President Donald Trump has fired Shira Perlmutter, who leads the U.S. Copyright Office. The firing was reported by CBS News and Politico, and seemingly confirmed by a statement from Representative Joe Morelle, the top Democrat on the Committee for House Administration. “Donald Trump’s termination of Register of Copyrights, Shira Perlmutter, is a brazen, unprecedented power […]
Fitness tracker Whoop faces unhappy customers over upgrade policy
Whoop has backed down, somewhat, from the controversial upgrade plans around its Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker. When the company first announced Whoop 5.0 this week, it said members who wanted the new device could either extend their subscriptions by 12 months or pay a one-time upgrade fee of $49 ($79 for the model with EKG […]
Microsoft and OpenAI may be renegotiating their partnership
OpenAI is currently in “a tough negotiation” with its biggest investor and partner, Microsoft, according to the Financial Times. The AI startup recently announced a major change to its corporate restructuring plans — while it still aims to convert its business arm into a for-profit public benefit corporation, its nonprofit board will remain in control. […]
The Backbone Pro controller makes mobile gaming worth the hassle
The mobile controller company Backbone unveiled its Backbone Pro controller this week, which brings iOS and Android gaming experiences to the next level. A successor to the Backbone One controller, the Pro features full-size joysticks, re-mappable buttons, and Bluetooth compatibility, making for a more premium gaming setup. Unlike its predecessor, the Backbone Pro doesn’t need […]
Amazon offers peek at new human jobs in an AI bot world
The tech industry seems to have two thoughts when it comes to where human workers fit into the AI-powered world they are creating: Either they think that all the jobs, except perhaps their own, will be done by bots. (VC Marc Andreessen seems to think that his work as an investor could never be automated). […]
The Greek revival you’re not watching (but probably should be)
Much of the world isn’t paying close attention to Greece right now. That may be a mistake. Best known for its stunning islands, sun-soaked cities, and deep historical roots, Greece has been quietly laying the foundation for something less expected — a modern, resilient tech economy. While the international spotlight often misses it, something real […]
Egypt’s Nawy, the largest proptech in Africa, lands a $52M Series A to take on MENA
For decades, buying property in Egypt meant navigating a fragmented real estate market, relying on personal networks, dealing with commission-driven brokers, and facing developers more focused on selling than serving customer needs. In 2019, Mostafa El Beltagy, Abdel-Azim Osman, Ahmed Rafea, Mohamed Abou Ghanima, and Aly Rafea founded Nawy to bring transparency and efficiency to […]
Elizabeth Holmes’ partner reportedly fundraising for new blood-testing startup
Billy Evans, partner of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, is working on a new startup that seeks to deliver “human health optimization” through blood testing, according to The New York Times. The Times reportedly spoke to two investors pitched on the startup, called Haemanthus, and also viewed some of Haemanthus’ marketing materials. In those materials, the […]
FTC delays enforcement of click-to-cancel rule
The Federal Trade Commission voted Friday to delay enforcement of the Negative Option Rule — known widely as the “click-to-cancel” rule requiring that companies make it as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up. The rule, which was first announced in 2023, took aim at businesses selling physical and digital goods […]
Week in Review: Instacart CEO heads to OpenAI
Welcome back to Week in Review! We’ve got lots of news for you this week: There were CEO shake-ups at Instacart and 11x; the web series is back — kind of; Threads is getting video ads; and much more. Let’s get to it! Big move: Instacart CEO Fidji Simo will become OpenAI’s CEO for Applications, […]