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The Most Read Story of the Week
The most read story on the site this week was, unfortunately, about layoffs — this time at Microsoft. While the company plans to grow its headcount in the months ahead, for now it’s cutting "less than 1%" of its 180,000-person workforce as it focuses on "realigning business groups and roles." "Less than 1%" may not sound huge, but 1% of 180,000 is still nearly 2,000 jobs.
Lofi Girl Gets Taken Down
YouTubestill hasn’t figured out its issues with false DMCA takedowns. This week, the ridiculously chill YouTube music stream Lofi Girl got hit with a false DMCA claim. The channel is a favorite among students/programmers/anyone looking for some mellow beats to focus to, so the complaints were loud and everywhere. YouTube acknowledged and reversed the screwup, but not before the channel’s two-year streaming streak was broken.
TikTok is Eating… What?
After years of unbelievable growth, you’d probably expect that TikTok has taken plenty of user activity from competing social networks — the Facebooks, the Snapchats, etc. But would you bet that it was impacting… say, Google Maps? A senior VP at Google says that’s the case.
Airlift Shuts Down
Airlift, one of the top startups in Pakistan, shut down suddenly this week. Employees were told on Tuesday that operations of the on-demand delivery service would cease the following day after a crucial fundraising round fell apart.
DoorDash Wants Bigger Orders
Use DoorDash’s "DashPass" service much? Bad news. The "subtotal minimum" on your orders — basically, the amount you have to order before DashPass really kicks in — is going up. According to a report from Food Delivery Business, the minimum order value for DashPass will increase from $12 to $15.
The AI Chip Startup That Will Go Public First
According to a recent article by CNBC, Blaize is expected to be the first AI chip startup to go public in 2025. The company has been working on developing more efficient and power-hungry AI chips for the automotive industry.
A 24-Year-Old Exits Coinbase for His Next Venture
Dominic-Madori Davis, a 24-year-old who exited his first company to Coinbase raises $3M for his next venture. Forbes recently reported on this exciting development.
Biden Admin Snubs Tesla’s Big-Rig Charging Funding Request Again
Sean O’Kane reports that the Biden admin has once again snubbed a request from Tesla to fund charging infrastructure for its big-rig electric trucks. The Verge recently covered this story.
Xiaohongshu Hits No. 1 on the App Store
Lauren Forristal reports that Xiaohongshu, China’s answer to Instagram, has hit no. 1 on the App Store in China as TikTok faces a US shutdown. TechCrunch recently covered this story.
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is Leaving
Romain Dillet reports that Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is leaving following a bungled app update. CNBC recently reported on this development.
Open Sourcing Sky-T1: A “Reasoning” AI Model That Can Be Trained for Less Than $450
Kyle Wiggers reports that researchers have open-sourced Sky-T1, a "reasoning" AI model that can be trained for less than $450. The Next Web recently covered this story.
How to Delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
Rebecca Bellan provides step-by-step instructions on how to delete your accounts from Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
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Best,
Greg Kumparak
Editor, TechCrunch
Most Popular Stories of the Week
- The first AI chip startup to go public in 2025 will be Blaize.
- A 24-year-old who exited his first company to Coinbase raises $3M for his next venture.
- Biden admin snubs Tesla’s big-rig charging funding request again.
Related Stories
- As TikTok faces a US shutdown, here are some alternative apps to check out.
- Raspberry AI raises $24M from a16z to accelerate fashion design.
- Moody’s agrees to acquire Cape Analytics, which develops geospatial AI for insurance providers.
