Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we're looking at OpenAI's revamped safety committee, Instagram's new policies for teens, and Slack's embrace of AI agents. We've also got a review of the new Apple Watch, a fast-growing quick commerce startup out of Germany, notes on rebounds at Intel and Netflix, and a behind-the-scenes peek at MrBeast's YouTube operation. Let's dive in! — Rebecca

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

1. Sam Altman is off the safety team: OpenAI's safety committee will become an "independent" board oversight group, and the company's CEO will no longer be a part of it. This comes after former safety-focused employees accused Altman of opposing AI regulation. Read More

2. Instagram tightens teen restrictions: Instagram users under the age of 16 will need their parents' or guardian's permission to opt out of Teen Accounts, which limits things like who can contact them and what types of content they can view. Read More

3. You'll get AI whether you like it or not: Slack is turning its business chat platform into a hub for AI agents from applications like Salesforce, Adobe and Anthropic. Is this a case of AI-washing, or does it actually make sense for the company? Read More

Morning Must-Reads

Image Credits: Flink

💸 Europe bets on quick commerce: TechCrunch got the scoop that Flink, a quick-commerce startup out of Berlin, has raised $150 million at a nearly $1 billion valuation to double down on deliveries in Germany and the Netherlands. Read More

⌚ Apple Watch Series 10: TC's Brian Heater says Apple's new $400 Watch, with the new sleep apnea metric, is more "refined" than redefined. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess. Read More

🏀 Intel rebounds: The beleaguered chipmaker has taken steps to turn its luck around. Intel will spin out its foundry division, which has already signed a deal with AWS to co-develop an AI chip. Read More

🚘 Fisker customers question their life decisions: As the EV-maker continues its bankruptcy proceedings, its customers have been told they'll need to pay the labor costs to resolve recalls on their Ocean SUVs. That's one way to treat your customers. Read More

🏢 Big Tech wants you to go back to office: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has called for a full, five-day-a-week return to offices starting 2025. Jassy joins the likes of Elon Musk and Marc Benioff in pushing for pre-pandemic office norms. Read More

📱 App Store gets more competition: Ukraine-based MacPaw has launched its alternative iOS app store, Setapp, for European users in open beta. This is the latest app store to hit European waters since the EU's new DMA rules forced Apple to allow alternative app stores. Read More

💶 Pay or be tracked: As with tech, there are always unintended consequences to policy. The U.K.'s data watchdog says it's made progress in cracking down on sites that track users without consent. Still, it admits many have now adopted a controversial type of paywall. Read More

A Message from Lumin

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Around the Web

📈 Netflix's big comeback: Since Netflix's stock plummeted in 2022, the streaming platform has made a remarkable recovery. Now the company has expanded its lead on the old guard in Hollywood. The Financial Times lays out how Netflix pulled it off. Read More

💬 ChatGPT says, 'u up?' Is OpenAI testing a feature where ChatGPT reaches out to users on its own? Seems like it — the bot reached out to someone to ask about their first week of school. Understandably, that went viral on Reddit. Futurism reports OpenAI has fixed the issue. Read More

📽️ How to run a giant YouTube channel: An onboarding document for new members of MrBeast's production company has been leaked. Love him or hate him, the document is a fascinating snapshot of what it takes to run a large-scale viral operation and the company culture behind it. Read More

Before You Go

Image Credits: Unsplash/Wicked Monday

🛍️ Is it already Prime Day again? Amazon is really trying to hype people up for sales. The company is hosting a "Prime Big Deals Day" event on October 8-9, with deals promised to Prime Members every five minutes. Read More