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Tesla is being accused of firing two California-based employees for being part of a group that was discussing and drafting letters that were critical of CEO Elon Musk’s strict return-to-office policy and Musk’s tweets, according to complaints filed by their attorneys and a Bloomberg report.

One draft letter asked Tesla executives to reconsider making all workers return to the office, a policy that was put in place at the end of May. Another said Musk’s tweets violated Tesla’s anti-harassment policy. Both employees who filed complaints were fired in June. One had just gotten a raise the month prior, and the other was told their discussions were “an attack” on the company, according to filings with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

The draft letters were never sent internally, reports Bloomberg, but both employees said they were fired for merely discussing the issues.

The case represents yet another example of a Musk-owned company facing allegations of retaliating against workers who take collective action related to working conditions, which is in violation of federal labor laws. Employees have the right to engage in “protected concerted activities,” which include speaking to each other to enlist support in a matter of shared employee concern. Earlier this year, eight former SpaceX employees claimed they were illegally firing after writing a letter calling for stronger “zero-tolerance policies” following sexual harassment allegations against Musk.

Those employees also filed a complaint with the NLRB, retaining the same San Francisco law firm as the former Tesla employees.

Around the time of that complaint, hundreds of SpaceX employees signed an open letter castigating Musk’s behavior on Twitter, calling it an embarrassment and a distraction for the company.

Tesla has been the subject of lawsuits and complaints for a number of employee-related issues over the years, including, but not limited to, sexual harassment, racial discrimination and harassment, and failure to provide 60 days advance notice of layoffs.

Tesla could not be reached for comment because it disbanded its public relations department in 2019.

Tesla accused of illegally firing employees critical of Musk by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

“Passion investments” can sound like an oxymoron: What do feelings have to do with optimal returns? Yet, from art and cars to StockX, collectibles are a fixture in rich people’s portfolios.

Not wanting to put all eggs in one basket is not a new impulse. But while it is easily forgotten in good times, a recession is a great recipe to put diversification back on the agenda. In recent months, this has created tailwinds for alternative investments, also known as “alts.”

The Exchange explores startups, markets and money.

Read it every morning on TechCrunch+ or get The Exchange newsletter every Saturday.

Not all alts can be described as passion investments; I doubt anyone feels very passionate about private equity funds or debt, for instance. But the category also includes assets that overlap with hobbies and collectibles, such as wines, spirits, handbags and watches.

In sharp contrast with retail investors overall, those who invested in these categories were in for strong returns last year: “Watches and wine led the Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index results Q4 2021 to its strongest annual performance since 2018,” the property consultancy firm reported.

Concomitantly, the number of investors dabbling in these categories is also growing.

Investors’ flight to safety and regulation creates tailwinds for passion assets by Anna Heim originally published on TechCrunch

Hello and welcome back to Max Q! Last week was a week of milestones and landmarks. This week I was going to add Rocket Lab’s first Virginia launch to the list, but (sigh) they scrubbed the Sunday attempt because of high winds… we’ll see if they can nail it today.

In this issue:

A first for NASA’s Artemis program…
…and Japanese firm ispace
News from Quantum Space, and more

More news from TC and beyond

Arianespacelaunched the Ariane 5 rocket for the third and final time this year from French Guiana. (Space)
AST SpaceMobileand NASA signed a Space Act Agreement to formalize information- and data-sharing aimed at increasing space safety. (AST SpaceMobile)
Elon Muskis turning to SpaceX’s legal team to fill the lawyer void at Twitter due to departures and layoffs. (NYTimes)
Jeff Bezoswill star in an animated series called “Blue Origins Space Rangers” aimed at kids. (TechCrunch)
Landspace, a Chinese launch firm, failed to send what would have been the world’s first methane-fueled rocket to orbit. (SpaceNews)
Pixxel has appointed Preston Dunlap, former CTO and chief architect officer of the U.S. Space Force, to its board of directors. (Pixxel)
Planetrecorded record revenues for the third quarter, as the company quickly becomes a bright spot in an otherwise dreary post-SPAC space company performance landscape. (Planet Labs)
Quantum Space, a company developing robotic platforms for cislunar space, landed $15 million in funding from Prime Movers Lab. (TechCrunch)
SpaceX’sreported tender offer could value the company at $140 billion. (Bloomberg)
TransAstra, a ’21 YC alum, landed an SBIR from NASA and an STTR from the DoD to further develop orbital debris and space domain awareness tech. (TransAstra)

