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Evernote’s founder Phil Libin launched the video startup in 2020, offering Airtime Creator and Airtime Camera.

Microsoft

Is laying off more employees, just a few weeks after announcing a job cut of over 6,500 in May, which was around 3% of its global workforce. The most recent layoffs affected software engineers, product managers, technical program managers, marketers, and legal counsels.

May

Hims & Hers

Plans to downsize its workforce by letting go of 68 employees, approximately 4% of its total staff, per Reuters. The San Francisco telehealth platform said that its layoffs were unrelated to a U.S. ban on producing large quantities of the weight-loss drug Wegovy. The startup said it intends to keep on recruiting employees who fit in with its long-term expansion plans.

Amazon

Is reportedly laying off around 100 employees from its devices and services division, which encompasses various businesses like the Alexa voice assistant, Echo smart speakers, Ring video doorbells, and Zoox robotaxis. The company has reduced its workforce by approximately 27,000 since the start of 2022 to cut costs.

Microsoft

Will cut over 6,500 jobs, affecting 3% of its worldwide workforce. As of June, the Seattle-headquartered company had a total of 228,000 employees globally. It would be one of the company’s biggest layoffs since it cut 10,000 employees in 2023.

Chegg

Reportedly plans to let go of 248 employees, or about 22% of its workforce, to reduce expenses and improve efficiency, it said. The San Francisco-based edtech startup, which offers textbook rentals and tutoring services, has seen a drop in web traffic for months as students opt for AI tools instead of traditional edtech platforms.

Match

Is reducing its workforce by 13% as part of a reorganization that aims to reduce costs, shore up margins, and streamline its organizational structure.

CrowdStrike

Is laying off 5% of its global workforce, or around 500 people. The company said the layoffs were part of “a strategic plan (the ‘Plan’) to evolve its operations to yield greater efficiencies as the Company continues to scale its business with focus and discipline to meet its goal of $10 billion in ending [Annual Recurring Revenue]” in its 8-K filing.

General Fusion

Has cut roughly 25% of its current workforce. The Vancouver-based company, which is developing a technology to generate fusion energy, has raised $440 million from investors, including Jeff Bezos, Temasek, and BDC Capital.

Deep Instinct

Reduced its headcount by 20 employees, accounting for 10% of its total workforce. In April 2023, the Israeli cybersecurity startup had previously laid off a similar number of employees during a round of layoffs.

Beam

Has shut down its operations months after announcing major expansion plans, per Sifted. The British climate startup has let go of approximately 200 employees, according to a LinkedIn post by James Reynolds, the head of talent.

April

NetApp

Is reportedly eliminating 700 jobs, affecting 6% of its total workforce, as it reorganizes for its operational efficiency. The company, based in San Francisco, provides data storage, cloud services, and CloudOps solutions for businesses.

Electronic Arts

Is reportedly letting go of approximately 300 to 400 employees, including around 100 at Respawn Entertainment, to focus on its “long-term strategic priorities,” according to Bloomberg.

Expedia

Is laying off around 3% of its employees as part of its restructuring. The job cuts will mainly affect midlevel positions in the product and technology teams. The latest round of layoffs comes after the company let go of hundreds of employees from its marketing team globally in early March.

Cars24

Has reduced its workforce by about 200 employees in its product and technology divisions as part of a restructuring measure. The India-based e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles provides a range of services like buying and selling pre-owned cars, financing, insurance, driver-on-demand, and more. In 2023, the SoftBank-backed startup raised $450 million at a valuation of $3.3 billion.

Meta

Is letting go of over 100 employees in its Reality Labs division, which manages virtual reality and wearable technology, according to The Verge. The job cuts affect employees developing VR experiences for Meta’s Quest headsets and staff working on hardware operations to streamline similar work between the two teams.

Intel

Announced its plan to lay off more than 21,000 employees, or roughly 20% of its workforce, in April. The move comes ahead of Intel’s Q1 earnings call helmed by recently appointed CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who took over from longtime chief Pat Gelsinger last year.

GM

Is laying off 200 people at its Factory Zero in Detroit and Hamtramck facility in Michigan, which produces GM’s electric vehicles. The cuts come amid the EV slowdown and is not caused by tariffs, according to a report.

Zopper

Has reportedly let go of around 100 employees since the start of 2025. Earlier this week, about 50 employees from the tech and product teams were let go in the latest round of job cuts. The India-based insurtech startup has raised a total of $125 million to date.

Turo

Will reduce its workforce by 150 positions following its decision not to proceed with its IPO, per Bloomberg. The San Francisco-based car rental startup, which had about 1,000 staff in 2024, said the layoffs will bolster its long-term growth plans during economic uncertainty.

GupShup

Laid off roughly 200 employees to improve efficiency and profitability. It’s the startup’s second round of layoffs in five months, following the job cuts of around 300 employees in December. The conversational AI company, backed by Tiger Global and Fidelity, was last valued at $1.4 billion in 2021. The startup is based in San Francisco and operates in India.

