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The most read story on the site this week was, once again, unfortunately, about layoffs — this time at Microsoft. While the company plans to grow its headcount in the months ahead, for now it’s cutting “less than 1%” of its 180,000-person workforce as it focuses on “realigning business groups and roles.” “Less than 1%” may not sound huge, but 1% of 180,000 is still nearly 2,000 jobs…
other stuff
Lofi Girl gets taken down: YouTube still hasn’t figured out its issues with false DMCA takedowns. This week, the ridiculously chill YouTube music stream Lofi Girl got hit with a false DMCA claim. The channel is a favorite among students/programmers/anyone looking for some mellow beats to focus to, so the complaints were loud and everywhere. YouTube acknowledged and reversed the screwup, but not before the channel’s two-year streaming streak was broken.
TikTok is eating…what?: After years of unbelievable growth, you’d probably expect that TikTok has taken plenty of user activity from competing social networks — the Facebooks, the Snapchats, etc. But would you bet that it was impacting…say, Google Maps? A senior VP at Google says that’s the case.
Airlift shuts down: Airlift, one of the top startups in Pakistan, shut down suddenly this week. Employees were told on Tuesday that operations of the on-demand delivery service would cease the following day after a crucial fundraising round fell apart.
DoorDash wants bigger orders: Use DoorDash’s “DashPass” service much? Bad news. The “subtotal minimum” on your orders — basically, the amount you have to order before DashPass really does anything — will likely go up in the weeks ahead. Previously hard set at $12 for food or $35 for grocery orders, the company says the new minimum will “vary by store, city, and time of day.” In other words: algorithmssss.
Tesla loses a top AI exec: When it was announced back in March that Tesla’s director of AI, Andrej Karpathy, was going on a temporary sabbatical, the rumor was that it was just the first step toward his more official exit from the company. Sure enough: Karpathy announced on Wednesday that he’s out. Karpathy says he has “no concrete plans” for what’s next.
Nothing official: A few years ago, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei left the company to start a new hardware venture called Nothing. This week, after months of teasing/rumors/hype, the company announced its first phone — the aptly named Phone (1). Brian Heater spent some time with the phone and shares his thoughts on it — and the wild LED setup on the back — right here.
audio stuff
Ever wondered what your favorite TechCrunch writer sounds like? Probably not! But if you have…check out our podcasts! This week:
- On the Equity podcast, Alex/Natasha/Mary Ann talked about how the reversal of Roe v. Wade could impact how/where companies are built.
- On Chain Reaction, Lucas and Anita discussed the latest twists and spins on the roller-coaster ride that is crypto, including GameStop launching an NFT marketplace.
- Bowery Farming founder Irving Fain joined Darrell and Jordan on the Found podcast to break down what vertical farming is and why it matters.
additional stuff
Are you a TechCrunch+ member yet? If not, you’re missing some great reads. While the majority of stuff we put on TechCrunch is totally free, a lot of really great content is only available to TC+ subscribers.
Your startup’s pricing strategy: Product pricing can make or break a company — but the right price today isn’t necessarily the right price tomorrow. How do you adapt prices “without appearing parasitic”? How do you set the price for something in a “completely new category”? Michael Perez, director of growth for early-stage VC firm M13, goes deep on all this and more.
Here’s how to protect your equity if you get laid off: If you get laid off…what happens to that equity you got as part of your compensation package? The answer is, unfortunately, not always very clear — but Compound’s Adam Keesling has a breakdown of what you need to think about to make sure you keep what you’ve earned.
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