Welcome again to Week in Evaluation! We’ve received tons of stories for you this week, together with a hack at Coinbase; YC thinks Google is a ‘monopolist’; layoffs at Microsoft; and far more. Have an important weekend!
Uh-oh: Coinbase says that clients’ private data, together with government-issued IDs, was stolen in an information breach. The hackers demanded $20 million from the corporate, CEO Brian Armstrong stated in a put up 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 data, like what number of shares insiders plan to promote as a part of the IPO. However we did be taught one tidbit: Chime entered a cope with the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, which gained it the Chime emblem on the crew’s jersey, amongst different advertising and marketing advantages.
Knock on wooden: This story has been popping off all week — InventWood created wooden referred to as “Superwood” that’s as robust as metal. 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 publication to your inbox each Saturday? Enroll right here.
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An enormous bowl of Granola: VCs and founders love speaking up the apps they’re utilizing. The newest case: Granola, an AI note-taking app that’s just lately seen a lift in utilization, despite the fact that 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 companies like YC from funding and accelerating modern startups that might in any other case have challenged Google’s dominance,” YC wrote in an amicus temporary it submitted within the U.S.’ antitrust case towards the search large. However YC isn’t calling for an entire breakup of Google.
Like to see it: Apple introduced a bunch of accessibility options, together with Accessibility Vitamin Labels that can 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 shedding 3% of its workforce, or round 6,500 individuals, affecting all ranges, areas, and groups. This follows a stable quarter for Microsoft, with $70.1 billion in income (up 13%) and web revenue earnings of $25.8 billion (up 28%). In Washington, round 40% of the two,000 individuals laid off had been 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 assist Android Auto. Drivers (and passengers) will have the ability to 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 identify to HBO Now, which later grew to become HBO Max, earlier than selecting Max, introduced this week that it’s as soon as once more altering its identify again to HBO Max.
Simply name it a bus: Uber is introducing Route Share, a commuter shuttle service that can choose up passengers at pre-set stops in 20-minute intervals. “You’ll be able to see a pure extension of us having the ability to convey Route Share to autonomous autos as nicely,” Sachin Kansal, Uber’s chief product officer, instructed us.
Wait, what? The New York Occasions spoke with two traders who stated they had been pitched a brand new startup that goals to ship “human well being optimization” utilizing 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 corporate is taking it a step additional, introducing Uber One Member Days, per week of reductions designed to spice up its subscription program and develop its position past transportation.