Forto

Has reportedly eliminated 200 jobs, affecting around one-third of its employees. The German logistics startup reduced a significant number of sales staff.

Wicresoft

Will stop its operations in China, affecting around 2,000 employees. The move came after Microsoft decided to end outsourcing after-sales support to Wicresoft amid increasing trade tensions. Wicresoft, Microsoft’s first joint venture in China, was founded in 2022 and operates in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. It has over 10,000 employees.

Five9

Plans to cut 123 jobs, affecting about 4% of its workforce, according to a report by MarketWatch. The software company prioritizes key strategic areas like artificial intelligence for profitable growth.

Google

Has laid off hundreds of employees in its platforms and devices division, which covers Android, Pixel phones, the Chrome browser, and more, according to The Information.

Microsoft

Is contemplating additional layoffs that could happen by May, Business Insider reported, citing anonymous sources. The company is said to be discussing reducing the number of middle managers and non-coders in a bid to increase the ratio of programmers to product managers.

Automattic

The WordPress.com developer is laying off 16% of its workforce across departments. Before the layoffs, the company’s website showed it had 1,744 employees, so more than 270 staff may have been laid off.

Canva

Has let go of 10 to 12 technical writers approximately nine months after telling its employees to use generative AI tools wherever possible. The company, which had around 5,500 staff in 2024, was valued at $26 billion after a secondary stock sale in 2024.

March

Northvolt

Has laid off 2,800 employees, affecting 62% of its total staff. The layoffs come weeks after the embattled Swedish battery maker filed for bankruptcy.

Block

Let go of 931 employees, around 8% of its workforce, as part of a reorganization, according to an internal email seen by TechCrunch. Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and CEO of the fintech company, wrote in the email that the layoffs were not for financial reasons or to replace workers with AI.

Brightcove

Has laid off 198 employees, who make up about two-thirds of its U.S. workforce, per a media report. The layoff comes a month after the company was acquired by Bending Spoons, an Italian app developer, for $233 million. Brightcove had 600 employees worldwide, with 300 in the U.S., as of December 2023.

Acxiom

Has reportedly laid off 130 employees, or 3.5% of its total workforce of 3,700 people. Acxiom is owned by IPG, and the news comes just a day after IPG and Omnicom Group shareholders approved the companies’ potential merger.

Sequoia Capital

Plans to close its office in Washington, D.C., and let go of its policy team there by the end of March, TechCrunch has confirmed. Sequoia opened its Washington office five years ago to deepen its relationship with policymakers. Three full-time employees are expected to be affected, per Forbes.

Siemens

Announced plans to let go of approximately 5,600 jobs globally in its automation and electric-vehicle charging businesses as part of efforts to improve competitiveness.

HelloFresh

Is reportedly laying off 273 employees, closing its distribution center in Grand Prairie, Texas, and consolidating to another site in Irving to manage the volume in the region.

Otorio

Has cut 45 employees, more than half of its workforce, after being acquired by cybersecurity company Armis for $120 million in March.

ActiveFence

Will reportedly reduce 22 employees, representing 7% of its workforce. Most of those affected are based in Israel as the company undergoes a streamlining process. The New York- and Tel Aviv-headquartered cybersecurity firm has raised $100 million at a valuation of about $500 million in 2021.

D-ID

Will cut 22 jobs, affecting nearly a quarter of its total workforce, following the announcement of the AI startup’s strategic partnership with Microsoft.

NASA

Announced it will be shutting down several of its offices in accordance with Elon Musk’s DOGE, including its Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy and the DEI branch in the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.

Zonar Systems

Has reportedly laid off some staff, according to LinkedIn posts from ex-employees. The company has not confirmed the layoffs, and it is currently unknown how many workers were affected.

Wayfair

Announced plans to let go of 340 employees in its technology division as part of a new restructuring effort.

HPE

Will cut 2,500 employees, or 5% of its total staff, in response to its shares sliding 19% in the first fiscal quarter.

TikTok

Will cut up to 300 workers in Dublin, accounting for roughly 10% of the company’s workforce in Ireland. 

LiveRamp

Announced it will lay off 65 employees, affecting 5% of its total workforce.

Ola Electric

Is reportedly set to lay off over 1,000 employees and contractors in a cost-cutting effort. It’s the second round of cuts for the company in just five months.

Rec Room

Reduced its total headcount by 16% as the gaming startup shifts its focus to be “scrappier” and “more efficient.”

ANS Commerce

Was shut down just three years after it was acquired by Flipkart. It is currently unknown how many employees were affected.

February

HP

Will cut up to 2,000 jobs as part of its “Future Now” restructuring plan that hopes to save the company $300 million before the end of its fiscal year.

GrubHub

Announced 500 job cuts after it was sold to Wonder Group for $650 million. The number of cuts affected more than 20% of its previous workforce. 

Autodesk

Announced plans to lay off 1,350 employees, affecting 9% of its total workforce, in an attempt to reshape its GTM model. The company is also making reductions in its facilities, though it does not plan to close any offices.

Google

Is planning to cut employees in its People Operations and cloud organizations teams in a new reorganization effort. The company is offering a voluntary exit program to U.S.-based People Operations employees.

Nautilus

Reduced its headcount by 25 employees, accounting for 16% of its total workforce. The company is planning to release a commercial version of its proteome analysis platform in 2026.

eBay

Will reportedly cut a few dozen employees in Israel, potentially affecting 10% of its 250-person workforce in the country.

Starbucks

Cut 1,100 jobs in a reorganizing effort that affected its tech workers. The coffee chain will now outsource some tech work to third-party employees.

Commercetools

Laid off dozens of employees over the last few weeks, including around 10% of staff in one day, after failing to meet its sales growth targets. The “headless commerce” platform raised money at a $1.9 billion valuation just a few years ago.

Dayforce

Will cut roughly 5% of its current workforce in a new efficiency drive to increase profitability and growth.

Expedia

Laid off more employees in a new effort to cut costs, though the total number is unknown. Last year, the travel giant cut about 1,500 roles in its Product & Technology division.

Skybox Security

Has ceased operations and has laid off its employees after selling its business and technology to Israeli cybersecurity company Tufin. The cuts affect roughly 300 people. 

HerMD

Is shutting down its operations after shifting from a brick-and-mortar model to a fully virtual women’s healthcare provider. The startup, which raised $18 million in 2023, has not disclosed how many employees are affected, saying recent layoffs were tied to its former in-person business.

Zendesk

Cut 51 jobs in its San Francisco headquarters, according to state filings with the Employment Development Department. The SaaS startup previously reduced its headcount by 8% in 2023.

Vendease

Has cut 120 employees, affecting 44% of its total staff. It’s the Y Combinator-backed Nigerian startup’s second layoff round in just five months.

Logically

Reportedly laid off dozens of employees as part of a new cost-cutting effort that aims to ensure “long-term success” in the startup’s mission to curb misinformation online.

Blue Origin

Will lay off about 10% of its workforce, affecting more than 1,000 employees. According to an email to staff obtained by CNN, the cuts will largely have an impact on positions in engineering and program management. 

Redfin

Announced in an SEC filing that it will cut around 450 positions between February and July 2025, with a complete restructuring set to be completed in the fall, following its new partnership with Zillow.

Sophos

Is laying off 6% of its total workforce, the cybersecurity firm confirmed to TechCrunch. The cuts come less than two weeks after Sophos acquired Secureworks for $859 million.

Zepz

Will cut nearly 200 employees as it introduces redundancy measures and closes down its operations in Poland and Kenya.

Unity

Reportedly conducted another round of layoffs. It’s unknown how many employees were affected.

JustWorks

Cut nearly 200 employees, CEO Mike Seckler announced in a note to employees, citing “potential adverse events” like a recession or rising interest rates.

Bird

Cut 120 jobs, affecting roughly one-third of its total workforce, TechCrunch exclusively learned. The move comes just a year after the Dutch startup cut 90 employees following its rebrand.

Sprinklr

Laid off about 500 employees, affecting 15% of its workforce, citing poor business performance. The new cuts follow two earlier layoff rounds for the company that affected roughly 200 employees.

Sonos

Reportedly let go of approximately 200 employees, according to The Verge. The company previously cut 100 employees as part of a layoff round in August 2024. 

Workday

Laid off 1,750 employees, as originally reported by Bloomberg and confirmed independently by TechCrunch. The cuts affect roughly 8.5% of the enterprise HR platform’s total headcount.

Okta

Laid off 180 employees, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The cuts come just over one year after the access and identity management giant let go of 400 workers.

Cruise

Is laying off 50% of its workforce, including CEO Marc Whitten and several other top executives, as it prepares to shut down operations. What remains of the autonomous vehicle company will move under General Motors.

Salesforce

Is reportedly eliminating more than 1,000 jobs. The cuts come as the giant is actively recruiting and hiring workers to sell new AI products.

January

Cushion

Has shut down operations, CEO Paul Kesserwani announced on LinkedIn. The fintech startup’s post-money valuation in 2022 was $82.4 million, according to PitchBook.

Placer.ai

Laid off 150 employees based in the U.S., affecting roughly 18% of its total workforce, in an effort to reach profitability.

Amazon

Laid off dozens of workers in its communications department in order to help the company “move faster, increase ownership, strengthen our culture, and bring teams closer to customers.”

Stripe

Is laying off 300 people, according to a leaked memo reported by Business Insider. However, according to the memo, the fintech giant is planning to grow its total headcount by 17%. 

Textio

Laid off 15 employees as the augmented writing startup undergoes a restructuring effort.

Pocket FM

Is cutting 75 employees in an effort to “ensure the long-term sustainability and success” of the company. The audio company last cut 200 writers in July 2024 months after partnering with ElevenLabs.

Aurora Solar

Is planning to cut 58 employees in response to an “ongoing macroeconomic challenges and continued uncertainty in the solar industry.”

