Hello lovely people – it’s that time of the week again: Weekly Review (WiR) time. For those unfamiliar, WiR is TechCrunch’s regular newsletter that recaps the big events in tech over the past few days. If you’re too busy to catch up on the latest events, don’t panic. WiR is here to give you speed.
In this week’s edition of WiR, we cover a hacking device that can spam nearby iPhones through Bluetooth pop-ups, Y Combinator Demo Day favorites (and controversies), Bumble changing its policy to eliminate bots, bundling and spam, and Lenovo’s new glasses policy Games and laptops. We also highlight the federal investigation into Tesla’s “secret glass” project, Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League, Texas’ efforts to impose identity checks on porn sites and hacked male chastity cages (yes, really).
There’s a lot to get into, so let’s dive into it. But first, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up here to get WiR in your inbox every Saturday.
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Y Combinator controversy: Popular venture firm Y Combinator has removed an Indian startup from its group after discovering “irregularities” in the company. Medobed, which promises to deliver medications within 10 minutes, was initially selected for Y Combinator’s S23 pool. But after discovering that Medobed’s founder repeatedly changed his account of his educational history and company growth metrics, Y Combinator cut ties.
YC show day: In lighter YC news, this week was Demo Day for Y Combinator, a two-day livestream of startups presenting the latest crop of venture capital firms. We have recaps from both days as well as highlighting AI startups that stood out to us because of their technical or commercial novelty.
Cheap iPhone Tricks: Thanks to a popular and relatively cheap hacking tool, hackers can spam your iPhone with annoying pop-ups asking you to connect to a nearby Apple device. A security researcher who asked to be referred to only as Anthony demonstrated this attack using the Flipper Zero, a small device that can be programmed to perform wireless attacks on devices within its range.
Smart Chastity Cage Hack: In other, more bizarre hacking news, the maker of a penis chastity device that can be controlled by an online partner has exposed users’ email addresses, plain text passwords, home addresses, IP addresses, and in some cases – GPS coordinates due to several flaws On its servers, according to a security researcher. Lorenzo has the full story.
Bumble cracks down on spam: Dating app company Bumble has released Updated community guidelines Aiming to crack down on bots, spam, ghosting and defamation on both Bumble and Badoo, Bumble’s alternative dating platform. Bumble is revamping its rules to weed out bots by banning actions like artificially influencing “connections, matching, conversations, or interaction through the use of automation or scripting,” Evan wrote.
Paw Patrol snacks recalled over pornography: UK-based supermarket giant Lidl has issued a recall of its Paw Patrol snacks after the website listed on the products’ packaging began displaying explicit content inappropriate for children. Affected products include Paw Patrol Yummy Bakes and Paw Patrol Mini Biscotti, which are snacks recommended for children ages 2 and up.
Texas cannot enforce online identity checks: A Texas judge issued an order injunction This week to stop implementing the online age verification bill. The Free Speech Coalition, along with adult video sites like Pornhub, led the legal challenge against the state of Texas. HP 1181Arguing that the bill violates the First Amendment and violates the rights guaranteed by Section 230.
Lenovo launches glasses and a mobile device: At the annual IFA consumer electronics conference in Berlin, Lenovo unveiled the Legion Glasses, which start at $329 and share certain features with Apple’s Vision Pro, Brian wrote. Along with this, Lenovo debuted the $699 Legion Go, its answer to Valve’s Steam Deck, which is not only more powerful than the Steam Deck in terms of processing power but also features a higher-resolution display and higher refresh rate.
Feds are investigating Tesla: Federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission are separately investigating the use of Tesla money to finance a secret project described internally as a glass house in Austin, Texas, for CEO Elon Musk. Tesla board members are also reportedly involved in the investigation into possible misuse of company resources in the project, known as “Project 42,” and whether Musk was personally involved.
Musk sues ADL: If the federal investigation against Tesla wasn’t enough, Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League, the nonprofit that works to combat anti-Semitism, extremism, and intolerance. Musk accused the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of falsely accusing him and his company
My voice
Need a podcast or two to complete your playlist? Good news – TechCrunch has a lot to fit the bill.
latest episode of justice Featured by Michael Seibel, current YC Partner and Managing Director of YC Early Stage, who discussed how Y Combinator is evolving to meet the changing market, as well as the top trends from last year’s summer push.
is foundMeanwhile, I focused on Graham Hine, co-founder and CEO of ePlant, a startup that creates sensors to monitor tree health. Hein talked about what first got him interested in the tree space and what it was like to become a founder after working for years at a startup founded by his brother.
and ended at chain reaction, Charlie Shrem came to discuss his work on the Bitcoin Foundation, which he founded, as well as his role as general partner at Druid Ventures and host of the Charlie Shrem Show. After being accused of running an unlicensed money transfer company and attempting to launder over $1 million through the now-defunct dark web marketplace SilkRoad, Shrem is now vocally advocating for clearer cryptocurrency regulation, investing in emerging cryptocurrency companies, and even And he produces films.
Techcrunch+
TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and polls – which you know about if you’re already a subscriber. If not, consider subscribing. Here are some highlights from this week:
Investors Miss YC Demo Day: Y Combinator has long had a reputation for selecting companies that continue to run for investors. To land these investments, venture capital firms have watched accelerator demo days held every two years to catch a glimpse of startups that could become the next Instacart or Airbnb. But anecdotally, some of the traditions surrounding Demo Day — and YC in general — have faded in recent years, Rebecca writes.
Tech companies find their groove:Alex writes that technology companies are now able to make money — or at least lose much less than they did when money was cheap and “growth” was exciting. He sees this happening across the technology sector: in enterprise software, fintech, and even in the direct-to-consumer digital market bordering on technology.
Acts of paranoia: Platforms like Nextdoor, Citizen, and even the Ring Doorbell app are the modern neighborhood clock. But, unlike the neighborhood hours of the past, the “Hello Neighbor!” evolved into “Why is my neighbor at my door?” Hajj writes.