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Hi there, pals. In search of a recap of this week’s information? You’re in the best place. It’s Week in Review (WiR), the (kind of) common publication that recaps the highest tales from the previous few days written by the proficient TC workforce. (Woot, alliteration.) There’s no faster option to atone for the stuff that issues. After all, we’re just a little biased.
Earlier than we get on with the good things, a reminder that TechCrunch Early Stage 2023 is almost upon us — happening April 20 in Boston. I’ll chorus from rehashing my pitch in previous columns too a lot, however belief me once I say you’ll wish to be there. Not solely will you be handled to a wholesome chunk of the TC editorial crew out and about — a rarity! — however you’ll even have entry to professional panels masking the numerous facets of startup constructing.
Elsewhere in occasions land, don’t neglect that Disrupt, TechCrunch’s annual flagship convention, kicks off September 19. We’re significantly excited in regards to the AI Stage, which is new this yr. Tickets can be found here.
With that out of the best way, on to the information:
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Private no more: This week, quite a few Twitter customers reported a bug wherein Circle tweets — that are supposed to achieve a choose group, like an Instagram Close Friends story — have been surfacing on the algorithmically generated For You timeline. That meant that some individuals’s supposedly personal posts have been breaching containment to achieve an unintended viewers, which rapidly sparked some uncomfortable conditions, Amanda studies.
They made me do it: In a current interview with BBC reporter James Clayton on Twitter Areas, Twitter CEO Elon Musk admitted what many had suspected: He purchased Twitter as a result of he thought he’d be compelled to. To recap, Twitter took Musk to trial final yr to drive him to honor his signed obligation to accumulate the corporate for the agreed-upon worth of $44 billion, or $54.20 per share. After some authorized back-and-forth, Musk — staring down the barrel of a prolonged court docket battle — agreed to purchase the corporate on the worth he initially set.
Twitter become X: In much more Twitter information (it’s rather a lot, I do know), Twitter, Inc., is now known as X Corp., in line with a court filing in California. Amanda writes that Elon Musk, who purchased Twitter for $44 billion final yr, has aspired to construct what he calls “X, the everything app.” This proposed app might look like China’s WeChat, which helps messaging, funds, ride-sharing, meals supply and different providers multi functional place.
Hijacked reviews: The U.S. Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) approved a closing consent order in its first-ever enforcement motion over a case involving “evaluation hijacking,” or when a marketer steals shopper critiques of one other product to spice up the gross sales of its personal. Sarah writes that, on this case, the FTC ordered dietary supplements retailer The Bountiful Firm, the maker of Nature’s Bounty nutritional vitamins and different manufacturers, to pay $600,000 for deceiving and deceptive prospects on Amazon.
If it’s free, it’s for me: Google TV, Google’s good TV working system that powers Chromecast gadgets and numerous TVs, this week bought a big replace aimed toward increasing entry to free, streaming content material. Google TV now integrates entry to free streaming channels like Tubi, Plex and Haystack Information immediately in its redesigned Reside tab, alongside the prevailing lineup of channels from free streamer Pluto TV.
New phone, who dis?: In an effort to increase its attain, Stockholm-based Truecaller is introducing an replace that’ll present reside caller ID assist on iOS, obtainable to individuals utilizing its paid tiers. Jagmeet writes that the brand new characteristic comes as Truecaller continues to see numerous development, but in addition some knocks in its strongest markets, akin to India.
Clay is the new plastic: Disposable plastic and paper cups are an environmental mess. GaeaStar, a startup primarily based in Berlin and San Francisco, thinks it might do higher with simply clay, water, salt and sand, Harri studies. To make the disposable containers, the startup says that it developed a particular 3D-printer that churns them out in “30 seconds or much less” — fairly the declare.
New Android on the block: Google’s Android improvement cycle runs on a somewhat predictable cadence as of late. To wit, this week, after two developer previews, the corporate launched the primary of 4 deliberate public beta releases of Android 14, Frederic studies. As with earlier variations, the primary beta can also be the primary launch that anybody can set up over the air, assuming they’ve a supported Pixel system, going again to the Pixel 4a 5G (however not the Pixel 4).
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TechCrunch’s roster of podcasts hasn’t gotten any much less spectacular, in case you haven’t given any of it a hear. Over on Equity, the crew dove into offers of the week, regulation and on-the-ground dynamics at play within the AI house and the chance that funds could afford enterprise companies. And on this week’s Found, Lauren Markler got here talked about how her firm, Cofertility, goals to rebrand egg donation by making the method much less transactional — and way more reasonably priced.
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TC+ subscribers get entry to in-depth commentary, evaluation and surveys — which you realize for those who’re already a subscriber. For those who’re not, consider signing up. Listed here are a couple of highlights from this week:
SaaS metrics that attract investors: Oleksandr Yaroshenko, the top of technique and investments at Headway, writes about what engagement metrics achieve probably the most vital curiosity from traders, together with engagement over lengthy durations on the finish of a subscription and the frequency of interactions with core app options.
What tailpipe regs mean for investors: The Environmental Safety Company is proposing new rules that might take impact in 2027 and pave the best way for a brand new automobile market dominated by EVs. Tim writes about how funding alternatives abound as the foundations push EVs to the forefront.
Robot revolution: Brian spoke with over a dozen VCs in regards to the state of robotics investing in 2023. As he notes, regardless of the current downtrend, robotics stays vibrant and thrilling, and it unquestionably has a vivid way forward for exponential development forward.
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