Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days.
On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI startup Rabbit’s nifty hardware and app makers debating launching apps tailor-made for Apple’s Vision Pro headset. Good Affordable Treadmill
There’s a decent chunk of news to recap this week, so let’s get to it. But first, a reminder to sign up here to receive WiR in your inbox every Saturday if you haven’t already done so.
Disney’s VR treadmill: Disney has developed a treadmill-like system for VR composed of hundreds of small, round “tiles” that look to be about the size of a silver dollar, Brian writes. Each serve as a kind of mini, omnidirectional treadmill.
OpenAI fixes GPT-4: OpenAI dropped prices on a number of AI models this week as it rolled out a fix for its “lazy” GPT-4 models that refused to work — and launched new models for specific use cases.
Apple’s new device protection: Romain writes about Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, like accessing stored passwords and credit cards.
Vision Pro apps a maybe: After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.
Rabbit’s r1: AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.
On Equity, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.
Meanwhile, Found featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.
And Chain Reaction had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys — which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you’re not, consider signing up. Here are a few highlights from this week:
The tech layoff surge: Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.
HPE’s deal for Juniper: Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn’t mess it up).
Fintech, down but not out: Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.
Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech: Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.
Plex CEO Keith Valory confirmed the round closed this month, but was unable to disclose Plex’s new valuation. While he joked that he likes to think of himself as a unicorn, Plex’s real-world valuation is unknown as the company hasn’t raised outside funds in some time, preferring instead to work with its existing set of investors.<\/p>\n
The same holds true for Plex’s new investment, as it’s an inside round that includes existing Series C investors — lead investor Intercap and Kleiner Perkins. (Technically, it’s Plex’s Series C-3, if you’re counting.) The size of the round will later be disclosed through securities filings.<\/p>\n
“We have the most supportive investors of any,” Valory said. “I feel like funding has never been a concern of ours,” he added.<\/p>\n
The fundraising follows a number of changes to Plex’s core product over the years, which has transformed itself from a software platform used by consumers for organizing their home media collections to one that has multiple facets. Today, Plex users can watch free, ad-supported shows and movies, listen to music, stream live TV channels or their own media, and more, including the discovery of new things to watch. Recently, the company has been developing social features,<\/a> as well, allowing Plex users to opt into a feature that tracks their viewing and shares it with friends.<\/p>\n This feature will be further developed over the course of the year. Plex says it aims to expand the community capabilities for both the content owners and for users through the use of public pages that will offer content owners a bigger stake in the conversations that take place around their movies and shows.<\/p>\n Another planned feature, announced at CES, is the forthcoming launch of Plex’s TVOD marketplace<\/a> — an online storefront that will allow users to rent shows and movies from top studios.<\/p><\/div>\n To date, however, it’s Plex’s ad-supported streaming that’s been helping Plex grow its revenue. Though Plex was impacted by the market downturn, leading to layoffs,<\/a> Plex’s ad revenue grew by nearly 45% in 2023 and the overall business grew by 30%, the company tells us. Engagement and usage have been growing as well. The company is still on track to be profitable by the end of 2024 or early next year, Valory noted.<\/p>\n “We’re a leader in this market. And we’re in, at least, the top five if not higher in this space, and we feel like we’re doing really, really well,” he said.<\/p>\n As a result of Plex’s ability to track users’ media discovery behavior and consumption across platforms and services, the company has a unique perspective from a data standpoint. That will be the focus of its future business initiatives, too.<\/p>\n “One of the things we’ve already started to prove in 2023 is that we can absolutely monetize some of that data…in a very privacy-friendly way. There’s no personally identifiable information being used,” Valory said. “We already proved we could make money on that this year, so, in 2024, we’re putting more wood behind that arrow. And arguably, even though our current business is already growing 30%-40% per year, that could dwarf it in two to three years. That is a really big market opportunity,” he added.<\/p>\n 1\/249\/24, 7:10 pm et: Updated with round size; round size confirmed by Plex<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Media streamer Plex has raised new capital. The company, which began as a media organization startup, has morphed over the years to become a one-stop shop for all your media, including ad-supported streaming, which now accounts for much of its revenue growth. The new round, which has not yet been disclosed, was initially said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":1883241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"67ea4595-e116-3069-839d-2420cf6c52c6","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:26:45Z","apple_news_api_id":"fec354ae-73a8-449b-98e3-69468e255140","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-30T02:08:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A_sNUrnOoRJuY42lGjiVRQA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577030456,20429],"tags":[20334,576873255,425530,292,32298,449557042,45141],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nStreaming media company Plex raises $40M as it nears profitability | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
This feature will be further developed over the course of the year. Plex says it aims to expand the community capabilities for both the content owners and for users through the use of public pages that will offer content owners a bigger stake in the conversations that take place around their movies and shows.<\/p>\n
Another planned feature, announced at CES, is the forthcoming launch of Plex’s TVOD marketplace<\/a> — an online storefront that will allow users to rent shows and movies from top studios.<\/p><\/div>\n To date, however, it’s Plex’s ad-supported streaming that’s been helping Plex grow its revenue. Though Plex was impacted by the market downturn, leading to layoffs,<\/a> Plex’s ad revenue grew by nearly 45% in 2023 and the overall business grew by 30%, the company tells us. Engagement and usage have been growing as well. The company is still on track to be profitable by the end of 2024 or early next year, Valory noted.<\/p>\n “We’re a leader in this market. And we’re in, at least, the top five if not higher in this space, and we feel like we’re doing really, really well,” he said.<\/p>\n As a result of Plex’s ability to track users’ media discovery behavior and consumption across platforms and services, the company has a unique perspective from a data standpoint. That will be the focus of its future business initiatives, too.<\/p>\n “One of the things we’ve already started to prove in 2023 is that we can absolutely monetize some of that data…in a very privacy-friendly way. There’s no personally identifiable information being used,” Valory said. “We already proved we could make money on that this year, so, in 2024, we’re putting more wood behind that arrow. And arguably, even though our current business is already growing 30%-40% per year, that could dwarf it in two to three years. That is a really big market opportunity,” he added.<\/p>\n 1\/249\/24, 7:10 pm et: Updated with round size; round size confirmed by Plex<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Media streamer Plex has raised new capital. The company, which began as a media organization startup, has morphed over the years to become a one-stop shop for all your media, including ad-supported streaming, which now accounts for much of its revenue growth. The new round, which has not yet been disclosed, was initially said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":1883241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"67ea4595-e116-3069-839d-2420cf6c52c6","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:26:45Z","apple_news_api_id":"fec354ae-73a8-449b-98e3-69468e255140","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-30T02:08:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A_sNUrnOoRJuY42lGjiVRQA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577030456,20429],"tags":[20334,576873255,425530,292,32298,449557042,45141],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nStreaming media company Plex raises $40M as it nears profitability | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
To date, however, it’s Plex’s ad-supported streaming that’s been helping Plex grow its revenue. Though Plex was impacted by the market downturn, leading to layoffs,<\/a> Plex’s ad revenue grew by nearly 45% in 2023 and the overall business grew by 30%, the company tells us. Engagement and usage have been growing as well. The company is still on track to be profitable by the end of 2024 or early next year, Valory noted.<\/p>\n “We’re a leader in this market. And we’re in, at least, the top five if not higher in this space, and we feel like we’re doing really, really well,” he said.<\/p>\n As a result of Plex’s ability to track users’ media discovery behavior and consumption across platforms and services, the company has a unique perspective from a data standpoint. That will be the focus of its future business initiatives, too.<\/p>\n “One of the things we’ve already started to prove in 2023 is that we can absolutely monetize some of that data…in a very privacy-friendly way. There’s no personally identifiable information being used,” Valory said. “We already proved we could make money on that this year, so, in 2024, we’re putting more wood behind that arrow. And arguably, even though our current business is already growing 30%-40% per year, that could dwarf it in two to three years. That is a really big market opportunity,” he added.<\/p>\n 1\/249\/24, 7:10 pm et: Updated with round size; round size confirmed by Plex<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Media streamer Plex has raised new capital. The company, which began as a media organization startup, has morphed over the years to become a one-stop shop for all your media, including ad-supported streaming, which now accounts for much of its revenue growth. The new round, which has not yet been disclosed, was initially said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":1883241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"67ea4595-e116-3069-839d-2420cf6c52c6","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:26:45Z","apple_news_api_id":"fec354ae-73a8-449b-98e3-69468e255140","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-30T02:08:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A_sNUrnOoRJuY42lGjiVRQA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577030456,20429],"tags":[20334,576873255,425530,292,32298,449557042,45141],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nStreaming media company Plex raises $40M as it nears profitability | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
