More Okta jobs cuts

TechCrunch Newsletter

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 as a gaggle of Google features and an urgent request for U.S. federal agencies. Buckle up!  — Christine Image Credits: Michael Vi / Getty Images

TechCrunch PM Top 3 Layoffs at Okta, Polygon: Okta is making another round of layoffs a year after performing the same shedding of jobs. Today, the access and identity management company said it was cutting 400 employees, or 7% of its workforce, citing rising costs and the need to grow profitably. We also saw blockchain company Polygon lay off 60 employees. Though that seems like a small number, it is about 19% of its staff. CEO Marc Boiron said with a smaller team, it can "collaborate more, expedite demanding projects and execute at our highest potential." Meanwhile, over at Google: A number of new features came out today. The most popular was its AI-powered image generator called ImageFX that creates images with a single prompt. Perhaps it was because Taylor Swift deepfakes were all over X recently. There is also an update to Bard, some generative AI tools for music creation and better search functions for Google Maps. Oh, and YouTube now has over 100 million subscribers. The Apple Vision Pro is coming!: After viewing the Apple Vision Pro tutorial, you're now well-versed in what this baby can do. Now we're showing you all the app goodness that will be available once you get your hands on it. Meanwhile, Meta Quest provides support for Apple's Spatial Video ahead of the Vision Pro's launch tomorrow. Image Credits: Sean Gallup / Getty Images

More top reads Apple's official "jailbroken" iPhone: Apple used to not take too kindly to security researchers trying to sidestep its iPhone restrictions, commonly known as "jailbreaking." Now it's embracing the concept. Searching . . . : The Browser Company, which makes the Arc browser, is building an AI agent that browses on your behalf while bypassing search engines. Federal agencies told to disconnect Ivanti VPN: In a rare move, U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) is now mandating that all federal civilian executive branch agencies disconnect all Ivanti VPN appliances due to numerous zero-day vulnerabilities currently being exploited by hackers. Snap's Pixy recall: Some battery-related issues, including a minor fire, prompted Snap and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall Snap's discontinued Pixy drone. Owners were told to  stop using it or charging the batteries because of a fire hazard. Activist investor joins Etsy's board: Elliott Management, the investment management firm known for its aggressive governance tactics, has a nearly 13% stake in Etsy, and partner Marc Steinberg joins the board, saying there is "opportunity for significant value creation." Image Credits: Hoyt LLC

Antitrust Getting a handle on artificial intelligence is bonding antitrust enforcers all over the world. They just don't all agree on the same path. Reporting on a conference in Brussels this week, Natasha writes that U.S. enforcers say AI "demands 'extraordinary vigilance' and clear-sighted focus on how the market works." Meanwhile, European antitrust enforcers seemed hesitant on how to respond to the rise of generative AI. Next, we take a look at the Epic and Apple antitrust saga, which wasn't over, then we thought it was, now it's not anymore. This time, Fortnite maker Epic Games is not happy with the way Apple has chosen to comply with a court order that required the tech giant to change its App Store rules. It's just one big, complicated mess. Sarah sorts it out for you. Image Credits: Yuichiro Chino / Getty Images

On the pods On today's Equity interview show, Alex spoke with Skyflow CEO Anshu Sharma about a theory he recently wrote up for TechCrunch: The Innovator's Dilemma and why he thinks the Apple Vision Pro is going to make it. Listen here. In this week's Chain Reaction, Jacquelyn interviewed Chris Dixon, general partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and the author of the recently released book "Read Write Own: Building the Next Era of the Internet." Among the topics discussed, they get into the new book, how crypto's perception has changed and what purpose blockchains can ultimately bring to the world. Listen here. Image Credits: Bryce Durbin

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Your first day with Apple’s Vision Pro

TechCrunch Newsletter

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 Pro users, the impact of bad tweets, what's ahead for a well-known Indian unicorn, and a look at where tech layoffs seem to be heading. Let's go! – Alex

