Google’s rush to win in AI led to ethical lapses, employees say; "There is a great amount of frustration"

Tesla cut U.S. prices for the sixth time this year, ahead of its first quarter earnings call today, which was live-streamed from Twitter for the first time. (Elon Musk is the head of both companies, of course.) The many price cuts have raised concerns about the carmaker's profit margins, but shareholders are mostly pleased with Tesla's moves. After losing two-thirds of its value last year amid a broader slump, the stock is up 48% so far this year. CNBC has more here.

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Microsoft is dropping Twitter from its advertising platform next week, nearly two months after Twitter announced that it will begin charging a minimum of $42,000 per month to users of its API, which include enterprises and research institutions. 

Users began receiving emails about its new pricing details in early March, per a Wired report that observed at the time that the new pricing scheme “prices out nearly everyone.”

With its $2.15 trillion market cap and roughly $100 billion cash on hand at the end of last year, Microsoft obviously has the money to pay Twitter what it wants, so the move appears to be a bit of a statement, even as Microsoft is declining to elaborate further about its decision.

Specifically, what it told its customers today is that, “Starting on April 25, 2023, Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform will no longer support Twitter,” and that “Digital Marketing Center (DMC) will no longer support Twitter starting on April 25, 2023.”

The moves mean users will no longer be able to access their Twitter account, or create, schedule or otherwise manage tweets through Microsoft’s free social media management service.

As Mashable notes in a related report, companies that use Microsoft Advertising will still be able to manage and create content for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn through the platform.

Unsurprisingly, Twitter owner Elon Musk finds the move galling, even threatening today on Twitter to take legal action.

More here.

Coro, a nine-year-old Tel Aviv startup that says it provides a one-stop shop AI-based cybersecurity platform, raised a $75 million "Series C2" round from Energy Impact Partners at a $575 million valuation. The company has raised a total of $155 million. TechCrunch has more here.

Cortica, a six-year-old San Diego startup that claims to blend neurology, research-based therapies, and technology into comprehensive care programs for families that are searching for diagnoses and therapies for their children, raised a $75 million Series D round co-led by Deerfield Management and Optum Ventures, with additional participation from RA Capital and Echo Health Ventures as well as previous investors Longitude Capital, .406 Ventures, Questa Capital, Ajax Health, Aperture Venture Partners, and the Autism Impact Fund. The company has raised a total of $135 million. FierceHealthcare has more here.

EquipmentShare, a nine-year-old equipment rental company based in Columbia, Mo., that caters to construction companies, has raised a $290 million round led by BDT Capital Partners, with Brown Advisors and previous investors RedBird Capital Partners, Tru Arrow Partners, and Sound Ventures also taking part. Construction Dive has more here.

Semgrep, a six-year-old San Francisco startup whose open source software is used to find bugs and enforce code standards in a variety of programming languages, raised a $53 million Series C round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with Felicis, Redpoint Ventures, and Sequoia Capital also pitching in. TechCrunch has more here.

Unchained Capital, a six-year-old Austin startup that manages private keys for Bitcoin holders, raised a $60 million Series B round led by Valor Equity Partners, with Trammell Venture Partners, Ecliptic Capital, and Highland Capital Partners as well as previous investor NYDIG also participating. CoinDesk has more here.

3D Glass Solutions, an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based maker of high performance, 3D RF and photonics passive components, says it has raised $30 million in Series C funding led by Walden Catalyst Ventures. Applied Ventures, Cambium Capital, and Mesh Cooperative Ventures also joined the round, along with earlier backers Intel Capital and Lockheed Martin Ventures. More here.

Ditto, a San Francisco startup that claims its distributed database runs “practically anywhere,” enabling data distribution even in areas with limited or poor internet connectivity, raised a $45 million Series A round led by Acrew Capital and including the U.S. Innovative Technology Fund, True Ventures, and Amity Ventures. The company has raised a total of $54 million. TechCrunch has more here.

