Facebook reveals its competitor in the clubhouse, Parler will return to Apple’s App Store, and a helicopter flies on Mars. This is your daily crisis for April 19, 2021.
The big story: Facebook announces new audio products
Yes, these products include new clubhouse-style live audio rooms, plus the ability for podcasters to share long-form audio, some new Spotify integrations, and a shorter format called Soundbites. Facebook is first testing live audio rooms in Facebook groups.
“When we opened video rooms early last year, groups and communities were one of the bigger areas that started this,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in an interview with Platformer. “So, I think of audio, given how much more accessible it is, that’s going to be a pretty exciting area too.”
The technology giants
Apple confirms that Parler can return to the App Store. Apple says that following the updates proposed by Parler, it should be approved for reinstatement in the App Store.
Consumer Agency Warns Before Using Peloton Tread + As Company Backs Off – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns consumers to stop using Tread +.
Xbox Cloud Gaming beta is rolling out this week on iOS and PC. The service has been available in beta for Android users since last year, but has been slow to roll out to other platforms.
Startups, Finance and Venture Capital
Clubhouse closes an undisclosed Series C valuation round of $ 4 billion as clones of the tech giants circle. We don’t know how much it raised, but it looks like Clubhouse tripled the rating it got in January.
Alan raises $ 220 million for his super health insurance and healthcare app – The company now covers 160,000 people.
General Motors is investing $ 139 million in lithium metal battery developer. SES – GM is the youngest major automaker to choose a horse in the race to develop better batteries for electric vehicles.
Advice and analysis of extra crunch
The Klaviyo EC-1 – Klaviyo may not be a household name yet, but in many ways this startup has become the standard by which email marketers are judged.
European VC Rise in First Quarter – The blockbuster first quarter wasn’t just an American affair.
Outdoor startups are growing rapidly during the COVID-19 era – startups offering services such as RVs, private campsites, and signpost apps became relevant to millions of new users when COVID-19 turned off indoor recreation.
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Everything else
NASA is making history by flying a helicopter on Mars for the first time. This is a great achievement, not least because the atmosphere on Mars is so thin that creating a rotor-powered vehicle like Ingenuity that can actually generate lift is a huge challenge.
An interview with Andrew Yang – The New York mayoral candidate talks about Amazon, cryptocurrency and automation.
Geico admits scammers stole customers ‘driver’s license numbers for months – The second largest auto insurer in the US fixed a security bug that allowed fraudsters to steal customers’ driver’s license numbers from its website
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