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Friday, extra like Fri-yay! It’s April 29, 2022, we’re right here with the most recent headlines, however truthfully our brains are principally centered on all of the hardcore enjoyable we’re going to have this weekend. Like doing laundry, napping, taking part in 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 reasonably tweet deal: Everybody’s favourite social media-acquiring billionaire is promoting $4 billion value 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 methods to monetize tweets.
- Wait, corporations need to earn money? Robinhood’s inventory worth goes off a cliff as competitors will get stiff and its enterprise mannequin is an increasing number of skew-whiff.
- House is the place the advantages are: Airbnb staff acquired a enjoyable shock this week when the corporate instructed staff it was instituting a “reside wherever, work wherever” philosophy. Need to work within the workplace? You bought it. Need to preserve working from dwelling? No drawback. Need 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 just lately, DJI suspends gross sales in Ukraine and Russia in an obvious try to look extra impartial.
We had been significantly enthralled this morning by Jim Motavalli’s function article about bidirectional charging. In different phrases: If the facility goes out, what does it take to energy your home out of your automotive’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 if you actually wish 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 aimed 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 reasonably image.
- The Recreation of Telephones: Vercom, who needs to be a competitor to the likes of Twilio and Sinch, acquires advertising and marketing automation MailerLite for $90 million.
Charged with billions in capital, meet the 9 startups growing tomorrow’s batteries in the present day
In his first TechCrunch+ article, Senior Local weather Author Tim De Chant examined 9 startups optimizing EV battery expertise which have collectively raised simply over $4 billion within the final 18 months.
Bettering tech like solid-state batteries, changing particular chemical elements and utilizing hybrid chemistries are only a few of the strategies startups are deploying to unlock advantages like decreasing weight whereas growing vary and security.
“However automobiles and vans gained’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 adjustments in our lives which are each sudden and welcome.”
(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup groups get forward. You’ll be able to enroll right here.)
Large Tech Inc.
We’re occurring a little bit of a curler coaster trip when it comes to excellent news versus not, so preserve your arms and legs contained in the publication, and also you’ll be good.
- Amazon’s crown is slipping: Within the kingdom of the general public cloud, we be aware that Amazon is an “undisputed king,” however Microsoft is poised to storm the fort. 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 yr.
- 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 in the present day’s fruit information, Apple reported some record-breaking companies income figures that elevated 17% from final yr to achieve $19.8 billion. There are lots of causes for the nice quarter, together with promoting lots of iPhones, computer systems and watches.
- Netflix made some layoffs: A few of Tudum’s editorial employees discovered themselves laid off yesterday. Tudum, you may bear in mind, is Netflix’s in-house publication that solely began 5 months in the past. Whereas Netflix stated Tudum was not shutting down, it’s shifting ahead with out an editorial supervisor and not less than seven others.
