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Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje‘s hebdomadal recap of everything you ca n’t miss from the world of startup . Sign uphereto get it in your inbox every Friday .

I just came off recording anepisode of Equity , where I learn about the newest wave of folly . The technical school diligence ’s DEI allergic reaction has strike a Modern depression , as Silicon Valley leaders are once again waving their “ meritocracy ” banners eminent and wide . Scale AI ’s Alexandr Wang has decided that diversity , fairness , and cellular inclusion ( DEI ) are passé — and replace them with his shiny raw acronym MEI : merit , excellence , and intelligence information . I cringed so hard I ’m going to need a chiropractor .

Of course , the ignorance inspired enthusiastic applausefrom tech Titan like Elon Musk on X , while LinkedIn ’s inauguration crowd hustle their eyes so hard they were much doing backflips .

Critics argue that Wang ’s post misses the mark ( no shit ! ) by snub systemic barriers and quash complex societal kinetics to a simplistic — and dangerously naive — ideal of meritocratic honor . Meanwhile , back at Scale AI ’s headquarters , annotator in economically depressed regions toil away for earnings that would n’t get across a decent brunch in Silicon Valley . But sure , let ’s talk about how “ accusative ” hiring practices will write us all from the tyranny of comeliness and inclusion .

Yours really ,

Haje

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( @Hajeon X. Feel free not to message me about your thoughts on the above . Also : The above cerebration are mine and do n’t reflect the stance of TechCrunch or any of the other author , and all the usual bombast - rant people say when they write an enraged op - ed . )

Most interesting startup stories from the week

Ever enquire what keep a top - tier venture capitalist up at night ? Spoiler alert : It ’s not his powerful investing portfolio or his packed schedule . Vinod Khosla , co - founder of Sun Microsystems and the brains behind Khosla Ventures , recently revealed his biggest worry — and it ’s not what you ’d expect from someone with a $ 50 million wager on OpenAI that pay up off big - time . I lovedConnie ’s candid chat with Khoslaabout AI ’s future , regulation woes , and why Europe ’s technical school scene might be drowse while the rest of the world races ahead . warp up ; it ’s an enlightening ( and surprisingly entertaining ) ride !

Most interesting fundraises this week

Volkswagen is taking a leap of faith ( and Johnny Cash ) into the galvanizing future by commit up to $ 5 billion in Rivian ’s software ontogeny , starting with an initial billion - dollar bill infusion . This partnership seems like a win - winnings : Rivian acquire the financial encouragement it postulate to sail its ambitious path forward , and VW finally has a shot at brushing up its somewhat rusty software attainment . In their new bromance , these two auto giants will share tech secrets like school kids trading lunch snack — VW even gets approach to Rivian ’s flowing electrical architecture . The collaboration could steep some much - needed pizzazz into Volkswagen ’s lineup while impart Rivian a European flair — in a deal that kinda started from the two companies nerding out about building car in Georgia ( the state , not the body politic ) .

Imagine spend your summertime fracture not behind the bike sheds smoke weed ( or whatever the yout ’ are doing these days ) , but in a VC place negociate half a million dollars . Sounds like the patch of a teen drama , right ? Well , for Christopher Fitzgerald and Nicholas Van Landschoot , this is tangible lifespan . alternatively of perfecting their cannonball or binge - watching Netflix , these two 18 - yr - old haveconvinced veteran investors to back their AI - power API startup with $ 500,000 .

Other unmissable TechCrunch stories …

Every workweek , there ’s always a few stories I desire to share with you that just do n’t fit into the class above . It ’d be a pity if you missed ’em , so here ’s a random snap bag of goodies for ya :