“We’re a leader in this market. And we’re in, at least, the top five if not higher in this space, and we feel like we’re doing really, really well,” he said.<\/p>\n
As a result of Plex’s ability to track users’ media discovery behavior and consumption across platforms and services, the company has a unique perspective from a data standpoint. That will be the focus of its future business initiatives, too.<\/p>\n
“One of the things we’ve already started to prove in 2023 is that we can absolutely monetize some of that data…in a very privacy-friendly way. There’s no personally identifiable information being used,” Valory said. “We already proved we could make money on that this year, so, in 2024, we’re putting more wood behind that arrow. And arguably, even though our current business is already growing 30%-40% per year, that could dwarf it in two to three years. That is a really big market opportunity,” he added.<\/p>\n
1\/249\/24, 7:10 pm et: Updated with round size; round size confirmed by Plex<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Media streamer Plex has raised new capital. The company, which began as a media organization startup, has morphed over the years to become a one-stop shop for all your media, including ad-supported streaming, which now accounts for much of its revenue growth. The new round, which has not yet been disclosed, was initially said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":1883241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"67ea4595-e116-3069-839d-2420cf6c52c6","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:26:45Z","apple_news_api_id":"fec354ae-73a8-449b-98e3-69468e255140","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-30T02:08:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A_sNUrnOoRJuY42lGjiVRQA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577030456,20429],"tags":[20334,576873255,425530,292,32298,449557042,45141],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nStreaming media company Plex raises $40M as it nears profitability | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Media streamer Plex has raised new capital. The company, which began as a media organization startup, has morphed over the years to become a one-stop shop for all your media, including ad-supported streaming, which now accounts for much of its revenue growth. The new round, which has not yet been disclosed, was initially said to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2414667,"featured_media":1883241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"67ea4595-e116-3069-839d-2420cf6c52c6","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:26:45Z","apple_news_api_id":"fec354ae-73a8-449b-98e3-69468e255140","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-30T02:08:19Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A_sNUrnOoRJuY42lGjiVRQA","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577030456,20429],"tags":[20334,576873255,425530,292,32298,449557042,45141],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nStreaming media company Plex raises $40M as it nears profitability | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lwzxxnshgj71bonwbik3.jpg.jpg","twitter":"sarahpereztc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/2414667"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"author":[{"id":2414667,"name":"Sarah Perez","url":"","description":"","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/sarah-perez\/","slug":"sarah-perez","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5225bb627e112543aa03bf3b2958be3f?s=24&d=identicon&r=g","48":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5225bb627e112543aa03bf3b2958be3f?s=48&d=identicon&r=g","96":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5225bb627e112543aa03bf3b2958be3f?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"},"yoast_head":"\nSarah Perez, Author at TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/lwzxxnshgj71bonwbik3.jpg.jpg","twitter":"sarahpereztc","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/2414667"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":1883241,"date":"2019-09-18T09:06:02","slug":"plex-live-tv-3","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2019\/09\/18\/plex-partners-with-lionsgate-to-expand-its-ad-supported-video-library\/plex-live-tv-3\/","title":{"rendered":"plex-live-tv"},"author":2414667,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"person":"Plex"},"authors":[2414667],"caption":{"rendered":"
plex live tv<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"couple on couch watching plex live tv","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":800,"height":533,"file":"2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=150,100","width":150,"height":100,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=300,200","width":300,"height":200,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=768,512","width":768,"height":512,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=800"},"large":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=680,453","width":680,"height":453,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=680"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg?resize=50,33","width":50,"height":33,"filesize":62818,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"plex-live-tv.jpg","width":800,"height":533,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]},"filesize":62818},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/plex-live-tv.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1883241"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1883241"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/2414667"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577030456,"description":"Media & Entertainment tech news covers everything from Big Tech to streaming services to mobile apps. We dissect startups entering App Stores, social media, the creator economy and more.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/media-entertainment\/","name":"Media & Entertainment","slug":"media-entertainment","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nMedia & Entertainment News | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n
Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman<\/a>. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in the company\u2019s history,\u201d Gurman wrote in his latest Power On newsletter. “With that knowledge, Apple\u2019s developers conference in June should be pretty exciting.”<\/p>\n The news comes a few months after Gurman reported<\/a> that Apple was hoping for iOS 18 to be its most “ambitious and compelling” update in years.<\/p>\n Although the latest report doesn’t detail any specifics, Gurman has previously reported<\/a> that Apple is planning to launch a newer version of Siri that leverages a new AI system. Apple is also expected to launch new features that improve how both Siri and the Messages app can auto-complete sentences and field questions. Plus, Apple Music is expected to get auto-generated playlists, which is something that Spotify introduced<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Apple is said to be looking at integrating generative AI into development tools like Xcode to allow developers to write new applications faster. In addition, Apple’s productivity apps, like Pages and Keynotes, should also be getting generative AI updates.<\/p>\n iOS 18 could also bring RCS support, as Apple revealed back in November<\/a> that it plans to add support for the RCS standard on iOS in 2024. At the time, Apple said it believes that \u201cRCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS.\u201d The major reversal follows public pressure<\/a> on Apple to add support for RCS to iPhones. It’s worth noting that although Apple plans to adopt RCS, it has confirmed that messages sent from an Android user to an iPhone will still be displayed<\/a> in green bubbles.<\/p>\n We’re still four months away from the big iOS 18 reveal, so we may learn more about the software update as we get closer to the official announcement over the next few months.<\/p><\/div>\n\n Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
\u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in the company\u2019s history,\u201d Gurman wrote in his latest Power On newsletter. “With that knowledge, Apple\u2019s developers conference in June should be pretty exciting.”<\/p>\n
The news comes a few months after Gurman reported<\/a> that Apple was hoping for iOS 18 to be its most “ambitious and compelling” update in years.<\/p>\n Although the latest report doesn’t detail any specifics, Gurman has previously reported<\/a> that Apple is planning to launch a newer version of Siri that leverages a new AI system. Apple is also expected to launch new features that improve how both Siri and the Messages app can auto-complete sentences and field questions. Plus, Apple Music is expected to get auto-generated playlists, which is something that Spotify introduced<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Apple is said to be looking at integrating generative AI into development tools like Xcode to allow developers to write new applications faster. In addition, Apple’s productivity apps, like Pages and Keynotes, should also be getting generative AI updates.<\/p>\n iOS 18 could also bring RCS support, as Apple revealed back in November<\/a> that it plans to add support for the RCS standard on iOS in 2024. At the time, Apple said it believes that \u201cRCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS.\u201d The major reversal follows public pressure<\/a> on Apple to add support for RCS to iPhones. It’s worth noting that although Apple plans to adopt RCS, it has confirmed that messages sent from an Android user to an iPhone will still be displayed<\/a> in green bubbles.<\/p>\n We’re still four months away from the big iOS 18 reveal, so we may learn more about the software update as we get closer to the official announcement over the next few months.<\/p><\/div>\n\n Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Although the latest report doesn’t detail any specifics, Gurman has previously reported<\/a> that Apple is planning to launch a newer version of Siri that leverages a new AI system. Apple is also expected to launch new features that improve how both Siri and the Messages app can auto-complete sentences and field questions. Plus, Apple Music is expected to get auto-generated playlists, which is something that Spotify introduced<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Apple is said to be looking at integrating generative AI into development tools like Xcode to allow developers to write new applications faster. In addition, Apple’s productivity apps, like Pages and Keynotes, should also be getting generative AI updates.<\/p>\n iOS 18 could also bring RCS support, as Apple revealed back in November<\/a> that it plans to add support for the RCS standard on iOS in 2024. At the time, Apple said it believes that \u201cRCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS.\u201d The major reversal follows public pressure<\/a> on Apple to add support for RCS to iPhones. It’s worth noting that although Apple plans to adopt RCS, it has confirmed that messages sent from an Android user to an iPhone will still be displayed<\/a> in green bubbles.<\/p>\n We’re still four months away from the big iOS 18 reveal, so we may learn more about the software update as we get closer to the official announcement over the next few months.<\/p><\/div>\n\n Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Apple is said to be looking at integrating generative AI into development tools like Xcode to allow developers to write new applications faster. In addition, Apple’s productivity apps, like Pages and Keynotes, should also be getting generative AI updates.<\/p>\n