Karate Combat, a six-year-old New York startup that is building a full-contact martial arts league featuring combatants in immersive CGI environments, raised an $18 million round led by Bitkraft Ventures, with additional participation from Delphi Digital, The Operating Group, Alpha Wave Global, Hashkey, Lattice, M13, Santiago Santos, and RooxieXBT. VentureBeat has more here.

Kindred, a 1.5-year-old, San Francisco-based members-only home swapping network, has raised $15 million in Series A funding led by New Enterprise Associates. Earlier backers Andreessen Horowitz, Caffeinated Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Outset Capital also joined the round, along with several new individual investors, including Evan Moore (former Khosla investor), and Figma CEO Dylan Field. TechCrunch has more here.

Optable, a three-year-old Montreal startup whose "data clean rooms" enable advertisers and brands to aggregate, anonymize, and compare user information in a privacy-compliant way, raised a $20 million Series A round from Brightspark Ventures and a group of corporate venture groups that included Desjardins Capital, Deloitte Ventures, Hearst Ventures, and AsterX. The company has raised a total of $23.6 million. BetaKit has more here.

Quantum Source, a two-year-old Israeli startup that aims to bring photonic quantum computers to market, raised a $12 million seed extension round led by Dell Technologies Capital, with participation from 10D as well as existing investors Eclipse VC, Grove Ventures, and Pitango. The company has raised a total of $27 million. Calcalist has more here.

SpecterOps, a Seattle startup that enables companies to identify potential attack paths and vulnerabilities from a hacker’s perspective, raised a $25 million Series A round. Decibel was the deal lead. VentureBeat has more here.

TaxCloud, a 14-year-old company based in Norwalk, Ct., whose platform helps merchants calculate, collect, and file sales and use tax for transactions in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, raised a $20 million round. Camber Partners led the transaction. More here.

Trullion, a three-year-old New York startup whose accounting software connects corporate controllers, CFOs, and external auditors and can generate “audit-ready” reports for financial stakeholders, raised a $15 million Series A round led by Stepstone Group, with previous investors Aleph, Third Point Ventures, and Greycroft also stepping up. The company has raised a total of $33 million. TechCrunch has more here.

ChargeLab, a seven-year-old Toronto startup whose software manages EV charging equipment across a variety of charging networks, raised a $10 million Series A extension from Silver Comet and Eaton and (notably) landed $5 million in venture debt from Silicon Valley Bank. The company has raised a total of $30 million. BetaKit has more here.

Fractal, a Geneva startup that enables institutions to clear, settle, and margin digital asset trades on-chain, raised a $6 million round led by Hack VC, with 6th Man Ventures, Archetype Ventures, Avalanche Ecosystem Fund Blizzard, Circle Ventures, CMT Digital, CoinShares, GoldenTree Asset Management, QCP Capital, and Spartan Group also contributing. More here.

Mansa, a Los Angeles startup that is launching an ad-supported streaming platform focused on Black culture, raised an $8 million seed round led by MaC Venture Capital, with WndrCo, Galaxy Investment Partners, Base Ventures, Dubin & Co, Rainmaker Films, and Robert F. Smith also investing. AfroTech has more here.

Mediwhale, a South Korean startup that has built an AI-powered, non-invasive retina scan to diagnose cardiac and kidney disorders and more diseases through its patients’ retinal photographs, raised a $9 million Series A round. SBI Investment was the deal lead, while Woori Venture Partners, BNK Venture Capital, Innopolis Partners, and IPS Ventures also anted up. TechCrunch has more here.

Motion, a four-year-old San Francisco startup that has created a collaboration platform for ad creatives, raised a $6 million seed round led by Headline, with Sugar Capital, Abstract Ventures, and Habitat Partners also participating. More here.

Plexigrid, a three-year-old Stockholm startup whose AI software helps electric grid operators to automatically adjust people’s energy consumption according to usage in their area, raised a $4.9 million seed round from Swedish Polar Structure, Vargas Holding, and TheVentureCity. Tech.eu has more here.

