Over-employment, fatigue and hope • TechCrunch

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Welcome to Startups Weekly. A nuanced look at this week’s startup news and trends from the Senior Reporter and Equity co-host. Natasha Mascarenhas. Subscribe here to receive this in your inbox.

If there’s one thing I can rely on each new year, it’s resolution-irrelevant, capitalistic waste of time, or is there something beautiful in the world as a whole that wants to improve itself?​ is to discuss.

Longtime readers know I’m a fan of Resolutions. Nothing beats the renewed energy you get from a few days of vacation, ready to focus on a better, bigger goal you didn’t have time for in 2022. After two weeks off, am I feeling better? Yes. Are you worried that the news cycle will quickly start spinning out of control and we and our hot takes will get caught up in it?

Alas, that’s where we stand. If you’ve got the determination, I’m rooting for you. Beyond that, it’s about doing more follow-up stories.

The big themes that dominated news coverage in 2022 concerned layoffs, the workforce, and venture capital incentives. But beyond idiosyncratic workforce cuts, how has Reality Check changed the way tech works? Is venture funding becoming more disciplined? Doom and gloom are always part of the story, but I think there’s also news in reinventing and rebuilding technology.

For now, if I do say so myself, it’s not bad. This week we published an article examining how laid-off talent is rethinking risk in today’s job market. Here’s the intro:

The tech industry is not as collegial as it once was. Rocketship is revealed as a messy mess, mission-driven startups don’t feel mission-driven in responding to investor pressure, and widespread layoffs make work a contract to be broken rather than a sacred vow. strongly reminds me of

Over the past few months, thousands of employees from Meta, Twitter, Stripe, Amazon, DoorDash and countless other companies without the privilege of becoming household names have returned to the job market. The job market, which includes job freezes, pay cuts and general malaise, experts warn won’t be over this year.

So where does tech talent go from here?

The answer is complex and it is too early to have definitive labor data. VC wants to fund latest tech mafia startups before banks. Top-notch MBA programs want laid-off workers to join so badly that they waive standardized test score requirements. I know that.

Keep reading to see how the three laid off employees are approaching their careers in 2023. twitter, Substack, and Instagram where I publish more of my words and work. In the rest of this newsletter, we’ll talk about Katrina’s Lake return as her CEO of CES, Cryptocurrency, and Stitch Fix.

CES in Vegas hopes it doesn’t stop in Vegas

It’s that time of year. CES was held this week. CES is the annual consumer electronics show with lots of amazing creative gadgets. TechCrunch is waiting for these products to debut, and they range from texts from dogs to not-so-funny AR glasses and “stylish hiding places for your unimportant stuff.” range.

Here’s why this is important: According to TC hardware editor Brian Heater, CES is starting to take robotics more seriously. In his newsletter, Actuator, Heater gave us an early impression of the show.

Here’s why he thinks there were more robots roaming around Vegas last week.

• The pandemic has sped up the entire industry.

• Automakers are serious about investing in and acquiring robotics start-ups, or building these technologies in-house. See also: Ford’s Agility investment, TRI survey, Hyundai post-Boston Dynamics acquisition events.

• Big companies like Amazon are aggressively pushing consumer robotics.

modern crypto

Honestly, this low-key sounding sounds like the obligatory moan meets a not-so-subtle hangover. I know you’re not interested or really helped by a list of all the cipher stories you might have missed while enjoying eggnog or catching up on a book. are at the end of this newsletter, but not much.

Important reasons are: We can’t just shrug what happened in the 2022 finale and let fatigue win. So let’s make a deal. To keep up with the latest and greatest on what’s happening in the world of cryptocurrencies, we invite you to join her great colleague Jacquelyn Melinek’s newsletter, Chain Reaction. Her latest column certainly woke me up.

stitch fix

We often talk about executive resignations, but it’s rare to see a founder come back to a company as CEO a year and a half after he resigns. Gold Star: Stitch Fix founder Katrina Lake is back at the company she started, which is struggling through the recession.

Important reasons are: Now that Lake is CEO again, she’s the bearer of bad news. As CNBC first reported, Lake said she sent a company-wide email to 1,700 office workers, of whom she was being cut by 20%.

As we talked about in our latest episode of Equity, it’s clear that mass tech layoffs in 2022 are no longer a wave, but a reality. Let’s take a look at this week’s other headlines.

some notes

• If you’re feeling nostalgic, check out some of our articles for the end of 2022
• TechCrunch takes place in Boston on April 20th. Along with his favorite colleague, he will be interviewing top experts at a one-day Founders Summit. Book your pass early!

Saw it on TechCrunch

Two CEOs are better than one with Brex’s Henrique Dubugras

There is now an open source alternative to ChatGPT, give it a try.

India has set an ‘incredibly important precedent’ by banning TikTok, says FCC commissioner

Doorstead exits with $21.5 million to ensure rental properties always have tenants

Remember how this whole thing works?

Seen on TechCrunch+

Will Record Levels of Dry Powder Cause a Delayed Explosion of Startup Investments?

Black founders will raise just 1% of all VC funding in 2022

How Global Unrest Will Affect Innovation in 2023

The Year Customer Experience Died

Toyota stumbled when Hyundai was stealing successful Prius playbook

husband! Is generative AI already in a bubble?

So, I’m heading to Baltimore to spend time with some of my dear childhood friends. If not, I’ll catch you next week.

everytime,

N.