iOS 18 could also bring RCS support, as Apple revealed back in November<\/a> that it plans to add support for the RCS standard on iOS in 2024. At the time, Apple said it believes that \u201cRCS Universal Profile will offer a better interoperability experience when compared to SMS or MMS.\u201d The major reversal follows public pressure<\/a> on Apple to add support for RCS to iPhones. It’s worth noting that although Apple plans to adopt RCS, it has confirmed that messages sent from an Android user to an iPhone will still be displayed<\/a> in green bubbles.<\/p>\n We’re still four months away from the big iOS 18 reveal, so we may learn more about the software update as we get closer to the official announcement over the next few months.<\/p><\/div>\n\n Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
We’re still four months away from the big iOS 18 reveal, so we may learn more about the software update as we get closer to the official announcement over the next few months.<\/p><\/div>\n\n Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Apple to finally bring RCS to iPhones<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
<\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. iOS 18 is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual WWDC event in June. \u201cI\u2019m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates\u2013if not the biggest\u2013in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574480,"featured_media":2348713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"cd1fe13f-764d-3944-84b4-0ede6fad57f5","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T17:21:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"1ca83a37-1562-4bca-bbb4-0d1da0941795","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T22:33:55Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AHKg6NxViS8q7tA0doJQXlQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577051039],"tags":[291,577226739,106595],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple's iOS 18 may be 'the biggest' software update in iPhone history, report says | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Apple logo at entrance to an Apple store<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"Apple logo at entrance to an Apple store","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":5568,"height":3712,"file":"2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg","filesize":2001574,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=150,100","width":150,"height":100,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=300,200","width":300,"height":200,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=768,512","width":768,"height":512,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=680,453","width":680,"height":453,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=680"},"1536x1536":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=1536,1024","width":1536,"height":1024,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=1536"},"2048x2048":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=2048,1365","width":2048,"height":1365,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=2048"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=1200,800","width":1200,"height":800,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?resize=50,33","width":50,"height":33,"filesize":2001574,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"GettyImages-1235254642.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"The Apple logo is seen at the entrance of an Apple store in Washington, DC, on September 14, 2021. - Apple users were urged on Tuesday to update their devices after the tech giant announced a fix for a major software flaw that allows the Pegasus spyware to be installed on phones without so much as a click. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm \/ AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM\/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"US-APPLE-INTERNET-SOFTWARE","orientation":"0","keywords":["technology","Horizontal"]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1235254642.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2348713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2348713"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574480"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577051039,"description":"The app economy continues to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores. Keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place, with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/apps\/","name":"Apps","slug":"apps","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nApps | Read the latest app news on TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n
The collapse of Amazon’s<\/span> proposed deal to buy iRobot<\/a> highlights just how critical the IPO market is this year. With governments tightening the screws on Big Tech companies trying to buy smaller firms, a key exit avenue could be closed to startups in the near term.<\/p>\n\n The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Read it every morning on TechCrunch+<\/a> or get The Exchange newsletter<\/a> every Saturday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n If mergers and acquisitions are harder to pull off, especially for Big Tech companies that sometimes prefer to buy new tech over building it, unicorns and other late-stage startups will have precious few paths to liquidity available to them apart from going public. That fact makes Reddit feeling out its own IPO valuation all the more important. What could help tech companies avoid another 2023 (a year that had precious few public debuts) is a massive, winning public offering.<\/p>\n To accomplish that, Reddit needs to price its offering very carefully. Too low a price, and any positive trading results that follow could be marked as more artificial than material. Too high, and the stock could lose ground from its IPO price.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Credits:<\/strong> Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n But private tech companies want good IPO news that sticks, and public market investors won’t gain confidence if Reddit clears a bar that it set too low. However, if the price is too high, Reddit’s post-IPO performance may scare companies off if it can’t keep up. We saw last year how much post-IPO trading performance can impact other companies’ decisions to go public \u2014 when Instacart failed to hold on to gains after pricing at $30 per share, other tech companies took note. Today, Instacart is worth a little more than $25 per share.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
The Exchange explores startups, markets and money. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Read it every morning on TechCrunch+<\/a> or get The Exchange newsletter<\/a> every Saturday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n If mergers and acquisitions are harder to pull off, especially for Big Tech companies that sometimes prefer to buy new tech over building it, unicorns and other late-stage startups will have precious few paths to liquidity available to them apart from going public. That fact makes Reddit feeling out its own IPO valuation all the more important. What could help tech companies avoid another 2023 (a year that had precious few public debuts) is a massive, winning public offering.<\/p>\n To accomplish that, Reddit needs to price its offering very carefully. Too low a price, and any positive trading results that follow could be marked as more artificial than material. Too high, and the stock could lose ground from its IPO price.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Credits:<\/strong> Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n But private tech companies want good IPO news that sticks, and public market investors won’t gain confidence if Reddit clears a bar that it set too low. However, if the price is too high, Reddit’s post-IPO performance may scare companies off if it can’t keep up. We saw last year how much post-IPO trading performance can impact other companies’ decisions to go public \u2014 when Instacart failed to hold on to gains after pricing at $30 per share, other tech companies took note. Today, Instacart is worth a little more than $25 per share.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Read it every morning on TechCrunch+<\/a> or get The Exchange newsletter<\/a> every Saturday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n If mergers and acquisitions are harder to pull off, especially for Big Tech companies that sometimes prefer to buy new tech over building it, unicorns and other late-stage startups will have precious few paths to liquidity available to them apart from going public. That fact makes Reddit feeling out its own IPO valuation all the more important. What could help tech companies avoid another 2023 (a year that had precious few public debuts) is a massive, winning public offering.<\/p>\n To accomplish that, Reddit needs to price its offering very carefully. Too low a price, and any positive trading results that follow could be marked as more artificial than material. Too high, and the stock could lose ground from its IPO price.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Credits:<\/strong> Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n But private tech companies want good IPO news that sticks, and public market investors won’t gain confidence if Reddit clears a bar that it set too low. However, if the price is too high, Reddit’s post-IPO performance may scare companies off if it can’t keep up. We saw last year how much post-IPO trading performance can impact other companies’ decisions to go public \u2014 when Instacart failed to hold on to gains after pricing at $30 per share, other tech companies took note. Today, Instacart is worth a little more than $25 per share.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
If mergers and acquisitions are harder to pull off, especially for Big Tech companies that sometimes prefer to buy new tech over building it, unicorns and other late-stage startups will have precious few paths to liquidity available to them apart from going public. That fact makes Reddit feeling out its own IPO valuation all the more important. What could help tech companies avoid another 2023 (a year that had precious few public debuts) is a massive, winning public offering.<\/p>\n
