y combinator Y Combinator President Sam Altman Steps Down Amid Major Accelerator Shake-Up Sam Altman transitions from his role as Y Combinator president to chairman as the accelerator undergoes significant operational changes. The company is relocating its headquarters to San Francisco and expanding the size of its startup batches.
sam altman Y Combinator President Sam Altman Steps Down to Focus on OpenAI Sam Altman leaves his daily role as president of Y Combinator to dedicate his time to artificial intelligence research at OpenAI. He remains with the startup accelerator as chairman.
wellsaid WellSaid Launches Natural Synthetic Voice Tech for Creators WellSaid Labs emerges from the AI2 incubator with a new voice synthesis system that embraces human inconsistencies to create natural-sounding speech. The startup aims to provide a credible alternative to human voice actors for creators, bypassing the restrictive tech offered by major tech giants.
ethics Tech Industry Grapples With Growing Inequality and Ethical Responsibility Harvard and MIT humanist chaplain Greg Epstein launches a new ethics series by interviewing prominent inequality critic Anand Giridharadas about the tech industry's role in modern capitalism.
lyft Lyft Files for IPO With $2.2 Billion Revenue and Growing Losses Ride-hailing company Lyft officially files its S-1 to go public on the Nasdaq, revealing massive revenue growth alongside nearly $1 billion in net losses for 2018. The highly anticipated debut values the company at over $20 billion as it competes against rival Uber.
wework WeWork Lays Off 300 Employees in Routine Performance Review WeWork cuts roughly 300 jobs, or 3 percent of its global workforce, as part of a standard annual performance review.
softbank SoftBank Faces Backlash Over Chaotic Strategy As Pinterest and Lyft Prep IPOs Limited partners voice concerns over the SoftBank Vision Fund's chaotic decision-making and inflated valuations, raising ethical questions for portfolio startups. Meanwhile, Pinterest and Lyft take steps toward highly anticipated public offerings.
zoom Video Conferencing Firm Zoom Targets April IPO After Confidential SEC Filing Zoom plans to file its public S-1 by late March and potentially debut on the stock market as soon as April. The highly valued company looks to build on its rapid growth and top-rated CEO reputation.
techcrunch TechCrunch Offers $45 Student Tickets for Robotics and AI Event TechCrunch provides deeply discounted $45 student tickets for its upcoming Robotics + AI 2019 event at UC Berkeley, saving attendees over $200.
amazon Amazon Leads $700 Million Investment in Electric Truck Maker Rivian Amazon leads a massive $700 million funding round for Rivian, the startup behind an all-electric pickup truck and SUV. The company plans to remain independent as it prepares for customer deliveries in late 2020.
spotify Spotify Spends $340 Million to Acquire Gimlet and Anchor Spotify confirms it spends nearly $340 million in cash to purchase podcast networks Gimlet and Anchor. The acquisitions are part of a larger $500 million strategy to dominate the podcasting industry.
vicarious surgical Bill Gates Backs Virtual Reality Surgical Robots Vicarious Surgical develops tiny robots that let surgeons operate inside the human body using virtual reality headsets. The startup raises $31.8 million from prominent tech investors to bring this sci-fi concept to life.
musiio Singapore AI Music Startup Musiio Raises $1M Seed Round Singapore-based Musiio secures $1 million in seed funding to expand its AI-powered music curation platform. The startup helps digital music companies discover and organize tracks more efficiently without replacing human listeners.
japan Japan's Society 5.0 Offers a Blueprint for Tech-Driven Social Change Japan tackles its aging population and economic stagnation with Society 5.0, a sweeping initiative that integrates AI and IoT into everyday life. This massive public-private partnership serves as a roadmap for global entrepreneurs to solve persistent societal problems.
gwyneth paltrow Celebrity Founders Face VC Skepticism Despite Star Power, Say Summit Speakers Gwyneth Paltrow reveals at the Upfront Summit that her fame brought initial meetings but also extra rejections while raising venture capital for Goop. Meanwhile, major funding rounds for Clover Health and Clutter highlight a busy week in startup finance.