TechCrunch Daily Crunch

Elon Musk calls Apple’s App Store fees ‘a de facto global tax on the Internet;’ A Tesla Megapack caught fire at the Victorian Big Battery facility in Australia; EU hits Amazon with record-breaking $887M GDPR fine over data misuse Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Microsoft in talks to back India’s Oyo; Amazon’s Fire TV Cube now supports Zoom calls on your TV; PayPal’s new ‘super app,’ to include messaging, is ready to launch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duolingo’s IPO pricing is great news for edtech startups; Walmart to sell its e-commerce technologies to other retailers; Twitter launches US e-commerce pilot that lets users shop from profiles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shopify allows merchants to sell NFTs directly through their storefronts; Google TV mobile app redesign adds new services and recommendations; Pinterest rolls out new features that let creators make money from pins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rivian raises another $2.5B, pushing its EV war chest up to $10.5B; Data-driven iteration helped China’s Genki Forest become a $6B beverage giant in 5 years; Box unwraps its answer to the $3.8B e-signature market: Box Sign Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

GM recalls Bolt EVs once again over fire risks; Paystand banks $50M to make B2B payments cashless and with no fees; GM recalls Bolt EVs once again over fire risks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A DNS outage just took down a large chunk of the internet; Rivian is planning a second US factory; Tesla, BHP ink supply deal for nickel ahead of demand surge Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Clubhouse is now out of beta and open to everyone; Argo, Ford to launch self-driving vehicles on Lyft’s ride-hailing app; Amazon aims to inject new life into Alexa with release of developer tools and features Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Blue Origin’s New Shepard carries Jeff Bezos and three crew members to space and back; Facebook onboards another 31 newsletter writers on Bulletin; Facebook onboards another 31 newsletter writers on Bulletin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Colombian on-demand delivery startup Rappi raises ‘over’ $500M at a $5.25B valuation; CNN+ streaming service will offer live and on-demand content in early 2022; Uber expands its grocery delivery service Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Intel rumored to be in talks to buy chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries for $30B; Tumblr’s parent company is buying popular podcast app Pocket Casts; India’s Delhivery bags $100 million from FedEx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xiaomi global shipments push past Apple for No. 2 spot; Blue Origin’s final passenger for its first human spaceflight will be 18-year-old Oliver Daemen; SPACs keep rolling as autonomous vehicle startup Aurora targets blank-check debut with $13B valuation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook is shook, asks for removal of FTC Chair Khan from antitrust cases against it; Amazon launches its mobile-first Kindle Vella serialized story platform; Twilio’s new tools will let anyone add live video and audio to their apps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Discord buys Sentropy, which makes AI software that fights online harassment; Facebook adds a ‘Payout Time Bonus’ to help retain bug bounty hunters; Apple introduces a $99 MagSafe Battery Pack for the iPhone 12 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk defends Tesla’s $2.6B acquisition of SolarCity in Delaware court; Android 12 will let you play games before they finish downloading; Virgin Galactic and Richard Branson celebrate launch of first passengers into space Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

EU fines BMW, VW $1B for running emissions cartel; Startups have never had it so good; Biden’s sweeping executive order takes on Big Tech’s ‘bad mergers,’ ISPs and more Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beyond Meat launches plant-based chicken tenders at US restaurants; Dropbox is reimagining the workplace with Dropbox Studios; Instacart hires Facebook executive as new CEO ahead of expected IPO Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pakistan’s growing tech ecosystem is finally taking off; Turning IRL surgery into a VR game; Former U.S. president needs money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nobody wins as DoD finally pulls the plug on controversial $10B JEDI contract; Verizon demos THOR, its new vehicle for frontline rapid humanitarian response; Twitter shares its ideas around new privacy features, including a way to hide your account from searches Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chinese cybersecurity probe validates Didi’s pre-IPO warning to investors; GM is investing in a California lithium extraction project; Dutch court will hear another Facebook privacy lawsuit Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

