New York Times Tech Guild is on the verge of a strike

Top News

• New York Times Tech Guild authorizes a strike: The New York Times Tech Guild, representing over 600 staffers, has authorized a strike due to stalled contract negotiations. 89% of members participated, and a strong majority supported the vote. Formed in 2022, the guild is still seeking its first contract after more than two years of bargaining. With its demands, including remote work rights and unique just cause protections, the guild hopes to set a precedent for other tech unions.

• AMD prioritizes AI chips: AMD is shifting its focus towards AI chips over flagship gaming GPUs, merging its gaming and data center efforts into a single "UDNA" that prioritizes AI. AMD's strategy now includes building market share at lower price points rather than competing directly with Nvidia's top-tier GPUs, hoping to attract developers by scaling to 40% market share. While AMD still values gaming, it sees the AI data center as a primary growth area, following in Nvidia's footsteps.

• Glean raises a massive round: Glean Technologies Inc. raised over $260 million at a $4.6 billion valuation to enhance its enterprise AI platform and expand globally. Founded in 2019 by former Google engineers, Glean initially launched as a company search engine and now offers an AI assistant and custom app-building platform. The funding round was led by Altimeter and DST Global, with participation from Craft Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, and SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2. This is quite an impressive feat, considering they raised at a $2.2 billion valuation only seven months ago.

Winnie on the Pod

Alex continues to stay true to his word with another TWiST500 interview—this time, with Winnie. As a reminder, Winnie recently landed at #275 on the Inc. 5000 list after growing north of 1,500% over a three-year period, earning a well-deserved spot on the TWiST500.

In this interview, Sara Mauskopf, CEO of Winnie, and Alex discussed the company's journey and focus on childcare services, highlighting the importance of transparency, growth metrics, and market positioning in the industry. She addressed the challenges of balancing investor expectations, profitability, and operational efficiency while also adapting to the changing demands of remote work. Sara also reflected on gender dynamics in startup funding and shared insights on reducing childcare costs and managing home-based businesses. They finished it off with the impact of AI, SaaS pricing challenges, and navigating tech M&A within the context of FTC regulations and innovation policies. If you’re curious about how to quickly scale a business, check out the episode here.

— Erika

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This Week in Startups

E2004: Jeremy Allaire sat down with Alex and walked us through his career journey from Macromedia to founding Circle. The conversation dived into Bitcoin, stablecoins, and Circle's compliance approach, exploring the current state of the stablecoin market and its integration with traditional finance. Jeremy shed light on how stablecoins, particularly USDC, are going to impact global financial systems, Circle's scalable business model, and the potential of blockchain technology in reshaping financial infrastructures.

E2003: Alex and Tony Stubblebine of Medium discuss the platform's growth, financial model, and the impact of AI on content creation and platform quality. Tony highlights Medium's efforts in curation, geographic expansion, and scaling towards 10 million subscribers, while addressing challenges like AI-generated spam. They also dig into the future of AI in practical applications and the importance of niche markets for Medium's continued independence.

Startup Legal Basics: Becki DeGraw from Wilson Sonsini talks with Jason about fundraising trends, M&A slowdown, regulatory challenges, and proposed reforms. They also get into compliance costs, cybersecurity, and legal strategies for startups, including data policies.

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