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LinkedIn games are really cool

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I actually have a weakness that I’m ashamed of, and it isn’t that I’ve watched all of Glee (yes, even the terrible later seasons) or that I’ve read an incredible amount of Harry Potter fan fiction in my life.

My little weakness is playing LinkedIn games.

To answer the plain query: Wait, LinkedIn has games? Yes. In May, LinkedIn launched three puzzle games via LinkedIn News, like New York Times game knockoffs. There’s the logic puzzle Queens (my favorite), the word game Crossclimb (pretty good), and the association game Pinpoint (not great, but oh well).

LinkedIn is taking the classic tech strategy of seeing what works for one more company after which trying to copy that success, even when it could appear odd to play games on knowledgeable networking platform. But it’s no wonder NYT Games inspired that inspiration. In a way The New York Times is a gaming company now – from December 2023 users I spent more time within the NYT Games app than within the news app.

LinkedIn isn’t alone. Everyone has games now. Apple News. Netflix. YouTube. There are so many games we are able to take pleasure in. And yet, once I finish my various New York Times puzzles, I still want more. It’s not that I feel like playing Crossclimb LinkedIn before Connections, however the games are adequate to provide me that sweet dopamine rush.

I often play LinkedIn games in the course of the workday (sorry to my boss). Sometimes it’s because I’m on LinkedIn to envision facts or look up a source, but then I remember I can spare a number of minutes for slightly game. Other times, my mind is foggy from gazing the identical draft of an article for too long, and taking a break to resolve a colourful Queens puzzle makes it easier to return and revisit that Google doc.

But it turns on the market’s a scientific explanation for why we love these quick, once-a-day puzzles a lot.

I recently spoke with DeepWell DTx cofounder Ryan Douglas, whose company relies on the concept playing video games (moderately) can have a positive impact on mental health. In some cases, the transient distraction of a game can pull us out of a negative thought spiral or help us approach an issue from a brand new perspective.

“If you’re playing Tetris, for example, you can’t have a long conversation in your head about how terrible you are, how much you suck, what’s going to happen next week, and so on,” Douglas told TechCrunch.

On a neurobiological level, Douglas explained that after we play, we activate the limbic system within the brain, which is answerable for coping with stress. But even when these stressors are simulated, they accustom the brain to coping with that stress in some ways.

“You start learning on a subconscious level, creating new neural pathways at an accelerated rate and preferentially selecting them on a subconscious level to deal with those problems in the future,” he said. “If you deal with (the stressor) in that particular environment, you gain agency. You have control.”

That’s to not say we must always play Pokémon all day—the video game development tools DeepWell creates are approved for therapeutic use in 15-minute doses. Maybe that’s why we’re so infatuated with games like Wordle, and other games The New York Times (and LinkedIn) has written which have a finite ending. You solve one puzzle a day, and then you definately move on to the following.

Wordle creator Josh Wardle spoke to TechCrunch about his viral success even before The New York Times picked up his game.

“I’m a little suspicious of apps and games that want your endless attention — I worked in Silicon Valley, for example. I know why they do that,” Wardle said. “I think people have an appetite for things that clearly don’t want anything from you.”

But Wardle is correct—after all my beloved LinkedIn games want something from me: my attention. And to be honest, I’ve spent rather a lot more time on LinkedIn in recent months than I ever have.

According to LinkedIn’s data, my behavior isn’t an anomaly. The company found that latest player engagement has increased by about 20% week over week because the starting of July. LinkedIn has also seen strong traction in users starting conversations after playing games. After you finish a game, you may see which of your connections also played, which I imagine some people see as a chance to #network. I don’t do this, but on the other hand, most of my LinkedIn conversations are just me messaging my friends “hi” because for some reason I find that funny.

So go on LinkedIn and have a good time as much as you may… after which, about 4 minutes later, return to the relentless grind of worldwide capitalism.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is leaving PhonePe’s board

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Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down three-quarters from PhonePe’s board after making an identical move on the e-commerce giant.

Bengaluru-based PhonePe said it has appointed Manish Sabharwal, executive director at recruitment and human resources firm Teamlease, as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee.

Bansal played a key role in Flipkart’s acquisition of PhonePe in 2016 and has since served on the fintech’s board. The Walmart-backed startup, which operates India’s hottest mobile payment app, spun off from Flipkart in 2022 and was valued at $12 billion in funding rounds that raised about $850 million last 12 months.

Bansal still holds about 1% of PhonePe. Neither party explained why they were leaving the board.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of the first and staunchest supporters of PhonePe,” Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of PhonePe, said in a press release. His lively involvement, strategic advice and private mentoring have profoundly enriched our discussions. We will miss Binny!”

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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The company is currently developing washing machines for humans

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Forget about cold baths. Washing machines for people may soon be a brand new solution.

According to at least one Japanese the oldest newspapersOsaka-based shower head maker Science has developed a cockpit-shaped device that fills with water when a bather sits on a seat in the center and measures an individual’s heart rate and other biological data using sensors to make sure the temperature is good. “It also projects images onto the inside of the transparent cover to make the person feel refreshed,” the power says.

The device, dubbed “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (the human washing machine of the longer term), may never go on sale. Indeed, for now the company’s plans are limited to the Osaka trade fair in April, where as much as eight people will have the option to experience a 15-minute “wash and dry” every day after first booking.

Apparently a version for home use is within the works.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Zepto raises another $350 million amid retail upheaval in India

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Zepto, snagging $1 billion in 90 days, projects 150% annual growth

Zepto has secured $350 million in latest financing, its third round of financing in six months, because the Indian high-speed trading startup strengthens its position against competitors ahead of a planned public offering next yr.

Indian family offices, high-net-worth individuals and asset manager Motilal Oswal invested in the round, maintaining Zepto’s $5 billion valuation. Motilal co-founder Raamdeo Agrawal, family offices Mankind Pharma, RP-Sanjiv Goenka, Cello, Haldiram’s, Sekhsaria and Kalyan, in addition to stars Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar are amongst those backing the brand new enterprise, which is India’s largest fully national primary round.

The funding push comes as Zepto rushes so as to add Indian investors to its capitalization table, with foreign ownership now exceeding two-thirds. TechCrunch first reported on the brand new round’s deliberations last month. The Mumbai-based startup has raised over $1.35 billion since June.

Fast commerce sales – delivering groceries and other items to customers’ doors in 10 minutes – will exceed $6 billion this yr in India. Morgan Stanley predicts that this market shall be value $42 billion by 2030, accounting for 18.4% of total e-commerce and a pair of.5% of retail sales. These strong growth prospects have forced established players including Flipkart, Myntra and Nykaa to cut back delivery times as they lose touch with specialized delivery apps.

While high-speed commerce has not taken off in many of the world, the model seems to work particularly well in India, where unorganized retail stores are ever-present.

High-speed trading platforms are creating “parallel trading for consumers seeking convenience” in India, Morgan Stanley wrote in a note this month.

Zepto and its rivals – Zomato-owned Blinkit, Swiggy-owned Instamart and Tata-owned BigBasket – currently operate on lower margins than traditional retail, and Morgan Stanley expects market leaders to realize contribution margins of 7-8% and adjusted EBITDA margins to greater than 5% by 2030. (Zepto currently spends about 35 million dollars monthly).

An investor presentation reviewed by TechCrunch shows that Zepto, which handles greater than 7 million total orders every day in greater than 17 cities, is heading in the right direction to realize annual sales of $2 billion. It anticipates 150% growth over the following 12 months, CEO Aadit Palicha told investors in August. The startup plans to go public in India next yr.

However, the rapid growth of high-speed trading has had a devastating impact on the mom-and-pop stores that dot hundreds of Indian cities, towns and villages.

According to the All India Federation of Consumer Products Distributors, about 200,000 local stores closed last yr, with 90,000 in major cities where high-speed trading is more prevalent.

The federation has warned that without regulatory intervention, more local shops shall be vulnerable to closure as fast trading platforms prioritize growth over sustainable practices.

Zepto said it has created job opportunities for tons of of hundreds of gig employees. “From day one, our vision has been to play a small role in nation building, create millions of jobs and offer better services to Indian consumers,” Palicha said in an announcement.

Regulatory challenges arise. Unless an e-commerce company is a majority shareholder of an Indian company or person, current regulations prevent it from operating on a listing model. Fast trading corporations don’t currently follow these rules.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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