Max Q is brought to you by me, Aria Alamalhodaei. If you enjoy reading Max Q, consider forwarding it to a friend.

Max Q: A week of firsts by Aria Alamalhodaei originally published on TechCrunch

Do you invest in wine and spirits? Fintech startup Vint thinks everyone should, and is hoping to facilitate this. But don’t expect bottles to be shipped to you: Investments via Vint are fractional. Depending on how deep your pockets are, this is probably for the best: A recent offering that sold out on Vint was for a Macallan 78-Year-Old Collection whisky bottle worth $130,000.

There is no doubt that alternative investments are on the rise, with financial advisors communicating that the age-old 60/40 portfolio — 60% in equities, 40% in bonds — is no longer good enough. But “alts” come in all shapes and forms, and wine and spirits aren’t necessarily the most accessible, which is what Vint and others are working on changing.

Vint also now has more funding to pursue its goals: After raising $1.7 million in October 2021, it recently closed a $5 million seed fundraising round led by Montage Ventures.

It obviously doesn’t hurt Vint’s pitch that in recent years, fine wine and spirits have often outperformed other major asset classes, such as stocks, and seem immune to some of the public markets’ recent woes.

For instance, the Financial Times recently quoted data from Scottish investment bank Noble & Co showing that “the value of ‘fine and rare’ single malts was up by more than a fifth this year, with volumes jumping 23 percent.” In contrast, it noted, the U.K.’s main stock market index, the FTSE 100, “has traded flat this year.”

However, Vint CEO Nick King said the story is also about diversification, and warns against false hopes. “This is an investment. Personally, if someone tells me ‘it’s only going to go up into the right,’ I get skeptical,” he said.

Still, King is proud that Vint has generated returns of 28.3% for asset exits on a net annualized basis since inception. This refers to wine and spirits collections that already went through Vint’s full lifecycle: “Source, Securitize, Store, Then Sell.”

Since its launch one and a half years ago by King and his co-founder, Patrick Sanders, Vint has made 50 “offerings,” which are analogous to a crowdfunding campaign. The analogy doesn’t stop here: The startup spent eight months gaining the ability to launch U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-qualified collections.

That Vint’s offerings are acceptable to the SEC was made possible by the creation of the regulated category known as Reg A+. It is itself part of the JOBS Act, which has resulted in tailwinds for alternative investments.

The process was fairly time-consuming for a young startup, but King thinks it was worth it. “For us, this is a long-term game. You’re not going to create a new asset class overnight, so doing things the right way and working with regulators to set up a structure that adds trust to this asset class is really important.”

Despite this framing around “a new asset class,” Vint already has competitors, such as Cavissima, Cult Wine Investment, iDealWine, Vinovest and U’Wine. But more than these, the company is up against legacy options: do-it-yourself and wine exchanges.

Interestingly, King thinks that the fact that he doesn’t come from the wine world is a plus — much more than a wine company, he envisions Vint as a fintech. Sourcing exceptional bottles is still a huge part of what Vint does, though, which is why the company recently hired Adam Lapierre, who holds a master of wine certification, as its head of wine.

Vint’s recent round is now supporting the expansion of its existing team of 12, with the addition of business development and general counsel staff. As for the rest of the road map, here are some of the things King has in mind:

“We are looking at new offerings. We’ve done wine, whiskey, scotch casks, and futures, so we’re looking at potentially adding bourbon as well, and also new styles of offerings. Then we want to add more data to the platform. We look at U.S. market data, U.K. market data, auction market data to help inform our buy and sell decisions, and that’s something we want to continue to share with our users. And then finally, most importantly, is continuing to exit assets.”

