🚀 Medial Secures Investment on Shark Tank India - Fueling the Future of Professional Social Networking. 🔥

Startup Showcase

Premium Content

Try our Valuation Calculator →

News on Medial

Spotify's former podcast boss calls out the company for setting 'money on fire' with costly celeb deals

Business Insider

Business Insider · 1y ago

Spotify's former podcast boss calls out the company for setting 'money on fire' with costly celeb deals

Lydia Polgreen, former managing director of Gimlet Media, criticized Spotify for wasting money on celebrity podcast deals. She questioned the company's decision to cancel popular podcasts like "Heavyweight" and "Stolen", stating that if Spotify couldn't succeed with such great shows, they are simply bad at podcasting. Polgreen suggested that Spotify could have found sustainable ways to support these podcasts instead of wasting money on celebrity partnerships. Spotify has faced recent layoffs and has spent over $1 billion on podcasting endeavors, including deals with high-profile celebrities.

Related News

Spotify’s transformed podcast business may actually be profitable this year

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

Spotify’s transformed podcast business may actually be profitable this year

Spotify reported its Q4 earnings, revealing that its podcasting arm is close to breaking even and on track to achieve full year profitability by 2024. The company has made significant changes to its podcasting business, including cutting jobs and ending exclusivity deals. Despite still operating at a loss, Spotify's stock price has risen, indicating investor confidence in its podcast strategy. Additionally, Hot Pod Summit will feature discussions on worker-owned cooperatives and the potential impact of AI in podcasting.

Apple makes security changes to protect users from iPhone thefts

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Apple makes security changes to protect users from iPhone thefts

Apple is introducing a new iOS setting called Stolen Device Protection to address a security vulnerability that allows thieves to take over iPhone accounts, access saved passwords, steal money, and lock users out of their devices. The setting restricts certain actions when the iPhone is away from a familiar location and requires biometric scans and delays for changing the Apple ID password, updating security settings, and accessing passwords in Keychain. However, some vulnerabilities still exist, reminding users to be cautious and take additional security measures.

US judge signs off on Binance, former chief Changpeng Zhao's plea deals with DOJ

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

US judge signs off on Binance, former chief Changpeng Zhao's plea deals with DOJ

US District Judge Richard Jones in Seattle has approved plea deals between Binance Holdings, its former chief Changpeng Zhao, and US prosecutors. Binance agreed to pay over $4.3 billion and pleaded guilty to violating US anti-money laundering and sanctions laws, while Zhao also pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing in February.

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [25-30 Sep]

Entrackr

Entrackr · 1y ago

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startups this week [25-30 Sep]

This week, 30 Indian startups raised approximately $190 million in funding. Bright Money, a consumer fintech platform, secured $62 million, while Doceree, an adtech company, and Third Wave Coffee, a coffee chain, each received $35 million. Additionally, three undisclosed deals were also made. Mumbai-based startups dominated the funding, accounting for eight out of the 30 deals. Overall, the funding in Indian startups for September is estimated to reach around $1 billion.

Tamil Nadu Police Issues Advisory On New Scam Using AI-assisted Voice Cloning

Inc42 · 1y ago

Tamil Nadu Police Issues Advisory On New Scam Using AI-assisted Voice Cloning

The cyber crime unit of the Tamil Nadu police has issued a warning about scammers using artificial intelligence (AI) to clone voices and make calls to extort money from victims. This involves using AI to replicate the voices of family members or friends in order to trick victims into sending money under the pretext of an emergency. The police advisory urges people to stay informed about voice cloning fraud and watch out for warning signs, such as unusually stressful situations and emotional manipulation. Concerns about the misuse of AI and deepfakes have been growing recently.

SBF sentenced, Worldcoin hit with another ban order and big web3 pre-seed rounds are back

TechCrunch · 1y ago

SBF sentenced, Worldcoin hit with another ban order and big web3 pre-seed rounds are back

Sam Bankman-Fried, former FTX CEO, has been sentenced after being found guilty of money laundering and fraud charges. In other news, Borderless Capital has acquired CFT Capital, Worldcoin is facing another ban in Europe, and several web3 startups have secured significant funding rounds. Bitcoin and Ether saw price increases this week, with the total crypto market cap also rising. The latest episode of the Chain Reaction podcast features an interview with Scott Dykstra, co-founder of Space and Time, discussing blockchain and AI integrations. Additionally, various other articles on TechCrunch caught attention this week.

Spotify is developing tools that would let users remix songs, screenshots show

TechCrunch · 1y ago

Spotify is developing tools that would let users remix songs, screenshots show

Spotify is reportedly developing mixing tools that would give users the ability to remix songs directly within the streaming platform. Screenshots captured by app researcher Chris Messina show features such as transition styles, tempo range setting, and genre filtering. While discussions are said to be in the early stages, no licensing agreements have been worked out. The new capabilities could offer a way for artists to earn money from remixes that are tied to their original tracks. The potential launch date for the mixing tools remains unknown.

Long-time advocate of SLS rocket says it’s time to find an “off-ramp”

Arstechnica

Arstechnica · 4m ago

Long-time advocate of SLS rocket says it’s time to find an “off-ramp”

Scott Pace, former executive secretary of the National Space Council, advocates for phasing out NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) in favor of commercial heavy-lift rockets from companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin. He believes this shift is necessary for a sustainable lunar program as commercial options have advanced significantly. Pace emphasizes the need for a revised Artemis campaign and calls for NASA to innovate and focus on sustainable development, targeting the Moon and Mars for human expansion.

Tumblr’s owner is striking deals with OpenAI and Midjourney for training data, says report

The Verge

The Verge · 1y ago

Tumblr’s owner is striking deals with OpenAI and Midjourney for training data, says report

Automattic, the owner of Tumblr and WordPress.com, is reportedly in talks with AI companies Midjourney and OpenAI to provide training data from users' posts. According to a report, Automattic plans to launch a new setting that allows users to opt-out of data sharing, including with AI companies. It is unclear what data has been collected and shared, but the agreement with Midjourney could offer a new revenue stream for Tumblr. Other companies, such as Reddit and Shutterstock, have also struck deals with AI tool makers to provide training data, raising concerns among artists and writers.

ChrysCapital raises $700 mn to keep NSE stake, return capital to sixth fund’s LPs

VCCircle

VCCircle · 1y ago

ChrysCapital raises $700 mn to keep NSE stake, return capital to sixth fund’s LPs

Private equity firm ChrysCapital has raised $700 million for a "continuation fund" to acquire the stake it holds in the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The fund has been anchored by US-based HarbourVest Partners, and European firms LGT Capital Partners and Pantheon Ventures. ChrysCapital used the fresh capital to buy out its Fund VI from the NSE, allowing it to return money to investors while giving new investors exposure to the Indian stock exchange. ChrysCapital has raised over $5 billion across nine funds and has invested more than $4 billion in over 100 deals.

Trackers

Active Indian VC’s

OG Capital Email

With a hands-on approach, OG Capital aims to invest in over 20 promising...

Accel Partners Email

Early and growth-stage investments in disruptive technology companies with...

Early-stage venture capital firm investing in technology startups in India. Focus on...

Access All Trackers

Startup Showcase Winners

June 2025

Helping your parents when you are miles away

The Pit Stop Your Cravings Deserve

The next generation E-commerce platform

Enter Ongoing Startup Showcase

Top Users

Trending News on Medial

'We are busy building Bhujia comp ...

JioBlackRock Broking receives SEB ...

Railways launches RailOne Super A ...

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.