Author : zebethcontrol

Twitter gets an Edit button, Instagram increases ads, Google gets serious about wearables • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in Apple, Apps, Google, Mobile, Social, This Week In Apps, TwitterNo Comments

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly ZebethMedia series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports. Global spending across iOS and Google Play last year was $133 billion, and consumers downloaded 143.6 billion apps. This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more. Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters. Elon Musk is buying Twitter…again…maybe Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / ZebethMedia Elon Musk delivered another week of Twitter deal drama. After initially trying to worm out of the now-overpriced deal, the Tesla and SpaceX exec this week decided he would go through with the purchase after all. It was speculated that Musk may have seen the writing on the wall, and realized this legal battle was one he couldn’t win. (After all, he can’t simultaneously claim he wants to fix the Twitter bot problem by buying the network and then claim that there are just too darned many bots here — and that Twitter is lying about them, when in fact, its SEC filings indicate otherwise. Right?!) But it had also come to light that Twitter had been given the go-ahead by the judge to proceed with a probe that would allow it to seek out information as to whether the Twitter whistleblower Peiter “Mudge” Zatko had contacted Musk’s lawyers before he tried to exit the deal. It seems that Twitter’s discovery had uncovered an anonymous email claiming to be a former Twitter exec involved with Twitter’s Trust & Safety team that had been sent to Musk’s attorney on May 6. And Twitter wanted to find out if the legal team or Musk followed up to determine the sender’s identity. A judge agreed Twitter could dig in — and this was just before Musk changed his mind to move forward with the purchase. So perhaps it was this deep dive into more files and communications that Musk wanted to avoid? Maybe he didn’t want to be asked about this under oath? In any event, Musk said the deal was on and Twitter’s stock jumped over 22% on the news. But the matter wasn’t immediately resolved. As it turned out, Musk and Twitter hadn’t reached an agreement to end their litigation, and neither party had filed anything to stop the court case from proceeding. So the judge alerted them that the trial was still on and would start on October 17, 2022, as planned. But!… Twitter wasn’t ready to take Musk at his word about this sudden change of heart. The judge, however, agreed to give Musk’s team until October 28, 2022 — the date Musk’s team said they could close by — to see if the transaction goes through. If not, the parties will be given November 2022 trial dates, the judge said. Now the deal is hinging on the “receipt of the proceeds of the debt financing,” Bloomberg reported. Morgan Stanley and half a dozen banks underwrote the debt financing for the deal, and given the market conditions, they may find it more difficult to find buyers for the bonds and loans — possibly taking a loss on portions of the package, the report said. But they’re not likely to back out or find a legal means of doing so. Which means…Elon is buying Twitter again. We think! Go ahead, edit Your tweets Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/ZebethMedia And if that wasn’t enough Twitter news for the week, then there’s this other small tidbit: Twitter’s Edit button has arrived. The long-requested feature has now rolled out to Twitter Blue’s U.S. subscribers, in addition to subscribers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The feature allows users to edit their tweets for up to 30 minutes after posting — something that could help users clarify or correct a mistake in their tweet, fix a small typo or add hashtags, among other things. The edits are logged and visible to the public to prevent abuse. Additionally, Twitter said users can only edit their tweets five times within the 30-minute period, which is also meant to cut down the feature’s abuse. But many are still concerned that bad actors will find a way to take advantage of the addition to edit tweeting in misleading ways. Plus, it comes at a time when user demand for an edit button may have been quelled, given that Twitter last year introduced an “Undo Tweet” feature for its subscribers. This lets users quickly fix a typo after they post — likely cutting down on one of the major use cases for an Edit button. With “Undo Tweet,” users can delay their tweets for up to a minute, giving them time to re-read posts and fix errors, if needed. The edit feature was also one of Musk’s big ideas for fixing Twitter, we should point out. Shortly after taking a board seat at Twitter (remember when that was the big Twitter news?!), he polled his 80.5 million followers to ask if they wanted an edit button — either a tease of the planned announcement or a desire to look like he was already taking action at Twitter. A day later, Twitter announced an edit button was actually in the works after years of saying the opposite. But Twitter denied it was Musk’s idea. While the edit option is now live, its impact may be limited. The majority of Twitter’s users are not

