Twilio CEO: Laying off 11% of company’s workforce is 'wise and necessary'

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Oh heeeeeey. So excited to see you again, glad to have you with us. It’s been a busy news day on the site, and we’re particularly excited to share our iPhone 14 review with y’all.

Oh, and did you know we’ve managed to convince our marketing team to let you have 15% off TechCrunch Disrupt tickets, just for being a Daily Crunch reader? Use this link, or pop “DC” into the promo code box when you buy your passes to the hottest startup event of the summer.

See you there! — Christine and Haje

Image Credits: Bloomberg / Getty Images

The TechCrunch Top 3

Shedding event: Twilio announced it was laying off 11% of its workforce. CEO Jeff Lawson said the layoffs were “wise and necessary” for the company as it walked the path to profitability. Kyle has more.
Biting into the Apple iPhone 14: It’s rare that we get a Panzer story, so we were delighted to see it do so well. Perhaps you Daily Crunch fans were also excited to see his name grace a story, or because you were eager to hear a review about the iPhone 14. Don’t worry, if it is the latter, we won’t tell.
This “island” is not tropical: iPhone fanatics may have doubted the usefulness of “the notch” on the iPhone X, but Ivan writes that the new “Dynamic Island” feature for iPhone 14 is anything but.

Usage-based pricing and metered billing in hours, not months

Startups and VC

Somehow, ’twas the season for audio companies raising money, as we have a stereo pair of stories today: Romain reports that high-end speaker manufacturer Devialet raised $50 million, and Brian and Haje report that Nomono, maker of the $3,000 podcast mic array, raised $3.6 million.

Things come in pairs in the transportation industry as well, it appears. Rebecca reports that TruckSmarter comes out of stealth with a free load board for truckers, and Kyle has a story that Nyshex loads $25 million into its bank account to match shippers with ocean carriers.

In non-sound and non-shipping startup news:

A stealthy flow state: Period tracking app Flo has released a new “Anonymous Mode” setting that gives users the option to access the app without personal and technical identifiers, Aisha reports.
Panchromatic onboarding: Chameleon raises $13 million to help SaaS companies build better onboarding experiences, Kyle reports.
Unshackled from previous commitments: This consumer investor is switching VC firms after making partner last year, Natasha M writes.
That’s a tasty burger you’ve grown there, Doctor: Christine reports that cultured meat startup Prolific Machines unveils its “Henry Ford approach” to cell growth.
That’ll zap some life into the industry: EV charging platform Monta raises at a $155 million valuation to expand into the U.S., Haje reports.

Dear Sophie: Is there a way to keep working in the US after my J-1 visa expires?

Dear Sophie,

I’m a Fulbright scholar on a J-1 visa. I’ve been told that after my J-1 ends, I’m required to return to my country for two years.

Is there a way I can stay in the U.S.? Can I apply for an O-1A or green card even if I have to go back to my country?

— Seeking to Stay

(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” for a 15% discount on an annual subscription!)

Big Tech Inc.

It was a busy news day for our big tech companies. We start with some lights, camera, action…uh, action from Haje, who writes on DJI’s new Osmo Action 3 camera. Presenting your new best friend for taking underwater photos down to 16 meters in depth.

Some news out of South Korea: Both Google and Meta were collectively fined $71.8 million by the country’s authorities for allegedly violating South Korea’s privacy law, Kate reports. In addition, Manish writes about Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon having an arrest warrant out for him regarding the company’s two tokens losing $40 billion in value in a span of days earlier this year. As a result of that news, the price of Luna, the new token of the revived ecosystem, dropped to $2.23 apiece.

More layoffs: Continuing from the Twilio news above, Amanda has more on Patreon laying off 17% of staff, while Lauren reports on Netflix downsizing its animation department.
More Google: Google had a mixed day. The search giant was not successful in overturning a €4 billion Android antitrust decision, Natasha L writes. But, as Ivan reports, it now has 31 new emojis. Find out which one “shook” him. Meanwhile, Sarah reports some bad news from Google’s Area 120 R&D division — a “reduction in force” — and also walks us through Google’s new redesigned Memories feature and creative tools.
More creator tools: Speaking of getting creative, Canva unveiled a new suite of products in hopes of shedding its purely graphic design image, Amanda writes.
More creepy AI: Devin delights us with “a terrifying AI-generated woman lurking in the abyss of latent space.”
More charging stations: At the Detroit Auto Show today, Biden announced $900 million for EV charging stations, Rebecca reports.