Welcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering noteworthy happenings in the tech industry. This week has been packed with exciting developments, from Google’s new open large language models to major layoffs and funding rounds.

Google Unveils New Open Large Language Models

In its continued bid for generative AI dominance, Google has launched two new open large language models, Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B. These models are described as "inspired by Gemini," Google’s flagship family of GenAI models. Both models are now available for commercial and research usage.

MariaDB Could Be Taken Private in $37 Million Deal

Emberattled database company MariaDB has revealed that it could be taken private in a $37 million deal. This nonbinding proposal comes 14 months after MariaDB went public via SPAC, as Paul writes.

Recap of Noteworthy Happenings in the Tech Industry

Lots else happened this week. We recap it all in this edition of WiR:

News

  • Tragedy Strikes: Earlier this week, Marco Troper, the 19-year-old son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, was found dead at UC Berkeley of an apparent drug overdose.
  • Cake Sale: The future of bankrupt electric motorbike startup Cake is still uncertain, but the majority of its U.S. inventory is going to a man in Florida, Sean reports.

Tech News

  • Change Healthcare Hit by Cyberattack: Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare tech companies in the U.S., confirmed that a cyberattack on its systems occurred recently.
  • Rivan Layoffs: Rivian is laying off 10% of its salaried workforce in a bid to cut costs in an increasingly tough market for electric vehicles, putting even more pressure on its future, more affordable EV called the R2.

Funding

  • Indian E-commerce Giant Flipkart Discusses Potential Acquisition of Dunzo: Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has held discussions in recent weeks about potentially acquiring Dunzo, the hyperlocal delivery startup backed by Reliance Retail, Manish reports.
  • More Privacy with Signal’s Username Launch: Signal now lets you keep your phone number private with the launch of usernames.

YouTube Dominates TV Streaming in U.S.**

YouTube dominates TV streaming in the U.S., per Nielsen’s latest report.

Analysis and Insights

  • Segment Under Threat from Activist Pressure: Alex and Ron take a look at the reasons why Segment, the customer data company, could be put up for sale by corporate parent Twilio. Activist pressure has a lot to do with it.
  • New AI Chip Venture: SoftBank Group’s Masayoshi Son Seeks $100 Billion: SoftBank Group’s Masayoshi Son is reportedly seeking $100 billion to build a new venture that’d compete with the likes of Nvidia in the area of AI chips.

Bonus Round

  • OnePlus Returns to Watches: OnePlus’ upcoming Watch 2 — the company’s first smartwatch in years — promises a jaw-dropping 100 hours "in in power-saving mode.
  • Mark Zuckerberg Defends Meta’s Latest Pivot in Three-Hour Joe Rogan Interview: Mark Zuckerberg defended Meta’s latest pivot in a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan.

Startups and Funding

  • UK In-Home Healthcare Provider Cera Raises $150M to Expand Its AI Platform: UK-based healthcare provider Cera has raised $150 million to expand its AI platform, Mike Butcher reports.
  • Watch Duty Was Downloaded 2 Million Times During This Week’s LA Fires: Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times during this week’s LA fires.

Related News

  • UK in-home healthcare provider Cera raises $150M to expand its AI platform
  • Watch Duty was downloaded 2 million times during this week’s LA fires

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