Animating Tiny Triangles with Three.js | Codrops

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in three.js, Videos, webglTagged coding, screencast, three.js, tutorial, video, webglNo Comments

A video coding session where you’ll learn how to animate tiny triangles to create a whirlwind-like dissolving effect in Three.js. In this new ALL YOUR HTML coding session you’ll learn how to animate tiny triangles in Three.js to create an amazing looking whirlwind-like dissolving effect inspired by Mausoleum of Augustus. Original: This coding session was streamed live on Ocotber 2, 2022. Support: Setup: Effortless JavaScript Image Editing With Pintura On-Scroll Animation and View Switch

Elon Musk buying Twitter after all, the ‘next Mark Zuckerberg’ and fare thee well, Stadia • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in Elon Musk, Startups, Twitter, Week in ReviewNo Comments

Hi all! Welcome back to Week in Review, the newsletter where we quickly sum up some of the most read ZebethMedia stories from the past seven days. The goal? Even when you’re swamped, a quick skim of WiR on Saturday morning should give you a pretty good understanding of what happened in tech this week. Want it in your inbox? Get it here. most read Stadia’s death: Devin opined on the recent Stadia shutdown, saying the shocking demise of the gaming service was the fault of one entity alone: Google. He writes: “No one trusts Google. It has exhibited such poor understanding of what people want, need and will pay for that at this point, people are wary of investing in even its more popular products.” This Week in Elon Musk: First he stepped in it when he waded into the Russia-Ukraine war with his version of a peace plan that Connie characterized as not very well-received. And then he finally said he’d buy Twitter after all. Twitter told us that the “Musk parties” sent them a letter expressing the billionaire’s intention to go through with the purchase, provided the trial between the two, which was scheduled to start October 17, did not take place. As Taylor and Harri said in their story, however, “given Musk’s chaotic nature, it’s possible that another wrench could be thrown into the works.” Fizz to the “next Mark Zuckerberg”: An app created by former Stanford students to limit social isolation across college campuses received a $4.5 million round this week. The founder, a Stanford dropout, “set out to build an app by college students, for college students, seeking to help his fellow classmates feel less lonely and form meaningful connections on campus.” Google on your Lock Screen: iOS 16 users aren’t limited only to Apple widgets on their new Lock Screens. Google made good on its promise to make its apps available as widgets for quick access. Gmail, Google News, Drive and Chrome are now available, with Search and Apps coming. Search in fashion: South Korean search company Naver said it plans to purchase apparel marketplace Poshmark for $1.2 billion in cash. Edu breach: In what appears to be the largest education breach in a while, hackers released a cache of data stolen during a cyberattack against the Los Angeles Unified School District. audio roundup Didn’t have time to tune in to all of ZebethMedia’s podcasts this week? Here’s what you might’ve missed: For Found this week, we rereleased an episode on delivering remote abortion care with Kiki Freedman from Hey Jane. She also tells us about how her experience at Uber informed her founder mentality and how the startup hopes to change the healthcare industry. Chain Reaction connected with Edward Saatchi, an expert in the web3 space and the founder of The Culture DAO and Fable who discussed how emerging technologies can enable new forms of storytelling and how sectors like crypto and AI are changing what the metaverse might look like. Amanda joined Alex this week on the Wednesday episode of Equity to chat about the creator economy. On The TC Podcast, Haje Jan Kamps, stepping in for Darrell Etherington, talks with Dominic-Madori Davis about how conservative VCs are shaping the startup landscape and, by extension, the world. He also talked with Taylor Hatmaker about all things Elon. And check out the ZebethMedia Live podcast, which is the audio version of our weekly ZebethMedia Live show. This week, hear how Mammoth Biosciences Trevor Martin attracted the best partners to form the company, including Mayfield partner Ursheet Parikh, who wrote an early funding check. Step one? It starts with the vision and mission. techcrunch+ What hides behind the ZebethMedia+ paywall? Lots of really great stuff! It’s where we get to step away from the unrelenting news cycle and go a bit deeper on the stuff you tell us you like most. The most-read TC+ stuff this week? Five key IP considerations for AI startups: Early-stage startups are creating new AI-based solutions but might not know whether the tech can be protected and the best way to do it. In this post, Eric L. Sophir, IP partner at law firm Foley & Lardner LLP, and Matthew Horton, senior counsel and IP lawyer at law firm Foley & Lardner LLP, provide guidance for young companies. Vori’s pitch deck: Haje brings you another pitch deck teardown, this time from Vori, which raised to a $10 million Series A. Want your pitch deck featured on TC+? Here’s more information. Also, check out all our Pitch Deck Teardowns and other pitching advice, all collected in one handy place for you! In on this?

