Mary Meeker breaks down the key Internet trends, GM's self-driving unit raises billions and Google rethinks its strategy in China. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for May 31, 2018. 1. Here's Mary Meeker's essential 2018 Internet Trends report While it may sound silly to get excited about a trend report, Meeker's work feels like an annual event, thanks to her ability to break down the key trends affecting online businesses. Highlights include continued growth in Internet adoption, mobile usage and the usage of cryptocurrencies. 2. GM's Cruise gets $2.25b from SoftBank's Vision Fund, $1.1b from GM Since being acquired by GM, Cruise seems to be cruising. (Sorry!) The company had 30 self-driving test cars on the road in 2016 and later rolled out a high-definition mapping system. In 2017 it started running an autonomous ride-hailing service for its employees in San Francisco, later announcing its self-driving cars would hit New York City. 3. Google is quietly formulating a new strategy for China The launch of Files Go in China isn't huge news on its own, but the mechanisms behind it provide insight into how Google may be thinking about the country, where it has been absent since 2010. 4. Google launches a Q&A app for neighborhood communities in India Speaking of Google, the company launched a new app in India aimed at giving local communities an outlet to seek answers to practical questions about local life. 5. China's SenseTime, the world's highest-valued AI startup, closes $620M follow-on round The company raised $600 million in an Alibaba-led financing round announced last month, and now it's added an additional $620 million. 6. Telegram says Apple has prevented updates on iOS since mid-April, app missed GDPR deadline According to founder Pavel Durov, updates to the Telegram app are being prevented globally by Apple after Russian regulators ordered the company to remove Telegram from the App Store altogether. 7. Hello Alfred raises $40M to bring hotel-style hospitality to more households The company won TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield in 2014, back when it was just Alfred. |
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