AI strikes hot at Y Combinator Demo Day

TechCrunch Newsletter [TechCrunch Weekend Logo]( Sunday, April 07, 2024 [ image] Image Credits: filo / Getty Images This past week, Y Combinator hosted its newest Demo Day. We won’t get into the companies that presented (you can read about those [here]( and [here](). We will tell you we caught up with tens of investors at a related reception in San Francisco last Wednesday night, and, in the aggregate, they were illuminating conversations! Mostly, we were surprised by how terrified a lot of the investors seem to be of the choices they’re expected to make right now. While nearly everyone we spoke with talked excitedly about AI, they also admitted to having plenty of questions about the whole wave of startups that are pounding their doors down. Between us (shh), it’s not crystal clear to many of them how long anyone has a competitive advantage here — on any front — other than the biggest companies. A couple of VCs told us that while some startups are growing at unprecedented speeds fueled by advances in AI, it’s not entirely clear where these startups are headed, given that their ideal acquirers — the so-called [magnificent seven]( — can’t acquire much right now because of antitrust concerns and the fact that the IPO is still pretty much shut. One VC said he’s so overwhelmed at the moment that he’s starting to just shut down mentally when a startup begins its pitch with, “We are an AI company.” Said the VC, “I just say stop. I don’t want to hear about AI. Start over and tell me what your company does.” — Connie Loizos [ image] Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch Snap backtracks on a subscription feature that reportedly stresses out teen users Less than a week after the [WSJ reported]( on how a Snapchat feature dubbed “solar system” was adding to teens’ anxiety, the company has [responded]( by adjusting how the feature works. A ranking system shows someone how close he or she is to their Snapchat friends by displaying his/her position in their “solar system.” The feature will appear off by default, but Snapchat+ subscribers can turn the option on if they choose. (We suspect this is just Snapchat saving face on a feature that will eventually be sunset, given this kind of ranking system is pretty most kids’ worst nightmare, but we’ll see!) Sarah has the [story here](. [Snap backtracks on a subscription feature that reportedly stresses out teen users image] Image Credits: Snap (modified by TechCrunch) [Last Chance to Participate in the TechCrunch Weekend Auction]( Sponsored by [TechCrunch]( [More than a quarter of a million users start their Sunday with TechCrunch Weekend. Want to talk to this engaged audience? TechCrunch’s auction for Q3 and Q4 inventory is open now and ends Wednesday, April 10. Email newsletter.auction@techcrunch.com for more information and to submit your bid.]( [Learn More]( Mahbod Moghadam, who rose to fame as the co-founder of Genius, has died Sad news in the sprawling world of startups. Mahbod Moghadam, the controversial, never-boring co-founder of Genius and Everipedia and angel investor, passed away last month at age 41 owing to “complications from a recurring brain tumor,” according to a [post]( attributed to his family and published on Genius. Various founders, investors and other industry insiders appear to have caught wind of his passing just this weekend, with numerous tributes springing up on the X platform, including by former TechCrunch writer-turned-investor Josh Constine, who once interviewed Moghadam and his founders at Genius when the company was still in its relative infancy and called Rap Genius. Wrote Constine: “RIP to Mahbod. A complex, edgy, and at times problematic guy, but also genuinely funny, brilliant, and [always unique](.” We have [more here](. [Mahbod Moghadam, who rose to fame as the co-founder of Genius, has died image] Image Credits: TechCrunch A startup is now offering millions of dollars for tools to hack iPhones, Android devices, WhatsApp, and iMessage Tools that allow government hackers to break into iPhones and Android phones, popular software like the Chrome and Safari browsers, and chat apps like WhatsApp and iMessage are now worth millions of dollars — and their price has multiplied in the last few years as these products get harder to hack. Lorenzo reports on the [current price list](. [A startup is now offering millions of dollars for tools to hack iPhones, Android devices, WhatsApp, and iMessage image] Image Credits: Lino Mirgele / Getty Images From HubSpot to Klaviyo, success in Boston is leading to more success In Boston, there is a “shortage of affordable housing,” writes Ron. Further, the “public transit system is crumbling. Traffic is awful. Bars close at 2 a.m., and the city, with its Yankee modesty, is not good at promoting itself.” It makes it up in brainpower, he observes. More here on an American city where a generation of wealthy founders is making it far easier for the next generation to do the same. [Read more here.]( [From HubSpot to Klaviyo, success in Boston is leading to more success image] Image Credits: Chance Yeh / Getty Images for HubSpot What else we're reading These shoes look chic and feel like sneakers. Good luck [finding a pair](. Some colleges will soon charge $100,000 a year. How did [we get here](? Before you go Founders in middle of a raise the [moment]( they get multiple term sheets. [Read more stories on TechCrunch.com]( Newest Jobs from Crunchboard - [HR Manager at Murmuration (United States)]( - [Government Relations Director at Center for AI Policy (Washington, D.C., USA)]( - [CFO/Investment Fund Raiser at Flipping Technologies Inc. (Riverside, CA, USA)]( - [Instructor at Oregon Institute of Technology (Wilsonville, OR, USA)]( - [Senior Big Data Engineer at GridX (Denver, CO, USA)]( [See more jobs on CrunchBoard]( [Post your tech jobs]( and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $349 per month. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Flipboard]( [View this email online in your browser]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( | [Unsubscribe]( © 2024 Yahoo. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103