‘Last year was the party. This year is the hangover.’ • ZebethMedia

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in Fintech, The Interchange, Venture, venture capitalNo Comments

Welcome to The Interchange! If you received this in your inbox, thank you for signing up and your vote of confidence. If you’re reading this as a post on our site, sign up here so you can receive it directly in the future. Every week, I’ll take a look at the hottest fintech news of the previous week. This will include everything from funding rounds to trends to an analysis of a particular space to hot takes on a particular company or phenomenon. There’s a lot of fintech news out there and it’s my job to stay on top of it — and make sense of it — so you can stay in the know. — Mary Ann Mark Goldberg has been a partner at Index Ventures since 2015, investing in — and sitting on the boards of — financial services companies such as Plaid, Persona, Lithic, Cocoon and Pilot. Currently the firm’s fintech lead, Goldberg has plenty of thoughts about what’s on the horizon for startups operating in the space today. I recently sat down (virtually) with Mark to talk all things fintech, and lucky for me, he’s not afraid to speak his mind! Here are the highlights of that conversation (edited for brevity and clarity). TC: How would you say this year’s fundraising environment is different compared to last (besides the obvious, of course)? MG: The crude analogy I’ve been using internally is last year was the party and this year is the hangover. That’s really how it feels to me — that we’re starting to understand the excesses of last year. We’ve seen now the retrenchment period after the fact. At Index, we’re probably more aggressively investing in what we think the next generation of fintech companies is going to be right now. Oh yeah? So what do you think the next generation of fintech companies is going to be? It’s funny because if you look at my portfolio, a lot of what I’m invested in is the infrastructure side of fintech…I probably have five or six investments in the picks and shovels. I think there’s resiliency there, but it’s also just a function of the inherent volatility or lack of volatility on the infrastructure side of the market. This year, and this is a little bit more contrarian, I’m actually spending a huge amount of time looking at early-stage consumer finance, which I think is probably the most — well, I don’t know, maybe that or crypto — unloved category or subcategory of fintech today. But I think that’s exactly where the opportunity is when we’re on the other side of this hype cycle, especially when I think about how people are going to do banking five or 10 years from now. I think one of the lasting effects of the pandemic is that people want to do banking from their phone — not to walk down the street and go to a branch or get in the car and go to a branch. I think there is just going to be this massive transformation in consumer finance. Yes, a lot of things were overvalued last year, but I think we’re gonna see a wholesale transformation from an old guard to a new guard in the next few years and this might be a really good entry point when we look back on it. What do you think is the biggest trend happening in fintech right now? One of the enduring things from last year’s excesses is going to be this fusion of fintech and culture, which I think is probably the most interesting trend happening in fintech that will outlast the bull market and bear market. I think it’s just changed the market. I think the best example of this is Cash App in the Block ecosystem, where they have a clothing store. I actually as a joke sent a bunch of my hedge fund friends a bunch of their clothes. In the Wall Street banking world, you would never wear a Morgan Stanley or a Goldman Sachs shirt to a party. But Gen Zs are buying clothes from the Cash App clothing store and wearing them. And there’s a really fun commercial that Cash App just put out with Kendrick Lamar and Ray Dalio from Bridgewater, which I think is just so emblematic of this fusion of pop culture, hip hop and the consumerization of fintech. So, whether we’re in an up market or a down market, the advantage that a neobank has over a legacy bank is that it’s not saddled with 1,000 retail locations. I think the biggest opportunity for the next generation of neobanks is the fact that they can compete in this brand war with an authentic voice that consumers actually care about. What do you expect we’ll see happening in the short-term, and the long-term? High level, it’s still going to be a slower year for fintech. The velocity of deals has generally dropped by 75% since the peak last year. If I saw four deals last year, now I’m seeing one. I think that’s actually healthy for everyone. If I look at my portfolio, I don’t have any companies that are raising right now because they all raised last year and have three years of runway, and are just building and have to grow into the valuations they set last year. From the investor side, it’s really nice to not have a gun to your head in 48 hours to make a decision on a large investment. What we’re doing right now is taking our time doing the work around what are the areas we’re interested in, what are the best companies, and spending time with the founder is in a way that feels much healthier than it did a year ago. I expect this is kind of a new norm for the next few quarters. But there are deals getting done, especially in the early stages. We’re spending a lot of time trying to figure out not just who’s raising, but

