e Readers Reviews: UK blesses Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision, with one caveat

Friday, October 13, 2023

Happy Friday the 13th. It's an unlucky day for some, but not for you, dear TechCrunchers. And also not for Microsoft and Activision. In today's top story, Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision cleared the final hurdle — the United Kingdom approved a restructured deal. However, learn why Microsoft had to relinquish Activision's cloud-gaming rights outside of Europe in order to proceed with the acquisition.

Meanwhile, if you've been looking for a new set of earbuds, we've got you covered — if you're willing to pay. Read Romain's review of Devialet's Gemini II, which he describes as "the most luxurious wireless earbuds you can get." Indeed, they cost $449 (€399, £349). Then check out Darrell's testing of the Singularity ONI earbuds, which excel with its MEMS speaker technology and its over $1,000 price tag.

And Tradeshift's co-founder finds himself on the wrong side of some allegations of sexual assault, allegations he denies. Get the scoop.

Image Credits: NurPhoto / Getty Images

More top reads

IPO bound: Now that it has $40 million in new capital, fintech Stash has its eye on an IPO. Read more.

TikTok to get the Mickey Mouse treatment: TikTok scores a sizable Disney deal that includes a content hub and publisher partnership. See what's involved.

Shadow Part 2: A data breach at the French cloud gaming provider Shadow may be worse than the company initially suggested. Find out what we do know.

At war: Read about how the Israel-Hamas war is affecting Israel's startup ecosystem. Meanwhile, Telegram CEO says the app will continue to host "war-related content" after coming under fire for Hamas videos. And over at Meta, the social media giant says it's prioritizing livestreaming checks during the Israel-Hamas war.

New features: Instagram's "Sharing to Reels" feature is now open to all app developers. See what it does.

Mammoth meatballs, tiger steaks and zebra chops, oh my!: It was a busy week for food tech funding deals and news. We break it down for you.

Up, up and away: SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launches NASA Psyche mission to the metal asteroid. Read more.

On the road to electric: Toyota's EV strategy hinges on a partnership with a petrochemical company. Find out how Toyota is making the move. (TC+)

X gon' give ya new features: X Communities will start to look more like Facebook Groups now that the former Twitter is deploying a new member vetting feature. Get the scoop.

Some more to get your weekend started:

Uber sexual assault survivors call for in-car cameras, tech upgrades

Founders, are events useful?

African startups see their fundraising prospects dry up as capital availability falls yet again in Q3 (TC+)

6 VCs explain how startups can capture and defend marketshare in the AI era

EV data startup Volteras wants to bring Tesla-level control to every vehicle and charger

Amid breakup, Synapse, Evolve address allegations about how their relationship ended

Image Credits: Stash's new CEO and former NEA General Partner, Liza Landsman

On the pods

The Equity crew is parsing through the week’s news in startups and venture, starting with an update on the California law that will require venture firms to disclose certain market data concerning who they invest in.

Looking elsewhere in venture land, we’re talking about ALIAVIA Ventures’ new fund, Canopy Servicing’s Series A1, a $200 million deal between a private equity group and EVPassport, which startups have flown through turbulence lately and, finally, whether technology can solve a labor shortage in construction. Listen here.