To accomplish that, Reddit needs to price its offering very carefully. Too low a price, and any positive trading results that follow could be marked as more artificial than material. Too high, and the stock could lose ground from its IPO price.<\/p>\n
<\/a> Image Credits:<\/strong> Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n But private tech companies want good IPO news that sticks, and public market investors won’t gain confidence if Reddit clears a bar that it set too low. However, if the price is too high, Reddit’s post-IPO performance may scare companies off if it can’t keep up. We saw last year how much post-IPO trading performance can impact other companies’ decisions to go public \u2014 when Instacart failed to hold on to gains after pricing at $30 per share, other tech companies took note. Today, Instacart is worth a little more than $25 per share.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Image Credits:<\/strong> Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n But private tech companies want good IPO news that sticks, and public market investors won’t gain confidence if Reddit clears a bar that it set too low. However, if the price is too high, Reddit’s post-IPO performance may scare companies off if it can’t keep up. We saw last year how much post-IPO trading performance can impact other companies’ decisions to go public \u2014 when Instacart failed to hold on to gains after pricing at $30 per share, other tech companies took note. Today, Instacart is worth a little more than $25 per share.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
But private tech companies want good IPO news that sticks, and public market investors won’t gain confidence if Reddit clears a bar that it set too low. However, if the price is too high, Reddit’s post-IPO performance may scare companies off if it can’t keep up. We saw last year how much post-IPO trading performance can impact other companies’ decisions to go public \u2014 when Instacart failed to hold on to gains after pricing at $30 per share, other tech companies took note. Today, Instacart is worth a little more than $25 per share.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Reddit’s feeling out its own IPO valuation is crucial, especially given that hightened regulatory scrutiny is restricting M&A as an exit avenue for unicorns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":428363,"featured_media":1497697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"d5db70f7-285d-34be-bb73-4f8c32c4dfa0","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593,20429,577030455],"tags":[577222248,576845141,40179,577141453,576765839],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[576796356],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nReddit at $5B seems eminently reasonable | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Alex Wilhelm is Editor In Chief of TechCrunch+. He previously worked for Crunchbase News as Editor in Chief as well as The Next Web, TechCrunch, and Mattermark.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-12.12.07-PM.png","twitter":"alex"}],"author":[{"id":428363,"name":"Alex Wilhelm","url":"","description":"","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/alex-wilhelm\/","slug":"alex-wilhelm","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cc9b583e483d57b5eb30b6b09baefa63?s=24&d=identicon&r=g","48":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cc9b583e483d57b5eb30b6b09baefa63?s=48&d=identicon&r=g","96":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cc9b583e483d57b5eb30b6b09baefa63?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"},"yoast_head":"\nAlex Wilhelm, Author at TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Alex Wilhelm is Editor In Chief of TechCrunch+. He previously worked for Crunchbase News as Editor in Chief as well as The Next Web, TechCrunch, and Mattermark.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Screen-Shot-2021-04-30-at-12.12.07-PM.png","twitter":"alex","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/428363"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":1497697,"date":"2017-05-31T08:42:02","slug":"a-reddit-mascot-is-shown-at-the-companys-headquarters-in-san-francisco","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/a-reddit-mascot-is-shown-at-the-companys-headquarters-in-san-francisco\/","title":{"rendered":"A Reddit mascot is shown at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco"},"author":24893112,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"source_key":"other","source":"REUTERS \/ Robert Galbraith"},"authors":[24893112],"caption":{"rendered":"
A Reddit mascot is shown at the company’s headquarters in San Francisco, California April 15, 2014. Reddit, a website with a retro-’90s look and space-alien mascot that tracks everything from online news to celebrity Q&As, is going after more eyeballs, and advertising, by allowing members of its passionate community to post their own news more quickly and easily. REUTERS\/Robert Galbraith <\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":3500,"height":2333,"file":"2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=150,100","width":150,"height":100,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=300,200","width":300,"height":200,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=768,512","width":768,"height":512,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=680,453","width":680,"height":453,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=680"},"1536x1536":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=1536,1024","width":1536,"height":1024,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=1536"},"2048x2048":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=2048,1365","width":2048,"height":1365,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=2048"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=1200,800","width":1200,"height":800,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg?resize=50,33","width":50,"height":33,"filesize":1411178,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"rtr3lfoo.jpeg","width":1024,"height":683,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"REUTERS","camera":"","caption":"A Reddit mascot is shown at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, California April 15, 2014. Reddit, a website with a retro-'90s look and space-alien mascot that tracks everything from online news to celebrity Q&As, is going after more eyeballs, and advertising, by allowing members of its passionate community to post their own news more quickly and easily. REUTERS\/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY)","created_timestamp":"1397602381","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"A Reddit mascot is shown at the company's headquarters in San Francisco","orientation":"0","keywords":[":rel:d:bm:GF2EA4F1Q5901"]},"filesize":1411178},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/rtr3lfoo.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1497697"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1497697"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/24893112"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577055593,"description":"Social networking shapes society and our news coverage reflects and directs that. We keep tabs on all the biggest social companies, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and Reddit, as well as funding and acquisitions of new social startups.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/social\/","name":"Social","slug":"social","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nSocial Media News | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n
OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens.<\/p>\n
Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech for kids, to collaborate on AI guidelines and education materials for parents, educators and young adults.<\/p>\n
As a part of the partnership, OpenAI will work with Common Sense Media to curate “family-friendly” GPTs — chatbot apps powered by OpenAI’s GenAI models — in the GPT Store<\/a>, OpenAI’s GPT marketplace, based on Common Sense’s rating and evaluation standards, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says.<\/p>\n “AI offers incredible benefits for families and teens, and our partnership with Common Sense will further strengthen our safety work, ensuring that families and teens can use our tools with confidence,” Altman added in a canned statement.<\/p>\n The launch of the partnership comes after OpenAI said that it would participate in Common Sense’s new framework, launched in September, for ratings and reviews designed to assess the safety, transparency, ethical use and impact of AI products. Common Sense’s framework aims to produce a “nutrition label” for AI-powered apps, according to Common Sense co-founder and CEO James Steyer, toward shedding light on the contexts in which the apps are used and highlight areas of potential opportunity and harm against a set of “common sense” tenets.<\/p>\n The OpenAI logo displayed on a smartphone screen in front of computer screen with the ChatGPT logo. Image Credits:<\/strong> Didem Mente\/Anadolu Agency \/ Getty Images<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n In a press release, Steyer alluded to the fact that today’s parents remain generally less knowledgeable about GenAI tools — for example, OpenAI’s viral AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT<\/a> — than younger generations. An Impact Research poll commissioned by Common Sense Media late last year found that 58% of students aged 12 to 18 have used ChatGPT compared to 30% of parents of school-aged children.<\/p><\/div>\n “Together, Common Sense and OpenAI will work to make sure that AI has a positive impact on all teens and families,” Steyer said in an emailed statement. “Our guides and curation will be designed to educate families and educators about safe, responsible use of [OpenAI tools like] ChatGPT, so that we can collectively avoid any unintended consequences of this emerging technology.”<\/p>\n OpenAI’s under pressure from regulators to show that its GenAI-powered apps, including ChatGPT, are an overall boon for society — not a detriment to it. Just last summer, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT harmed consumers through its collection of data and publication of false statements on individuals. European data authorities have also expressed concern<\/a> over OpenAI’s private information handling.<\/p>\n OpenAI’s tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up<\/a> and get basic facts wrong<\/a>. And they’re biased<\/a> — a reflection of the data that was used to train them.<\/p>\n Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
“AI offers incredible benefits for families and teens, and our partnership with Common Sense will further strengthen our safety work, ensuring that families and teens can use our tools with confidence,” Altman added in a canned statement.<\/p>\n
The launch of the partnership comes after OpenAI said that it would participate in Common Sense’s new framework, launched in September, for ratings and reviews designed to assess the safety, transparency, ethical use and impact of AI products. Common Sense’s framework aims to produce a “nutrition label” for AI-powered apps, according to Common Sense co-founder and CEO James Steyer, toward shedding light on the contexts in which the apps are used and highlight areas of potential opportunity and harm against a set of “common sense” tenets.<\/p>\n
