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Well, folks, it looks like the Techstars drama has taken a twist with a new storyline. CEO Maëlle Gavet is about to exit, leaving her co-founder David Cohen to rejoin and save the day, or at least try. Gavet's three-and-a-half-year tenure has been a rollercoaster of controversy, from staff exodus to ending an accelerator program faster than you can say “pivot.” Despite the fact that her $80 million contract with JPMorgan turned into a Titanic-level disaster, resulting in a loss of $7 million in 2023, she insists she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. What about Cohen? He is excited to return as CEO.
The most interesting startup stories of the week
Linktree just passed 50 million users, proving that everyone and their grandma now has a bio that's a link. From 2.7 million in 2019 to this astronomical number, they are basically the popular kids in school that everyone wants to sit with. Linktree is rolling out a social commerce feature that will allow creators to set up shop on their pages and earn commissions from big brands like Adidas and Sephora. With over $300 million in monthly sales already flowing through that link, it's clear they're not messing around.
- Looking for a humane home: Humane, the brainchild of former Apple executives and the creator of a $700 Ai pin that no one asked for, is now reportedly looking for a buyer. Apparently they're hoping for sales between $750 million and $1 billion, just in case someone wants to add a wearable device to their product portfolio – a smartphone with a commitment problem.
- Sonos hugs your head.: Sonos has finally answered your prayers and released its “most requested product.” No, it is not the speaker who imposes the tax. These are Ace headphones. For the low cost of $449, you'll soon be able to show off the beauty of these over-ears.
- You will soon arrive at a nearby roundabout.: The UK has officially waved the checkered flag for “self-driving cars.” They call it autonomous driving there. It's truly bizarre! The Automated Vehicles Act could mean we'll be sharing the roads with robot cars by 2026.
Trend this week: AI drama
OpenAI's newest chatbot, Sky, seems to have done her best Scarlett Johansson impression and completely messed it up! The AI voice was flirting too close to ScarJo's iconic voice. OpenAI swears it wasn't trying to recreate her sultry vocals from “Her,” but the Internet couldn't help but notice the uncanny similarity. CEO Sam Altman even tweeted “her.” Because why wouldn't you? Now that Johansson has a lawyer faster than you can say “deepfake”, OpenAI has pulled Sky's voice from its product, and legal machinations are floating around to find a solution to this mess.
OpenAI, meanwhile, doesn't seem to be suffering much. ChatGPT's mobile app hit the revenue jackpot with the launch of GPT-4o. Despite promising free access on the web, OpenAI has decided to entice mobile users to pay a $19.99 monthly subscription fee if they want it. The twist: People are paying more than they would for a Netflix subscription. In the first week alone, net revenue increased 22%, bringing in up to $900,000 per day, for a total of $4.2 million from May 13-17.
- ScarJo don't do it, me, man: Hollywood's elite can now hide their digital doppelgängers in CAA's high-tech “theCAAvault,” like a Fort Knox for AI clones.
- The Whitest Sausage Festival in Town: Despite years of complaints from women and people of color about being marginalized in the AI space, Meta seems to have decided that diversity is overrated. So we assembled a team of business brothers to guide our AI strategy. Cool, cool, cool.
- Hit the road, Jack.: Expedia's latest news reads like a soap opera script. CTO Rathi Murthy and SVP Sreenivas Rachamadugu were unceremoniously kicked out for violating unknown company policies. The travel booking giant is keeping mum on the juicy details, citing confidentiality reasons. Murthy was promoting new AI features just days before he suddenly left the company. Talk about bad timing!
Most exciting fundraising activities of the week
Bonjour! In the latest episode of “How much money can we throw at AI,” French startup H just secured $220 million in seed funding. Yes, you read that right. seed funding. With a founding team that boasts more former Google DeepMind employees than a Silicon Valley alumni group, H aims to revolutionize productivity through a “frontier action model.” Translation: They are building robots to do better jobs than us. Do you remember why I'm sitting here typing this newsletter with my actual fingers? What is this, 1920s?
- Hardware is less difficult.: Forget what you know about hardware engineering because Rollup is here. The startup has been lurking in the shadows for three years, quietly raising $5.6 million from big names like Andreessen Horowitz and Thiel Capital.
- many layers: QuickBooks may be the father of accounting software, but it looks like a new, next-generation product has arrived: Layer. The startup, which has raised $2.3 million in funding, promises to make accounting less painful for small businesses with some pretty cool built-in features.
- We don't need a rough road: Forget about robotaxi stuck in city traffic. The latest craze is self-driving cars that smile at road maps. Overland AI and Potential are leading this off-road autonomous driving revolution with support from VC and Uncle Sam's Department of Defense.
Other TechCrunch stories you can't miss…
Welcome to the 2023 job market. Instead of flipping burgers, you can program a robot to do this. Brian compiled a list of 81 robotics companies that are hiring faster than you can say “artificial intelligence.” From humanoids that can steal your job or make you coffee to drones that ensure your Amazon package arrives before you even click “order,” there's never been a more thrilling or scary time to get into robotics. So apply now to secure your place in the brave new world of machine lords 🤖.
- More money, more passengers?: Buckle up, Minnesota! Uber and Lyft drivers are getting a pay raise thanks to a new state contract, but don't get too comfortable in the backseat. From 2025, drivers will be earning more. This has led Uber to complain about higher costs.
- Soz, kid, you ain't got no bank: Top 10 fintech startup Copper Banking is having a tough week. Thanks to the massive collapse of Synapse, banking and debit products are done. The middleware provider crashed, entered Chapter 11, and then immediately went into Chapter 7 liquidation.
- Won't you be my friend?: Dating app Bumble, which is currently feeling in the friend zone due to widespread decline in its core market, has decided to swipe right on community-building platform Geneva. Realizing that “Netflix and chilling” doesn’t always lead to a lifelong partnership, Bumble aims to expand its focus from one-on-one connections to group hugs and friendship bracelets.
- beanfast horror: In a tragic twist that sounds like it was ripped from the script of a car horror movie, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found an April crash in which a VinFast VF 8 SUV decided to “hug an oak tree” in California. We are investigating. The fiery death of a family of four.
- Do not worry. We already have all your details.: Welcome to the digital age, where even hotel check-in can become the star of a spyware drama! At least three Wyndham hotels in the United States have been caught by pcTattletale, a consumer spyware app that secretly captures guest details and screenshots of customer information.