Dragonfly GP talks web3’s current and future state at TC Sessions: Crypto

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in Crypto, Dragonfly, Fintech, TC Sessions: Crypto, TC Sessions: Crypto 2022, venture capital, web3No Comments

While the overall crypto markets have been in a rough spot lately, web3 venture capitalists have never had more conviction — or more funding at their disposal — to back startups and teams building in the space. The big question on their minds is whether tokens and startup valuations have bottomed out, or if they need to wait a bit longer to score the best possible deal. When to place your bets is a delicate balance in any tech sector, never mind one as rambunctious as crypto. That’s one reason why we’re stoked that Tom Schmidt, a general partner at Dragonfly, will join us onstage at TC Sessions: Crypto on November 17 in Miami. We can’t wait to hear his take on the current state of crypto and what it’s like to be an investor at a crypto-native VC firm as more traditional venture firms move into the space. We’ll ask about which web3 subsectors — from DeFi to NFTs to Ethereum layer 2s — currently pique Dragonfly’s interest, and we’ll chat about how regulation could affect the industry in different regions across the globe. We’re curious to hear Schmidt’s outlook on the future of crypto startups and VC for the coming year. Is Dragonfly as optimistic about the crypto market as it was last April when the VC firm closed its third venture fund to the (oversubscribed) tune of $650 million? Inquiring minds want to know. Take advantage of our special launch pricing — save $250 on General Admission passes before time runs out on this offer. Buy your pass today, and then join the web3, DeFi and NFT communities at TC Sessions: Crypto on November 17 in Miami. Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Sessions: Crypto? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

On-Scroll Animation and View Switch

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in Playground, scrollTagged gsap flip, lenis, smooth scrolling, switchNo Comments

From our sponsor: Get personalized content recommendations to make your emails more engaging. Sign up for Mailchimp today. Today I’d love to share a little layout with you where we have some fun on-scroll animations going on and an overview switch. The idea is to have a view switch which allows the layout (specifically the images) to change into a grid. The switch is made with the help of GreenSocks’ Flip plugin and we use Lenis for the smooth scrolling. Our initial layout looks as follows: While scrolling, a few things happen. The titles next to the images will be hidden and we also have a marquee that moves across the page. Once we click on the switch, all images will animate to their position in the grid: I hope you like this little layout and find it useful!

Web Design & Development News: Collective #732

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in UncategorizedNo Comments

Would you like to send us some news? The Collective features the latest news and resources from the web design & web development community. If you have spotted or created something that you’d like see published in the next issue, just submit the resource or article here.

Is the RPA market in trouble? • TechCrunch

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in Analysis, automation anywhere, EC Cloud and Enterprise Infrastructure, robotic process automation, Robotics & AI, RPA, StartupsNo Comments

Automation Anywhere, one of the best-funded RPA providers with over $1 billion capital raised to date, went the debt route this week, securing a $200 million loan from Silicon Valley Bank, SVB Capital and Hercules Capital. Debt raises aren’t necessarily a bad thing — they’re a useful tool, particularly for companies with high annual recurring revenue — but the magnitude and timing of the Automation Anywhere raise suggests it was more out of necessity than choice. “This new financing will provide operational capital for the next several years as Automation Anywhere continues to advance its cloud-native automation platform,” CEO Mihir Shukla told TechCrunch via email. “We’re using AI and intelligent automation to design tech that’s accessible to everyone — all kinds of business leaders, managers and citizen developers.” While Shukla insists Automation Anywhere’s business is robust, with a customer base of around 5,000 and “over 50% revenue growth,” the RPA market has long faced headwinds as investors increasingly express skepticism that the technology, which automates repetitive software tasks at enterprise scale, can deliver on its many promises. PitchBook notes that shares of UiPath — Automation Anywhere’s main rival, which went public in April 2021 — plummeted 71% this year. Meanwhile, another large player, Blue Prism, last September agreed to sell itself to Vista Equity Partners for £1.095 billion (about $1.5 billion). Gartner predicts that while the RPA market will reach $2.9 billion by the beginning of 2023, the growth rate will end substantially lower than it was in 2021, when the segment expanded by 30.9% compared to the year prior. Assuming the $2.9 billion figure comes to pass, it’d translate to 19.5% growth between the years 2021 and 2022.

