Latest and Hotest Technology Updates

Netflix tests a free promotional offering, Amazon’s drone delivery gets trial flight approval from the FAA and Neuralink shows off its human-brain tech. This is your Daily Crunch for August 31, 2020.

The big story: Netflix sets some content free

Netflix has taken some of its best-known Originals out from behind the paywall.

The company has already been testing out making select titles free in certain markets, and today it expanded that test across the globe, with a library of Netflix content, including “Stranger Things," "Bird Box," "When They See Us” and "Our Planet" now available free to non-subscribers (only the first episode, in the case of series). A skippable 30-second ad for Netflix plays before you watch.

"We're looking at different marketing promotions to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience,” the company said in a statement.

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The tech giants

Amazon's Prime Air drone delivery fleet gains FAA approval for trial commercial flights — While this doesn't mean that Amazon can immediately start operating a consumer drone delivery service, it does represent a significant step toward that goal.

Apple will now allow developers stuck in App Store jail to push bug fixes to their apps — Developers currently in standoffs with Apple’s app review team still won't be able to submit updates with new features or content updates, however.

Google launches Google Kids Space, a 'kids mode' feature for Android, initially on Lenovo tablets — The feature will launch first on the Lenovo Smart Tab M10 HD Gen 2, but Google aims to bring Kids Space to more devices in time.

Startups, funding and venture capital

Elon Musk demonstrates Neuralink's tech live using pigs with surgically implanted brain-monitoring devices — The company’s technology is meant to serve as a new kind of interface between the human brain and computing devices.

There's a growing movement where startup founders look to exit to community — This is a collaborative working project led by the University of Colorado Boulder's Media Enterprise Design Lab and Zebras Unite, exploring ways to help startups transition from investor-owned to community ownership.

On the matter of who was really behind @VCBrags — This is really the only post you need on the weekend’s Twitter kerfuffle.

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch

In a post-NDA world, does transparency help founders identify conflicts of interest? — Today, everyone is a fintech investor and no one signs NDAs, which puts founders in a difficult position.

What pandemic? Inside Boston's scorching VC summer — Boston-area startups raised more private capital during summer 2020 than they did in summer 2019.

(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)

Everything else

Original Content podcast: Netflix's 'High Score' is a selective tour through video game history — For older gamers, the series provides some pleasant jolts of nostalgia.

Some of the brightest minds in Europe are joining us at Disrupt — A roundup of all the speakers we’ve got lined up in sessions specially timed for European attendees.

• Growth Marketer at Stepsize (London, UK)
• A.I. Sports Startup seeks talented iOS engineer [remote position] at Sparrow (Anywhere)
• Senior Product Manager at Property Meld (Anywhere)
• DIGITAL SOFTWARE DEVELOPER SR at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, CA, USA)
• Head of Product at KitBash3D (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

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The Justice Department reveals a thwarted malware attack on Tesla, Facebook tests linking your news subscriptions to your social network account and Xiaomi has plans for under-screen cameras. This is your Daily Crunch for August 28, 2020.

The big story: Tesla targeted in ransomware attack

The Justice Department released a complaint Thursday describing a thwarted malware attack against an unidentified company in Sparks, Nevada, where Tesla has a factory. And Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet that Tesla was the target: “This was a serious attack.”

In the complaint, the Justice Department alleged that Russian national Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov attempted to recruit and bribe a Tesla employee to introduce malware in the company's network — specifically ransomware, which encrypts a victim's files and, in this case, would also have exfiltrated the data to the hacker's servers.

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The tech giants

Facebook tests linking your FB account to your news subscriptions — Once you’re linked, if you encounter a paywalled article on Facebook, you’ll be able to read it without hitting the paywall or having to log in again.

Xiaomi plans to bring under-screen cameras to its smartphones next year — The company says it's been able to effectively double the pixel density of competing technology, letting light through to the camera without sacrificing the uniformity of the screen.

Startups, funding and venture capital

Railsbank is buying Wirecard Card Solutions, the UK arm of the disgraced fintech — Wirecard collapsed into insolvency earlier this year after facing a huge accounting scandal and subsequently failing to make payments on $1.5 billion in loans.

Steno raises $3.5 million led by First Round to become an extension of law offices — Steno’s first offering lines up court reporters and pays them, removing both potential headaches from lawyers' to-do lists.

