Week in Review - Apple launches the Vision Pro, Taylor Swift fans strike back and Palworld comes under fire

TechCrunch Newsletter
Week in Review logo

By Kyle Wiggers

Saturday, February 03, 2024

Hey, folks, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter that recaps the week in tech that was. And, boy, was it a week. Lots happened — let’s dig in.

As layoffs in tech picked up, the Vision Pro, Apple’s attempt at an AR headset, launched with hundreds of apps right out the gate. Taylor Swift fans struck back after explicit deepfakes of the superstar flooded X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. And the Pokémon Company said that it would investigate Palworld, the viral video game hit, over potential plagiarism and uncanny resemblance to its IP.

We cover all that and more in this edition of WiR.

 image

Image Credits: Cory Green/Yahoo

News

Tech layoffs jump: Tech redundancies have scaled to a three-quarter high as firms shed workers en masse. This week, Okta fired 400 employees; Block laid off around 1,000 people; and PayPal let go “thousands” of staffers. As Alex and Anna write for TechCrunch+, yes, tech layoffs are accelerating — and it’s affecting companies big and small.

iOS 18: Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be “the biggest” in the company’s history, writes Aisha. It could bring — among other things — a revamped Siri, improved autocomplete in Messages and perhaps even support for RCS.

Apple Vision Pro: Apple’s first “spatial computing” device has arrived with ~600 apps and games in tow. Brian’s been giving it a spin for the better part of the week — be sure to read his initial thoughts and impressions. And if you’re looking to pick one up yourself, here’s what you can expect.

Swifties unite: Nonconsensual deepfake porn of Taylor Swift went viral on X last week. In lieu of meaningful action from the platform beyond basic keyword filtering, Taylor Swift fans came together to make the musician’s deepfakes as difficult to find as possible.

Palworld under fire: The Pokémon Company said it hasn’t granted any permission to “another company” — referring to viral new game Palworld-developer Pocketpair — to use Pokémon IP or assets and “intends to investigate and take appropriate measures” against the fast-growing survival game operator.

Analysis

A SaaS revolution: Writing for TC+, Julien Codorniou, a SaaS investor at Felix Capital, says that he sees an opportunity for savvy software entrepreneurs to build the Microsoft or Salesforce of the frontline workers’ world.

Podcasts

On Equity, Alex spoke with Anshu Sharma, the CEO of data privacy company Skyflow, who riffed on interest rates, business cycles and the Vision Pro — as well as how the Vision Pro fares against a theory Sharma recently blogged about for TechCrunch+.

Meanwhile, Found featured Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of the Skimm, a digital media company dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions.

And over on Chain Reaction, Jacquelyn interviewed Chris Dixon, general partner at VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Dixon has been at the firm since 2012 and founded and leads a16z’s crypto team, which invests in the web3 world through four mega-funds with over $7 billion under management.

TechCrunch+

Fairness and equality: Rebecca writes about how pitch competitions help level the playing field for underrepresented founders — but that it isn’t enough.

Ethereum makes a comeback: Ethereum developer interest hit new all-time highs in 2023 despite a bear market, Jacquelyn reports. Solana, Polygon, Optimism and other blockchains also saw an uptick in dev activity.

Bonus round

“Die slow motherf*ckers”: Y Combinator president Garry Tan published a menacing tweet — a questionable lyrical reference to famed West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur — before deleting it and later apologizing.

Read more stories on TechCrunch.com

Newest Jobs from Crunchboard

See more jobs on CrunchBoard

Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Flipboard

View this email online in your browser

Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Unsubscribe

© 2024 Yahoo. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Older messages

Cake files for bankruptcy

Friday, February 2, 2024

TechCrunch Newsletter TechCrunch PM Logo By Christine Hall Friday, February 02, 2024 Good afternoon, and welcome to TechCrunch PM. As you head into the weekend, slice into our story about e-motorcycle

Startups Weekly - Maybe count to 10 before you tweet

Friday, February 2, 2024

TechCrunch Newsletter Startups Weekly logo By Haje Jan Kamps Friday, February 02, 2024 Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can't miss from the world of startups! Garry

Apple promises to show off its GenAI work later this year

Friday, February 2, 2024

TechCrunch Newsletter TechCrunch AM logo By Alex Wilhelm Friday, February 02, 2024 Good morning, and welcome to TechCrunch AM for February 2, 2024. It's Friday! We made it! And to celebrate that,

More Okta jobs cuts

Thursday, February 1, 2024

TechCrunch Newsletter TechCrunch PM Logo By Christine Hall Thursday, February 01, 2024 Good afternoon, and welcome back to TechCrunch PM! In this version, we continue to have more layoff news, as well

Your first day with Apple’s Vision Pro

Thursday, February 1, 2024

TechCrunch Newsletter TechCrunch AM logo By Alex Wilhelm Thursday, February 01, 2024 Good morning, and welcome to TechCrunch AM for February 1, 2024. Today, we have a cool tutorial for new Apple Vision

You Might Also Like

Overcoming Perfectionism: How to Break Free from the Enemy of Progress

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Discover how perfectionism hinders progress and learn practical strategies to overcome the fear of imperfection, boost productivity, and achieve your goals without getting stuck in the pursuit of

🖤 Laravel Black Friday Deals!

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

The biggest deals of the year Laravel Black Friday Deals View in browser Laravel News Editor Note: We are sending this outside the regular Sunday newsletter schedule because some of these specials end

BetterDev #271 - Memory: The Forgotten History and Why did Windows 95 setup use three operating systems?

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Better Dev #271 Nov 26, 2024 Hi all, Welcome to thanksgiving issue of BetterDev. Hope everyone had a safe and warm thanksgiving. It's getting so cold these days. If you are in warzone such as

Mapped | Unemployment Rate By U.S. State in 2024 💼

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

As of October 2024, DC and Nevada tied for the highest unemployment rate in the US at 5.7%. Which states saw the lowest rates? View Online | Subscribe | Download Our App FINAL CHANCE - ENDS TONIGHT!

🔊 7 DIY Tips for Soundproofing a Room — Why I Switched to Xfce for Linux Mint

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Also: Home Theater Sound Terms Explained, and More! How-To Geek Logo November 26, 2024 Did You Know The shiny layer of a CD doesn't contain the data; the plastic polycarbonate layer does. The shiny

JSK Daily for Nov 26, 2024

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

JSK Daily for Nov 26, 2024 View this email in your browser A community curated daily e-mail of JavaScript news JavaScript Certification Black Friday Offer – Up to 54% Off! Certificates.dev, the trusted

NumPy, Loop Targets, Vector Animation, and More

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

NumPy Practical Examples: Useful Techniques #657 – NOVEMBER 26, 2024 VIEW IN BROWSER The PyCoder's Weekly Logo NumPy Practical Examples: Useful Techniques In this tutorial, you'll learn how to

Your Games Quarterly newsletter has arrived

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

What's new for games in Google Play and Android Email not displaying correctly? View it online November 2024 The First Developer Preview of Android 16 The First Developer Preview of Android 16

Daily Coding Problem: Problem #1620 [Hard]

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Daily Coding Problem Good morning! Here's your coding interview problem for today. This problem was asked by Dropbox. Sudoku is a puzzle where you're given a partially-filled 9 by 9 grid with

Final Hours: Help Save "The Art of Data" From Falling Short 🙏

Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Will Visual Capitalist end up revealing the secrets behind data storytelling? There are 12 hours left to change the fate of "The Art of Data". View Online | Subscribe | Download Our App Help