Welcome again to Week in Evaluation! We’ve bought tons of reports for you this week, together with a hack at Coinbase; YC thinks Google is a ‘monopolist’; layoffs at Microsoft; and far more. Have an ideal weekend!
Uh-oh: Coinbase says that clients’ private info, together with government-issued IDs, was stolen in a data breach. The hackers demanded $20 million from the corporate, CEO Brian Armstrong said in a post on X. Coinbase stated it won’t pay the hackers’ ransom.
IPO time, child: After submitting confidentially in December, Chime filed for an IPO this week. There are a ton of blanks within the S-1, so we didn’t get a lot info, like what number of shares insiders plan to promote as a part of the IPO. But we did learn one tidbit: Chime entered a take care of the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, which gained it the Chime brand on the workforce’s jersey, amongst different advertising and marketing advantages.
Knock on wooden: This story has been popping off all week — InventWood created wooden known as “Superwood” that’s as strong as steel. Finally, InventWood is planning to make use of wooden chips to create structural beams of any dimension that received’t want ending.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up here.
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A giant bowl of Granola: VCs and founders love speaking up the apps they’re utilizing. The latest case: Granola, an AI note-taking app that’s lately seen a lift in utilization, despite the fact that it launched a yr in the past. And when there’s utilization, cash follows. The corporate introduced it has raised $43 million in a Sequence B funding spherical at a valuation of $250 million.
Alternative phrases: “Google has chilled impartial companies like YC from funding and accelerating progressive startups that would in any other case have challenged Google’s dominance,” YC wrote in an amicus brief it submitted within the U.S.’ antitrust case in opposition to the search large. However YC isn’t calling for an entire breakup of Google.
Like to see it: Apple announced a bunch of accessibility features, together with Accessibility Vitamin Labels that may inform customers of accessibility options inside apps and video games within the App Retailer; a brand new magnifier for Macs; a brand new Braille expertise; and extra.
Layoffs at Microsoft: The corporate is reportedly laying off 3% of its workforce, or round 6,500 individuals, affecting all ranges, places, and groups. This follows a stable quarter for Microsoft, with $70.1 billion in income (up 13%) and web earnings earnings of $25.8 billion (up 28%). In Washington, round 40% of the two,000 individuals laid off were engineers.
Gemini in your automotive: On the Android Present — Google’s Android-only occasion per week forward of Google I/O — the corporate introduced that it’s bringing Gemini to automobiles that help Android Auto. Drivers (and passengers) will be capable of ship texts, play music, and all the opposite issues a wise assistant does, however utilizing pure language.
LOL: What as soon as was known as HBO Go earlier than it modified its title to HBO Now, which later grew to become HBO Max, earlier than deciding on Max, introduced this week that it’s once again changing its name back to HBO Max.
Simply name it a bus: Uber is introducing Route Share, a commuter shuttle service that may decide up passengers at pre-set stops in 20-minute intervals. “You may see a pure extension of us having the ability to convey Route Share to autonomous autos as properly,” Sachin Kansal, Uber’s chief product officer, advised us.
Wait, what? The New York Instances spoke with two traders who stated they have been pitched a brand new startup that goals to ship “human well being optimization” using blood testing. Sound acquainted? However wait until you hear who pitched the startup: Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ accomplice, Billy Evans. Perhaps it’ll work out higher this time?
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And talking of Uber: In 2022, senior reporter Rebecca Bellan wrote an article titled “The Amazonification of Uber” about how the corporate was changing into extra of a closed loop to maintain clients engaged. Now the company is taking it a step further, introducing Uber One Member Days, per week of reductions designed to spice up its subscription program and develop its function past transportation.
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