Femtech poised for growth beyond fertility — That’s according to an analyst note from PitchBook, which identifies opportunities for entrepreneurs in broadening out from a traditional focus on reproductive health.

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch

SaaS stocks survive earnings, keeping the market warm for software startups, exits — We're on the other end of nearly every single SaaS earnings report that you can name (with the exception of Slack).

Podcast is social: How China's Lizhi makes audio interactive — “I learned from my days working in radio that interaction is the best monetization model in the audio business,” founder Marco Lai told us.

What does GPT-3 mean for the future of the legal profession? — Rudy DeFelice of Keesal Propulsion Labs argues that GPT-3 might be a game changer in legal and other knowledge-focused organizations.

(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)

Everything else

GM shifts Corvette engineering team to its electric and autonomous vehicle programs — Specifically, the team responsible for the the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette.

Android security bug let malicious apps siphon off private user data — App security startup Oversecured found the flaw in Google's widely used Play Core library.

Laura Deming, Frederik Groce, Amish Jani, Jessica Verrilli and Vanessa Larco are coming to Disrupt — They’re just five of this year’s Startup Battlefield judges.

• Growth Marketer at Stepsize (London, UK)
• A.I. Sports Startup seeks talented iOS engineer [remote position] at Sparrow (Anywhere)
• Senior Product Manager at Property Meld (Anywhere)
• DIGITAL SW DEVELOPER API, WEB, MOBILE SR at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, CA, USA)
• Head of Product at KitBash3D (Los Angeles, CA, USA)

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Turmoil continues at TikTok, Salesforce lays off 1,000 people and Warby Parker is now valued at $3 billion. This is your Daily Crunch for August 27, 2020.

The big story: TikTok's CEO resigns

Kevin Mayer, the former Disney executive who joined TikTok as CEO just over 100 days ago, announced yesterday that he’s resigning. While Mayer was likely brought on to reassure U.S. legislators about the app’s Chinese owners, it seems he wasn’t expecting this level of conflict, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order that would ban TikTok in the U.S. unless it’s sold to another company.

"We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin's role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. “We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well.”

As for which company might acquire TikTok, Walmart has confirmed that it’s interested in teaming up with Microsoft to acquire the popular video app.

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The tech giants

Salesforce confirms it's laying off around 1,000 people in spite of monster quarter — Salesforce says it’s “reallocating resources to position the company for continued growth.”

Google Assistant app now uses your searches to make personalized recommendations — Those recommendations could include podcasts, restaurants, recipes and more.

Facebook isn't happy about Apple's upcoming ad tracking restrictions — The company says Audience Network revenue could decline by more than 50%.

Startups, funding and venture capital

Warby Parker, valued at $3 billion, raises $245 million in funding — The eyewear startup has launched a telehealth service for New York customers, allowing them to extend an existing glasses or contacts prescription.

Instacart faces lawsuit from DC attorney general over 'deceptive' service fees — The suit alleges that Instacart misled customers into thinking the 10% service fee was a tip for the delivery person.

Narrative raises $8.5 million as it launches a new data marketplace — The goal is to make buying data as easy as buying something on Amazon.

Advice and analysis from Extra Crunch

Alexa von Tobel: Eliminating risk is the key to building a startup during an economic downturn — Von Tobel says that one of the most important exercises in forming LearnVest was writing out a business plan.

To reach scale, Juni Learning is building a full-stack edtech experience — The startup’s path to $10 million in annual recurring revenue is inspired by Peloton, not Kumon.

What can growth marketers learn from lean product development? — Andrea Fryrear argues that marketers should begin creating minimum viable campaigns.

(Reminder: Extra Crunch is our subscription membership program, which aims to democratize information about startups. You can sign up here.)

Everything else

A faster, easier, cheaper way of going public — The latest episode of Equity discusses direct listings and SPACs.

Here's how you can get a second shot at Startup Battlefield — Your second chance comes in the form of two Wild Card entries for the upcoming Battlefield at Disrupt.

• A.I. Sports Startup seeks talented iOS engineer [remote position] at Sparrow (Anywhere)
• Senior Product Manager at Property Meld (Anywhere)
• DIGITAL SW DEVELOPER API, WEB, MOBILE SR at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, CA, USA)
• Head of Product at KitBash3D (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
• Embedded QA Engineer at Brivo Systems LLC (Bethesda, Maryland, USA)

See more jobs on CrunchBoard

Post your tech jobs and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month.