We don’t spend a lot of time taking a deep-dive into the consumer experience of gaming. But one of the biggest stories in tech this week is the much-anticipated release of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch. So I’m joined by Taylor Hatmaker to have a mostly spoiler-free conversation about what Link is…
Disney is actively preparing to launch a standalone ESPN streaming service, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The report indicates that ESPN is planning to sell its channel directly to cable cord-cutters as a subscription-streaming service in the coming years. It’s unknown when Disney plans to launch the service. The report…
Sabi, a Lagos-based B2B e-commerce startup providing digital commerce infrastructure to Africa’s informal economy, has raised $38 million in Series B funding at a valuation of $300 million, according to two people familiar with the matter, signaling revived investor interest in a B2B e-commerce market going through some reckoning. Frankfurt-based specialist fintech investor CommerzVentures, Stockholm-based…
As tech conglomerates and moneyed men call for AI dealers to pump their brakes, I believe another emergent technology, Heinz Remix, warrants close examination. At first, Heinz Remix simply appears to be a mix-n-match soda dispenser — for sauce. Yet, a great deal more is going on beneath the surface. This is about responsibility, in…
Self-driving vehicle companies Waymo and Cruise are on the cusp of securing final approval to charge fares for fully autonomous robotaxi rides throughout the city of San Francisco at all hours of the day or night. Amid mounting resistance to the presence of AVs in the city, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) published two…
The higher you climb up the corporate ladder at Apple, the whiter it gets. That’s according to data analyzed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the union that’s helping retail workers at Apple stores organize. As some Apple retail workers fight for union recognition and a seat at the bargaining table, the CWA is…
Founders of Lifelong Online have bought back a majority ownership and control in the Indian house of brands from Thrasio in what appears to be a retreat for the “Amazon aggregator” from the key overseas market. Existing investors of Lifelong, Tanglin Venture Partners and Hero Enterprise, also increased their ownership in Lifelong Online. Thrasio will…
Amazon plans to invest $12.7 billion into its cloud infrastructure in India by 2030, the e-commerce group said Thursday, as it pushes ahead to scale up its AWS business in the key overseas market at a time when it has cut several other spendings in the region. The company, which has earlier invested $3.7 billion…
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has only been out in the wild for a few days at this point, marking a mere sliver of the time players will spend unfolding Hyrule’s fresh secrets in the coming months — and even years, if Breath of the Wild is any indication. For anyone avoiding…
Varda Space Industries, the in-space manufacturing startup that wants to revolutionize the production of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and more, is in the process of raising $25 million in new capital that would put its valuation at around $500 million after investment, according to documents viewed by TechCrunch. The fundraising comes at a crucial time for Varda, which is preparing to send…
