Friends, it’s that time of the week again: it’s time for Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s newsletter summarizing the latest days in technology. The news cycle never sleeps and is exhausting; This journalist knows it very well. But, fortunately, neither does WiR. Our curated list of this week’s top stories will get you up to speed in no time.
On the agenda for this blustery, fall edition of WiR (it’s really starting to feel like fall on the East Coast), we have Tinder’s wildly expensive new premium tier ($499 per month), Amazon invests up to $4 billion in a dating startup ai. Anthropic and Apple executives discuss the new features of AirPods. Elsewhere, we covered Reddit starting to pay users real money for high-quality posts; OpenAI raises capital and gives ChatGPT a “voice”; The metamorphosis of Telegram into a super application and Uber increasingly closer to taxi companies.
As always, there’s a lot to do, so let’s jump into it. And if you haven’t already, sign up here to receive WiR in your inbox every Saturday.
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Tinder goes ultra premium: Tinder has launched a pricey $499 per month subscription called “Tinder Select,” which includes unique perks like the ability to be seen by more users, including Tinder’s “most searched profiles,” and the option to direct message others without first coinciding with them. As Sarah writes, these capabilities alone aren’t what will necessarily sell Tinder Select: it’s the exclusivity. Tinder says that less than 1% of users will be able to access the premium tier.
Amazon invests in Anthropic: Amazon has agreed to invest up to $4 billion in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, the two firms said, as the e-commerce group steps up its rivalry against Microsoft, Meta, Google and Nvidia in the fast-growing generative artificial intelligence sector. Amazon will initially invest $1.25 billion in a minority stake in Anthropic, which like Google’s Bard and Microsoft-backed OpenAI, operates an ai-powered text generation and analysis robot.
Apple explains its new AirPods: In a meeting with Brian, Apple executives Ron Huang (VP of Sensing and Connectivity) and Eric Treski (Director of Product Marketing) discussed the new features of Apple’s next-generation AirPods, including adaptive audio, custom volume , conversational awareness and AirPods Pro. 2 Vision Pro connectivity.
Reddit starts paying users, in cash: Reddit on Monday announced a contributor program that will give users real money for their fake hotspots. Amanda reports that now eligible users (those who reside in the US and are over 18 years old and can verify their identity, and who have had an account for more than 30 days) will be able to convert Reddit Gold and Karma I have earned from safe-to-work posts in fiat currency (no, not crypto), which will be disbursed once a month.
OpenAI looking to raise more cash: OpenAI is in talks to possibly sell shares in a move that would increase the company’s valuation to between $80 billion and $90 billion. It comes just after OpenAI raised just over $300 million in funding from backers including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive, and K2 Global at a valuation of $29 billion, apart from a large investment (~10 billion million dollars) from Microsoft announced earlier. year, which closed in January.
ChatGPT gains voice and other features: ChatGPT is evolving into much more than a text-based search engine, with OpenAI announcing This week it will add new voice and image-based intelligence to the mix. Users can verbally ask ChatGPT to make up a bedtime story on the spot and have ChatGPT read it in one of five voices. Or they can search for answers in an uploaded image, for example, asking ChatGPT to provide them with instructions for completing a task or explain what’s in the photo.
Telegram expands its reach: Telegram, the popular messaging app with 800 million monthly active users worldwide, is getting closer to adopting an ecosystem strategy reminiscent of WeChat’s super app approach. Rita writes that the company has been working on a platform where third-party developers, from games to restaurants, can create mini apps to interact with users.
Uber gets tense with taxis: Uber, which historically has not been particularly friendly to the taxi industry, announced Tuesday a multi-year partnership with Los Angeles Yellow Cab and its five associated taxi fleets in Southern California. Under the agreement, taxi drivers will have access to Uber ride referrals in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. And the association covers a lot of ground; The agreement includes six taxi fleets with approximately 1,200 vehicles.
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The TC team does more than just produce quality written articles: they host content-packed podcasts from leading figures in the tech industry. If you’re looking for episodes to fill the hours, give them a listen. And if you are already subscribed, thank you very much.
this week in Equity, the team spoke with Nathan Baschez, CEO and founder of Lex, an ai-powered online writing tool. Baschez talked about how many ai-powered tools the market can support, what the generative ai movement could look like in the coming months, and how to price an ai-powered service.
In Found, which was recorded live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 last week, Dominic-Madori and Becca sat down with Window Snyder, a pioneer in the cybersecurity industry who has dedicated her decades-long career to ensuring that the Internet and the devices connected to it be safe. . Snyder talked about why, after years of working at companies like Apple, Microsoft, Fastly and Square, now was the right time to launch his startup, Thistle, which seeks to build the security infrastructure needed to keep connected smart devices safe. Internet.
and more in Chain reaction, Jacquelyn interviewed Tiago Sada, Product Manager at Tools for Humanity and Senior Contributor at Worldcoin. Tools for Humanity, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Blockchain Global, was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with a three-part mission: create a global ID, a global currency, and a application that allows payments, purchases and transfers with your token.
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TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys, which you’ll find out if you’re already a subscriber. If not, consider registering. Here are some highlights from this week:
Amazon, the FTC and venture capitalists: Alex and Dominic-Madori discuss whether venture capitalists should back the FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon. In case you haven’t heard, this week the FTC alleged that Amazon engaged in a “pattern of illegal conduct” that “blocks competition” and allows the company to “exercise monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality and stifle innovation for consumers.” and companies.”
Generative ai and operating systems: Alex writes about how generative ai could make the operating system cool again, pointing out how Microsoft is incorporating the technology into the latest version of Windows.
Salvation for the bird: Rebecca ponders out loud whether Spin’s acquisition of Bird could give it the boost it needs after being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. It’s a complicated situation, to be sure, and investors are understandably cautious.