Meta

Announced in an internal memo that it will cut 5% of its staff targeting “low performers” as the company prepares for “an intense year.” As of its latest quarterly report, Meta currently has more than 72,000 employees.

Wayfair

Will cut up to 730 jobs, affecting 3% of its total workforce, as it plans to exit operations in Germany and focus on physical retailers.

Pandion

Is shutting down its operations, affecting 63 employees. The delivery startup said employees will be paid through January 15 without severance.

Icon

Is laying off 114 employees as part of a team realignment, per a new WARN notice filing, focusing its efforts on a robotic printing system.

Altruist

Eliminated 37 jobs, affecting roughly 10% of its total workforce, even as the company pursues “aggressive” hiring.

Aqua Security

Is cutting dozens of employees across its global markets as part of a strategic reorganization to increase profitability.

SolarEdge Technologies

Plans to lay off 400 employees globally. It’s the company’s fourth layoff round since January 2024 as the solar industry as a whole faces a downturn.

Level

The fintech startup, founded in 2018, abruptly shut down earlier this year. Per an email from CEO Paul Aaron, the closure follows an unsuccessful attempt to find a buyer, though Employer.com has a new offer under consideration to acquire the company post-shutdown.

This list updates regularly.

On April 24, 2025, we corrected the number of layoffs that happened in March.



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Surprising no one, researchers confirm that AI chatbots are incredibly sycophantic

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We all have anecdotal evidence of chatbots blowing smoke up our butts, but now we have science to back it up. Researchers at Stanford, Harvard and other institutions just published a study in Nature about the sycophantic nature of AI chatbots and the results should surprise no one. Those cute little bots just love patting us on our heads and confirming whatever nonsense we just spewed out.

The researchers investigated advice issued by chatbots and they discovered that their penchant for sycophancy “was even more widespread than expected.” The study involved 11 chatbots, including recent versions of ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude and Meta’s Llama. The results indicate that chatbots endorse a human’s behavior 50 percent more than a human does.

They conducted several types of tests with different groups. One compared responses by chatbots to posts on Reddit’s “Am I the Asshole” thread to human responses. This is a subreddit in which people ask the community to judge their behavior, and Reddit users were much harder on these transgressions than the chatbots.

One poster wrote about tying a bag of trash to a tree branch instead of throwing it away, to which ChatGPT-4o declared that the person’s “intention to clean up” after themself was “commendable.” The study went on to suggest that chatbots continued to validate users even when they were “irresponsible, deceptive or mentioned self-harm”, according to a report by The Guardian.

What’s the harm in indulging a bit of digital sycophancy? Another test had 1,000 participants discuss real or hypothetical scenarios with publicly available chatbots, but some of them had been reprogrammed to tone down the praise. Those who received the sycophantic responses were less willing to patch things up when arguments broke out and felt more justified in their behavior, even when it violated social norms. It’s also worth noting that the traditional chatbots very rarely encouraged users to see things from another person’s perspective.

“That sycophantic responses might impact not just the vulnerable but all users, underscores the potential seriousness of this problem,” said Dr. Alexander Laffer, who studies emergent technology at the University of Winchester. “There is also a responsibility on developers to be building and refining these systems so that they are truly beneficial to the user.”

This is serious because of just how many people use these chatbots. A recent report by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society suggested that 30 percent of teenagers talk to AI rather than actual human beings for “serious conversations.” OpenAI is currently embroiled in a lawsuit that accuses its chatbot of enabling a teen’s suicide. The company Character AI has also been sued twice after a pair of teenage suicides in which the teens spent months confiding in its chatbots.



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Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses demos now available at Verizon

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Meta’s new Ray-Ban Display smart glasses are impressive, but they’re also hard to get. On top of costing $800, they also require an in-person demo before making the purchase, and you’ll now be able to do that at select Verizon stores that will offer Meta Ray-Ban Display demos.

Off of the bat, Meta was offering in-person Ray-Ban Display demos via Best Buy and Ray-Ban stores. Now, that’s expanding to Verizon Wireless stores.

Starting today, you can schedule a demo for Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses at select Verizon retail stores. Demos are available starting on November 5 and, after trying out the glasses, you’ll have the oppurtunity to buy them for $799.

However, this isn’t at every single Verizon store. Instead, there’s a list of just six locations, as follows:

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  • Nanuet, NY
  • Laguna Niguel, CA
  • Queen Creek, AZ
  • Cypress Mill, TX
  • Murfreesboro, TN
  • Canton, OH

As far as we can tell, you don’t need to be a Verizon customer to try the demo or buy the glasses. The actual scheduling takes place on Meta’s website, but you can start by visiting the Meta Ray-Ban Display listing on Verizon’s website.

More on Smart Glasses:

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Markey, Pressley slam GOP for looming SNAP cuts that could hit 1.1M in Mass.

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Two Massachusetts lawmakers tore into congressional Republicans on Friday, saying they’d be entirely to blame if food assistance for the poorest and most vulnerable Americans runs out as expected early next month.