macOS Monterey’s public beta is live; Paris court fines Airbnb $9.6 million for illegal listings; Pinterest updates policy to prohibit ads promoting weight loss Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robinhood fined $70 million; Amazon betrays its fear with petition to sideline FTC Chair and antitrust hawk Lina Khan; Amazon betrays its fear with petition to sideline FTC Chair and antitrust hawk Lina Khan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Duolingo filed to go public; Shopify drops its App Store commissions to 0% on developers’ first million in revenue; GitHub previews new AI tool that makes coding suggestions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SpaceX aiming for first orbital test launch of Starship in July; Tech’s 5 Biggest Players Now Worth $3 Trillion; Facebook to target Nigerian learners with educational app Sabee, created by its R&D team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon’s cloud services giant, AWS, is getting into the encrypted messaging business; Fintual raises $15M for Latin American retail investing; Musculoskeletal medical startups race to enter personalized health tech market Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Instagram may soon let you post from desktop; Android apps are coming to Windows 11 through the Amazon Appstore; Google and India’s Jio Platforms announce budget Android smartphone JioPhone Next Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autonomous trucking startup Embark to go public in $5.2B SPAC deal; Ford micromobility subsidiary Spin launches first in-house-built e-scooter; Salesforce, AWS announce extended partnership with further two-way integration Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon’s purchase of MGM must pass the scrutiny of the FTC; India orders antitrust investigation against Google over smart TV market; Brave’s nontracking search engine is now in beta Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook officially launches Live Audio Rooms and podcasts in the US; Sneaker community startup SoleSavy raises $12.5 million Series A to build an end-to-end sneakersphere; India proposes tougher e-commerce rules to address ‘widespread cheating’ complaints Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spotify acquires Podz, a podcast discovery platform; UK’s ICO warns over ‘Big Data’ surveillance threat of live facial recognition in public; Mediflash is a freelancer marketplace for health professionals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A security bug in Google’s Android app put users’ data at risk; Google’s first store is open in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood; Instagram’s TikTok rival, Reels, rolls out ads worldwide Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook rolls out new tools for Group admins; Google updates online safety curriculum for kids; Facebook announced its plans to start testing ads on its Oculus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple Podcasts Subscriptions go live worldwide; Shopify expands its one-click checkout, Shop Pay, to any merchant on Facebook or Google; Tech antitrust crusader Lina Khan is confirmed as FTC commissioner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Supreme Court revives LinkedIn case to protect user data from web scrapers; Stripe goes beyond payments with Stripe Identity to provide AI-based ID verification for transactions and much more; Redwood Materials is setting up shop near the Tesla Gigafactory as part of broader expansion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple confirms hiring of Ulrich Kranz, former CEO of EV company Canoo; Volkswagen says a vendor’s security lapse exposed 3.3 million drivers’ details; Tech companies are looking at more flexible work models when offices reopen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Microsoft plans to launch dedicated Xbox cloud gaming hardware; Waymo and J.B. Hunt partner to bring autonomous trucks to Texas in new pilot; Payments giant Stripe launches Stripe Tax to integrate sales tax calculations for 30+ countries Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Google announces the Firmina subsea cable between the US and Argentina; Google announces the Firmina subsea cable between the US and Argentina; Biden revokes and replaces Trump actions targeting TikTok and WeChat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple’s RealityKit 2 allows developers to create 3D models for AR using iPhone photos; Fintech all-star Nubank raises a $750M mega round; Kafene raises $14M to offer buy now, pay later to the subprime consumer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today was the kickoff of Apple’s developer conference, WWDC, meaning that the TechCrunch crew was super busy all day and that we have an ocean of news from Cupertino for you to enjoy. But the startup market was just as busy, thankfully, with some fascinating funding rounds, acquisitions and more to parse through. Today we have something for everyone! — AlexP.S. Including all of you interested in finance. Here’s a teardown of the Babylon Health SPAC deal. Enjoy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook will reconsider Trump’s ban in two years; Flink, the German grocery delivery startup, raises $240M after launching just 6 months ago; Facebook’s use of ad data triggers antitrust probes in UK and EU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Waymo’s driverless taxi service can now be accessed on Google Maps; Twitter redesigns its mobile app to make Spaces the center tab; United Airlines agrees to purchase 15 Boom supersonic airliners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amazon to stop screening employees for marijuana; Facebook opens its Messenger API for Instagram to all; FlixMobility raises $650M+ at a $3B valuation to double down on buses and other transport in the U.S. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Twitter to begin pilot testing Fleet ads; Line launches digital banking platform in Indonesia; European insurtech startup Wefox grabs $650 million at $3 billion valuation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook, WhatsApp, Google and other internet giants comply with India’s IT rules; EU to review TikTok’s ToS after child safety complaints; Penfold closes $8.5M to provide a full-stack pension in an app aimed at freelancers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Twitter says its concerned with India intimidation, requests 3 more months to comply with new IT rules; EU bodies’ use of US cloud services from AWS, Microsoft being probed by bloc’s privacy chief; RevenueCat raises $40M Series B for its in-app subscription platform Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NASA’s new lunar vehicle could be built by GM and Lockheed Martin; Facebook and Instagram will now allow users to hide ‘Like’ counts on posts; Visa takes a swipe in fintech, builds new online marketplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Microsoft brings more of its Azure services to any Kubernetes cluster; JD.com, Meituan and Neolix to test autonomous deliveries on Beijing public roads; Whatnot raises $50M to let people sell Pokémon cards, Funko Pops and more via livestream Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tesla faces $163M payout to drivers in Norway following court decision; New Instagram Insights make its TikTok competitor Reels more appealing; Seed-stage accelerator Flat6Labs closes $13.2M fund for startups in Egypt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spotify brings offline listening to the Apple Watch, at last; Mio, a social commerce startup focused on smaller cities and rural areas in Vietnam, raises $1M seed; Mental health app Wysa raises $5.5M for ’emotionally intelligent’ AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Google is opening a retail store in New York this summer; US Treasury calls for stricter cryptocurrency rules; Eano raises $6M for its home renovation software Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices