Daily Crunch - First impressions of the AirPods Max

We try out Apple’s new headphones, Spotify resets passwords and Airbnb goes public. This is your Daily Crunch for December 10, 2020.

The big story: First impressions of the AirPods Max

Our fearless leader Matthew Panzarino has written what he insists is “not a review” of the AirPods Max, (not a full review because he’s had them for less than 24 hours).

Still, Matthew seems impressed by the quality of the build — which you’d certainly hope to be, since the AirPods Max cost $550, but he says, “Judging from materials execution alone, the AirPod Max feels like it should be more expensive if anything.”

And yes, the sound quality is solid, too.

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The tech giants

Spotify resets passwords after a security bug exposed users’ private account information — The company blamed a software vulnerability in its systems for exposing private account information to its business partners.

Google to add COVID-19 vaccine information panels to Search — The new feature will surface a list of authorized vaccines in users’ locations, as well as informational panels about each individual vaccine.

Pinterest adds favorites, notes and a new toolbar after increased use of boards during pandemic — According to Pinterest, there’s been a 35% increase in the number of monthly boards created during the last six months.

Startups, funding and venture capital

LeafLink raises $40M from Founders Fund, others to cultivate its cannabis wholesale market — This is Founder Fund’s largest technology investment in the cannabis space.

Customer support startup Gorgias raises $25M — This brings the startup’s pre-money valuation to $300 million.

Cityblock Health valued at $1B — Cityblock works with community caregivers to provide low-income residents with primary care, behavioral health and other services.

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch

Airbnb’s first-day pop caps off a stellar week for tech IPOs — Airbnb opened this morning at $146 per share, up around 115% to kick off its life as a public company.

Despite limitations, 3D and AR are creating new realities in retail — Startups that create digital products and design interactive experiences are thriving.

As Next Insurance makes its first acquisition, insurtech looks energetic — A snapshot of recent activity in a bustling startup category.

(Extra Crunch is our membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)

Everything else

Announcing the final agenda for TC Sessions: Space 2020 — This is a live, virtual two-day conference featuring the most important people in the space industry, across public, private and defense.

Gift Guide: 8 DIY and crafting gifts to help your friends make more stuff and learn new skills — We’ve put together a wide variety of gifts that should be fun for the makers in your life.

Do the celebrities help the startups or do the startups help the celebrities? — Deep questions on the Equity podcast.

• Senior Quality Assurance Engineer at CRST International (Atlanta, GA, USA)
• DevOps Engineer at CRST International (Atlanta, GA, USA)
• Business Process Analyst at CRST International (Birmingham, AL, USA)
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• Senior Data Analyst at CRST International (Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA)

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