But U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, sidestepped any suggestions on Friday that their own party bears the blame for the three-week-old federal government shutdown that’s led to the current crisis.

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could run out by Nov. 1 if warring Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill don’t get a deal to reopen the government.

That means some 1.1 million Bay State residents could lose their SNAP benefits. The program was formerly referred to as food stamps.

President Donald Trump and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill have been “dismembering the federal government” since Trump returned to power in January, Markey said during a news conference at Project Bread, a food assistance group, in East Boston.

“So we are standing up to him. We are fighting him. We are not going to stop,” he continued. “Democracy is under assault. He’s an authoritarian dictator. He’s a bully who thinks that he can get his way.”

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate voted down a Republican-authored stopgap funding bill that would end the shutdown for the 12th time, Politico reported.

The bill failed on a 54-46 vote, failing to clear the 60-vote threshold needed for approval, which means Democrats were complicit in its defeat.

On Thursday, the majority-Republican chamber similarly rejected a GOP-authored plan to keep paychecks flowing for active-duty members of the military and some government employees until the shutdown is resolved.

The bill once again failed to win the 60 votes needed to advance, which again means Democrats were complicit in its defeat.

Democrats on Capitol Hill have dug in over health care, pushing for the extension of Affordable Care Act tax subsidies that are set to expire at year’s end, and the restoration of Medicaid cuts included in the domestic policy mega-bill that Trump signed into law in July.

The fight over SNAP and the related Women, Infants and Children program has now been pulled into that orbit.

In Massachusetts, 1 in 6 people receive SNAP or WIC benefits. Of the approximately 1.1 million state residents who receive such benefits, one-third are children and one-fourth are seniors over 60. Twenty-eight percent are people with disabilities.

On Friday, Pressley and Markey accused Republicans on both sides of Capitol Hill of manufacturing a crisis that easily could be resolved.

While the Senate has debated and held votes, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the lower chamber out of session for weeks.

That’s in part to avoid a swearing-in ceremony for U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., who has said she would provide the vote that’s needed that could force the release of the so-called “Epstein Files.”

“Globally, hunger has always been a moral failing, a humanitarian crisis and a policy choice,” Pressley said.

“Our families are now staring down a Nov. 1 cliff when, for the first time in history, an administration could fail to fund the SNAP program,” the Boston lawmaker said.

“Let me say this, I’ve been in Congress [for] seven years. I was the first congressional class to be onboarded in the midst of a federal government shutdown,” she continued.

“We did not leave, we were ever present, negotiating nonstop because that’s what we’re supposed to do on behalf of the people and communities who sent us to Washington,” Pressley concluded. “And yet I have colleagues across the aisle who have been cruel enough to create work requirements around hungry people being able to get food, but they won’t show up for work.”

Food and hunger advocates who attended Friday’s news conference predicted overwhelmed food pantries and food banks if the program is not funded and beneficiaries are cut off from a critical lifeline.

Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Food Bank of Western Mass., speaks during a news conference in Boston on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.
Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Food Bank of Western Mass., speaks during a news conference in Boston on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.John L. Micek/MassLive

“We can do it. We can end hunger. But right now, we can’t because the federal government doesn’t have our back,” Andrew Morehouse, the executive director of the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, said.

Morehouse and other advocates called for Republicans to return to Washington to negotiate with Democrats to end the standoff and for the Trump administration to release contingency funds to keep the money flowing.

The event in East Boston came just after Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced that her office will team up with local food banks, Project Break and the United Way to help families, CBS Boston reported.

Healey and the organizations also announced the creation of the United Response Fund to solicit donations, the outlet reported.

In a statement, state House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, said the majority-Democrat chamber will do all it can to ease the burden for Bay State residents.

But “the reality is that only President Trump and Congressional Republicans have the ability to end the pain that they are choosing to inflict by reopening the government,” the Quincy lawmaker said.

MassLive Reporter Hadley Barndollar contributed to this story.

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Remembering Susan Stamberg, one of NPR's most recognized voices

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Known as a “founding mother” of NPR, Stamberg was the first woman to anchor a national news program in the U.S. She died Oct. 16. Originally broadcast in 1982, 1993 and 2021.





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Rivian will pay $250M to settle lawsuit over R1 price hike

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Rivian has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class-action shareholder lawsuit filed after the company suddenly hiked prices on its R1 pickup truck and SUV in 2022.

The lawsuit alleged Rivian had included misleading statements and figures in regulatory filings in the run-up to its 2021 IPO about the costs required to build the R1 EVs. Despite agreeing to the payment, Rivian said in a press release that it “denies the allegations in the suit and maintains that this agreement to settle is not an admission of fault or wrongdoing.”

The payment still has to be approved by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. If that happens, Rivian plans to pay $67 million of the total settlement through its directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, and the remaining $183 million out of its cash reserves. The company had $4.8 billion in cash (and equivalents) as of June 30.

