Welcome to TechCrunch Fintech!
This week, we’re looking at Rippling’s controversial decision to ban some former employees from selling their stock, Carta’s massive valuation drop, a GenZ-focused fintech raise, and more!
But there is one big exception: It has banned former employees who work for a handful of competitors from selling their stock.
What else we’re writingIn early 2022, the fintech startup Bloom was accepted into Y Combinator as the first-ever startup from Sudan to participate in the famed accelerator.
In an unusual move, Capital One is teaming up with payment giants (and rivals) Stripe and Amsterdam-based Adyen to offer a free product aimed at fraud reduction, the financial services giant told TechCrunch in an exclusive interview.
A lot has changed at HTC in the decade since a small team broke off to form its mixed reality division.
These days, the mixed reality business comprises the “vast majority” of HTC’s global business, says Dan O’Brien.
Ultimately, however, the consumer business has shrunk dramatically relative to its enterprise offerings.
In recent years, Vive has expanded from a VR focus to mixed reality, utilizing passthrough technology similar to the kind found on the Vision Pro.
We’re not there yet, but we definitely see that helping to develop the virtual reality space.
PlayStation VR often gets overlooked in conversations about mixed reality.
The Japanese electronics giant this week confirmed plans to give the PS VR2 a new lease on life, as it has begun testing PC compatibility.
Content has always been an issue for mixed reality, but opening up the headset to Windows titles would suddenly bring in a flood of new experiences overnight.
PlayStation exclusivity is likely a big part of the reason PS VR often doesn’t feel like a part of the broader mixed reality conversation.
Opening up to PC titles will certainly help PS VR on both of those fronts.
Apple’s Vision Pro headset is set to finally launch in the U.S. on February 2, at a retail price of $3,499.
Apple originally announced Vision Pro last June at its annual developer event, and it’s been teasing out hands-on time to select media, influencers and developers in an extended hype and ecosystem preparation event ever since.
The big question remains, will Apple Vision Pro meaningfully move the needle on immersive computing – or will it be yet another splashy launch for a VR/AR/MR product that fails to change the status quo?
Based on the handful of first-hand accounts available, one thing seems clear about Apple Vision Pro: No one’s doubting its quality or capabilities.
Curiously, much of what Apple pitched with the Vision Pro launch focused on things you already do all the time on your other devices, including your iPhone, Mac and iPad.
I recall my first Vive experience vividly. Years ago at CES, I managed a site with a tight budget and the most on-the-ground experience, so I went solo. With an…
