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Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje‘s weekly review of everything you ca n’t overleap from the world of startup . Sign uphereto get it in your inbox every Friday .
Well , kinsfolk , it appear likeTechstars ’ dramajust got a new plot of ground twist . CEO Maëlle Gavet is make her exit , leaving co - founder David Cohen to pounce back in and keep start the day — or at least taste to . Gavet ’s three - and - a - half - class incumbency was a crimper coaster of disceptation , from employee exodus toshutting down accelerator program quicker than you could say “ pin . ”Despitean $ 80 million sight with JPMorganturning into a Titanic - level tragedy and losing $ 7 million in 2023 , she insists she would n’t trade the experience for anything . As for Cohen ? He ’s excited about his return as chief executive officer .
Most interesting startup stories from the week
Linktree just hit 50 million users , proving that everyone and their grandma now has a liaison - in - bio . From a humble 2.7 million in 2019 to this astronomical issue , they ’re basically the popular kid at schoolhouse that everyone wants to sit with . Linktree is roll out societal DoC features so God Almighty can slap storefronts on their pageboy and earn commissions from big brands like Adidas and Sephora . With over $ 300 million in monthly gross revenue already flowing through those link , it ’s unmortgaged they ’re not messing around .
Trend of the week: AI Drama
Looks like OpenAI ’s late chatbot , Sky , did its good Scarlett Johansson impression andgot hella break ! The AI voice was philander too closely with ScarJo ’s iconic voice . OpenAI swears it was n’t trying to re - create her sultry shade from “ Her , ” but the net could n’t help but notice the eldritch resemblance . CEO Sam Altman even tweeted “ her ” because , well , why would n’t you , really ? Now that Johansson has lawyered up quicker than you could say “ deepfake , ” OpenAI yank Sky ’s voice from its product , while the legal machinations are rumbling around to find a root to this peck .
OpenAI , meanwhile , does n’t seem to be hurting all that much . ChatGPT ’s peregrine app just hit a gross kitty with the launching of GPT-4o . Despite promising free entree on the WWW , OpenAI settle to nudge mobile users toward a $ 19.99 monthly subscription if they wanted in on the action . Plot twist : People are beat out out more than their Netflix subscriptions for it . In its first week alone , net revenue spiked by 22 % , rake in up to $ 900,000 daily and tot up a thumping $ 4.2 million from May 13 to 17 .
Most interesting fundraises this week
Other unmissable TechCrunch stories …
receive to the job market in 2023 , where alternatively of flipping burgers , you could be programming a robot to do it for you . Brian compiled a list of81 robotics company that are hiringfaster than you’re able to say “ artificial intelligence . ” From mechanical man that might steal your job ( or make your coffee ) to trailer ensuring your Amazon packages come before you ’ve even clicked “ order , ” there ’s never been a more thrilling — or terrifying — fourth dimension to plunge into robotics . So go on , apply now and assure your station in the brave new populace of mechanical overlord 🤖 .