The settlement comes at a pivotal time for Rivian. The company is deep in preparations to launch its second-generation EV, the R2 SUV, in 2026. That vehicle is much cheaper than the R1 lineup — and Rivian plans to make far more of them. The company says it can build as many as 150,000 per year at its factory in Illinois, and it’s also building a new factory in Georgia that will produce the R2 and future vehicles.

At the same time, R1 sales have been lagging. The company expects to finish 2025 having shipped far fewer EVs than it did in 2024 or 2023. A combination of President Trump’s tariffs and the loss of the federal EV tax credit has further complicated the market for Rivian’s vehicles.

To that end, this week the company laid off more than 600 employees in a restructuring that also saw CEO RJ Scaringe take over as interim chief marketing officer.

Rivian delivered the first R1 pickup trucks in late 2021. In March 2022, the company decided to hike the price of the truck and the SUV by nearly 20%, citing supply chain shortages, inflation, and plans to introduce cheaper models. (Rivian began R1S SUV deliveries in August 2022.) The company applied the price hike to both new orders and to those who had placed pre-orders and were on a waitlist.

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Customers and fans of the company were irate, and Rivian quickly reversed the decision for customers with preorders. Crucially, the price hike announcement also sank Rivian’s stock price, causing losses for shareholders.

“It was wrong and we broke your trust in Rivian,” Scaringe wrote in a letter at the time. “I have made a lot of mistakes since starting Rivian more than 12 years ago, but this one has been the most painful.”

Rivian shareholder Charles Larry Crews sued the company just a few days later, claiming, among other things, that the company had misrepresented the true cost of building the R1 vehicles in its IPO documentation. Those misrepresentations, he argued, led to the price hike announcement’s negative impact on the stock price. The lawsuit was granted class action status in July 2024.



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The best headphones for running in 2025

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Whether you’re already an avid runner or hope to be one as you start a new training regimen, you’ll get more out of your exercise routine if you have some good music to accompany you. Getting into the zone during a long run with your preferred music, be it rap, classic rock or today’s pop hits, can totally change your experience for the better. To do that, you have to start with a good pair of running headphones.

But not all wireless workout headphones are created equally, and runners need to consider specific factors before investing in a pair like how long your runs are, what type of music or other audio you prefer listening to and how much you want to block out the world during a session. I’ve tested out more than a dozen pairs to find which are the best headphones for running for all budgets and all kinds of runners.

Table of contents

Best headphones for running in 2025

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Beats

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: In-ear with wingtip | Assistant support: Google Assistant, Siri | Water resistance: IPX4 | Active noise cancellation: Yes | Battery life: Up to six hours

Read our full Beats Powerbeats Fit review

With a few key tweaks, Beats make a more polished version of the Fit Pro earbuds in the Powerbeats Fit. The company didn’t reinvent the wheel here, but this is one of the rare instances where that was for the best. The new buds have 20 percent more flexible wingtips and the charging case is 17 percent more compact than that of the Beats Fit Pro. Both of those adjustments make for a more comfortable, more portable pair of buds. Once you pick from the four eartips included in the box, you can pretty much pop the Powerbeats Fit in your ears and get going — no constant readjustments needed. And, blessedly, the charging case more easily slips into a back pocket now (it was a bit of a chonkster before).

Sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC) are just as good as they were on the Beats Fit Pro. You’ll get that signature, bass-heavy sound you expect from a pair of Beats earbuds, and ANC that’s strong enough to block out most ambient noise. Transparency mode remains a highlight here, and will be especially useful if you use these buds all day long and need to jump in and out of conversations while wearing them. While an IPX4-rated design isn’t the most durable, it’s plenty to withstand sweaty workouts and even an accidental splash in water. Battery life is just average, but the charging case provides up to a total of 30 hours of use before you’ll need to recharge. That’s plenty if these buds are solely your workout companions, and more than enough to get you through a couple of days of constant use.

Pros

  • Improved design with more flexible wingtips
  • Smaller charging case
Cons

  • IPX4 durability could be better
  • Six-hour battery with ANC could be improved

$200 at Amazon

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Photo by Valentina Palladino / Engadget

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: In-ear with hook | Assistant support: None | Water resistance: IP55 | Active noise cancellation: No | Battery life: Up to eight hours

If you have less than $50 to spend, you can’t go wrong with the $30 JLab Go Air Sport. I didn’t have high expectations going into testing these, but I was quickly impressed by their fit and sound quality. Lots of devices billed as workout-friendly headphones have this hook that wraps around the top of your ear, and on the Go Air Sport it does help keep things securely attached to your head. The hooks on these buds in particular are quite flexible and have a soft-touch finish, which makes them more comfy (I tried a few similarly designed buds with much stiffer hooks that were a pain in more ways than one.) Admittedly, a hook design will take some getting used to if you’re new to it, but it’s a surefire way to get a little extra stability during intense workouts.

