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The site’s most read story this week, again, unfortunately, about layoffs – this time at Microsoft. While the company plans to increase its headcount in the coming months, it is currently cutting “less than 1%” of its 180,000-strong workforce as it focuses on “reorganizing business groups and roles”. “Less than 1%” doesn’t sound like a big deal, but 1% out of 180,000 is still nearly 2,000 jobs…
different things
Lofi Girl taken down: YouTube still didn’t figure out its problems with a false DMCA takedown request. This week’s YouTube music stream is super fun Lofi Girl was subjected to a false DMCA claim. Student/programmer/anyone’s favorite channel looking for some soothing rhythms to focus on, so the complaints are huge and everywhere. YouTube acknowledged and reversed the problem, but not before the channel’s two-year streaming streak broke.
TikTok is eating… what?: After years of unbelievable growth, you can expect that TikTok has attracted a lot of user activity from competing social networks – Facebook, Snapchats, etc. But can you bet it is having an impact? moving… say, Google Maps? A Google Senior Vice President says that’s the case.
Airlift stopped working: Airlift, one of the top startups in Pakistan, abruptly closed this week. Employees were told on Tuesday that the on-demand delivery service would cease operations the next day after a major fundraising round was broken.
DoorDash wants bigger orders: Do you use DoorDash’s “DashPass” service a lot? Bad news. The “minimum subtotal” on your orders — essentially, the amount you have to put in before DashPass actually does anything — is likely to increase in the coming weeks. The company says the new minimum was previously set at $12 for food or $35 for grocery orders, and the company says the new minimum will “varies by store, city, and time.” time of day”. In other words: algorithms.
Tesla loses a top AI executive: When it was announced in March that Tesla’s AI Chief, Andrej Karpathy, was taking a temporary leave of absence, rumors suggested it was just the first step for him to officially leave the company. Sure: Karpathy announced on Wednesday that he’s going out. Karpathy says he has “no concrete plans” for what’s next.
Nothing official: A few years ago, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei left the company to start a new hardware venture called Nothing. This week, after months of teases/rumors/hype, the company announced its first phone – the Phone (1). Brian Heater spent some time with the phone and shared his thoughts on it – and the wild LED setup on the back – right here.
Image credits: Brian Heater
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Ever wondered what your favorite TechCrunch writer sounds like? Sure is not! But if you have… check out our podcast! This week:
- On the Equity podcast, Alex/Natasha/Mary Ann talked about how the Roe and Wade reversal could impact how/where companies are built.
- On Chain Reaction, Lucas and Anita discussed the latest twists and turns on the rollercoaster ride of crypto, including GameStop’s launch of the NFT market.
- Bowery Farming founder Irving Fain joined Darrell and Jordan on the Found podcast to learn what vertical farming is and why it matters.
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Your startup’s pricing strategy: Product pricing can make or break a company – but the right price today is not necessarily the right price tomorrow. How do you adjust prices “without appearing parasitic”? How do you set a price for something in a “brand new category”? Michael Perez, growth director at early-stage VC firm M13, dives into all of this and more.
Here’s how to protect your equity if you’re laid off: If you are laid off… what happens to the equity you receive as part of the compensation package? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always clear-cut – but Compound’s Adam Keesling has a breakdown of what you need to think about to make sure you keep what you earn.
