Windows adds support for RAR, Netflix cracks down on passwords, and Meta lays off workers

Welcome, folks, to the Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular column that takes you through the week in tech news. Don’t know about you guys, but it’s been a long experience – and I’m grateful for the extended weekend. For those celebrating Memorial Day, enjoy. They don’t, take time out from where you are able. We all need rest here and there.

First, some PSAs.

This week, TechCrunch Live hosted Flint Capital and Sensi.AI, which is using audio-based software to monitor patients and assist medical staff and family members with care. Many thanks to those of you who tuned in. But if you missed it, don’t worry — we’ll have a recording up soon.

Then, in September, there’s Disrupt, TC’s annual conference. Whether you’re a startup rookie learning the ropes, a seasoned investor searching for the next big thing, or determined to change the world, Disrupt will provide the tools, knowledge, and connections to help you do just that.

Now, with the news.

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After 28 Years, Windows Receives RAR Support: Devin writes about Microsoft bringing native support for the RAR archive format to Windows. Miraculously, it took the better part of three decades for the .rar file to finally be supported in Windows without additional software of any kind. That’s longer than I can live, dear readers – not to date myself!

Netflix launches password crackdown: After a delayed launch, Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing is now rolling out to US customers and other global markets. The streamer originally planned to introduce “paid sharing” for US subscribers in the first quarter of this year, but pushed the debut date to summer after seeing cancellations in markets where it has already rolled out the change. were given

More layoffs on meta: Meta is rolling out its latest round of layoffs on Wednesday, which it estimates will affect about 6,000 people. These cuts are part of the company’s so-called Year of Efficiency, in which Meta is being largely restructured to save money and flatten the organization structure.

EU Order Meta Suspension: In other Meta news, Meta was hit this week with a formal suspension order requiring it to stop exporting EU user data to the US for processing. Today, the European Data Protection Board announced that Meta has been fined €1.2 billion (close to $1.3 billion), which the board confirmed was issued under the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The biggest fine ever.

Forced to Sell Meta: Meta, making headlines once again this week, sold Giphy, the animated GIF search engine it acquired three years ago for $400 million, to Shutterstock. The sale was not voluntary, necessarily; Seven months ago, the UK’s Antitrust Authority issued a final order for Meta to sell Giphy on the grounds that the merger would reduce competition.

WhatsApp adds message editing: WhatsApp this week announced one of the most anticipated features of the app – message editing. WhatsApp users can now modify a message within 15 minutes of sending it. Edited messages will have an “Edited” tag next to the time stamp to mark the change.

Problem with paid verification: The fake Pentagon attack hoax that went viral this week shows the dangers of Twitter’s paid verification plan. Summary? The combination of paid blue checks and generative AI makes it easy — and fast — to spread misinformation.

Investing in India: Amazon plans to invest $12.7 billion in its cloud business in India by 2030, the e-commerce conglomerate said on Thursday, as it moves to scale AWS infrastructure in key overseas markets. Other services have been left behind. Area.

bigger and better: Amazon launched its biggest tablet this week. Called the Fire Max 11, it has an 11-inch screen. The company is pricing the device at $229.99 — providing a cheaper option for users than the 10.9-inch iPad and new Pixel tablets with similar-sized screens.

AI to build a website: At its annual Build conference this week, Microsoft launched Copilot in Power Pages — an AI-powered assistant for Microsoft’s low-code business website building tool — in a preview for US customers. Given prompts, Copilot can generate text, forms, chatbots and web page layouts, and create and edit image and site design themes.

TechCrunch (virtually) in Atlanta

TechCrunch will host City Spotlight: Atlanta on June 7th. We have amazing programming planned, including a great chat with fintech Greenwood co-founder Ryan Glover, as well as a panel examining the venture ecosystem within the Atlanta area and identifying the best ways to grow and meet does. Local venture capitalist. but that’s not all. If you’re an early-stage Atlanta-based founder, apply for our live pitching contest to pitch to our panel of guest investors/judges; The winner gets a free booth at Disruption to showcase their company in our Startup Alley this year. register here.

Audio

In need of a podcast (or several)? You’ve come to the right place — there’s no shortage of options at TC HQ. This week the crew on Found included Sarah Sandness, co-founder and CTO of Safety Wing, which is building a global safety net for remote workers. TechCrunch Live, meanwhile, featured Mark Rostic from Intel Capital and Garima Kapoor from MiniIO, a startup that found a niche selling commodity storage while competing directly with Amazon S3.

techcrunch+

TC+ subscribers get access to in-depth commentary, analysis and surveys – all of which you know if you’re already a subscriber. If you haven’t, consider signing up. Here are some highlights from this week:

Profitability on Growth: In this piece from Kate, five investors explain their mantra for South Korean startups. Kate spoke with select investors who delve into the South Korean market to learn their predictions for 2023, their investment strategy, which sectors excite them, and more.

Cyber ​​Security Downturn: Alex writes about how, on the back of fairly strong earnings reports and valuations, public cybersecurity companies are outperforming the broader technology segment. Yet, funding for cyber security startups has languished.

Startups in the enterprise AI race: Another piece from Alex explores whether startups have a shot at enterprise AI. Given how lucrative selling software to large corporations can prove to be, he said, players are not chasing the smaller market.