Recalled EV? Automakers shouldn’t get to count it toward fleetwide fuel economy • TechCrunch

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in chrysler pacifica, Climate, EC Food Climate and Sustainability, Environmental Protection Agency, National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, RecallsNo Comments

In February, I received a letter from Chrysler saying that our 2017 Pacifica Hybrid was subject to a new recall. Several of the minivans had inexplicably caught fire and, given the evidence, the automaker suspected it might have to do with the high-voltage battery pack. The recall notice told us not to recharge the vehicle or park it near a house or garage — or any other building, for that matter. The fix? The company didn’t have one nor could it tell me when it might. Having covered recalls like this before, I figured we’d be in it for the long haul. And I was right. A few days ago, nearly eight months after the recall first went out, Stellantis, Chrysler’s parent company, said it had a fix. There would be a software update and dealers would inspect and replace any suspect batteries. Troublingly, the automaker still hasn’t found what caused the dozen fires, but it said the fixes would prevent them from happening. Yes, I’m glad that Chrysler and Stellantis have a remedy (which they’re legally obliged to provide) that (I hope) will eliminate a very serious fire risk. Obviously, I’d prefer if the remedy were also accompanied by an explanation for the blazes — I wouldn’t want to learn firsthand if the forthcoming fix doesn’t address the cause. But Stellantis assured me that it has been validated to address the conditions under which fires have occurred. As the energy transition continues, there are going to be bumps in the road, and I understand that it’s impossible to design an entirely problem-free vehicle. But recalls that prevent EVs and plug-in hybrids from charging result in additional pollution. Maybe there should be consequences for that.

Twitter locks Kanye West’s account for antisemitic tweet following warm Elon Musk welcome • TechCrunch

By zebethcontrolPosted on October 9, 2022Posted in UncategorizedNo Comments

Elon Musk’s troubling, nascent vision for Twitter was on full display this weekend after the SpaceX and Tesla CEO strode into the center of a content moderation controversy created by Kanye West, who now goes by Ye. West popped up on Twitter Friday night for the first time since November 2020, tweeting “Look at this Mark, How you gone kick me off instagram” with a blurry photo of himself and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg singing karaoke. The company confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Instagram indeed removed content from West’s account and placed restrictions on it following repeated policy violations. While West’s account was still visible on Sunday, it’s likely frozen from posting new content temporarily. West’s recent Instagram posts are all screenshots of texts, and the post that broke Instagram’s rules appears to have been a conversation with Sean “Diddy” Combs in which he invoked antisemitic tropes, accusing the other musician of being controlled by “the Jewish people.” Future Twitter owner Elon Musk quickly swept in to welcome West back to the platform, in spite of the troubled artist’s very recent expressions of antisemitism. Welcome back to Twitter, my friend! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 8, 2022 West appears to have interpreted Musk’s warm welcome as a green light, elaborating on his antisemitic conspiracies in a tweet only 12 hours later. “I’m a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I’m going death [sic] con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE,” West tweeted on Saturday night. ” … You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda.” In spite of Musk’s stamp of approval, Twitter removed the tweet, which invoked anti-Jewish stereotypes often espoused by white supremacists and locked West’s account “due to a violation of Twitter’s policies,” a Twitter spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch. Just before sowing chaos on Instagram and Twitter, West stirred up controversy at Paris fashion week, debuting a new line in a pop-up warehouse show that included a shirt with the phrase “White Lives Matter.” The incident immediately pitted West again much of the fashion industry, which spoke out against him and defended Vogue Editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, who West attacked for criticizing his stunt as “deeply offensive, violent and dangerous.”