We cover all that and more in this edition of WiR. But first, a reminder to sign up here<\/a> to receive the WiR newsletter in your inbox every Saturday if you haven\u2019t already done so.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Tech layoffs jump:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Tech redundancies have scaled to a three-quarter high<\/a> as firms shed workers en masse. This week, Okta fired<\/a> 400 employees; Block laid off<\/a> around 1,000 people; and PayPal let go \u201cthousands\u201d of staffers. As Alex and Anna write for TechCrunch+, yes, tech layoffs are accelerating<\/a> \u2014 and it\u2019s affecting companies big and small.<\/p>\n iOS 18:<\/a> <\/b>Apple\u2019s upcoming iOS 18 software update may be \u201cthe biggest\u201d in the company\u2019s history, writes Aisha. It could bring \u2014 among other things \u2014 a revamped Siri, improved autocomplete in Messages and perhaps even support for RCS<\/a>.<\/p>\n Apple Vision Pro:<\/strong><\/a> Apple\u2019s first \u201cspatial computing\u201d device has arrived with ~600 apps and games in tow<\/a>. Brian\u2019s been giving it a spin for the better part of the week \u2014 be sure to read his initial thoughts<\/a> and impressions<\/a>. And if you\u2019re looking to pick one up yourself, here\u2019s what you can expect<\/a>.<\/p>\n Swifties unite:<\/a> <\/strong>Nonconsensual deepfake porn of Taylor Swift went viral on X last week. In lieu of meaningful action from the platform beyond basic keyword filtering<\/a>, Taylor Swift fans came together to make the musician\u2019s deepfakes as difficult to find as possible.<\/p>\n Palworld under fire:<\/a><\/strong> The Pok\u00e9mon Company said it hasn\u2019t granted any permission to \u201canother company\u201d \u2014 referring to viral new game Palworld-developer Pocketpair \u2014 to use Pok\u00e9mon IP or assets and \u201cintends to investigate and take appropriate measures\u201d against the fast-growing survival game operator.<\/p>\n A SaaS revolution:<\/strong><\/a> Writing for TC+, Julien Codorniou, a SaaS investor at Felix Capital, says that he sees an opportunity for savvy software entrepreneurs to build the Microsoft or Salesforce of the frontline workers\u2019 world.<\/p>\n On Equity<\/a><\/strong>, Alex spoke with Anshu Sharma, the CEO of data privacy company Skyflow, who riffed on interest rates, business cycles and the Vision Pro \u2014 as well as how the Vision Pro fares against a theory Sharma recently blogged about<\/a> for TechCrunch+.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Found<\/a><\/strong> featured Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of the Skimm, a digital media company dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions.<\/p>\n And over on Chain Reaction<\/a><\/strong>, Jacquelyn interviewed Chris Dixon, general partner at VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Dixon has been at the firm since 2012 and founded and leads a16z\u2019s crypto team, which invests in the web3 world through four mega-funds with over $7 billion under management.<\/p>\n Fairness and equality:<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Rebecca writes about how pitch competitions help level the playing field for underrepresented founders \u2014 but that it isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n Ethereum makes a comeback: <\/strong><\/a>Ethereum developer interest hit new all-time highs in 2023 despite a bear market, Jacquelyn reports. Solana, Polygon, Optimism and other blockchains also saw an uptick in dev activity.<\/p>\nNews<\/h2>\n
Analysis<\/h2>\n
Podcasts<\/h2>\n
TechCrunch+<\/h2>\n
Bonus round<\/h2>\n