Hey everyone, welcome to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s newsletter summarizing tech news from the past few days.
This week, TechCrunch reviewed leaked documents from SpaceX revealing questionable practices related to employee stock options.
Former X CEO Elon Musk announced the open-sourcing of Grok, X’s AI-powered chatbot intended to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Grok, developed by Musk’s AI startup, xAI, was released last year with features including access to real-time information on X and views unhampered by politically correct norms.
Elsewhere, Ron interviewed Denise Dresser, the CEO of Slack, about her efforts to bring stability to the Salesforce business that has seen three CEOs within a year.
We cover all this and more in this edition of WiR — but first, make sure to sign up to receive the WiR newsletter in your inbox every Saturday.
News
Leaked SpaceX docs: Recently obtained SpaceX documents reveal unusual terms related to employee stock awards, including the company’s ability to restrict employees from participating in certain offers based on their conduct.
Phantom, now a phantom: Remote driving startup Phantom Auto is shutting down after failing to secure new funding.
Meme stock: Reddit plans to allow community members to sell shares immediately following its IPO, deviating from typical lock-up agreements.
Funding
Banking as a service: U.K.-based Griffin Bank secures $24 million in funding and obtains a license to operate as a fully operational bank.
EU breaches data rules: Investigation finds that the European Commission breached data protection rules through its use of Microsoft 365.
Analysis
Deepfakes go royal: Amanda discusses the implications of AI-assisted photo editing on privacy and authenticity.
Relaxation device: Haje reviews Moonbird’s relaxation device designed to aid sleep and reduce stress.
Podcasts
On Equity, Alex covers startup compensation changes, raises from Empathy and Bear Robotics, and updates from Bluesky, Brave, and Social Capital.
Found speaks with Rebecca Hu, CEO of Glacier, an AI robotics company specializing in recycling.
Chain Reaction interviews Melody Hildebrandt, CTO of Fox Corporation, and Mike Blank, COO at Polygon Labs, on blockchain and AI integrations.
Bonus round
Metaverse royale: Readyverse Studios debuts Open, a third-person battle royale experience developed by Ernest Cline and Futureverse.