It is too early to tell whether market conditions will be as favorable to Vint’s collection sales as recently, but the rise of wine and spirits as an asset class will be worth tracking either way. As inflation and uncertainty are on the rise, it wouldn’t be surprising to see alts become a fixture in more and more portfolios.

Fintech Vint hopes to turn wine and spirits into a mainstream asset class by Anna Heim originally published on TechCrunch

Good sound is as important to enjoying a game as any other part of the experience, and these days you have your choice of dozens of headsets for every platform. Here are a few of the latest and greatest headsets for your gaming pleasure whether you’re a PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch or even mobile gamer.

Many of my 2020 review’s models are still around, but new year, new roundup – we have some returning brands and a couple new ones. I focused specifically on cross-platform, over-ear headsets (i.e. PC plus console, Bluetooth and other options as a plus) that are totally wireless and cost less than $200. Personally I feel that’s where you get the most bang for your buck.

This is hardly a systematic review, just my impressions – and I left off a pair or two that didn’t make the cut. I’m going to list these in the order I’d recommend them to a friend, but every model has its pros and cons. (I based my opinion on the “normal” MSRP but some of these are discounted right now for holiday sales.)

This article contains links to affiliate partners where available. When you buy through these links, TechCrunch may earn an affiliate commission.

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Wireless – $180 (on sale for $159)

Last time I did this, I was blown away by the SteelSeries 7P, which offered an enormous soundstage, great battery life, and a really comfortable fit. And I’ll just tell you right now, if you want a great deal, those headphones are on sale right now for $90 – easily the best value on this list.

But there’s a new pair in town, and I don’t know how they did it, but the company has managed to achieve more or less the same thing in a smaller, lighter package with the Nova 7.

My main issue with the 7P was that its control/port layout was messy and they are a bit bulky. The Nova 7 remedies both these with a more compact design, USB-C, and simpler layout. The volume wheel has more distance, the telescoping microphone is flush at rest, buttons are tucked away but easy to find. Although the Nova 7 is lighter and more trim, I wouldn’t say the fit has improved — the 7P earcups were very generous and these, though apparently the same size, feel smaller and not so conforming. Really they’re very comfy though, with a ski goggle strap and plush foam.

More importantly the sound is just as good as its predecessor. I’ve come to expect the highly spatial, well-balanced quality of sound that you get with both of these headsets, a real feel that the game environment or even music is surrounding you. It may not be ideal for all music but it’s great for games and it’s definitely my preference. The useful “sidetone” returns as well, piping in sound from outside the cans — you can quickly turn it up to hear what someone is saying rather than taking off the whole thing.

These work with practically every platform, plus Bluetooth, plus 3.5mm headphone jack — I’ve found this input continues to be indispensible even as wireless becomes the norm. It’s a bit bemusing how much they managed to pack in. The SteelSeries Nova 7s are my first and most unreserved recommendation.

Razer Barracuda – $160

Razer has two on this list, the Barracuda (not the Barracuda X, to be clear) and Kaira Pro. To be honest, I think the Kaira Pro (I’m not sure about the non-Pro version) is the superior set, but whether it’s worth the money is a more difficult call. I found the Barracuda to be an excellent headset, with a direct, punchy sound quality and comfy, traditional padded headband fit (compared with a goggle strap).

They seem a bit rigid when you first hold them, but they’re quite light and fit my (large) head very well with a couple headband stops to spare, plus they fold flat. The layout is simple, with just the volume dial, power and mic mute, and a switcher for Bluetooth/wi-fi. The dual slit mics are effective but you don’t get the richness of a decent boom sitting in front your face (I’ve gotten lots of compliments on the Blackshark V2 I often use for calls).

These also have the advantage of a 3.5mm port that works as a mic in (should you prefer a boom mic) or headphone jack input. Right now I’d say these are probably the best value of Razer’s wireless lineup.