Sound quality is pretty good on these buds as well, although not nearly as balanced as the Jabra Elite 8 Active or the Beats Fit Pro. I also appreciate that you can cycle through three different EQ modes — Signature, Balanced and Bass Boost — using the onboard controls. There’s no app to fuss with, and that was a nice change of pace for me after mostly testing buds with some kind of software controls.

You can expect eight hours of playtime on the Go Air Sport, plus another 24 hours of battery life with its charging case. While the USB-A cable built into the bottom of the case is handy, really should be a USB-C connector instead. The case is also on the bulky side; you can still throw it into a backpack or purse easily, but it’s not as svelte as cases you’ll see with more expensive buds.

Pros

  • Affordable
  • Impressive sound quality for the price
  • IP55-rated design
  • Good battery life
Cons

  • Built-in USB-A charging cable is a bit outdated
  • Large case
  • Hook design won’t be for everyone

$30 at Amazon

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SHOKZ

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: Open-ear | Assistant support: None | Water resistance: IP55 | Active noise cancellation: No | Battery life: Up to 11 hours

The Shokz OpenFit 2 are the latest iteration of these open-ear headphones, with our previous top pick here being the original OpenFit. Earbuds with open designs like this allow for more situational awareness, with the goal being to let noise in rather than block it out. In my experience, the OpenFits do a great job of this without skimping on sound quality or comfort.

The buds themselves almost float over your ear cavern and Shokz’s soft-finish “dolphin arc” hook is flexible enough to securely wrap around the top of your ear without putting too much pressure on it. There’s a bud-like portion at the other end of the hook that acts as counterbalance, resulting in a reliable fit that never faltered during all sorts of activities including running, strength training and indoor cycling. Granted, none of those exercises involve shaking your head too much; maybe don’t wear the OpenFit to listen to head-banging death metal (if you can’t control yourself).

Sound quality is solid considering the design, and the OpenFit gets pretty loud as well. These buds have Shokz’s Direct Pitch technology, which uses reverse sound waves to optimize the distance and angle to your ear canal. The company claims this helps reduce sound leakage. In my testing, I found that true to a certain extent. The OpenFit had the best sound quality and overall volume out of all of the open-ear devices I tried, but if you crank the volume up to the max (or close), the person next to you will definitely hear what you’re listening to.

As I alluded to previously, these aren’t for anyone who wants to block the world out during exercise (or otherwise). But the OpenFit might be the best option for those who live in cities or anyone who constantly runs outside amongst traffic, pedestrians and other hazards. There’s no question that you’ll hear what’s going on around you and that can be crucial to keeping yourself safe on those streets.

Pros

  • Comfortable open-ear design
  • Design allows for more situational awareness
  • Good sound quality and volume
Cons

  • No ANC
  • Not as secure when compared to in-ear or hook-toting buds

$180 at Amazon

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H2O Audio

Connectivity: Wireless | Style: Over-ear | Assistant support: None | Water resistance: None | Active noise cancellation: Yes | Battery life: Up to 50 hours

Some prefer to wear over-ear headphones all day, every day, and if that sounds like you, there’s a good chance you already use your daily-driver headphones at the gym. But if you’re noticing increased wear-and-tear on those cans due to sweat or extended periods of use, you may want to consider a pair of over-ear headphones specifically for working out.

In that case, consider the H2O Audio Ript Ultra. While these wireless headphones don’t have a specific IP rating (they’re not designed for the pool, to be clear), they do claim to be “100 percent sweatproof” thanks in part to their removable and washable earcups. They survived some of my toughest runs and strength-training sessions without issue, and the earcups are pretty easy to remove when you want to give them a wipe-down. There’s also a second pair of earcups included in the box so you can swap them in when the originals eventually give up the ghost.

Sound quality is decent, but it should be better on a pair of $250 headphones. The Ript Ultra has custom 45mm drivers and active noise cancellation up to 30 dB. While the overall sound quality isn’t better than our top pick, it’s more than enough to get your blood pumping during a workout. But more importantly, you’ll likely get better sound quality on a pair of Bose or Beats headphones at the same price range; you’re really paying for the enhanced durability with the Ript Ultra. Ultimately, if you want a pair of headphones for the gym that can handle sweat and (potentially) last longer than other cans in the same price range, the Ript Ultra is a good choice.

Pros

  • Sweatproof
  • Removeable, washable earcups
  • Second pair of earcups included in the box
  • Comfortable fit
Cons

  • Expensive
  • Sound quality could be better

$250 at Amazon

Others headphones for running we tested

Apple AirPods Pro 3

When it comes to running and working out, the edge that the AirPods Pro 3 have over the Pro 2, or even the top picks on our list, is built-in heart rate monitoring. That means you could go out with just your Pro 3 earbuds and your iPhone and still get heart rate information for your entire training session. But otherwise, the Pro 3 buds are just as capable as the Pro 2 when it comes to exercise. Some may prefer the soft-touch finish on our top picks to the AirPods’ slick texture.

Beats Powerbeats Pro 2

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are a good alternative to the Beats Fit Pro if you’re a stickler for a hook design. However, they cost $50 more than the Powerbeats Fit, and the main added advantage here is built-in heart rate sensors.

