Another technology controversy? Return of the Personalized Five-Day Workweek • TechCrunch

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May the techies rise up! It’s forecasting season! It’s my favorite time of year, not because I’m voracious with threads or care deeply about why we still have the worst of DTC ahead of us—take this Echo Loud for the third year in a row, mind you—but because it’s nice to see us all sit back and reflect.

Before I get into my thoughts, here are some of the best bits and predictions I have. Lolita Taube from Ganas VCThen there is the Nigel Morris of QED InvestorsThen there’s the Our very own.

Here’s what I believe will happen next year: A return to in-person, five day weeks for tech workers. Let me tell you why I believe this will happen, before you jump in with all the exceptions.

We’ve been talking about the shifting pendulum of power toward employees since 2021, led by the major resignation. Then, this year. The Great Resignation became the Great Reset,Due to changing macroeconomic conditions, employers fired large numbers of their employees. As we enter 2023, many predicted that the wave of layoffs could get worse before it gets better — and the prediction has already been borne out by recent rounds of pre-holiday cutbacks, including Airtable, Plaid, and Komodo Health.

In many cases, employers have the power to bring people in to the office again. This means that those who wanted to do so from the beginning of lockdown may be able to do so now. While I don’t believe every CEO and founder is secretly conspiring, I do think the domino effect is important. You might be tempted if your biggest competitor moves to the office to increase productivity. But if you’re a precarious startup with enough luck to get hired and have the ability to hire, you might still be able gain an edge in hiring.

My point isn’t just a hunch. This is what I hear founders say. There are many entrepreneurs. Some cite Elon Musk’s choice to return Twitter employees to in-person workLet’s assume they are going to bring back the in-person work culture in 2019 due to the issues that can arise from remote work (e.g. collaboration or productivity). It’s not a complete reality, but it is a little bit of an appearance. One of the founders told me over fancy drinks and snacks that they weren’t worried about losing talent — because those who leave simply because they have a personal mandate aren’t mission-driven to begin with.

Your Majesty.

These feelings are complicated by many factors, including how personal work affects those with immunocompromised or caring responsibilities. Although I doubt companies that were distributed 100% from the beginning will be able to buy desks, I believe we’ll see more hybrid companies and more hybrid companies that are more inclined towards in-person work.

I know you all have thoughts about these things, because you weren’t ashamed Who told me about it on Twitter.Let’s end with some of my favourite tweets:

Let’s talk about work chatter instead of all the work chatter. You can find my on-line presence as usual. substack And the InstagramMy words and work are published here. In the rest of this newsletter, we’ll talk about nodal AI and open source — as well as employee gift guides.

Artistic applications with AI are having a moment — thanks to Lensa AI

Artificial intelligence is having (another) moment — which means bad innovation is getting some well-deserved attention, if not clamor. Sarah Perez of TC is our guest this week. I spotted artistic AI apps popping up all over the App StoreEvidently, this was an attempt to capitalize on the viral avatar generators of Lensa AI.

Here’s why it matters: In the next few months, we will see a lot of lightning bolts and real power in this area. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman helped to build ChatGPT (who was responsible all the fun prompts, and answers you’ve seen all over Tech Twitter). You made a great pointAlthough I describe the technology, I believe it can be extended to the entire sector.

“ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness. It is a mistake to rely upon it for anything significant right now. It’s a preview for the future. We have a lot of work to do on robustness and credibility,” tweeted Altman.

Image credit: Lensa AI on Instagram (opens in a new window)

How open source is shaping Twitter’s future

Paul Sawers of TC is one of my most thoughtful writers. You’ll understand what I mean if you read his latest writings: “Decentralized Discourse: How Open Source Shapes the Future of Twitter.” Learn how transparent algorithms, encrypted direct messages, and yes, even content moderation have been a recurring theme in Twitter’s present — and will surely shape the next chapter.

Here is a Key excerpts:

What if Twitter decided that open source was the way to go? Not just a recommendation algorithm and protocol, but the entire shoot match – database – are all clients? This would be a huge undertaking, especially considering all the other things happening on Twitter right now.

It would also be a remarkable move for a $44 billion private corporation to open its entire database to global audiences. However, it is possible because Musk has a way of making bold moves. Musk broke with convention eight years ago when it was clear that Tesla would not sue any other company for infringing any of its patents. Musk stated that it was all about electric vehicle adoption and infrastructure (for instance, charging stations), a philosophy broadly in line with open source.

Image credit: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Gift Guide Corner

Here are some creative gift guides our Top Contributors team created this week:

Image credit: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

Some notes

Techcrunch – Seen

Is ChatGPT a “virus released into the wild”?

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been arrested in the Bahamas

Komodo Health, a candidate for a looming IPO, cuts staff as CFO leaves

The FTC is suing to prevent Microsoft from buying Activision

With AI proliferating in biotech, what are investors looking for in 2023?

TechCrunch+ Seen

Why the SPAC route makes sense for Getaround

well now. Now we will see more startups acquiring other startups

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the investment market in Canada

How do you respond when a venture capitalist asks about your startup’s valuation?

How much money should you raise to start your project?

We have come to an end of our last conversation regarding this year’s bizarre plot twist. I won’t lie, the past 12 months have flown by. Instead, each day of tech news felt important and complex — if not stressful and confusing — in a way that really shaped the way I see this world. Although it’s still a work-in-progress, I can say that 2022 was the year that I got the right sources, trust and networking to realize that technology wasn’t all rainbows, butterflies, and that it isn’t all bad.

I’ll brag for a second: These were the most memorable jobs I held this year. Kevin Hart interviewTo engage in fights with many millionaires via twitter. I wrote about difficulties Rebuild a startupAnd opening a door on a community company that has disappeared her community. I laughed full circle technology range — and then I found my predictions getting terribly old Every time. Equity Wednesday is a thoughtful offering from us that attempts to answer these questions. One big question at a timeInstead of asking all the questions at once.

Startups Weekly is now read daily by thousands of people – and it’s never been happier!

I have never been so fascinated at how power and capital function in this world. This is a thank-you to everyone who read our stories and doubled down on them. To those who push us to new places and those who tell us what angle was missed (and how we can improve the next time). It’s also thanks in large part to my incredible team at TechCrunch, for whom I can’t express enough gratitude.

I will be out of the office until the new Year, but I will still be able to sip cocoa, sneak some Skyline chili, and enjoy my mom’s chana masala. I wish you a happy and safe holiday, and when we get back to talking about resolutions, okay‽

I’d love for you to follow me on Twitter, but in the meantime. I’m on substackAnd the mastodonThen there is the Instagram as @/natashathereporter.

Let’s say goodbye. You don’t have to take it seriously. Well, well, bye,

n