Hello guys, and welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering the tech highlights of the past few days.
On the agenda for this edition is Disney’s innovative virtual reality treadmill, OpenAI that fixes “lazy” AI and high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery technology from MIT. We also cover Apple’s new stolen device protection feature, sleek hardware from startup Rabbit and app makers discussing launching apps specifically designed for Apple’s Vision Pro headphones.
There’s a lot 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.
News
Disney VR Treadmill: Disney has developed a treadmill-like system for virtual reality that consists of hundreds of small, round “tiles” that appear to be the size of a silver dollar, Brian wrote. Each acts as a sort of mini omnidirectional treadmill.
OpenAI fixes GPT-4: OpenAI reduced the prices of a number of AI models this week, rolling out a fix for “lazy” GPT-4 models that refused to work — and launching new models for specific use cases.
Protecting new Apple devices: Roman writes about Apple’s new Theft Device Protection feature, which, when turned on, requires Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication for some actions, such as access to stored passwords and credit cards.
Vision Pro applications may: After Netflix said it wouldn’t release a dedicated app for the Apple Vision Pro, other app makers, including YouTube, are following its lead. This trend does not necessarily bode well.
analysis
rabbit r1: AI startup Rabbit is developing what Darrell believes is a better vision of the future than the Apple Vision Pro. The R1 can allegedly do what a typical smartphone can do, but using generative AI and natural language.
Podcasts
on justicethe crew talked about Plural VC announcing a new fund, Fantuan teaming up with Chowbus, Vroom leaving the car dealership business and what’s happening at Brex.
while, is found Ben Goodwin, co-founder and CEO of Olipop, the healthy soft drink brand that has amassed $200 million in gross sales just five years after its launch, has emerged.
And Chain reaction king Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs, on stage. Solana aims to help grow the layer-one Solana blockchain ecosystem.
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:
Tech layoffs boom: Alex and Anna write about the significant increase in headcount cuts at tech startups in recent weeks, which has turned the scenario on its head for expectations for this year.
HPE deal for Juniper: Ron and Alex reflect on HPE’s decision to buy Juniper Networks a few weeks ago for $14 billion. The crux of the matter is that companies think the numbers look pretty good — and they actually match up pretty well (as long as HPE doesn’t mess it up).
FinTech, in decline but not over yet: Fintech has been in a slump for a while now, and with companies like Brex once again cutting staff while trying to rein in costs, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the market for fintech products is suffering. But this is not necessarily the case, write Alex and Anna.
Bonus round
Lamborghini licenses battery technology from MIT: Writing for TechCrunch+, Tim writes that Lamborghini has licensed new battery technology from MIT that could overcome the limitations of the lithium-ion batteries widely used today.