The OpenAI logo displayed on a smartphone screen in front of computer screen with the ChatGPT logo. Image Credits:<\/strong> Didem Mente\/Anadolu Agency \/ Getty Images<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n In a press release, Steyer alluded to the fact that today’s parents remain generally less knowledgeable about GenAI tools — for example, OpenAI’s viral AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT<\/a> — than younger generations. An Impact Research poll commissioned by Common Sense Media late last year found that 58% of students aged 12 to 18 have used ChatGPT compared to 30% of parents of school-aged children.<\/p><\/div>\n “Together, Common Sense and OpenAI will work to make sure that AI has a positive impact on all teens and families,” Steyer said in an emailed statement. “Our guides and curation will be designed to educate families and educators about safe, responsible use of [OpenAI tools like] ChatGPT, so that we can collectively avoid any unintended consequences of this emerging technology.”<\/p>\n OpenAI’s under pressure from regulators to show that its GenAI-powered apps, including ChatGPT, are an overall boon for society — not a detriment to it. Just last summer, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT harmed consumers through its collection of data and publication of false statements on individuals. European data authorities have also expressed concern<\/a> over OpenAI’s private information handling.<\/p>\n OpenAI’s tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up<\/a> and get basic facts wrong<\/a>. And they’re biased<\/a> — a reflection of the data that was used to train them.<\/p>\n Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
The OpenAI logo displayed on a smartphone screen in front of computer screen with the ChatGPT logo. Image Credits:<\/strong> Didem Mente\/Anadolu Agency \/ Getty Images<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n In a press release, Steyer alluded to the fact that today’s parents remain generally less knowledgeable about GenAI tools — for example, OpenAI’s viral AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT<\/a> — than younger generations. An Impact Research poll commissioned by Common Sense Media late last year found that 58% of students aged 12 to 18 have used ChatGPT compared to 30% of parents of school-aged children.<\/p><\/div>\n “Together, Common Sense and OpenAI will work to make sure that AI has a positive impact on all teens and families,” Steyer said in an emailed statement. “Our guides and curation will be designed to educate families and educators about safe, responsible use of [OpenAI tools like] ChatGPT, so that we can collectively avoid any unintended consequences of this emerging technology.”<\/p>\n OpenAI’s under pressure from regulators to show that its GenAI-powered apps, including ChatGPT, are an overall boon for society — not a detriment to it. Just last summer, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT harmed consumers through its collection of data and publication of false statements on individuals. European data authorities have also expressed concern<\/a> over OpenAI’s private information handling.<\/p>\n OpenAI’s tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up<\/a> and get basic facts wrong<\/a>. And they’re biased<\/a> — a reflection of the data that was used to train them.<\/p>\n Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
In a press release, Steyer alluded to the fact that today’s parents remain generally less knowledgeable about GenAI tools — for example, OpenAI’s viral AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT<\/a> — than younger generations. An Impact Research poll commissioned by Common Sense Media late last year found that 58% of students aged 12 to 18 have used ChatGPT compared to 30% of parents of school-aged children.<\/p><\/div>\n “Together, Common Sense and OpenAI will work to make sure that AI has a positive impact on all teens and families,” Steyer said in an emailed statement. “Our guides and curation will be designed to educate families and educators about safe, responsible use of [OpenAI tools like] ChatGPT, so that we can collectively avoid any unintended consequences of this emerging technology.”<\/p>\n OpenAI’s under pressure from regulators to show that its GenAI-powered apps, including ChatGPT, are an overall boon for society — not a detriment to it. Just last summer, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT harmed consumers through its collection of data and publication of false statements on individuals. European data authorities have also expressed concern<\/a> over OpenAI’s private information handling.<\/p>\n OpenAI’s tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up<\/a> and get basic facts wrong<\/a>. And they’re biased<\/a> — a reflection of the data that was used to train them.<\/p>\n Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
“Together, Common Sense and OpenAI will work to make sure that AI has a positive impact on all teens and families,” Steyer said in an emailed statement. “Our guides and curation will be designed to educate families and educators about safe, responsible use of [OpenAI tools like] ChatGPT, so that we can collectively avoid any unintended consequences of this emerging technology.”<\/p>\n
OpenAI’s under pressure from regulators to show that its GenAI-powered apps, including ChatGPT, are an overall boon for society — not a detriment to it. Just last summer, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI over whether ChatGPT harmed consumers through its collection of data and publication of false statements on individuals. European data authorities have also expressed concern<\/a> over OpenAI’s private information handling.<\/p>\n OpenAI’s tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up<\/a> and get basic facts wrong<\/a>. And they’re biased<\/a> — a reflection of the data that was used to train them.<\/p>\n Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
OpenAI’s tools, like all GenAI tools, tend to confidently make things up<\/a> and get basic facts wrong<\/a>. And they’re biased<\/a> — a reflection of the data that was used to train them.<\/p>\n Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Kids and teens, aware of the tools’ limitations or no, are increasingly turning to them for help not only with schoolwork but personal issues. According to a poll<\/a> from the Center for Democracy and Technology, 29% of kids report having used ChatGPT to deal with anxiety or mental health issues, 22% for issues with friends and 16% for family conflicts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
OpenAI hopes to win the trust of parents — and policymakers — by partnering with organizations that work to minimize tech and media harms to kids, preteens and teens. Case in point, OpenAI today announced a partnership with Common Sense Media, the nonprofit organization that reviews and ranks the suitability of various media and tech […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2631919,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b76757ba-519d-373d-9bd7-e3cda66c399f","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T20:32:47Z","apple_news_api_id":"46ad9cbe-a288-45a7-8f2a-8926cec3d319","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T23:19:09Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ARq2cvqKIRaePKokmzsPTGQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577047203,577051039],"tags":[14067,576630404,577222658,577221714,421223872],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpenAI partners with Common Sense Media to collaborate on AI guidelines | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Kyle Wiggers is a senior reporter at TechCrunch with a special interest in artificial intelligence. His writing has appeared in VentureBeat and Digital Trends, as well as a range of gadget blogs including Android Police, Android Authority, Droid-Life, and XDA-Developers. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, a piano educator, and dabbles in piano himself occasionally -- if mostly unsuccessfully.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kyle-Wiggers.jpg","twitter":"kyle_l_wiggers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574536"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"author":[{"id":133574536,"name":"Kyle Wiggers","url":"","description":"Kyle Wiggers is a senior reporter at TechCrunch with a special interest in artificial intelligence. His writing has appeared in VentureBeat and Digital Trends, as well as a range of gadget blogs including Android Police, Android Authority, Droid-Life, and XDA-Developers. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, a piano educator, and dabbles in piano himself. occasionally -- if mostly unsuccessfully.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/kyle-wiggers\/","slug":"kyle-wiggers","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c444ee74e16b994683cd9c6497173dda?s=24&d=identicon&r=g","48":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c444ee74e16b994683cd9c6497173dda?s=48&d=identicon&r=g","96":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c444ee74e16b994683cd9c6497173dda?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"},"yoast_head":"\nKyle Wiggers, Author at TechCrunch | Page 48 of 52<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Kyle Wiggers is a senior reporter at TechCrunch with a special interest in artificial intelligence. His writing has appeared in VentureBeat and Digital Trends, as well as a range of gadget blogs including Android Police, Android Authority, Droid-Life, and XDA-Developers. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, a piano educator, and dabbles in piano himself occasionally -- if mostly unsuccessfully.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Kyle-Wiggers.jpg","twitter":"kyle_l_wiggers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574536"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":2631919,"date":"2023-11-20T16:17:42","slug":"openai-pattern-04","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/openai-pattern-04\/","title":{"rendered":"openAI-pattern-04"},"author":24893112,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"source_key":"other","source":"TechCrunch","person":"Bryce Durbin"},"authors":[24893112],"caption":{"rendered":"
