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In the corporate fight over remote work, CEOs like Andy Jassy and Elon Musk are old-school sports teachers who insist everyone gets back on the field, even though the stands are working fine. They argue that remote work is akin to slacking off, but studies and employee sentiment suggest otherwise, highlighting that flexibility may just be the secret sauce to productivity and satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are watching this like a tennis match, wondering whether these executives will match their strategies to the reality of modern business preferences. Ron has been working from home as a writer for almost as long as I've been alive. No wonder we call him “Daddy Ron” (honestly, even though that would be funny). Anyway, Ron says working from home isn't going away, and I can't say I disagree with him in any way – even as I write this from my local pizza place. Work from home. Working from a pizza parlor. Whatever, as long as it's not the office, amirite?
The most interesting startup stories of the week
Very meticulous. Lots of security. Image credits: auditor
Mahboob Moghadam, whose career ranged from legal eagle and rap commentator to blockchain enthusiast, died in March at the age of 41. He left behind a legacy as colorful and controversial as a graffiti-strewn back alley. Moghaddam, known for his antics and brainchild projects like Genius and the Wikipedia-but-on-blockchain, Everipedia, was a rebel who tried to shake up the digital content payment scene with projects like HellaDoge, and even in his more recent work, he remained a thorn in his heart. The side of the foundation he helped create. As the honors roll in, the tech community reflects on a figure who was as much a provocateur as a pioneer, proving that in the startup world, being memorable is sometimes more impactful than being unimpeachable.
Sending employees to the background: Checkr, once the Silicon Valley background check company, has decided to trim its ranks by 382 employees, proving that even a $5 billion valuation can't protect you from the harsh realities of a hiring freeze. Is fintech all about attrition?: As Y Combinator's demo days come to an end, it's clear that the once-bulging fintech slice of the startup pie is on a diet, shrinking from a whopping 24% to just 8% of the pack In just two years. Maybe it's just that AI is eating its proverbial lunch. NoBigDeal: Aerospike, the NoSQL darling that started out as a humble store of core value for ad tech, just took in a whopping $109 million to continue playing in the big data sandbox. With its AI award focus, Aerospike is enhancing its database with all the modern features like graphing and vector capabilities. Web3 Means… Beauty?: Kiki World is making your bathroom the next blockchain battleground and has decided that what the beauty industry really needs is more voting and digital tokens. So this is… something. Say hello to the newest company around the corner: Guesty, the Airbnb platform for software platforms (or Airbnbs software platform), just landed a cool $130 million to keep the vacation rental management party going. Even in a post-pandemic world, investors cannot resist the allure of a good booking wave. With a valuation approaching a billion, it's clear that while you've been busy canceling your travel plans, Guesty has been planning to take over the world one short-term rental at a time.
Moar transfer
Image credits: Faraday Future
Look, I do my best to balance everything here at Startups Weekly. It's not my fault that the transfer team keeps punching above its weight. Just read everything they have and, well, it's all good.
In a less surprising and more “Musky” development, Elon Musk has refuted claims about Tesla abandoning a low-cost electric car in favor of a robotaxi, only to turn around and promote the reveal of an upcoming robotaxi (even as Tesla gives up on its entry-level vehicle). car price). Critics counter that he's been promising this since 2016, but Full Self-Driving (FSD) remains a thorn in Tesla's side.
Here are some highlights from the past week:
Tesla is selling cheap: Tesla is cutting prices on its Model Y SUVs as was last season's fashion, in a desperate attempt to clear a backlog of inventory that has become as burdensome as a traffic jam. By dropping prices by as much as $7,000, Tesla's discount highlights its struggle to balance production with actual sales. Apple is moving away from the car: Apple, after mobilizing in the electric car project, laid off 600 employees who were working on the project. I'd pay good money to see the prototypes… Cautious claim: Faraday Future, which runs on vapors, now faces accusations from whistleblowers that it is inflating its already meager sales figures. Against the backdrop of forced evictions, near-evictions, and federal investigations, the company's drama seems more fit for a Silicon Valley TV series. Pass the popcorn, I guess?
Other unmissable TechCrunch stories…
Clicky clicky. Image credits: Frederic Lardinois/TechCrunch
Each week, there are always a few stories I want to share with you that somehow don't fall into the above categories. It would be a shame to miss out on these, so here's a random bag of goodies for you:
Zero-Day Price Rising: Crowdfense, playing the role of a modern-day arms dealer, is dishing out millions in hacks that could make iPhones and Android devices give away their secrets, all under the guise of aiding government surveillance. Zero-day exploits are the new gold rush, with prices rising as tech giants fortify their forts. That's okay, you can get my SSN. I wasn't using it anyway: Greylock McKinnon Associates (GMA), a consulting firm that's no stranger to sensitive data, recently joined the “hack club” by losing more than 341,650 Social Security numbers. While they were busy providing legal support, the hackers were busy collecting data. Insert rant about how stupid social security nets are anyway. Something about keyboards and magnets: Look, I'm as surprised as you all are, but if my analytics program is anything to go by, people seem to have been impressed by Frederick's article about magnetic keyboard switches. If keyboard mastery is your thing, we're really pushing your buttons here. Rolling back the drama: Snapchat decided to tweak rather than get rid of its “solar system” friendship rating feature, which was causing more teen drama than a high school prom. It's just another day at Snap, where the solution to technology-induced anxiety appears to be a toggle switch in the settings menu. InstaTok: TikTok's upcoming photo-sharing rival Instagram could be called TikTok Notes, according to screenshots posted by users. TikTok also confirmed that the app is in development.
