It’s that time of the week again, folks — time for Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s newsletter that recaps the past few days in tech. The news cycle never stops, and it’s exhausting, and this reporter knows it all too well. But fortunately, neither does WiR. Our curated list of the week’s top stories will have you up to date in no time.
On the agenda for this loud and energetic edition of WiR (it’s starting to feel like fall on the East Coast), we have Tinder’s new premium tier that’s pricey ($499 per month), and Amazon investing up to $4 billion in an AI startup Apple execs and execs break down the new AirPods features. Elsewhere, we cover Reddit starting to pay users real money for high-quality posts; OpenAI raises capital and gives ChatGPT a ‘voice’; Telegram has turned into a super app, and Uber is getting tougher with taxi companies.
As always, there’s a lot to get to, so let’s get to it. And if you haven’t already, sign up here to get WiR in your inbox every Saturday.
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Tinder has become very special: Tinder has rolled out a pricey $499-a-month subscription called “Tinder Select,” which includes unique perks like the ability to see more users, including Tinder’s “most popular profiles,” and the option to send direct messages to others without having to . First match with them. As Sarah writes, these capabilities alone aren’t what will necessarily sell Tinder Select — it’s the exclusivity. Tinder says less than 1% of users will be allowed access to the premium tier.
Amazon invests in Anthropic: Amazon has agreed to invest up to $4 billion in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, the companies said, as the e-commerce group ramps up its competition against Microsoft, Meta, Google and Nvidia in the fast-growing artificial intelligence sector. Amazon will initially invest $1.25 billion for a minority stake in Anthropic, which, like Google’s Bard and Microsoft-backed OpenAI, runs an AI-powered bot that analyzes and generates text.
Apple explains the new AirPods: In a meeting with Brian, Apple executives Ron Huang (VP of Sensing and Connectivity) and Eric Tresky (Director of Product Marketing) discussed new features of Apple’s latest generation of AirPods, including Adaptive Sound, Custom Volume, Conversation Awareness, And AirPods Pro. Vision Pro 2 connection.
Reddit starts paying users in cash: Reddit on Monday announced a contributor program that gives users real money for their fake internet points. Amanda reports that now, eligible users — those who reside in the US, are over the age of 18 and can verify their identity, and who have had an account for more than 30 days — will be able to convert Reddit gold and karma into fiat currency (no , not a cryptocurrency), to be disbursed once a month.
OpenAI is looking to raise more money: OpenAI is in discussions to potentially sell shares in a move that would boost the company’s valuation to between $80 billion and $90 billion. This comes after OpenAI secured just over $300 million in funding from backers such as Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive, and K2 Global at a $29 billion valuation — separate from a large investment (~$10 billion) from Microsoft announced earlier this General. The year closed in January.
ChatGPT gains sound and other features: ChatGPT is evolving into more than just a text-based search engine, with OpenAI advertisement This week, it adds new audio- and video-based intelligence to the mix. Users can verbally ask ChatGPT to compose a bedtime story on the spot and have ChatGPT read it back in one of five voices. Or they can search for answers in an uploaded image – for example, asking ChatGPT to provide instructions for completing a task or explaining what’s in the image.
Telegram expands its reach: Telegram, the popular messaging app with 800 million monthly active users worldwide, is close to adopting an ecosystem strategy reminiscent of WeChat’s super-app approach. Rita wrote that the company was working on a platform where third-party developers, from games to restaurants, could create small apps to interact with users.
Uber is getting tough on taxis: Uber — which has historically not been particularly friendly toward the taxi industry — on Tuesday announced a multi-year partnership with Los Angeles Yellow Cab and its five partner taxi fleets in Southern California. Under the arrangement, taxi drivers will have access to Uber trip referrals in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The partnership covers a lot of ground; The deal includes six fleets of taxis, including about 1,200 vehicles.
My voice
The TC team does more than just produce high-quality written articles – they host content-packed podcasts from noteworthy figures in the tech industry. If you’re looking for episodes to fill the hours, give it a listen. If you are already subscribed, thank you very much.
This week on justice, the crew spoke with Nathan Bashes, CEO and founder of Lex, an online writing tool powered by artificial intelligence. Bashis talked about how many AI-powered tools the market could support, what the generative AI movement could look like in the coming months and how to price an AI-powered service.
on is found, which was recorded live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 last week, Dominic Madori and Becca sat down with Window Snyder, a cybersecurity pioneer who has dedicated her decades-long career to ensuring the security of the Internet — and the devices connected to it. . Snyder talked about why, after years of working at companies like Apple, Microsoft, Fastly, and Square, now is the right time to launch her startup, Thistle, which looks to build the security infrastructure needed to keep smart devices connected to the Internet safe.
And it ended at Chain reaction, Jacqueline interviewed Thiago Sada, Head of Product at Tools for Humanity and a core contributor to Worldcoin. Tools for Humanity, which has raised hundreds of millions of dollars from investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Blockchain Global, was founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on a three-part mission to create a universal identifier, a global currency, and an app that enables payments, purchases, and transfers with its own token.
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:
Amazon, the FTC, and venture capital funds: Alex and Dominic Madori discuss whether venture capital firms should support the FTC’s lawsuit against Amazon. In case you haven’t heard, the FTC alleged this week that Amazon has engaged in a “pattern of unlawful conduct” that “prevents competition” and allows the company to “exercise monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle consumer innovation.” and companies.”
Generative Artificial Intelligence and Operating Systems: Alex writes about how generative AI could make the operating system cool again, pointing out how Microsoft has integrated the technology into the latest version of Windows.
Salvation for birds: Rebecca thinks out loud whether a Bird’s Spin acquisition can give her the boost she needs after being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. To be sure, the situation is messy, and investors are understandably nervous.