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin \/ TechCrunch<\/p>\n"},"alt_text":"pattern of openAI logo","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":1920,"height":1080,"file":"2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg","filesize":131841,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=150,84","width":150,"height":84,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=300,169","width":300,"height":169,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=768,432","width":768,"height":432,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=680,383","width":680,"height":383,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=680"},"1536x1536":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=1536,864","width":1536,"height":864,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=1536"},"tc-social-image":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=1200,675","width":1200,"height":675,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=1200"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg?resize=50,28","width":50,"height":28,"filesize":131841,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"openAI-pattern-04.jpg","width":1024,"height":576,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","keywords":[]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/openAI-pattern-04.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2631919"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2631919"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/24893112"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":577047203,"description":"News coverage on artificial intelligence and machine learning tech, the companies building them, and the ethical issues AI raises today. This encompasses generative AI, including large language models, text-to-image and text-to-video models; speech recognition and generation; and predictive analytics.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/artificial-intelligence\/","name":"AI","slug":"artificial-intelligence","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nAI News & Artificial Intelligence | Page 48 of 52 | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n
A year and<\/span> a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead<\/a>. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however the European Union\u2019s recent clamping down on perceived anti-competitive M&As proved to be the final nail in the coffin. This morning\u2019s news also finds iRobot laying off 350 people — amounting to nearly one-third of its total headcount — as longtime CEO Colin Angle steps down.<\/p>\n “iRobot is an innovation pioneer with a clear vision to make consumer robots a reality,” Angle said in a release. “The termination of the agreement with Amazon is disappointing, but iRobot now turns toward the future with a focus and commitment to continue building thoughtful robots and intelligent home innovations that make life better, and that our customers around the world love.”<\/p>\n The deal has already taken some toll on the firm, including two rounds of layoffs. Last July<\/a>, Amazon lowered its purchase price 15%, from $1.7 billion to $1.4 billion. The news came as iRobot announced that it was raising $200 million to continue operations after the initial deal was expected to close.<\/p>\n \u201ciRobot is taking on new financing that we believe is sufficient to support our operations in a hyper competitive environment and meet our liquidity needs as well as pay off iRobot\u2019s existing debt,\u201d Angle said at the time.<\/p>\n The phrase \u201chyper competitive environment\u201d is a telling one. It effectively does two things. It explains the need for fresh cash, in the midst of financial struggles that pre-dated the acquisition announcement. It also speak to the broader regulatory scrutiny around the deal. When it was first announced, there were two key sticking points among critics.<\/p>\n The first and less discussed was privacy. Roombas have mapping capabilities and Amazon has often faced criticism over its decisions to offer Ring cam security footage to law enforcement. The idea of letting the company into private residences in this way has understandably given many advocates pause.<\/p>\n The second and ultimately larger sticking point is competition. Amazon has the biggest retail billboard on the internet. The company could have, in theory, promoted Roombas in way that shut out the \u201chyper\u201d competition.<\/p><\/div>\n “Our in-depth investigation preliminarily showed that the acquisition of iRobot would have enabled Amazon to foreclose iRobot’s rivals by restricting or degrading access to the Amazon Stores,” the European Commission noted in a statement issued this morning<\/a>. “For example, Amazon would have been in a position to (i) delist or not list rival robot vacuum cleaners; (ii) reduce visibility of rival robot vacuum cleaners displayed in Amazon’s marketplace; (iii) limit access to certain widgets or certain commercially attractive product labels; or (iv) raise the costs of iRobot’s rivals to advertise and sell their robot vacuum cleaners on Amazon’s marketplace. We also preliminarily found that Amazon would have had the incentive to foreclose iRobot’s rivals because it would have been economically profitable to do so. All such foreclosure strategies could have restricted competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners, leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less innovation for consumers.”<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question, of course, that the environment is dramatically more competitive than the one iRobot entered 20 years ago. When iRobot finally found its groove in the robot vacuum space after years of false starts (including baby dolls and lunar rovers, to name a few), the company finally hit upon what — to date — remains the only successful home robot on a meaningful scale. Angle likes to say that he finally found success as a roboticist after becoming a vacuum salesman. It\u2019s a cute line that gets to the heart of an industry that requires the identification of needs in other fields in which most roboticists are not well-versed.<\/p>\n After two decades, the robot vacuums exist on their own island. That\u2019s certainly not for lack of trying on the part of iRobot or the competition. It seems like every year another \u201ccompanion\u201d robot comes and goes. Neither can the issue be blamed on lack of demand. Above all, it\u2019s a technology problem. There are currently a lot of constraints on the functionality of hardware automation that is acceptably priced for consumers — and this likely won\u2019t be changing any time soon.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
“iRobot is an innovation pioneer with a clear vision to make consumer robots a reality,” Angle said in a release. “The termination of the agreement with Amazon is disappointing, but iRobot now turns toward the future with a focus and commitment to continue building thoughtful robots and intelligent home innovations that make life better, and that our customers around the world love.”<\/p>\n
The deal has already taken some toll on the firm, including two rounds of layoffs. Last July<\/a>, Amazon lowered its purchase price 15%, from $1.7 billion to $1.4 billion. The news came as iRobot announced that it was raising $200 million to continue operations after the initial deal was expected to close.<\/p>\n \u201ciRobot is taking on new financing that we believe is sufficient to support our operations in a hyper competitive environment and meet our liquidity needs as well as pay off iRobot\u2019s existing debt,\u201d Angle said at the time.<\/p>\n The phrase \u201chyper competitive environment\u201d is a telling one. It effectively does two things. It explains the need for fresh cash, in the midst of financial struggles that pre-dated the acquisition announcement. It also speak to the broader regulatory scrutiny around the deal. When it was first announced, there were two key sticking points among critics.<\/p>\n The first and less discussed was privacy. Roombas have mapping capabilities and Amazon has often faced criticism over its decisions to offer Ring cam security footage to law enforcement. The idea of letting the company into private residences in this way has understandably given many advocates pause.<\/p>\n The second and ultimately larger sticking point is competition. Amazon has the biggest retail billboard on the internet. The company could have, in theory, promoted Roombas in way that shut out the \u201chyper\u201d competition.<\/p><\/div>\n “Our in-depth investigation preliminarily showed that the acquisition of iRobot would have enabled Amazon to foreclose iRobot’s rivals by restricting or degrading access to the Amazon Stores,” the European Commission noted in a statement issued this morning<\/a>. “For example, Amazon would have been in a position to (i) delist or not list rival robot vacuum cleaners; (ii) reduce visibility of rival robot vacuum cleaners displayed in Amazon’s marketplace; (iii) limit access to certain widgets or certain commercially attractive product labels; or (iv) raise the costs of iRobot’s rivals to advertise and sell their robot vacuum cleaners on Amazon’s marketplace. We also preliminarily found that Amazon would have had the incentive to foreclose iRobot’s rivals because it would have been economically profitable to do so. All such foreclosure strategies could have restricted competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners, leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less innovation for consumers.”<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question, of course, that the environment is dramatically more competitive than the one iRobot entered 20 years ago. When iRobot finally found its groove in the robot vacuum space after years of false starts (including baby dolls and lunar rovers, to name a few), the company finally hit upon what — to date — remains the only successful home robot on a meaningful scale. Angle likes to say that he finally found success as a roboticist after becoming a vacuum salesman. It\u2019s a cute line that gets to the heart of an industry that requires the identification of needs in other fields in which most roboticists are not well-versed.<\/p>\n After two decades, the robot vacuums exist on their own island. That\u2019s certainly not for lack of trying on the part of iRobot or the competition. It seems like every year another \u201ccompanion\u201d robot comes and goes. Neither can the issue be blamed on lack of demand. Above all, it\u2019s a technology problem. There are currently a lot of constraints on the functionality of hardware automation that is acceptably priced for consumers — and this likely won\u2019t be changing any time soon.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
\u201ciRobot is taking on new financing that we believe is sufficient to support our operations in a hyper competitive environment and meet our liquidity needs as well as pay off iRobot\u2019s existing debt,\u201d Angle said at the time.<\/p>\n
The phrase \u201chyper competitive environment\u201d is a telling one. It effectively does two things. It explains the need for fresh cash, in the midst of financial struggles that pre-dated the acquisition announcement. It also speak to the broader regulatory scrutiny around the deal. When it was first announced, there were two key sticking points among critics.<\/p>\n
The first and less discussed was privacy. Roombas have mapping capabilities and Amazon has often faced criticism over its decisions to offer Ring cam security footage to law enforcement. The idea of letting the company into private residences in this way has understandably given many advocates pause.<\/p>\n
