Hello everyone! Welcome back to Week in Review, the newsletter where we summarize the most-read gotechbusiness.com stories from the past seven days. Want it in your inbox? Register here!
Unfortunately, the most read story on the site this week was again about layoffs – this time at Microsoft. While the company plans to grow its workforce in the coming months, it is currently cutting “less than 1%” of its 180,000 workforce as it focuses on “realigning business groups and roles.” “Less than 1%” may not sound huge, but 1% of 180,000 is still almost 2,000 jobs…
other things
Lofi Girl gets knocked down: YouTube still did not discover the problems with fake DMCA takedowns. This week’s ridiculously chill YouTube music stream Lofi girl was hit by a false DMCA claim. The channel is a favorite among students/programmers/anyone looking for some soft beats to focus on, so the complaints were loud and everywhere. YouTube acknowledged and reversed the flaw, but not before the channel’s two-year streaming streak was cut.
TikTok is eating…what?: After years of incredible growth, you would probably expect TikTok to have taken a lot of user activity from competing social networks – the Facebooks, the Snapchats, etc. But would you bet it had an impact… say Google Maps? A senior VP at Google says that’s the case.
Airlift is closed: Airlift, one of the top startups in Pakistan, suddenly shut down this week. Employees were told on Tuesday that the on-demand delivery service’s operations would be halted the following day after a crucial fundraising round failed.
DoorDash wants larger orders: Frequent use of DoorDash’s “DashPass” service? Bad news. The “subtotal minimum” on your orders — basically the amount you need to order before DashPass actually does anything — is likely to rise in the coming weeks. The company was previously hard set at $12 for food or $35 for groceries, but the new minimum will “varies by store, city, and time of day.” In other words: algorithmssss.
Tesla loses a top AI executive: When it was announced in March that Tesla’s director of AI, Andrej Karpathy, would be taking a temporary sabbatical, it was rumored that it was just the first step towards his more official exit from the company. And yes: Karpathy announced on Wednesday that he is out. Karpathy says he has “no concrete plans” for what’s next.
nothing official: A few years ago, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei left the company to create a new hardware venture called Nothing. This week, after months of teasing/rumors/hype, the company announced its first phone: the aptly named Phone (1). Brian Heater spent some time on the phone and shares his thoughts on it — and the wild LED setup on the back — here.
Image Credits: Brian Heater
audio stuff
Ever wondered what your favorite gotechbusiness.com writer sounds like? Probably not! But if you… watch our podcasts! This week:
- On the Equity podcast, Alex/Natasha/Mary Ann talked about how the Roe v. Wade reversal could affect how/where companies are built.
- At Chain Reaction, Lucas and Anita discussed the latest twists and spins on the rollercoaster ride that is crypto, including GameStop launching an NFT marketplace.
- Bowery Farming founder Irving Fain joined Darrell and Jordan on the Found podcast to explain what vertical farming is and why it matters.
extra stuff
Already a gotechbusiness.com+ member? If not, you’re missing out on some great reads. While most of the stuff we put on gotechbusiness.com is completely free, a lot of really great content is only available to TC+ subscribers.
Your startup’s pricing strategy: Product prices can make or break a company, but the right price today is not necessarily the right price tomorrow. How do you adjust prices “without looking parasitic”? How do you price something in a “completely new category”? Michael Perez, growth director for start-up VC firm M13, discusses this in detail.
This is how you protect your own assets if you are fired: If you get fired… what happens to that equity you got as part of your compensation package? Unfortunately, the answer isn’t always clear – but Adam Keesling of Compound has a rundown of what to keep in mind to make sure you keep what you’ve earned.
