Daily Crunch - Google starts testing its cookie alternative

TechCrunch Newsletter

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 • By Anthony Ha

Google tries out new ad targeting technology, PayPal adds cryptocurrency support and Substack raises additional funding. This is your Daily Crunch for March 30, 2021.

The big story: Google starts testing its cookie alternative Google announced today that it has begun rolling out a new technology called Federated Learning of Cohorts (FLoC) in a developer trial. FLoC is meant to serve as an alternative to personally identifiable cookies (which are being phased out by Google and other platforms), with Google analyzing your web browsing behavior and grouping you with other people who have similar interests, for ad-targeting purposes. The trial is starting out in a number of geographies, including the United States — but not in Europe, where there are concerns about compliance with Europe’s GDPR privacy regulations. Read more Image Credits: Bristlecone

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The tech giants YouTube tests hiding dislike counts on videos — The company says it will run a "small experiment" with different designs that hide dislike counts, but not the “dislike” button itself. Ballot counting for Amazon's historic union vote starts today — Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama has become ground zero for one of the most import labor efforts in modern American history. PayPal's new feature allows US consumers to check out using cryptocurrency — The feature expands on PayPal's current investments in the cryptocurrency market. Image Credits: Olly Curtis/Future / Getty Images

Startups, funding and venture capital Celebrity video request site Cameo reaches unicorn status with $100M raise — Cameo has been building a good deal of steam in recent years, but it also got a major boost amidst the pandemic. Substack confirms $65M raise, promises to 'rapidly' expand its financial backing of newly independent writers — Substack did not provide material new growth metrics, instead saying that it has "more than half a million people" paying for writers on its network. NFT art marketplace SuperRare closes $9M Series A — SuperRare launched its art platform in 2018, since then it has differentiated by maintaining a closed early access platform, closely curating the art that’s sold.

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch The Tonal EC-1 — Remember our deep dives into the history, businesses and growth of Patreon, Niantic, Roblox, Kobalt and Unity? We’re bringing the format back with an in-depth, multi-part look at fitness startup Tonal. Is Substack really worth $650M? — More thoughts on Substack’s finances. (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.) Image Credits: Nigel Sussman

Everything else A trove of imported console games vanish from Chinese online stores — A handful of grey market videogame console vendors on Taobao stopped selling and shipping this week. Applications for Startup Battlefield at TC Disrupt 2021 are now open — TechCrunch is on the hunt for game-changing and ground-breaking startups from around the globe to feature in Startup Battlefield during TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 this fall. Image Credits: Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images

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Daily Crunch - Boston Dynamics shows off its next commercial robot

TechCrunch Newsletter

Monday, March 29, 2021 • By Anthony Ha

We’ve got the details on Boston Dynamics’ upcoming warehouse robot Stretch, Apple releases security patches and Cazoo is going public via SPAC. This is your Daily Crunch for March 29, 2021.

The big story: Boston Dynamics shows off its next commercial robot Boston Robotics continues its transformation from research organization to commercial robotics company: Stretch is the company’s commercial version of Handle, a wheeled robot that could navigate around objects and pick up a 100-pound crate. With Stretch, the wheels have become less prominent, while the team has added a “perception mast” that allows the robot to see while it moves around and picks objects in a warehouse environment. Stretch is currently in prototype form. The company plans to build the first units this summer and actually make it available for sale next year. Read more

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The tech giants Apple releases iPhone, iPad and Watch security patches for zero-day bug under active attack — Apple said the vulnerability, discovered by security researchers at Google's Project Zero, may have been "actively exploited" by hackers. IBM launches its first quantum developer certification — The "IBM Quantum Developer Certification" focuses on IBM's own software tools. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

Startups, funding and venture capital DiDi Chuxing expands to South Africa, to take on Bolt and Uber — Founded in 2012, the Beijing-based company claims to serve over 550 million users in 16 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America and Australia. Singular is a new Paris-based VC firm with $265M — Raffi Kamber and Jérémy Uzan want to build a leading European VC firm from Paris. UK's Cazoo will list on the NYSE by way of a SPAC, valuing it at $7B and raising $1.6B — The U.K. used-car sales portal has been on a major fundraising tear in the last year.

