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Well, folks, there seems to be a new twist in the Techstars drama. CEO Mael Gavet is stepping down and co-founder David Cohen is coming back to save the day. At least, he tries to. Gavet's three-and-a-half-year tenure was riddled with controversy, from mass employee turnover to the closure of its accelerator program faster than you could say “pivot.” Despite the fact that an $80 million deal with JP Morgan turned into a Titanic-level disaster that resulted in a $7 million loss in 2023, she is adamant that she wouldn't trade the experience for anything. And Cohen? He's excited to be back as CEO.
This week's most interesting startup stories
Linktree has topped 50 million users, proving that everyone has a link in their profile now. From a modest 2.7 million in 2019 to this astronomical figure, Linktree is the school favorite that basically everyone wants to sit with. Linktree is rolling out social commerce features, allowing creators to set up storefronts on their pages and earn commissions from big brands like Adidas and Sephora. With over $300 million in sales already generated through these links every month, it's clear they're not cutting corners.
Humane is looking for a buyer: Humane, the brainchild of a former Apple executive and creator of the unsolicited $700 Ai Pin, is reportedly now looking for a buyer. Apparently, they're hoping to sell for anywhere between $750 million and $1 billion in case someone wants to add a wearable gadget that's basically a smartphone with commitment issues to their product portfolio. Sonos hugs your head: Sonos has finally answered your prayers, releasing its “most requested product ever.” No, it's not a speaker that will cost you your tax dollars. It's the Ace headphones. For $449, you can immediately brag about these beautiful over-ear headphones. Coming soon to a roundabout near you: The UK is officially waving the checkered flag for “driverless cars.” That's what they call self-driving in the UK. How quaint! The Self-Driving Cars Act could mean we'll be sharing the road with robotic cars by 2026.
Sonos Beats in the form of Sonos Ace headphones. Image courtesy of Sonos
This week's trend: AI drama
OpenAI's latest chatbot, Sky, seems to have been caught trying to imitate Scarlett Johansson. The AI's voice sounded a little too close to the actress' iconic voice. Though OpenAI is adamant that it wasn't trying to replicate her sultry voice in “her,” the internet couldn't help but notice the eerie similarity. CEO Sam Altman even tweeted “her.” Well, really, why wouldn't you? Now that they've lawyered up faster than Johansson could say “deepfake,” OpenAI has removed Sky's voice from their products, and legal maneuvering is swirling to find a solution to this mess.
Meanwhile, OpenAI doesn't seem to be in such a predicament. ChatGPT's mobile app just saw a revenue surge with the release of GPT-4o. Despite promising free access on the web, OpenAI decided to push a $19.99 monthly subscription to mobile users who want to join the effort. Surprisingly, people are paying more than they pay for a Netflix subscription. In the first week alone, net revenue soared 22%, earning up to $900,000 per day, and reaching a whopping $4.2 million in cumulative revenue from May 13 to 17.
Scar Jo, don't mind me: Hollywood elites can now hide their digital doppelgangers in CAA's tech facility, theCAAvault. It's like a Fort Knox for AI clones. The whitest in town: Despite years of complaints from women and people of color about being marginalized in the AI world, Meta seems to have decided that diversity is overrated. So the company has assembled a team of business associates to guide its AI strategy. Cool, cool, cool. Here we go, Jack: Expedia's latest news reads like a soap opera script: CTO Rashi Murthy and SVP Sreenivas Rachamadugu were unceremoniously fired for violating mysterious company policies. The travel booking giant is keeping mum on juicy details, citing confidentiality. Murthy was touting new AI features just days before his sudden departure. Bad timing, you could say!
Expedia has made some sudden changes, with some of its senior staff being laid off. Image credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images, City
Most interesting fundraising this week
Bonjour! In the latest episode of “How much can you invest in AI”, French startup H raises $220 million in seed funding. Yes, you read that right, seed funding. With a founding team boasting more ex-Google DeepMind employees than any Silicon Valley alumni group, H aims to revolutionize productivity with its “Frontier Action Model”. In other words, they're building robots that do jobs better than humans can. Remember why I'm sitting here typing this newsletter with my literal fingers? What is this, the 1920s?
Hardware isn’t that hard: Forget what you know about hardware engineering. Rollup is here. The startup has been lurking in the shadows for three years and has quietly raised $5.6 million from big firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Thiel Capital. Many Layers: QuickBooks may be the father of accounting software, but it looks like there’s a new kid on the block: Layer. This startup, which just raised $2.3 million, promises to make accounting a breeze for small businesses with some seriously cool built-in features. No dirty roads needed: Forget about robotaxis stuck in city traffic. The latest craze is self-driving cars that ignore road maps. Overland AI and Potential, backed by venture capital and the US Department of Defense, are leading this off-road autonomous revolution.
Yay! Image courtesy of Overland AI
More TechCrunch articles you shouldn't miss…
Welcome to the job market of 2023. Instead of flipping burgers, you might be able to program a robot to do it for you. Brian has compiled a list of 81 robotics companies that are hiring faster than you can say the words “artificial intelligence”. From humanoids that might take your job (or make your coffee) to drones that will get your Amazon package delivered to you before you even click “order”, there's never been a more thrilling (or terrifying) time to dive into robotics. So apply now and secure your place in the brave new world of our machine overlords 🤖.
More money means more riders?: Fasten your seat belts, Minnesotans! Uber and Lyft drivers are getting a raise thanks to a new state deal, but don't take a back seat and get too comfortable. Starting in 2025, drivers will earn more. The fees Uber complained about rising costs. Sorry, you can't bank: Teenage fintech startup Copper Banking is having a tough week. Synapse's epic collapse ended its banking and debit card products. The middleware provider went broke and burned, entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy and then diving headfirst into Chapter 7 liquidation. Let's be friends: Bumble, the dating app now friend-zoned due to widespread decline in its core market, decided to swipe right on Geneva, a community-building platform. Apparently realising that “Netflix and chill” doesn't necessarily translate to lifelong partnerships, Bumble is looking to broaden its focus from one-on-one connections to group hugs and friendship bracelets. The VinFast Scare: In a tragic twist that seems ripped from a car horror movie script, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating an April crash in California in which a VinFast VF 8 SUV played “hug an oak tree” and burned to death a family of four. Don't worry; we already have all your details. Welcome to the digital age. Even hotel check-ins may become the star of a spyware drama! At least three Wyndham hotels in the US have been caught red-handed operating pcTattletale, a consumer spyware app that was secretly taking screenshots of guest details and customer information.
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