Hey, pals. On the lookout for a recap of this week’s information? You’re in the suitable place. It’s Week in Overview (WiR), the (kind of) common publication that recaps the highest tales from the previous few days written by the proficient TC crew. (Woot, alliteration.) There’s no faster approach to make amends for the stuff that issues. After all, we’re a little bit biased.
Earlier than we get on with the good things, a reminder that TechCrunch Early Stage 2023 is almost upon us — going down 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 protecting the numerous features of startup constructing.
Elsewhere in occasions land, don’t overlook that Disrupt, TechCrunch’s annual flagship convention, kicks off September 19. We’re notably excited concerning the AI Stage, which is new this yr. Tickets can be found right here.
With that out of the way in which, on to the information:
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Non-public no extra: This week, quite a few Twitter customers reported a bug by which Circle tweets — that are supposed to succeed in a choose group, like an Instagram Shut Buddies story — had been surfacing on the algorithmically generated For You timeline. That meant that some folks’s supposedly personal posts had been breaching containment to succeed in 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 pressured to. To recap, Twitter took Musk to trial final yr to pressure 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 grow to be X: In much more Twitter information (it’s lots, I do know), Twitter, Inc., is now known as X Corp., in line with a court docket submitting in California. Amanda writes that Elon Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion final yr, has aspired to construct what he calls “X, the all the things app.” This proposed app may seem like China’s WeChat, which helps messaging, funds, ride-sharing, meals supply and different companies multi function place.
Hijacked opinions: The U.S. Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) accepted a closing consent order in its first-ever enforcement motion over a case involving “assessment hijacking,” or when a marketer steals shopper opinions 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 clients on Amazon.
If it’s free, it’s for me: Google TV, Google’s good TV working system that powers Chromecast units and varied TVs, this week acquired a major replace geared toward increasing entry to free, streaming content material. Google TV now integrates entry to free streaming channels like Tubi, Plex and Haystack Information straight in its redesigned Stay tab, alongside the present lineup of channels from free streamer Pluto TV.
New telephone, who dis?: In an effort to broaden its attain, Stockholm-based Truecaller is introducing an replace that’ll present dwell caller ID help on iOS, obtainable to folks utilizing its paid tiers. Jagmeet writes that the brand new characteristic comes as Truecaller continues to see lots of progress, but in addition some knocks in its strongest markets, equivalent to India.
Clay is the brand new plastic: Disposable plastic and paper cups are an environmental mess. GaeaStar, a startup primarily based in Berlin and San Francisco, thinks it could actually 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 growth cycle runs on a reasonably 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 gadget, 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 pay attention. Over on Fairness, the crew dove into offers of the week, regulation and on-the-ground dynamics at play within the AI area and the chance that funds might afford enterprise companies. And on this week’s Discovered, Lauren Markler got here talked about how her firm, Cofertility, goals to rebrand egg donation by making the method much less transactional — and rather more reasonably priced.
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TC+ subscribers get entry to in-depth commentary, evaluation and surveys — which you recognize if you happen to’re already a subscriber. For those who’re not, take into account signing up. Listed here are just a few highlights from this week:
SaaS metrics that appeal to traders: 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 intervals on the finish of a subscription and the frequency of interactions with core app options.
What tailpipe regs imply for traders: The Environmental Safety Company is proposing new guidelines that may take impact in 2027 and pave the way in which for a brand new car market dominated by EVs. Tim writes about how funding alternatives abound as the principles push EVs to the forefront.
Robotic revolution: Brian spoke with over a dozen VCs concerning 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 shiny way forward for exponential progress forward.