TechCrunch Newsletters - Bluesky’s smiling at . . . everyone

Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Hello, and welcome to TechCrunch PM! This afternoon we have Bluesky open to all and what the CEO’s next challenge will be, as well as more layoffs, an update to the big Spotify news from this morning, many more funding rounds and an AI President Biden. Lots to get into here, so let’s not delay. — Christine

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

TechCrunch PM Top 3

Bluesky is open to the public: I may have deleted my Bluesky account, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from joining now that everyone can. The social media alternative to X has been an invite-only app for the past year, so we’ll see how many join the 3 million already on there. Who knows, I may get back on.

Now that Bluesky is open to the masses, company CEO Jay Graber speaks with Amanda Silberling about what the company’s next challenge will be as it takes on all the other X competitors and grapples with open source.

DocuSign makes layoffs: The e-document signing giant is cutting 6% of its workforce, affecting some 400 people. This comes amid news that a private equity takeover deal may have stalled.

Spotify’s still got it: Following this morning’s mammoth news about Spotify crossing 600 million users, the company’s CEO Daniel Ek didn’t mince words when he called the way Apple was complying with the Digital Markets Act rules a “farce,” yet there were also “future upsides.” Meanwhile, it is now the No. 2 audiobook provider, behind Audible, and it hints at Daylist inspired-suggestions to come.

Image Credits: Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images

More top reads

Apple Vision Pro’s effect on enterprise: Get ready for the Vision Pro to make its way to a cubicle near you, if it isn’t you who brings it into the office. Apple is already working on a way for your favorite IT worker to manage those devices.

Here today, gone tomorrow: If you’ve ever tried to remove your personal information from the depths of the internet, you will want to read this. Mozilla has a new subscription service called Monitor that can remove your personal information from data broker sites.

“Hello, this is President Biden”: Every call to my home nowadays seems to be spam; however, voters in New Hampshire received phone calls from a voice that sounded like President Joe Biden telling them not to vote in the primary. Learn who it actually was.

iPhone hack: A new Google report says that hackers exploited three unknown vulnerabilities in Apple’s iPhone to target victims with spyware.

You’ve got me Blush-ing: Are you Blush-ing? You might be after the invite-only dating app Blush raised $7 million to scale its service.

Finally, one automated tool for business banking: The fintech startup, aptly named Finally, grabbed $10 million in new capital to inject some artificial intelligence into its bookkeeping tools for small businesses.

Toyota invests further in EVs: See how much the automaker is investing to outfit its Kentucky production factory with the capabilities to make the new three-row all-electric SUV.

Caught up on LinkedIn: Get ready for some nudging. LinkedIn’s new feature called the “Catch Up” tab will show you what’s up with your connections and provide an automatically generated prompt that you can direct message.

Image Credits: Ron Miller

On the pods

In today’s Found, Becca and Dom speak with Beatrice Dixon from The Honey Pot. Dixon tells them about starting a business with a seemingly incurable case of bacterial vaginosis. Not only did Dixon find a company, but also a cure. Learn how the plant-based vaginal wellness brand got its start at hair shows and ultimately landed on shelves at Target. Listen here.