Epos H3Pro Hybrid – $279 (on sale for $199)

I justified including these, with their $279 list price, on this roundup because they appear to be on permanent sale for $199. As the only headset I tested with active noise canceling (others are offered but are also quite expensive), I thought it worth having a distinct upgrade pick.

The picture doesn’t do them justice… but still the Epos design aesthetic is not really to my liking (they look almost military) but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the H3Pro’s quality and comfort. They’re less rigid than they look due to a single headband attachment point, but don’t fold up. I would describe their sound as immediate and intense but with a good sense of space, not as wide as the SteelSeries but plenty big. And the noise-canceling, while it won’t beat your Boses or your Sonys, works well and may be attractive to the traveling gamer who’d rather not keep 2 or 3 pairs of cans for different situations.

Their controls and inputs are where they fall down, though. I found the volume dial on the earcup to be unresponsive, spinning for a while with no response and then a sudden jump or drop in volume. The buttons and ANC switch are fine, if a bit haphazardly placed. The bulky boom mic attaches via a magnet. Most irritatingly, the headphone jack is 2.5mm, so you’ll need to keep an eye on the included cable for it.

While the sound and ANC for the Epos were great, the hardware feels dated and simultaneously over- and under-thought. But if the comfort, sound, and ANC outweigh my quibbles, you could do a lot worse than the H3Pro.

PDP Victrix Gambit – $130

I hadn’t used any PDP headphones before, but the Gambits — a slightly older, fancier model than the newer Airlite Pro — impressed me. Their punchy, bass-heavy sound probably isn’t the best for music, but it definitely felt powerful and accurate in action games. It also has a respectably wide soundstage, not as big or balanced as the Nova 7 but very good. They look a bit plasticky but the fit is good, though not particularly “isolating” compared to the others.

The headset has a dial-based volume control that’s a little fiddly at first but refreshingly analog-feeling and ultimately precise, and a quick mic monitor button that lets you quickly set or turn off hearing your own voice. The boom mic is non-removable but pretty minimal and feels both strong and flexible. There’s a 3.5mm input as well, always a plus.

On the negative side, not much: a micro-USB instead of type-C connector is a minor grievance, and they don’t fold up. This is a solid headset going for a specific sound,

Razer Kaira Pro – $199 (on sale for $150)

These things are great, but for my taste they’re a bit over the top. The sound is excellent, but similar to what you get in the Barracuda. The fit is an improvement over that headset, with a bigger, softer earcup you won’t be adjusting as often.

What the Kaira Pro adds is the always-dubious RGB lighting (I prefer not to), and a truly compelling but ultimately kind of exhausting haptic engine. I hear you asking: what – haptics in your ears? Believe me, I thought it sounded weird too. But what the headset basically does is monitor the waveform and emphasize peaks and intense periods with a sort of physical pulse.

To be honest I thought I would hate it. But when I tried it on a boss fight in God of War Ragnarok, it felt cool: more like a subwoofer kicking in than something rattling my skull. The pulse strength can be adjusted on the fly or turned off completely — which is what I ended up doing after an hour or so.

While it’s interesting, I found it a bit too intense combined with the already visceral sound the headphones provide. Your mileage may vary, but ultimately I decided that the extra money, battery drain (it takes hours off), and fuss wasn’t something I cared enough about. I personally think the Barracuda is a better deal — but if you want the same sound in a somewhat superior package and don’t mind spending another $30, by all means.

(As I was writing this, though, they went on sale for $130, and at that price I would definitely recommend them, even over the Barracudas, which are were not reduced. If you can catch them at that price, go for it.)

PDP Airlite Pro – $80

These headphones lived up to their name – they’re extremely light and quite comfortable, and fold flat-ish. That plus the USB-C port would make them something of a sidegrade to the Gambits listed above, but I wasn’t a fan of the sound. Like the Gambit, it was fairly enveloping and powerful, but I feel the Airlites push the bass even further than those, to the point where I felt it was overwhelming other details.

