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Friday, extra like Fri-yay! It’s April 29, 2022, we’re right here with the most recent headlines, however actually our brains are principally centered on all of the hardcore enjoyable we’re going to have this weekend. Like doing laundry, napping, enjoying with our pets, studying a guide for some time and sleeping in. I do know, we’re previous and boring, take care of it. — Christine and Haje
The TechCrunch High 3
- Promoting Tesla, getting a fairly tweet deal: Everybody’s favourite social media-acquiring billionaire is promoting $4 billion price of Tesla inventory and supposedly has a brand new Twitter CEO lined up. He additionally shared that he has the beginnings of a plan for learn how to monetize tweets.
- Wait, corporations need to earn money? Robinhood’s inventory value goes off a cliff as competitors will get stiff and its enterprise mannequin is increasingly more skew-whiff.
- House is the place the advantages are: Airbnb staff obtained a enjoyable shock this week when the corporate advised staff it was instituting a “dwell wherever, work wherever” philosophy. Wish to work within the workplace? You bought it. Wish to maintain working from house? No downside. Wish to transfer to a overseas nation and work from there? Sure, however solely as much as 90 days yearly. We guess even that they had to attract a line someplace.
Startups and VC
Civilian drone producer DJI and the Ukrainian and Russian governments proceed their spat. Most lately, DJI suspends gross sales in Ukraine and Russia in an obvious try to seem extra impartial.
We had been notably enthralled this morning by Jim Motavalli’s characteristic article about bidirectional charging. In different phrases: If the ability goes out, what does it take to energy your own home out of your automobile’s batteries?
Johnny’s within the basement, mixin’ up the drugs, I’m on the pavement, studying information with wonderment:
- They develop up so quick: That feeling once you actually need to plow some money right into a startup, however they’re just a bit bit too younger? Yeah, Techstars hates that too, and it debuts a brand new fund geared toward investing in earlier-stage corporations.
- Do I appear to be I do know what a JPEG is: Revise raises $3.5 million to offer NFTs powers past simply being a fairly image.
- The Sport of Telephones: Vercom, who desires to be a competitor to the likes of Twilio and Sinch, acquires advertising automation MailerLite for $90 million.
Charged with billions in capital, meet the 9 startups creating tomorrow’s batteries at this time
In his first TechCrunch+ article, Senior Local weather Author Tim De Chant examined 9 startups optimizing EV battery know-how which have collectively raised simply over $4 billion within the final 18 months.
Bettering tech like solid-state batteries, changing particular chemical parts and utilizing hybrid chemistries are only a few of the methods startups are deploying to unlock advantages like lowering weight whereas rising vary and security.
“However vehicles and vehicles received’t be the one factor touched by the battery revolution that’ll happen over the following few years,” he writes.
“Like many advances, higher, lighter and longer-lasting batteries will drive modifications in our lives which might be each surprising and welcome.”
(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup groups get forward. You possibly can join right here.)
Massive Tech Inc.
We’re occurring a little bit of a curler coaster experience by way of excellent news versus not, so maintain your palms and legs contained in the e-newsletter, and also you’ll be good.
- Amazon’s crown is slipping: Within the kingdom of the general public cloud, we word that Amazon is an “undisputed king,” however Microsoft is poised to storm the fortress. Amazon continues to carry court docket, controlling a 3rd of the general public cloud for years, however Microsoft has been quietly amassing a public cloud military that now accounts for 22%, up from 20% final 12 months.
- And Amazon’s earnings, not so good: Shares of the corporate had been all the way down to a two-year low on the information that the corporate reported a first-quarter loss attributed to “inflationary and provide chain pressures.”
- Apple has a distinct earnings take: In at this time’s fruit information, Apple reported some record-breaking companies income figures that elevated 17% from final 12 months to succeed in $19.8 billion. There are a whole lot of causes for the nice quarter, together with promoting a whole lot of iPhones, computer systems and watches.
- Netflix made some layoffs: A few of Tudum’s editorial workers discovered themselves laid off yesterday. Tudum, you would possibly keep in mind, is Netflix’s in-house publication that solely began 5 months in the past. Whereas Netflix mentioned Tudum was not shutting down, it’s transferring ahead with out an editorial supervisor and at the least seven others.
