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In the corporate tug-of-war over remote work, CEOs like Andy Jassy and Elon Musk are the old-school gym teachers who insist everyone get back on the field, even though the stands are perfectly fine. They argue that remote work is akin to slacking, but studies and employee feedback suggest otherwise, highlighting that flexibility could simply be the secret sauce to productivity and satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are watching this play out like a tennis match, wondering if these executives will ever adapt their strategies to the reality of modern work preferences. Ron has worked from home as a writer almost as long as I have been alive. No wonder we call him Dad Ron (honestly, we don’t, although he would be hilarious). In any case, Ron maintains that working from home isn’t going away, and I can’t say he disagrees either way, even as I write this from my local pizza place. Working from home. Working from a pizzeria. Whatever, as long as it’s not the office, amirite?
The most interesting startup stories of the week
Very checkr. A lot of security. Image credits: inspector
Mahbod Moghadam, whose dizzying career ranged from legal expert to rap lyric commentator to blockchain enthusiast, died in March at the age of 41. He leaves a legacy as colorful and controversial as a graffiti-splattered alley. Known for his daring antics and original projects like Genius and Wikipedia, but on blockchain Everipedia, Moghadam was a maverick who tried to revolutionize the digital content payment scene with companies like HellaDoge, and even in his final acts, he remained a thorn in the side. the side of the establishment that he helped create. As the tributes pour in, the tech community reflects on a figure who was both a provocateur and a pioneer, proving that in the startup world, being unforgettable sometimes has more impact than being flawless.
- Send employees to the background: Checkr, once Silicon Valley’s background check darling, has decided to reduce its ranks by 382 employees, proving that even a $5 billion valuation can’t protect it from the harsh realities of a data freeze. hiring.
- Are fintechs going around the drain?: As Y Combinator’s Demo Days wind down, it’s clear that the once-bulging slice of the fintech startup pie is on a diet, shrinking from a hefty 24% to just 8% of the cohort in just two years. Maybe it’s just AI eating its proverbial lunch.
- It is not a big thing: Aerospike, the NoSQL darling that started as a humble adtech stock store, just pocketed a whopping $109 million to keep playing in the big data sandbox. With its eyes on the AI prize, Aerospike is modernizing its database with all the trendy features like graphics and vector capabilities.
- Web3 means… beauty?: Kiki World is making its bathroom the next blockchain battleground and has decided that what the beauty industry really needs is more voting and digital tokens. So that’s… one thing.
- Say hello to the new nearicorn: Guesty, the Airbnb of software platforms (or Airbnbs software platform), just raised a whopping $130 million to keep the vacation rental management party alive. Even in a post-pandemic world, investors can’t resist the lure of a good wave of bookings. With a valuation close to $1 billion, it’s clear that while you were busy canceling your travel plans, Guesty was planning to take over the world one short-term rental at a time.
transportation more
Image credits: Future Faraday
Look, I’m doing my best to have a balance of everything here at Startups Weekly. It’s not my fault that the transport team continues to work way above its weight. Just read all his stuff, it’s fine, everything is fine.
In a turn that’s less surprising and more “Muskian,” Elon Musk refuted claims that Tesla abandoned an affordable electric vehicle for a robotaxi, only to turn around and hype up an upcoming robotaxi reveal (even as Tesla throws in the towel on its entry-level car). Critics answered which has been promising it since 2016, but full self-driving (FSD) remains a thorn in Tesla’s side.
Here are some highlights from last week:
- Tesla Liquidation Sale: Tesla is slashing prices on its Model Y SUVs as if they were last season’s fad, desperately trying to clear a backlog of inventory that has become as cumbersome as a traffic jam. With prices falling as much as $7,000, Tesla’s discount bonanza highlights its struggle to balance production with actual sales.
- The apple falls away from the car: Apple, after packing up its electric car project, laid off 600 employees who were supposedly working on the project. I would pay good money to see the prototypes…
- A cautious statement: Faraday Future, which is performing poorly, is now facing accusations from whistleblowers that it has been inflating its already poor sales figures. Against a backdrop of furloughs, near-evictions and federal investigations, the company’s drama seems more suited to a soap opera than Silicon Valley. Pass the popcorn, I guess?
Other must-see stories from TechCrunch…
Click, click, click. Image credits: Frédéric Lardinois/TechCrunch
Every week, there are always a few stories I want to share with you that somehow don’t fit into the categories above. It would be a shame if you missed out, so here’s a random bag of goodies for you:
- Zero-Day Price Surge: Crowdfense, playing the role of a modern arms dealer, doles out millions for hacks that could make iPhones and Androids reveal their secrets, all under the guise of aiding government surveillance. Zero-day exploits are the new gold rush, with prices soaring as tech giants strengthen their strengths.
- Okay, you can have my SSN. I wasn’t using it anyway: Greylock McKinnon Associates (GMA), a consulting firm that is no stranger to sensitive data, recently joined the “Hacked Club” by losing more than 341,650 Social Security numbers. While they were busy providing litigation support, the hackers were busy collecting data. Insert rant about how stupid SSNs are anyway.
- Something about keyboards and magnets: Look, I’m as surprised as you are, but if my analysis software is anything to go by, it seems like people went crazy over Frederic’s article about magnetic keyboard switches. If keyboard nerd is your thing, we’re really pushing your buttons here.
- Reducing the drama: Snapchat decided to tweak rather than scrap its “Solar System” friendship ranking 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 in the settings menu.
- InstaTok: TikTok’s upcoming Instagram-competing photo-sharing app could be called TikTok Notes, according to screenshots posted by users. TikTok also confirmed that the app was in development.