It’s definitely a matter of taste, though. If you like bass-heavy music or like to have a sub and bump the low EQ, these might be great for you. I will say they lose a point for not having the 3.5mm jack their cousin does, though.

Gift Guide: A look at some of the best gaming headphones of 2022 by Devin Coldewey originally published on TechCrunch

CNBC reported on Friday that Marc Benioff sent a message on the company Slack channel that newer employees weren’t as productive. He questioned if this was due to working from home since COVID, and a lack of training and sharing of tribal knowledge that was previously part of the in-office culture.

Here’s partially what he said, according to the report: “New employees (hired during the pandemic in 2021 & 2022) are especially facing much lower productivity. Is this a reflection of our office policy? Are we not building tribal knowledge with new employees without an office culture?”

It’s a pretty odd position for a guy whose company spent $27 billion for Slack two years ago, precisely because it allows easy communication among employees regardless of where they are.

The company even has a name for it: Digital HQ. It means you can operate digitally, so location doesn’t matter. It’s a catch phrase they use almost as often as Customer 360, a term that every executive seems to be contractually obligated to use several times in every encounter with customers or the press.

When TechCrunch asked for clarification, Salesforce PR had this to say:

“We have a hybrid work environment that empowers leaders and teams to work together with purpose. They can decide when and where they come together to collaborate, innovate, and drive customer success.”

That seems at least partially to conflict with Benioff’s questions in Slack last week, and adds to the general turbulence we’ve been seeing from the company over the last several weeks. We’ve seen the company refuse to provide a forecast for next fiscal year, and several key executives leave including co-CEO Bret Taylor, amid reports of tension between him and Benioff.

Now we have the remaining CEO, and face of the company, suggesting that a model that is core to its business approach could be failing his own company. It’s a confusing message at best.

It’s worth noting that it has been a rough year for SaaS companies, and Salesforce is no exception, with its stock price down just under 50% for the year.

Benioff’s reported Slack statement muddles message about Salesforce’s view of WFH by Ron Miller originally published on TechCrunch

Activision Blizzard COO Daniel Alegre is leaving the gaming giant to take over as CEO of Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club. Yuga’s first and current CEO Nicole Muniz will stay on as a strategic advisor.

“Nicole, Greg, and I have been on the hunt for someone with Daniel’s skill set for some time,” said Yuga co-founder Wylie Aronow in a press release. The crypto company wanted to appoint a gaming veteran as CEO to help work on projects like Otherside, its metaverse gaming platform. As an executive who oversaw franchises like “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft” and “Candy Crush,” Alegre fits the bill. He also worked at Google for over sixteen years, in roles such as President of Global and Strategic Partnerships.

In March, prior to crypto meltdowns like the implosion of FTX and Terra’s UST, Yuga Labs raised$450 million from Andreessen Horowitz at a $4 billion valuation. After last month’s FTX bombshell dropped, the price to buy your way into the Bored Ape Yacht Club had decreased by 82% since its peak in April, according to Decrypt. But the greater industry concerns haven’t seemed to stall Alegre.

“Since exploding onto the scene with Bored Ape Yacht Club in 2021, Yuga Labs has quickly made a name for itself through a powerful combination of storytelling and community-building,” said Alegre in a statement. “The company’s pipeline of products, partnerships, and IP represents a massive opportunity to define the metaverse in a way that empowers creators and provides users with true ownership of their identity and digital assets.”

Alegre is not the first major gaming executive to jump over to crypto. In January, Ryan Wyatt left his role as head of YouTube Gaming to become CEO of Polygon Studios.

The jump from an established executive role into a volatile industry might seem risky, but Activision Blizzard has been riddled with conflict itself. A report from the Wall Street Journal last year found that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick knew for years about rampant sexual harassment at the company, but failed to act. For over a year, Activision Blizzard employees have protested against the company’spoor handling of ongoing sexual harassment allegations, which in part inspired an historic union movement for the gaming industry. But on employees’ way to establishing two formally recognized unions, Alegre was caught in the crossfire.