StrictlyVC Comes To LA This February Sponsored by TechCrunch StrictlyVC brings impactful VC insights and deal flow to top investors and entrepreneurs. Join us in LA on Feb. 29 to hear from Tekedra Mawakana (Waymo), Trae Stephens (Founders Fund), & Meredith Whittaker (Signal) for an unforgettable evening. Register Now

TechCrunch Top 3 Byju's backers seek to yank founder: It's rare to see a founder removed from a startup; private-market investors just don't do it very often. But when your edtech startup goes from a valuation of $22 billion to $25 million, well, you might run the risk of getting fired. YC president's posts lead to threats: Last weekend, Y Combinator president Garry Tan posted an interpolation of rap lyrics on social media that called for – in jest, it appears – the death of several San Francisco politicians. He then deleted the post and apologized, but the story is not over: Three of the people named in Tan's tweet have since received more threats. Not good! How to get up and running with Apple's new face computer: So you have waited, coveted, and dreamed. You finally have your shiny new Apple headset. What do you do first? We have the entire breakdown for you right here. Image Credits: Christopher Pike / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Don't miss these Tech layoffs scale to three-quarter high: Despite a decline in the back-half of 2023, layoffs at tech companies have spiked in 2024: the first quarter of the new year has already seen more people lose their jobs than in either Q3 or Q4 2023. It's not great, and is an indication that while tech is still making lots of money, we still haven't reached a 'new normal' quite yet. Senate hearing is a waste of time yet again: One of the coolest powers that Congress has is being able to summon folks so they can ask them questions in public and under oath. It's a journalist's dream. But as they're wont to do, Congress mostly wasted time questioning social media CEOs this week and made everyone cringe. MessageBird is now Bird, after the demise of Bird: Remember Bird, the scooter company? That didn't go well, so the name was up for grabs. Not anymore! MessageBird, the Amsterdam-based unicorn, is taking on the moniker for itself. The company is also going to war with Twilio over SMS pricing, which is good for startup founders who need to send texts to customers and clients. By their powers combined: TechCrunch's Jacquie Melinek digs into a report that argues that AI and blockchain need one another. The idea has some merit, since blockchains are good at verifying data and the like. There's even some data showing that devs are interested in the marriage of AI and blockchain. In my very, very cynical opinion, however, isn't non-blockchain-powered AI doing just fine already? $15.4M for cocoa-free chocolate: Planet A Foods' name is meant to remind us that we do not have a spare habitat for humanity — no Planet B, as it were. So to help us keep our current blue marble healthy, the company is working to create a more sustainable alternative to cocoa. Humans are not going to stop eating chocolate, and we do need to limit our impact on Earth. Makes sense to me! Viacom18 to buy 60% of Disney's India unit: OK, so a little context here: Viacom18 is Reliance-backed joint venture that Paramount Global and others are part of. It's buying more than half of Disney India at a valuation of $3.9 billion. That is a big check, but it's also "less than half of what Disney had originally hoped" to earn, TechCrunch reports. Image Credits: Nigel Sussman

Before you go The Messenger is no more: What a mess. After hiring a bunch of reporters and launching a fresh news service, The Messenger has shut shop. It didn't last even a year, but it did burn through what is thought to be $50 million during its short life. In retrospect, trying to build an advertising-based website aimed at a general audience in 2024 might have been an error. So, too, might have been trying to take on the entire world from day one. Image Credits: Fedor Kozyr / Getty Images

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Newest Jobs from Crunchboard Founding Data Engineer (Staff / Principal) at Everyday Agents (San Francisco, CA 94105, United States) Founding AI/ML Platform Engineer (Staff / Principal) at Everyday Agents (San Francisco, CA 94105, United States) Chief Information Officer at Raftelis (Washington County, Oregon, USA) System Administrator, OT at Hoosier Energy (Bloomington, IN, USA) Programmer Analyst - ERP at Hoosier Energy (Bloomington, IN, USA) See more jobs on CrunchBoard Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month.

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