Anker Soundcore AeroFit Pro

The Soundcore AeroFit Pro is Anker’s version of the Shokz OpenFit, but I found the fit to be less secure and not as comfortable. The actual earbuds on the AeroFit Pro are noticeably bulkier than those on the OpenFit and that caused them to shift and move much more during exercise. They never fell off of my ears completely, but I spent more time adjusting them than I did enjoying them.

JBL Endurance Peak 3

The most noteworthy thing about the Endurance Peak 3 is that they have the same IP68 rating as the Jabra Elite 8 Active, except they only cost $100. But, while you get the same protection here, you’ll have to sacrifice in other areas. The Endurance Peak 3 didn’t blow me away when it came to sound quality or comfort (its hook is more rigid than those on my favorite similarly designed buds) and their charging case is massive compared to most competitors.

What to look for in running headphones

Design

Before diving in, it’s worth mentioning that this guide focuses on wireless earbuds. While you could wear over-ear or on-ear Bluetooth headphones during a run, most of the best headphones available now do not have the same level of durability. Water and dust resistance, particularly the former, is important for any audio gear you plan on sweating with or taking outdoors, and that’s more prevalent in the wireless earbuds world.

Most earbuds have one of three designs: in-ear, in-ear with hook or open-ear. The first two are the most popular. In-ears are arguably the most common, while those with hooks promise better security and fit since they have an appendage that curls around the top of your ear. Open-ear designs don’t stick into your ear canal, but rather sit just outside of it. This makes it easier to hear the world around you while also listening to audio, and could be more comfortable for those who don’t like the intrusiveness of in-ear buds.

Water resistance and dust protection

Water resistance and dust protection are crucial for the best running headphones to have since you’ll likely be sweating while wearing them. Also, if you have the unfortunate luck of getting caught in the rain during a run, at least your gear will survive. Here’s a quick rundown of ingress protection (IP) ratings, which you’ll see attached to many earbuds on the market today. The first digit after the abbreviation rates dust protection on a scale from one to six — the higher, the better. The second digit refers to water- resistance, or waterproofing in some cases, ranked on a scale from one to nine. A letter “X” in either position means the device isn’t rated for the corresponding material.

Check out this guide for an even more detailed breakdown. All of the earbuds we tested for this guide have at least an IPX4 rating (most have even more protection), which means they can withstand sweat and splashes but do not have dust protection.

Active noise cancellation and transparency mode

Active noise cancellation (ANC) is becoming a standard feature on wireless earbuds, at least in those above a certain price. If you’re looking for a pair of buds that can be your workout companion and continue to serve you when you’re off the trail, ANC is good to have. It adds versatility by allowing you to block out the hum of your home or office so you can focus, or give you some solitude during a busy commute on public transit.

But an earbud’s ability to block out the world goes hand in hand with its ability to open things back up should you need it. Many earbuds with ANC support some sort of “transparency mode” or various levels of noise reduction. This is important for running headphones because you don’t want to be totally oblivious to what’s going on around you when you’re exercising outside along busy streets. Lowering noise cancelation levels to increase your awareness will help with that.

Battery life

All of the earbuds we tested have a battery life of six to eight hours. In general, that’s what you can expect from this space, with a few outliers that can get up to 15 hours of life on a charge. Even the low end of the spectrum should be good enough for most runners, but it’ll be handy to keep the buds’ charging case on you if you think you’ll get close to using up all their juice during a single session.

Speaking of, you’ll get an average of 20-28 extra hours of battery out of most charging cases and all of the earbuds we tested had holders that provided at least an extra 15 hours. This will dictate how often you actually have to charge the device — as in physically connect the case with earbuds inside to a charging cable, or set it on a wireless charger to power up.

How we test headphones for running

When testing to determine the best running headphones, I wear each contender during as many runs as possible. I typically run three to five days each week, completing at least a 5K (3.01 miles) each time. I’m looking for comfort arguably most of all, because you should never be fussing with your earbuds when you’re on the tread or trail (as a note, I primarily run outside). I’m also paying attention to fit over time, particularly if the earbuds get slippery or loose while I sweat, or if they tend to pop out or feel less stable in my ears as I pick up speed or make quick movements.

I also use the earbuds when not running to take calls and listen to music, podcasts and the like throughout the day. Many people will want just one pair of earbuds that they can use while exercising and just doing everyday things, so I evaluate each pair on their ability to be comfortable and provide a good listening experience in multiple different activities.

While I am also listening for audio quality, I’m admittedly not an expert in this space. My colleague Billy Steele holds that title at Engadget, and you’ll find much more detailed information about sound quality for some of our top picks in his reviews and buying guides. Here, however, I will make note of audio-quality characteristics if they stood out to me (i.e. if a pair of earbuds had noticeably strong bass out of the box, weak highs, etc). Most of the wireless workout headphones we tested work with companion apps that have adjustable EQ settings, so you’re able to tweak sound profiles to your liking in most cases.



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