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Fridaaaaaay. It was a short week, but it still dragged on a little.
We’ve got some exciting Twitter Live action coming up on September 13, so mark your calendars! At 8:00 a.m. PDT / 11:00 a.m. EDT we are talking with Andrew Chan about why Gen Z VCs are trash, and at 12:00 p.m. PDT / 3:00 p.m. EDT, we’re talking with M13 partner Anna Barber about what today’s founders can learn from the dot-com bubble bursting.
Enjoy your weekend! — Christine and Haje
More layoffs: Patreon, a company that enables content creators to offer monthly payment subscriptions to customers, confirmed that it let go of five people from its security team. Zack reports there are not a lot of details about the layoffs, but did have some information about how Patreon will manage its security going forward.
Thank you, Mr. Roboto: Amazon announced it is acquiring Cloostermans, a mechatronics company based in Belgium. The e-commerce giant’s focus on robotics has Ingrid writing that Amazon “is taking an interesting turn in that strategy as it expands its industrial warehouse capabilities.”
We like a startup with a fun name: Cryptocurrency is a hot market in Africa, and Tage writes about one blockchain payments startup, called Bitmama, that raised $2 million in pre-seed funding to show what it can do in new markets.
For our episode of Chain Reaction this week, our trusty crypto desk discussed the latest drama surrounding crypto mega-exchange Binance, which is shaking up the stablecoin ecosystem as it looks to muscle its way to supremacy. It’s a fantastic episode and well worth a listen.
Over the past decade, startups migrated north from Silicon Valley to make San Francisco the country’s hottest tech hub. The streets of the city were bustling with throngs of workers, writes Mary Ann. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and things slid to a halt. Now, more than two years and several vaccines later, San Francisco’s office scene has still not rebounded and the city’s streets remain eerily quiet.
Let’s do a few more, shall we:
All on the cards: Renowned founders Brian Lee and baseball Hall-of-Famer Derek Jeter have a new sports card biz ,where collectors can trade and verify their cards, reports Connie.
That’s a lot of giggly-bytes: A new enterprise fiber network, Vorboss, is ready to deliver up to 100 Gbps high-speed internet to London businesses, as part of a $290 million investment in the city’s infrastructure. The company promises a minimum 10 Gbps of enterprise fiber to the nation’s capital, Paul reports.
Papers, please, without the papers: Jobbatical — which specializes in relocating workers and whose business has seen an uplift in the post-pandemic work environments as many workers become “digital nomads” — raised €11.6 million to make it all paperless, Mike reports.
A flighty glance: Flight tracking is coming to an iOS 16 lock screen near you, as Flighty’s app will bring flight tracking and more, reports Sarah.
Straight outta California: Minneapolis-based Branch was founded in 2015, and Anita reports why the company's founder moved to Minneapolis to build his B2B fintech startup.
Image Credits: Edwin Remsberg (opens in a new window) / Getty Images
Nontechnical CEOs often rely on someone else’s assessment to find out how good their developers are. Without data, that’s a pretty subjective process.
Startups that don't use DORA (DevOps research and assessment) metrics have a harder time measuring a software delivery team's performance. For example, a group that has a high failure rate may cover their deficiencies (for a time) by deploying quickly.
Remote work is the new normal, especially for engineers, says Alex Circei, CEO and co-founder of development analytics tool Waydev. By using DORA metrics, CTOs, CEOs and HR managers can "get back on the same page to support their tech teams and business outcomes."
Use DORA metrics to support the next generation of remote-work models
(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead. You can sign up here.)
India is taking more control over which lending apps are permitted in app stores. Manish and Jagmeet keep us updated on the country’s efforts to bring more disclosures and transparency to the world of digital lending, which they write is full of “sketchy and unethical lenders.”
Whoa blocks: Taylor brings us a pair of Roblox stories, including that the company’s new vision involves older audiences beyond its teen and tween origins. Roblox is also handing out $500,000 each to a handful of game developers.
More to the story: Carly is keeping up with the ransomware attack on the Los Angeles Unified School District and wrote up a helpful guide of everything she knows so far.
Speedy delivery: Both Rocket Lab and Sierra Space have shiny new contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to further develop their technology around rocket cargo delivery, Aria writes.
Along with the upcoming Marvel Studios films, the slate includes three 'Avatar' sequels, one 'Indiana Jones', and countless animated movies.
Brett Morgen’s new documentary captures the Starman’s eternal legacy in an ambitious and beautifully chaotic style. We speak to the director and collaborators about bringing the film to life
DiCaprio also told Chalamet to avoid hard drugs during his career
We speak to the cinematographer-turned-director who was part of the some of the most iconic movies of the Nineties.
Wondering what movies to watch this weekend? New streaming releases bring a number of comforts for a long weekend.
The actress, known for her roles in Killing Eve and Grey’s Anatomy, will participate in the service on Monday.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are set to reunite for a new movie, according to an insider.
‘I love this movie so much, and I’ve treasured it since I was a little girl,’ actor said
The two queens of 1990s romcoms - Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan - are back in business. Roberts stars in this month’s Ticket to Paradise as a divorcee who has to travel to Bali with her ex, played by George Clooney. And Ryan has announced plans to direct and star alongside David Duchovny in What Happens Later, an “evolved and nostalgic” take on the romantic comedy which sees the pair reunited decades after their split when they find themselves snowed-in at an airport.
From lesser-known George A. Romero and Clive Barker gems to William Castle cheapies to an unclassifiable Polish shocker.
Jeff Bridges shares his story in a new COVID-19 prevention PSA.
"Disenchanted" stars Amy Adams and Maya Rudolph and director Adam Shankman explain why the upcoming sequel just might be Disney's first existential princess story.
Her manager and sister-in-law, Pat Houston, and mentor Clive Davis produced the movie.
Regé-Jean Page and Glen Powell will star in TV series about Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid for Amazon, Variety has confirmed with sources. The untitled series will be executive produced by The Russo Brothers under their AGBO production banner. Kaz and Ryan Firpo, who most recently worked on Marvel’s “The Eternals,” will write. According […]
"Peter Pan & Wendy" star Jude Law and director David Lowery talked to Yahoo Entertainment at the D23 Expo.
The Hollywood actor described the shoot as the favourite of his career to date.
From Ryan Gosling to David Bowie, these A-listers all almost played the Clown Prince Of Crime…
The all-American Batman has strong roots in Britain.
"Hawkeye" breakout Alaqua Cox talked to Yahoo Entertainment at D23 ahead of her upcoming Marvel spinoff "Echo."
The history of Batman at the movies is littered with tantalising 'what ifs'.