Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is asking for a full return to workplace in the beginning of 2025. For the final 15 months, staff have been anticipated to work within the workplace three days per week. Now staff can be anticipated to be within the workplace 5 days every week, with earn a living from home being OK solely in extenuating circumstances. Massive Tech executives have championed return-to-office mandates, however they’ve confirmed unpopular amongst some tech staff.
U.S. tech large Cisco has let go of 1000’s of staff in its second layoff spherical of 2024. The expertise and networking firm will cut back its headcount by 7%, or round 5,600 staff. The cuts comply with an earlier layoff in February, the place it let go of about 4,000 staff. In August, Cisco printed its most up-to-date full-year earnings report that noticed the corporate’s “second strongest 12 months on file.” Have been you influenced? We’d prefer to hear from you.
The iPhone 16 Professional Max is a $1,200 glimpse at a extra clever future, based on TechCrunch’s Brian Heater. There’s a number of new issues to take discover of throughout the iPhone 16 line, together with a brand new Digital camera Management button, an A18 Professional chip, a significant makeover for Siri, and a slew of Apple Intelligence options. However are the options — plus the FOMO — really sufficient to warrant an improve?
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a publication to your inbox each Saturday? Enroll right here.
Information
The subsequent huge factor — actually: Snap’s new Spectacles carry spectacular AR to builders for $99 per 30 days. The Spectacles, that are in truth fairly massive, sign a center floor in AR {hardware} design that lies someplace between a headset and transportable good glasses. Learn extra
A Citi Bike facet hustle: Some inventive of us found a profitable technique to reap the benefits of Lyft’s Citi Bike “Bike Angels” program by way of “station flipping.” Lyft condemned the apply, however solely after some Bike Angels had been in a position to make 1000’s of {dollars} a month. Learn extra
Whats up, iOS 18: iPhone customers can now replace to iOS 18 and customise their house screens, textual content Android customers extra simply with RCS assist, and scroll by way of their photos within the new tab-free Picture app. However don’t anticipate a ton of AI options simply but. Learn extra
Reject modernity, embrace custom: With the discharge of iOS 18, some customers are lacking the feel and appear of the iOS Pictures app earlier than the replace. That’s why LateNiteSoft launched Photon Library, a brand new app that gives the acquainted look of the earlier iteration of the iOS Pictures app. Learn extra
Your Discord messages simply bought safer: Discord introduced that audio and video calls contained in the platform will now be end-to-end encrypted, which means that even Discord gained’t know what customers in these conversations speak about. Learn extra
Mozilla says goodbye to the fediverse: Mozilla introduced that it could be ending its experiment in operating a server on Mastodon. Customers will have the ability to obtain their information or migrate their account to a different Mastodon server earlier than Mozilla.social shuts down for good on December 17. Learn extra
John Mulaney roasts Dreamforce: As a part of the time-honored custom of utilizing tech bros for comedic materials, John Mulaney closed out Salesforce’s Dreamforce convention with a 45-minute set that peppered in loads of roasts aimed toward San Francisco tech tradition and AI. Learn extra
Sam Altman departs OpenAI’s security committee: Sam Altman is leaving the interior fee OpenAI created to supervise “important” security selections associated to the corporate’s tasks and operations. The committee will turn out to be an “impartial” board oversight group as a substitute. Learn extra
By no means pay for inflight Wi-Fi once more: United Airways is partnering with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to carry its Starlink web service to its total fleet. For the primary time, United passengers will have the ability to entry Wi-Fi without cost — although they’ll have to attend till 2025. Learn extra
Evaluation
LinkedIn’s video games are enjoyable, really: It looks as if everybody has video games now. The New York Instances lit a match with its ever-popular Wordle and Connections. Netflix bought in on the enjoyable with its personal roster of video games. And now LinkedIn has entered the sector with every day puzzles to accompany you in your job search. Whereas LinkedIn’s video games are literally fairly enjoyable, Amanda Silberling wished to grasp the science behind why we love these fast, once-a-day mind teasers. Learn extra