A rather quiet week for the world of crypto and greater tech. Here are some of the most relevant clips you should know.
The Second Apple Store to Unionize
In a vote that took place this past Friday, retail workers at the Oklahoma City location voted to unionize under the Communications Workers of America Union (CWA), the second store to do so in the company’s history. The Penn Square Labor Alliance’s platform is based on issues surrounding worker compensation, checking managerial oversight, and safety concerns with COVID-19. Apple quickly responded with support — “we believe the open, direct and collaborative relationship we have with our valued team members is the best way to provide an excellent experience for our customers, and for our teams,” they mentioned in a brief statement.
Human Brain Cells Have Grown in Rats
Scientists at Stanford have figured out a way to recreate human-brain-like structures in rat’s brains as a means to study mental disorders like autism and schizophrenia. These rat and human brain hybrids will be used to develop effective drugs to treat them, though the medical community has raised key concerns, including the complexity of the process itself and its inherent ethical questions.
Female Founder Fall Short in VC Funding, Says Q3 Data
Women raised about 1.9% of VC-funding per Q3 data, lagging behind the 2.4% raised by all-female teams last year. The reasoning is both systematic — female founders have historically fallen behind in VC — and expected, as bleak market conditions have halted VC funding throughout all industries. Still, the collective capital raised by women this year was approximately $8B across 1,132 deals, a feat relative to years passed.
Heightened Crypto Usage in Russia and Ukraine Following War Outbreak
Chain analysis recently confirmed an uptick in crypto activity following the boil-over of tensions between the two nations, blaming the phenomenon on worsening economic conditions and stifling inflation. While Russia’s rise can primarily be attributed to the ease of cross-border payments, Ukraine’s can be traced back to the millions of crypto donations following the initial invasion. In fact, sources say that Ukranian crypto aid has surpassed over $100M — and is only increasing.