The second and ultimately larger sticking point is competition. Amazon has the biggest retail billboard on the internet. The company could have, in theory, promoted Roombas in way that shut out the \u201chyper\u201d competition.<\/p><\/div>\n “Our in-depth investigation preliminarily showed that the acquisition of iRobot would have enabled Amazon to foreclose iRobot’s rivals by restricting or degrading access to the Amazon Stores,” the European Commission noted in a statement issued this morning<\/a>. “For example, Amazon would have been in a position to (i) delist or not list rival robot vacuum cleaners; (ii) reduce visibility of rival robot vacuum cleaners displayed in Amazon’s marketplace; (iii) limit access to certain widgets or certain commercially attractive product labels; or (iv) raise the costs of iRobot’s rivals to advertise and sell their robot vacuum cleaners on Amazon’s marketplace. We also preliminarily found that Amazon would have had the incentive to foreclose iRobot’s rivals because it would have been economically profitable to do so. All such foreclosure strategies could have restricted competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners, leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less innovation for consumers.”<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question, of course, that the environment is dramatically more competitive than the one iRobot entered 20 years ago. When iRobot finally found its groove in the robot vacuum space after years of false starts (including baby dolls and lunar rovers, to name a few), the company finally hit upon what — to date — remains the only successful home robot on a meaningful scale. Angle likes to say that he finally found success as a roboticist after becoming a vacuum salesman. It\u2019s a cute line that gets to the heart of an industry that requires the identification of needs in other fields in which most roboticists are not well-versed.<\/p>\n After two decades, the robot vacuums exist on their own island. That\u2019s certainly not for lack of trying on the part of iRobot or the competition. It seems like every year another \u201ccompanion\u201d robot comes and goes. Neither can the issue be blamed on lack of demand. Above all, it\u2019s a technology problem. There are currently a lot of constraints on the functionality of hardware automation that is acceptably priced for consumers — and this likely won\u2019t be changing any time soon.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
“Our in-depth investigation preliminarily showed that the acquisition of iRobot would have enabled Amazon to foreclose iRobot’s rivals by restricting or degrading access to the Amazon Stores,” the European Commission noted in a statement issued this morning<\/a>. “For example, Amazon would have been in a position to (i) delist or not list rival robot vacuum cleaners; (ii) reduce visibility of rival robot vacuum cleaners displayed in Amazon’s marketplace; (iii) limit access to certain widgets or certain commercially attractive product labels; or (iv) raise the costs of iRobot’s rivals to advertise and sell their robot vacuum cleaners on Amazon’s marketplace. We also preliminarily found that Amazon would have had the incentive to foreclose iRobot’s rivals because it would have been economically profitable to do so. All such foreclosure strategies could have restricted competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners, leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less innovation for consumers.”<\/p>\n There\u2019s no question, of course, that the environment is dramatically more competitive than the one iRobot entered 20 years ago. When iRobot finally found its groove in the robot vacuum space after years of false starts (including baby dolls and lunar rovers, to name a few), the company finally hit upon what — to date — remains the only successful home robot on a meaningful scale. Angle likes to say that he finally found success as a roboticist after becoming a vacuum salesman. It\u2019s a cute line that gets to the heart of an industry that requires the identification of needs in other fields in which most roboticists are not well-versed.<\/p>\n After two decades, the robot vacuums exist on their own island. That\u2019s certainly not for lack of trying on the part of iRobot or the competition. It seems like every year another \u201ccompanion\u201d robot comes and goes. Neither can the issue be blamed on lack of demand. Above all, it\u2019s a technology problem. There are currently a lot of constraints on the functionality of hardware automation that is acceptably priced for consumers — and this likely won\u2019t be changing any time soon.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
There\u2019s no question, of course, that the environment is dramatically more competitive than the one iRobot entered 20 years ago. When iRobot finally found its groove in the robot vacuum space after years of false starts (including baby dolls and lunar rovers, to name a few), the company finally hit upon what — to date — remains the only successful home robot on a meaningful scale. Angle likes to say that he finally found success as a roboticist after becoming a vacuum salesman. It\u2019s a cute line that gets to the heart of an industry that requires the identification of needs in other fields in which most roboticists are not well-versed.<\/p>\n
After two decades, the robot vacuums exist on their own island. That\u2019s certainly not for lack of trying on the part of iRobot or the competition. It seems like every year another \u201ccompanion\u201d robot comes and goes. Neither can the issue be blamed on lack of demand. Above all, it\u2019s a technology problem. There are currently a lot of constraints on the functionality of hardware automation that is acceptably priced for consumers — and this likely won\u2019t be changing any time soon.<\/p>\n
Image Credits:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Image Credits:<\/strong> Amazon<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Look at Amazon\u2019s Astro robot. It\u2019s cute, it\u2019s compelling, it does some interesting things (the periscope security camera is a genuinely clever innovation that gets around the Roomba\u2019s limited vantage point). But it didn\u2019t exactly set the world on fire. At this point, it\u2019s probably best classified as an interesting experiment. That\u2019s not to say that Amazon is done with it or other home robots (it\u2019s not), but presently it feels like a bit of an evolutionary dead end. I would, however, love to be proved wrong here.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, there are now dozens of robot vacuums. Some come from bigger names like Samsung and Dyson, while far cheaper models have flooded the market. Search for \u201ccheap robot vacuum\u201d on Amazon and you\u2019ll find a ton of options under $100. iRobot\u2019s focus, on the other hand, has been pushing the state of the art, resulting in robots that top out around 10x that amount when you factor in things like the self-cleaning bin.<\/p>\n
iRobot has certainly felt the pinch of the category it created. Remember the gutter-cleaning Looj or pool cleaning Verro? Over the years, the company has looked to apply the Roomba\u2019s successes to different parts of the house to an uneven record of success. The lawn mowing Terra, meanwhile, was hit hard by COVID and supply chain constraints. It was indefinitely put on ice nearly four years ago, and this morning\u2019s news doesn\u2019t bode well for the project\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
That decision, of course, will ultimately fall on the person who steps in as the second CEO in iRobot\u2019s 34-year history. Currently, executive vice president Glen Weinstein is stepping into the interim role.<\/p>\n
Layoffs should always be mourned for the toll they take on individuals, who are too often singled out arbitrarily. That absolutely applies to the multiple rounds iRobot has undergone in recent years. Since its founding in 1990, the company has been one of the pillars of greater-Boston\u2019s thriving robotics ecosystem. A year or two after I started, TechCrunch held a private dinner for Boston robotics luminaries, and it seemed as though nearly every guest had been involved with iRobot one way or another over the years.<\/p>\n
Boston robotics will ultimately be okay. Those extremely talented individuals who are no longer with the company will form the next generation of world-changing robotics startups. This is sad, hard news, but I\u2019m not too worried about those smart and capable individuals at the end of the day. They will do great things. Nor am I particularly worried about the future of the home robot. It\u2019s had a slow start that may stretch out even longer, but soon enough we\u2019ll be seeing key breakthroughs in AI, navigation and mobile manipulation that will engender a new crop of capable home robots.<\/p>\n
Hopefully, in spite of its struggles, iRobot will continue to play a key role in that world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A year and a half after announcing its intention to acquire iRobot, Amazon\u2019s deal is officially dead. All parties involved anticipated some level of regulatory scrutiny, but after a few decades of tech company consolidation, few expected this much friction. The deal had already passed through select international regulatory bodies, including the U.K. Ultimately, however […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":2657985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"b5a4cac3-c6ce-3441-b35b-e6126ce1a38b","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2024-01-29T14:56:37Z","apple_news_api_id":"4ec22d92-b029-4dfc-96e2-054ac257d136","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2024-01-29T17:00:22Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/ATsItkrApTfyW4gVKwlfRNg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[449223024,577123751],"tags":[6602,621554,26402,103613],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmazon\u2019s $1.4B iRobot deal is dead. Now what? | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Brian Heater is the Hardware Editor at TechCrunch. He worked for a number of leading tech publications, including Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, where he served as the Managing Editor. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. He hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares his Queens apartment with a rabbit named Lucy.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/xynitsmpgmmobpekzxkg.jpg.jpg","twitter":"bheater","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/699688"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"author":[{"id":699688,"name":"Brian Heater","url":"http:\/\/bheater","description":"","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/author\/brian-heater\/","slug":"brian-heater","avatar_urls":{"24":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=24&d=identicon&r=g","48":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=48&d=identicon&r=g","96":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"},"yoast_head":"\nBrian Heater, Author at TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Brian Heater is the Hardware Editor at TechCrunch. He worked for a number of leading tech publications, including Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, where he served as the Managing Editor. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. He hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares his Queens apartment with a rabbit named Lucy.