In October, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) found that Activision Blizzard illegally withheld wages from workers who were in the process of unionizing. In testimony, the NLRB learned that Alegre offered to fly to Wisconsin to speak with unionizing QA testers at subsidiary Raven Software. This practice would be barred by the National Labor Relations Act, though, since it can lead to coercion. At the time, Activision Blizzard told TechCrunch that the company denied the accuracy of the complaint, since Alegre’s proposed meeting would not be mandatory and not address grievances. Furthermore, the meeting never took place.

Activision Blizzard’s future ownership is also up in the air. Microsoft has an agreement with the gaming company to acquire it for $68.7 billion, one of the most expensive tech acquisitions in history. But now, the Federal Trade Commission is suing to block the deal, claiming that it would stifle competition.

Alegre’s term at Activision Blizzard concludes at the end of March, per an SEC filing. Yuga says that Alegre will take the helm in the first half of 2023.

Bored Apes creator Yuga Labs appoints Activision’s Daniel Alegre as CEO by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch

Though inflation appears to be dropping, economic conditions remain uncertain, and the overall fundraising climate is reverting to pre-pandemic levels. For Black founders, who have rarely received more than 1% of total venture capital invested in startups, 2022 wasn’t kind, and 2023 doesn’t look promising given how things are going.

To find out how Black founders are planning to manage their time, money, and expectations for the upcoming months, TechCrunch+ surveyed three founders. Sevetri Wilson, the founder of Resilia, said she, like many other founders, is planning for a recession regardless of whether one happens or not.

“For us as a company, this means not cutting back where it might impact growth, but definitely being conservative and foregoing costly opportunities or hiring roles that won’t yield the highest impact or returns in the first two quarters or more of 2023,” she said.

Abimbola Adebayo, the founder of Pinnu Analytics, echoed that sentiment, saying that as she is based in the UK, she is preparing for a less-than-ideal economic climate. “I’m hedging myself by holding multiple currencies and ensuring my business and myself earn income in multiple currencies,” Adebayo said.

Meanwhile, Vernon Coleman, the founder of Realtime, is focused on fine-tuning his social networking app for the upcoming presidential election. He doesn’t expect the startup environment to get any better for Black founders, but is set on finding success regardless.

“The capital deployed has drastically decreased for all founders, which means that Black founders will be even more severely affected […] In 2020, a lot of folks read books about Black history to further educate themselves, but I think folks missed the books where Marcus Garvey or Dr. King discuss Black economic inclusion,” he said. “Still, the plan is not to just float through next year; we want to fly.”

Here is who we spoke to:

Vernon Coleman, founder and CEO, Realtime
Sevetri Wilson, founder and CEO, Resilia
Abimbola Adebayo, founder and CEO, Pinnu Analytics

(Note: This survey is separate from the Black founder survey we are conducting. If you are a Black founder with a story to share, please fill out this form.)

Vernon Coleman, founder and CEO, Realtime

Which macro issues are you most concerned about in the upcoming year? How do you plan to tackle them?

I am keeping an eye on the economy and how it affects the speed of deploying capital to founders. However, we are focused on delivering products people love and hitting metrics that enable us to continue to raise capital despite the economic condition.

Do you expect the current economic downturn to last throughout next year? What plans have you made to stay afloat?

Yes, I do. As interest rates and inflation soar, big tech companies announce layoffs and the upcoming election, it feels as though this downturn will last throughout the year.

Still, we don’t want to only float; we want to fly. Over the summer, I decided to bring my team fully in-person. There’s nothing like the speed, creativity, and serendipity that comes from working 14+ hour days with a small team that shares a common vision and goal.

Which is the most pressing political issue you are keeping tabs on? How has it impacted you as a founder? Do you have a startup idea that could address any of these issues?

As 2023 approaches, broadly, the most pressing political issue is the 2024 election. Whoever is elected or re-elected will impact me as a founder, as they will affect business policies, inflation, unemployment, and how and when we recover from the downturn.

