Welcome again to Week in Evaluation! We’ve bought tons of stories for you this week, together with a hack at Coinbase; YC thinks Google is a ‘monopolist’; layoffs at Microsoft; and way more. Have an ideal weekend!
Uh-oh: Coinbase says that prospects’ 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 is not going to 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 staff’s jersey, amongst different advertising advantages.
Knock on wooden: This story has been popping off all week — InventWood created wooden referred to as “Superwood” that’s as strong as steel. In the end, InventWood is planning to make use of wooden chips to create structural beams of any dimension that gained’t want ending.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s largest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up here.
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An enormous 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 just lately seen a lift in utilization, though it launched a 12 months 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 unbiased corporations like YC from funding and accelerating progressive startups that might in any other case have challenged Google’s dominance,” YC wrote in an amicus brief it submitted within the U.S.’ antitrust case towards the search big. 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 Diet 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, areas, and groups. This follows a strong quarter for Microsoft, with $70.1 billion in income (up 13%) and internet revenue income 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 vehicles that help Android Auto. Drivers (and passengers) will be capable of ship texts, play music, and all the opposite issues a sensible assistant does, however utilizing pure language.
LOL: What as soon as was referred to as HBO Go earlier than it modified its title to HBO Now, which later turned 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 with the ability to convey Route Share to autonomous automobiles as nicely,” Sachin Kansal, Uber’s chief product officer, advised us.
Wait, what? The New York Instances spoke with two buyers who stated they had 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’ associate, 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 turning into extra of a closed loop to maintain prospects 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 increase its function past transportation.
