TikTok faces a US ban, Tesla’s profit decline and healthcare data leaks

Welcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter highlighting the week’s noteworthy tech events.

TikTok’s fate within the U.S. appears uncertain after President Joe Biden signed a bill setting a deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to divest itself of TikTok inside nine months or face a ban on its U.S. distribution. Ivan writes about TikTok’s impact TikTok bans in other countries could signal what’s to return stateside.

Meanwhile, the fallout from the Change Healthcare hack continues. Change, a subsidiary of medical health insurance giant UnitedHealth, confirmed this week that a ransomware attack targeting it earlier this 12 months resulted in a massive theft of Americans’ private health information, possibly affecting a “significant portion” of Americans.

Tesla’s profits have fallen 55% because the EV company faces increased pressure from hybrid automotive makers. The automaker’s growth plan centers around mysterious, lower-cost electric vehicles scheduled for release next 12 months, in addition to possibly a robotaxi. However, the Cybertruck being recalled as a consequence of faulty accelerator pedals definitely won’t assist in the meantime.

News

Amazon Grocery Shopping Plan: Amazon has launched a latest unlimited grocery delivery subscription within the US. The plan, which costs $9.99 monthly for Amazon Prime users, includes free delivery on grocery orders over $35 at Amazon Fresh stores, Whole Foods Market and other local grocery stores.

California drones grounded: In more Amazon news, the tech giant confirmed that it’s ending Prime Air drone deliveries in Lockeford, California. The central California city of three,500 people was the corporate’s second U.S. drone delivery site after College Station, Texas; Amazon didn’t provide any details in regards to the failure.

Fisker plans layoffs: Fisker says it’s planning more layoffs lower than two months after cutting 15% of its workforce as the electrical vehicle startup tries to lift money to remain alive. Fisker expects to file for bankruptcy protection inside the following 30 days if it may well’t get the cash.

Strip extension: Among many other announcements made on the Sessions conference in San Francisco, Stripe said it could separate payments from the remaining of its financial services suite. Considering that Stripe previously required businesses to be payment customers with a purpose to use the corporate’s other products, that is a big change.

Analysis

The rabbit gives: Brian writes in regards to the R1, the primary gadget from the AI ​​startup R1. The $199 price tag, touchscreen, and snazzy aesthetic from renowned design firm Teenage Engineering make the R1 far more accessible than Humane’s Ai Pin, he concludes.

Lab-grown diamonds: Pascal, a start-up backed by Andreessen Horowitz, says it may well make high-end jewelry available by utilizing lab-grown diamonds which can be chemically and physically much like natural diamonds but cost one twentieth the worth.

AI Poetry: The so-called experiment Poetic camera – a real, physical camera – combines open source technology with playful design and artistic vision. Instead of simply capturing images, the Poetry Camera composes thought-provoking verses generated by artificial intelligence based on the visualizations it encounters.

Rippling Deep Dive: Connie interviewed Parker Conrad, CEO of workforce management startup Rippling, in regards to the company’s latest $200 million funding round, its latest lease in San Francisco (the second-largest signed in the town this 12 months), and no Just.