<\/p>","cbAvatar":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/xynitsmpgmmobpekzxkg.jpg.jpg","twitter":"bheater","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/699688"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users"}]}}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":2657985,"date":"2024-01-29T07:25:11","slug":"techcrunch-disrupt-san-francisco-2018-day-2-10","type":"attachment","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/01\/29\/amazons-1-4b-irobot-deal-is-dead-now-what\/techcrunch-disrupt-san-francisco-2018-day-2-10\/","title":{"rendered":"TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2018 – Day 2"},"author":133574623,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"license":{"person":"Kimberly White\/Getty Images for TechCrunch"},"authors":[133574623],"caption":{"rendered":""},"alt_text":"Colin Angle","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","media_details":{"width":1200,"height":800,"file":"2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg","filesize":271535,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=150,100","width":150,"height":100,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=150"},"medium":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=300,200","width":300,"height":200,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=300"},"medium_large":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=768,512","width":768,"height":512,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=1024"},"large":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=680,453","width":680,"height":453,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=680"},"guest-author-32":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=32,32","width":32,"height":32,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=32&h=32&crop=1"},"guest-author-50":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=50,50","width":50,"height":50,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=50&h=50&crop=1"},"guest-author-64":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=64,64","width":64,"height":64,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=64&h=64&crop=1"},"guest-author-96":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=96,96","width":96,"height":96,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=96&h=96&crop=1"},"guest-author-128":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=128,128","width":128,"height":128,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=128&h=128&crop=1"},"concierge-thumb":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?resize=50,33","width":50,"height":33,"filesize":271535,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg?w=50"},"full":{"file":"GettyImages-1027941554.jpg","width":1024,"height":683,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"5","credit":"Getty Images for TechCrunch","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"speaks onstage during Day 2 of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2018 at Moscone Center on September 6, 2018 in San Francisco, California.","created_timestamp":"1536243545","copyright":"2018 Getty Images","focal_length":"188","iso":"5000","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2018 - Day 2","orientation":"1","keywords":["Arts Culture and Entertainment","San Francisco","FeedRouted_NorthAmerica"]}},"source_url":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-1027941554.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2657985"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/attachment"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2657985"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-json\/tc\/v1\/users\/133574623"}]}}],"wp:term":[[{"id":449223024,"description":"Product news and hardware reviews, focusing on the latest hardware innovations from the latest startups to the biggest players like Apple, Samsung, Amazon Google, Microsoft and DJI, from smartphones, smartwatches and smart homes to drones, connected fitness, laptops, wearables and AR\/VR.","link":"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/category\/hardware\/","name":"Hardware","slug":"hardware","taxonomy":"category","parent":0,"yoast_head":"\nHardware | Read the latest product reviews on TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n
Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days.<\/p>\n
On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI startup Rabbit’s nifty hardware and app makers debating launching apps tailor-made for Apple’s Vision Pro headset.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a decent chunk of news to recap this week, so let\u2019s get to it. But first, a reminder to\u00a0sign up here<\/a> to receive WiR in your inbox every Saturday if you haven\u2019t already done so.<\/p>\nNews<\/h2>\n Disney’s VR treadmill:<\/strong><\/a> Disney has developed a treadmill-like system for VR composed of hundreds of small, round “tiles” that look to be about the size of a silver dollar, Brian writes. Each serve as a kind of mini, omnidirectional treadmill.<\/p>\n OpenAI fixes GPT-4:<\/a> <\/strong>OpenAI dropped prices on a number of AI models this week as it rolled out a fix for its “lazy” GPT-4 models that refused to work — and launched new models for specific use cases.<\/p>\n Apple’s new device protection:<\/strong><\/a> Romain writes about Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, like accessing stored passwords and credit cards.<\/p>\n Vision Pro apps a maybe:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.<\/p><\/div>\nAnalysis<\/h2>\n Rabbit’s r1:<\/strong><\/a> AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.<\/p>\nPodcasts<\/h2>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Disney’s VR treadmill:<\/strong><\/a> Disney has developed a treadmill-like system for VR composed of hundreds of small, round “tiles” that look to be about the size of a silver dollar, Brian writes. Each serve as a kind of mini, omnidirectional treadmill.<\/p>\n OpenAI fixes GPT-4:<\/a> <\/strong>OpenAI dropped prices on a number of AI models this week as it rolled out a fix for its “lazy” GPT-4 models that refused to work — and launched new models for specific use cases.<\/p>\n Apple’s new device protection:<\/strong><\/a> Romain writes about Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, like accessing stored passwords and credit cards.<\/p>\n Vision Pro apps a maybe:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.<\/p><\/div>\nAnalysis<\/h2>\n Rabbit’s r1:<\/strong><\/a> AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.<\/p>\nPodcasts<\/h2>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
OpenAI fixes GPT-4:<\/a> <\/strong>OpenAI dropped prices on a number of AI models this week as it rolled out a fix for its “lazy” GPT-4 models that refused to work — and launched new models for specific use cases.<\/p>\n Apple’s new device protection:<\/strong><\/a> Romain writes about Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, like accessing stored passwords and credit cards.<\/p>\n Vision Pro apps a maybe:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.<\/p><\/div>\nAnalysis<\/h2>\n Rabbit’s r1:<\/strong><\/a> AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.<\/p>\nPodcasts<\/h2>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Apple’s new device protection:<\/strong><\/a> Romain writes about Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, like accessing stored passwords and credit cards.<\/p>\n Vision Pro apps a maybe:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.<\/p><\/div>\nAnalysis<\/h2>\n Rabbit’s r1:<\/strong><\/a> AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.<\/p>\nPodcasts<\/h2>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Vision Pro apps a maybe:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following in its footsteps. The trend doesn’t bode well, necessarily.<\/p><\/div>\nAnalysis<\/h2>\n Rabbit’s r1:<\/strong><\/a> AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.<\/p>\nPodcasts<\/h2>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Rabbit’s r1:<\/strong><\/a> AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The r1 can purportedly do what a typical smartphone can do — but using generative AI and natural language.<\/p>\nPodcasts<\/h2>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, the crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car-selling business and what’s happening over at Brex.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Ben Goodwin, the co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the gut-healthy soda brand that amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch.<\/p>\n And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
And Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong> had Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on the pod. Solana aims to help grow the ecosystem for the layer-1 blockchain Solana.<\/span><\/p>\nTechCrunch+<\/h2>\n TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys \u2014 which you know if you\u2019re already a subscriber. If you\u2019re not,\u00a0consider signing up<\/a>. Here are a few highlights from this week:<\/em><\/p>\n The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
The tech layoff surge:<\/strong><\/a> Alex and Anna write about the surge in staff cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which flipped the script on expectations for this year.<\/p>\n HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
HPE’s deal for Juniper:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Ron and Alex weigh in on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks back for $14 billion. The gist is, the companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they really do match up well (so long as HPE doesn\u2019t mess it up).<\/p>\n Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Fintech, down but not out:<\/strong><\/a> Fintech has been in the dumps for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff as they try to rein in costs, you\u2019d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is struggling. But that isn’t necessarily the case, Alex and Anna write.<\/p>\nBonus round<\/h2>\n Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Lamborghini licenses MIT battery tech:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim reports that Lamborghini has licensed new battery tech from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries in wide use today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Mini Foldable Treadmill Hey, folks, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering notable happenings in tech over the past few days. On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative VR treadmill, OpenAI fixing its “lazy” AI and MIT’s high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, AI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133574536,"featured_media":2655242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"carmot_uuid":"9aa6cada-2420-344f-a8fd-369e14648d63","footnotes":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[577055593],"tags":[291,24873,18403,577123831,577152504],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_ec_category":[],"tc_event":[],"tc_regions_tax":[],"yoast_head":"\nDisney's VR treadmill, OpenAI fixes 'lazy' GPT-4, and Apple rolls out stolen device protection | TechCrunch<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n