I don’t have a startup idea to affect an election; however, I’m sure there are plenty of founders out there working on solutions for more accurate, modern, and timely election technologies.

I feel people need to talk through their opinions and viewpoints in eclectic, diverse communities they may not already be a part of. With regard to fueling the conversation around election season, my company, Click, which launches next year, hosts communities and will encourage users to open up discourse around getting people to the polls and discussing what matters to them in the upcoming election.

3 Black founders predict little will change in VC in 2023 by Dominic-Madori Davis originally published on TechCrunch

Life as a startup founder is never dull. That’s doubly true for Black founders, who routinely struggle to raise funds, be noticed and get their fair share of attention.

For the new year, TechCrunch+ conducted a mini-survey to found out what Black founders are expecting in 2023. All three founders brought up the same concerns — the economy, the environment, and equality.

Abimbola Adebayo, the founder of Pinnu Analytics, said she is planning for the downturn to continue, and has started ensuring that her business and herself are earning income in multiple currencies. “It’s impossible to predict, but with how unstable life has been recently, I would not be surprised if it continues,” she said.

Vernon Coleman, the founder of Realtime, said he was paying close attention to the upcoming presidential election. “Whoever is elected or re-elected will impact me as a founder as they will affect business policies, inflation, unemployment, and how and when we recover from the downturn,” he told TechCrunch. “I’m sure there are plenty of founders out there working on solutions for more accurate, modern, and timely election technologies.”

As for equality, Coleman and the others are not convinced much will change for them as Black founders.

Sevetri Wilson, founder and CEO, Resilia, said, “There is a popular saying that goes, ‘When white America catches a cold, Black America catches pneumonia.’ This applies to Black founders as well. I think this will be the case in 2023, and we are already seeing it now, as evident in data and reports.”

Read the full mini-survey here.

(Note: This survey is separate from the Black founder survey we are conducting. If you are a Black founder with a story to share, please fill out this form.)

3 Black founders explain how they’re preparing for a tough 2023 by Dominic-Madori Davis originally published on TechCrunch

Toyota president Akio Toyoda has made it no secret that he really, really dislikes electric vehicles. This weekend, he offered this latest installment:

“People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority,” Toyoda told reporters in Thailand, according to The Wall Street Journal. “That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it’s the trend so they can’t speak out loudly.”

He might be right! I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a majority of automotive executives dislike EVs. After all, the legacy automotive industry dragged their feet on EVs. In instances where they had promising products, they left them to wither on the vine. In other cases, the products that rolled off the assembly line were clearly the bare minimum required to comply with the law. They’d probably prefer to keep making gas and diesel vehicles, and if those go away, at least have some alternative to batteries, which have become an industry-wide headache as the supply chains experience growing pains.

Toyota’s electric intransigence might strike some as peculiar. The company pioneered the mass-market hybrid-electric powertrain, which debuted on the Prius and has proliferated throughout its lineup. From that, it’s almost certainly amassed decades of experience with electric motors, battery packs and battery management systems, which comprise the key components of an EV powertrain, too.

But though hybrids might have seemed like a significant breakthrough, they were not a radical shift for an industry that had grown accustomed to tweaking the internal combustion engine ad nauseam to make up for its deficiencies. Hybridization added electric motors to get the car rolling and assist at low speeds, where fossil-fuel engines are the least efficient; it did nothing to eliminate the internal combustion engine.

The ranks at every legacy automaker are filled with mechanical engineers, many of them experts at wringing extra tenths of a percent out of combustion engine technology. While they might be capable enough when it comes to designing electric powertrains, it is not their core competency. Shifting to EVs would put electrical engineers in the driver’s seat.

From that perspective, Toyota’s embrace of hybrid technology should be seen not as a stepping stone to an electric future, but as yet another effort to prolong the reign of the internal combustion engine.

Toyota president keeps pushing idea that people hate EVs, despite epic waitlists by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch