Microsoft acquires TakeLessons tutoring platform for an undisclosed amount – TechCrunch



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Hi friends!

Welcome to the Daily Crunch – it’s September 10, 2021. Alex wilhelm is coming back next week so this is my last day as captain of this ship. Captain of the Daily Crunch. Captain… Crunch? Oh no.

Image credits: evemilla / Getty Images

What I learned :

  • Email newsletters are more stressful than blog posts because you can’t correct typos once they’re posted (and now that I’ve mentioned it, Murphy’s Law requires this newsletter to have 300% more typos). [Ed. note: Not on my watch, Captain.]
  • I have a weird tendency not to link to my own stories in this newsletter because it feels weird? (But I’m going today, because I won it. Also because it’s my birthday. Also because it ended up being one of our best stories since the last newsletter, so I should probably.)
  • Alex is a much, much more efficient writer than I am. It does this in a third of the time it takes me. It works well with my theory that, based on the amount of work he does in a day, Alex is actually three people.

Goodbye friends !

Gregory

The Top 3 TechCrunch

  • Apple will use Shazam to identify songs in DJ mixes: If a DJ mixes a bunch of songs into one big set, how are all of the original artists paid? Apple says the answer, at least for their needs, starts with Shazam, which it bought back in 2018 for $ 400 million.
  • JioPhone delayed: Google and Indian platforms Jio have been working on a phone designed for the Indian market, with the intention of launching it today. Alas, that will not happen. In a last-minute announcement, Jio said global semiconductor shortages were the cause of the delay, and two more months should get them past the hurdle.
  • Epic Farm Houseparty: Just two years after acquiring Houseparty for $ 35 million, Epic says the party is over. It will shut down the video chat app in October, although pieces of Houseparty’s DNA will remain – Fortnite’s cross-platform voice chat, for example, is based on Houseparty technology.

Startups / VC

  • Mammoth, the unicorn: Mammoth Biosciences, a biotechnology company co-founded by CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna, has passed the billion dollar valuation mark. There’s literally no way I can properly explain what this company does in one or two sentences, so check out Emma Betuel’s article for the breakdown.
  • Supabase raises $ 30 million: This one is mine! Supabase builds an open source platform meant to automatically handle much of the boring back-end work that comes with starting a new application project – the database, API (and documentation!), etc. I’ve heard about it constantly since graduating from YC last year. Supabase just closed a $ 30 million Series A and rolls out new features on a regular basis, while being entirely remote with a team spread across the globe.
  • Snyk’s massive increase: Another company throws an absolutely huge turn at a mind-boggling assessment – this time it’s Snyk, who Ron Miller describes as a “Boston-based startup trying to help developers deliver more secure code.” It raises $ 530 million for a valuation of $ 8.5 billion. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here trying my best not to make Nickelodeon references from the ’90s.

What China’s new data privacy law means for U.S. tech companies

China’s first data privacy laws will come into effect on November 1, 2021. Will your business be in compliance?

Inspired by the EU GDPR, the new regulation “[introduce] perhaps the world’s most stringent set of data privacy requirements and protections, ”writes Scott W. Pink, special advisor in O’Melveny’s Data Security & Privacy practice.

In a comprehensive overview, it explains its key requirements and compliance steps for US-based businesses that serve Chinese consumers.

“US companies doing business in China or with companies in China should immediately begin to assess the impact of this new law on their activities,” he advises.

(Extra Crunch is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams move forward. You can register here.)

Big Tech Inc.

  • Microsoft buys TakeLessons: Another acquisition from Microsoft! Just days after announcing the purchase of Clipchamp, the web-based video publisher, MSFT announced it was taking over TakeLessons. Based in San Diego, TakeLessons connects individual students with specialist tutors (online and offline) on topics such as math, music, drawing, and more. Considering that Microsoft claims that over 100 million students use its Teams platform for school, it makes sense that it should dig deeper into edtech.
  • Judge says Apple needs to change App Store rules: Big change in Epic’s legal battle royale against Apple this morning, with the judge declaring that Apple must allow developers to offer alternative payment options beyond Apple’s in-app purchase system. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said that was not enough and the company “will continue to fight.”
  • Epic wants Fortnite to return to the App Store in South Korea: Speaking of Epic-versus-Apple… South Korea recently passed a bill that will require Apple to allow developers to use their own payment systems. As such, Epic says it’s time for Apple to let it (and Fortnite) return to the country’s App Store. Apple says no and that “at the moment there is no legitimate basis for reestablishing their developer account.”
  • What to expect from Apple’s event next week: It’s September, which means Apple is having a big event. What will they announce – other than, if the tradition continues, a new iPhone? Brian Heater has the roundup.

TechCrunch Experts: Growth Marketing

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Image credits: SEAN GLADWELL (Opens in a new window) / Getty Images

We reach out to startup founders to tell us who they turn to for the most up-to-date growth marketing practices. Complete the survey here.

Read one of the testimonials we received below!

Trader: Mike Le, Digital CB / I

Recommended by: Tony Drockton, Hammitt

Testimony: “In the two years of conversations, I’ve only spoken to a few people who are so analytical and data-driven. Its unique internal algorithms to change spending have allowed us to maintain the hypergrowth (60%) we are on.

Community

Join Danny Crichton on Twitter spaces Tuesday, September 14 at 2:00 p.m. PDT / 5:00 p.m. EDT as he discusses whether remote work will make H-1B visas redundant with Sophie alcorne, lawyer at Alcorn Immigration Law and guest columnist for “Dear Sophie” on Extra Crunch.



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