Is Everyone Telecommuting? A Recap of Startup News.

Welcome to Startups Weekly – your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday.

The Corporate Tug-of-War Over Remote Work

In the ongoing corporate debate around remote work, CEOs like Andy Jassy and Elon Musk are the old-school gym teachers insisting everyone get back on the field, despite the bleachers being perfectly fine. They argue that remote work leads to slacking off, but studies and employee sentiments suggest otherwise. In fact, flexibility may just be the secret sauce to productivity and satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are watching this unfold like a tennis match, wondering if these executives will ever align their strategies with the reality of modern work preferences.

Ron, a writer who has worked from home for most of his career, argues that remote work is here to stay. And as I write this from my local pizza parlor, I can’t help but agree. Whether it’s from home or a pizza parlor, as long as it’s not in the office, right?

Most Interesting Startup Stories This Week

Mahbod Moghadam, known for his colorful and controversial career as a legal eagle, rap lyric annotator, and blockchain enthusiast, passed away at the age of 41 last March. He leaves behind a legacy as impactful as his persona. As tributes pour in, the tech community reflects on Moghadam’s role as both provocateur and pioneer in the startup world.

Moar Transpo

The transportation team is on fire this week, and I’m just trying to keep up. Just read all of their stuff, okay?

In a move reminiscent of Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO denied rumors about ditching a budget electric vehicle in favor of a robotaxi, only to announce an upcoming reveal for the very technology he dismissed. But critics point out that this is not the first time Musk has made such promises, and the long-awaited Full Self-Driving feature continues to be a challenge for Tesla.

Other highlights from the past week include:

• Tesla’s fire sale: The company is slashing prices on its Model Y SUVs in an effort to clear out inventory. But dropping prices by $7,000 only highlights Tesla’s struggle to balance production with sales.
• The Apple Falls Far from the Car: After abandoning its electric car project, Apple let go of 600 staff members who were working on the venture. We can only imagine what prototypes were in development.
• A Cagey Claim: Furloughs, evictions, and federal investigations – it’s hard to believe that all this drama surrounds one company: Faraday Future. Amid accusations of inflating sales figures, the company’s struggles read more like a soap opera than a Silicon Valley story.

Other Unmissable TechCrunch Stories

Every week, there are a few stories that don’t quite fit into the categories above, but are still worth mentioning. Here are some random goodies for you to check out:

• Story 1
• Story 2
• Story 3