Welcome, of us, to Week in Assessment (WiR), TechCrunch’s common e-newsletter overlaying this week’s noteworthy happenings in tech.
TikTok’s destiny within the U.S. seems to be unsure after President Joe Biden signed a invoice that included a deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s mother or father firm, to divest itself of TikTok inside 9 months or face a ban on distributing it within the U.S. Ivan writes about how the affect of TikTok bans in different international locations may sign what’s to come back stateside.
In the meantime, fallout from the Change Healthcare hack continues. Change, a subsidiary of medical insurance large UnitedHealth, confirmed this week that the ransomware assault concentrating on it earlier this 12 months resulted in an enormous theft of Individuals’ non-public well being data, probably overlaying “a substantial proportion” of Individuals.
And Tesla income dropped 55% because the EV firm contends with elevated stress from hybrid carmakers. The automaker’s progress plan is centered round mysterious cheaper EVs scheduled to launch subsequent 12 months — in addition to maybe a robotaxi. However a recall on the Cybertruck for defective accelerator pedals definitely received’t assist in the interim.
Heaps else occurred. We recap all of it on this version of WiR — however first, a reminder to join to obtain the WiR e-newsletter in your inbox each Saturday.
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Amazon grocery plan: Amazon launched a brand new limitless grocery supply subscription within the U.S. The plan, which prices $9.99 per thirty days for Amazon Prime customers, comes with free deliveries for grocery orders over $35 throughout Amazon Recent, Entire Meals Market and different native grocery retailers.
California drones grounded: In additional Amazon information, the tech large confirmed that it’s ending Prime Air drone supply operations in Lockeford, California. The Central California city of three,500 was the corporate’s second U.S. drone supply web site after Faculty Station, Texas; Amazon didn’t provide any particulars across the setback.
Fisker plans layoffs: Fisker says it’s planning extra layoffs lower than two months after reducing 15% of its workforce, because the EV startup scrambles to lift money to remain alive. Fisker expects to hunt chapter safety inside the subsequent 30 days if it will possibly’t give you the cash.
Stripe growth: Amongst a slew of different bulletins at its Classes convention in San Francisco, Stripe stated that it’ll be de-coupling funds from the remainder of its monetary companies stack. On condition that Stripe beforehand required companies to be funds prospects with the intention to use any of its different merchandise, that’s an enormous change.
Evaluation
Rabbit fingers on: Brian writes in regards to the R1, the primary gizmo from AI startup R1. The $199 worth level, touchscreen and funky aesthetic from storied design agency Teenage Engineering make the R1 much more accessible than Humane’s Ai Pin, he concludes.
Lab-grown diamonds: Pascal, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup, claims it will possibly make high-end jewellery accessible by utilizing lab-grown diamonds chemically and bodily akin to pure diamonds however that price one-twentieth of the value.
AI poetry: An experiment referred to as the Poetry Digicam — an precise, bodily digital camera — combines open supply expertise with playful design and creative imaginative and prescient. As a substitute of merely capturing photos, the Poetry Digicam arranges thought-provoking, AI-generated stanzas primarily based on the visuals it encounters.
Rippling deep dive: Connie interviewed Parker Conrad, the CEO of workforce administration startup Rippling, on the corporate’s new $200 million funding spherical, new San Francisco lease (the second largest to be signed within the metropolis this 12 months) and extra.