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch The NFT craze will be a boon for lawyers — Legal implications are the crux of the NFT trend. Will the pandemic spur a smart rebirth for cities? — In this time of urban reset, which smart city technologies will transform how we live our lives? CEO Manish Chandra and investor Navin Chaddha explain why Poshmark's Series A deck sings — Beyond TAM, founders should explain how they’ll reach key metrics. (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.) Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

Everything else Visa supports transaction settlement with USDC stablecoin — Visa has announced that transactions can be settled using USD Coin, a stablecoin powered by the Ethereum blockchain. US cuts trade ties to Myanmar, leaving internet access uncertain — In a statement, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the trade suspension would be "effective immediately" and will remain in place "until the return of a democratically elected government." TC Early Stage will dive deep on how to fundraise for your startup — Take a look at the fundraising sessions going down at TC Early Stage, which takes place later this week on April 1 and 2.

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Daily Crunch - Amazon makes PR push ahead of union vote

TechCrunch Newsletter

Friday, March 26, 2021 • By Anthony Ha

Amazon pushes back against unionization, WeWork eyes the SPAC route and there’s new spyware on Android. This is your Daily Crunch for March 26, 2021.

The big story: Amazon makes PR push ahead of union vote Workers at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bessemer, Alabama (a suburb of Birmingham) will vote next week on whether to unionize. In the meantime, Amazon is waging an aggressive PR campaign against the effort and the politicians who support it. For example, in a response to news that Senator Bernie Sanders would be visiting Amazon workers, executive Dave Clark tweeted, “I welcome @SenSanders to Birmingham and appreciate his push for a progressive workplace. I often say we are the Bernie Sanders of employers, but that's not quite right because we actually deliver a progressive workplace.” Meanwhile, the Amazon News account scoffed at Representative Mark Pocan for repeating accounts of Amazon workers peeing in water bottles: “If that were true, nobody would work for us.” In response, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (which the Amazon workers would be joining if the unionization effort succeeds) put out a statement asking, “How arrogant and tone deaf can Amazon be?” Read more Image Credits: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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The tech giants A new Android spyware masquerades as a 'system update' — The malware can take complete control of a victim’s device. What Silicon Valley could learn from China's Q&A platform Zhihu — China's largest question and answer platform, Zhihu, began trading at the lower end of its IPO range. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

Startups, funding and venture capital Crypto boom continues as Chainalysis raises $100M, doubles valuation to over $2B — The round comes just four months after the company secured a $100 million Series C round at a $1 billion valuation. Benitago Group raises $55M in combined debt and equity to buy and grow Amazon brands — Most of the funding takes the form of credit lines to fund acquisitions, but there’s also an equity investment. 'Link-in-bio' company Linktree raises $45M Series B for its social commerce features —  Linktree is one of the most popular "link in bio" services, with more than 12 million users. Image Credits: Westend61 / Getty Images

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch WeWork lines up for a second run at the public markets — If all you have is a blank-check company, every erstwhile startup looks like a public company in waiting. Five mistakes creators make building new games on Roblox — Game developers, brands and investors alike are wondering what factors cause the most successful games on this $47 billion platform to break out. UiPath's IPO filing suggests robotic process automation is booming — Five takeaways from the company’s S-1. (Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.) Image Credits: SOPA Images / Getty Images

Everything else These House hearings on tech are a waste of time and everyone knows it — Devin Coldewey says the hearings need to change if lawmakers really want to put Big Tech on the spot. Computer vision software has the potential to reinvent the way cities move — Tech provides new means of addressing the challenges of crowding, pollution and parking enforcement on dense city streets. You can only invest if you promise not to read the fine print, OK? — Wrap up the week with an episode of Equity. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Senior Frontend Developer at Coinrule (Anywhere) Technical Program/Product Managers at D. E. Shaw Research (New York, New York, USA) Salesforce Administrator & Developer at DSPolitical (Washington, D.C., USA) Director of Product Management, Online Casino (100% Remote) at Cresta Partners (Anywhere) Senior Software Engineer at Known (Cambridge, MA, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.

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