SentiAR, a six-year-old St. Louis startup that provides physicians with an interactive, 360-degree view of a patient’s specific anatomy to allow them to deliver cardiac ablation therapy, raised an $8.5 million Series A round led by Cultivate (MD) Ventures, with additional capital provided by MedVenture Partners as well as previous investors TechWald Holding, VCapital, QRM Capital, and Harmonix Fund. The company has raised a total of $24.1 million. More here.

Tiicker, a three-year-old Detroit startup that helps investors discover and engage with brands through shareholder perks, raised a $5 million seed round. Investors included Baysore Advisory Group, Red Cedar Ventures, and Flipturn Ventures. The company has raised a total of $10.3 million. More here.

Triver, a year-old, London-based cash-forwarding startup that will take on an invoice on behalf of business and provide an advance based on the amount receivable, has raised $8 million in funding from Stride, Axeleo Capital and Motive Partners, with scout investment from Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. Business Insider has more here.

Wayland Additive, a four-year-old UK startup that manufactures electron beam additive manufacturing systems that are used to produce complex metal parts for a variety of industries, including aerospace, medical, and automotive, raised a $5.7 million round led by existing investors Longwall Ventures, Parkwalk Advisors, and ACF Investors, with Metrea Discovery also coming on board. The company has raised a total of $9.4 million. TFN has more here.

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Congruent Ventures, a six-year-old, San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm that is focused largely on climate tech, has closed a $300 million-plus "Continuity Fund" that will aid companies in its existing portfolio. The capital brings the assets under management at the firm to $700 million. Bloomberg has more here.

Hitachi, the Tokyo-based multinational conglomerate, says it has launched its third venture fund with $300 million, twice the size as its first two funds, which closed in 2019 and 2021, respectively. More here.

The 14-year-old, New York-based event ticketing company SeatGeek filed confidentially with regulators this month for an initial public offering, reports The Information, adding itself to a long list of firms aiming for IPOs once market conditions improve.

China's Changxin Memory Technologies, a chipmaker rival to Samsung, plans to file for a domestic IPO this year that could value it at more than $14.5 billion, a "milestone debut that could help galvanize the country’s technology aspirations," notes Bloomberg. More here.

Police last month arrested Igor Babuschkin, Elon Musk’s first known hire for a new company that aims to compete with AI startup OpenAI, for domestic battery, per public records seen by The Information. A representative for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office tells the outlet that the office reviewed the case and has no plans to charge Babuschkin with a crime. More here.

Quora cofounder and OpenAI board member Adam D'Angelo talks with Semafor about his hope to develop a kind of web browser for AI that will provide access to a diverse set of services. As he tells the outlet: "I don’t believe there's going to be one winner. GPUs are getting more efficient every year, there's more funding available to train these models, there are more open-source models. It's going in the direction of a greater number of models as opposed to concentrating on one winner." More here.

Bernard Arnault, whom rivals call the "wolf in cashmere," has spent decades grooming his five children to take over LVHM, but he has still given no indication whom he will choose as his successor, observes the WSJ, saying only that it will be based on merit. More here.

The Hollywood Reporter says Netflix co-founder and former co-CEO Reed Hastings has purchased a significant stake in Powder Mountain in Eden, Ut. -- the largest ski resort by acreage on the continent --  for an undisclosed amount.  More here.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said during an interview today that a  U.S. ban on TikTok would be beneficial in the “short term” but shared his concerns about the longer-term implications of “singling out a single technology company.” More here.

Bain Capital Ventures is looking to hire an associate to focus on infrastructure software. 

A brief history of AI, from Turing to IoT.

Google’s rush to win in AI led to ethical lapses, employees say.

OpenAI has just over a week to comply with European data protection laws following a temporary ban in Italy and a slew of investigations in other EU countries. If it fails, it could face hefty fines, be forced to delete data, or even be banned. MIT Technology Review has more here.

A tale of two Coachellas.

Why Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Doritos are shrinking.

Ron DeSantis ends Disney feud after being given guest role on "The Mandalorian."

A Texas socialite’s party palace is hitting the auction block.

Penguin clothbound classics.

Among top VC firms, deal flow and network growth went down last year—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Discover the story behind the data when you download Affinity’s new investment benchmark report: Global unicorn edition.