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Greetings from two different worlds: rainy and Cure-themed Silicon Valley (Haje) and sunny, warm day (Christine). We’re learning a lesson in empathy that our reality isn’t everyone else’s. Who knew the friendly neighborhood tech newsletter could be so thought-provoking? Let’s keep surprising you through 2023! — Christine & Haje
The TechGround Top 3
- ChatGPT, but in a suit and tie: Kyle writes that OpenAI has been looking for ways to monetize ChatGPT, its viral chatbot, and today we learned how it is going to do that. The company is now piloting a premium version called “ChatGPT Professional.” Benefits include no “unavailable” windows and an unlimited number of messages. How much would you pay for it? Join the waitlist and weigh in.
- In the air again: The Federal Aviation Authority is probably breathing a sigh of relief after returning to normal operations earlier this morning. All U.S. domestic flights were grounded when one of its key systems went down, Darrell reports.
- What did you say?: More companies are developing AI technology to help humans communicate, and DeepL, an AI-based language translator for businesses, is the latest to reap the benefits of investor hunger for companies like this. Ingrid reports that DeepL raised over $100 million to value the company at over $1 billion.
Startups and VC
It took forever for smart home devices to work together, but why did the Matter rollout take so long? Brian questioned. Companies were reluctant to cooperate due their competitive interests. Nevertheless, at CES 2023 the Matter logo was visible everywhere – a testament that we eventually got there!
Venom Foundation and Iceberg Capital have joined forces to launch a $1 billion blockchain-agnostic venture fund. This fund will invest in web3 protocols and decentralized applications (dApps), as reported by Jacquelyn.
Fine, here are a few more highlights from the last day:
Some investors are (cautiously) implementing ChatGPT in their workflows
Image Credit: Mary Ne/Getty Images (link opens in new window)
Can AI create polite pitch rejection letters, automate due diligence processes, and produce accurate market maps?
Investors are assessing how to incorporate ChatGPT into their processes to work more efficiently, intelligently, and cost-effectively, according to Natasha Mascarenhas, Christine Hall and Kyle Wiggers.
They sought knowledge from VCs on potential use cases, early experiments, and how tech handles nuance and tone.
“Automation isn’t ideal for crucial conversations with journalists,” Brianne Kimmel, founder of Worklife Ventures, stated. “But it’s suitable for straightforward tasks.”
TG++ has three more rising stars: Rachel, Matt, and Paige. They each bring unique perspectives and skills that make the team stronger. Rachel is a creative thinker with an eye for detail; Matt is a big-picture strategist who finds
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Big Tech Inc.
It’s been a rollercoaster with Meta today! Amanda was one of several whose internships were retracted. Meanwhile, Europe’s privacy rights group released EU documents about their decisions against Meta. Natasha L covers the details and Annie reports that Meta’s African content moderation partner abruptly shut down operations.
Sarah reports that consumer spending in the app economy dropped 2%, totaling $167 billion – a first for this category. She delves into what caused the slowdown and why.
Here are five more for you:
