Twitter launches new payment model – Business Insider

This week, the platform plans to award blue, gray, and gold ticks. Also: Setbacks for Tesla and Amazon and Binance wants to position itself as a crypto savior.

Good morning! Even during the weekend, work in the digital scene continued in many places.

The top topics:

Twitter is now starting the second attempt at his paid subscription this week. After the first verification ended in chaos, the short message service wants to distribute blue, gray and gold ticks in the future. The early days are initially a dry run: individuals are to be verified with a blue tick, companies with a gold tick. Musk wants to reserve the color gray for “government accounts”. It is not yet known whether the new offer will still cost eight US dollars universally.

At the weekend, the US broadcaster CNBC also reported that “Twitter 2.0” may violate the rules of Apple or Google violates. In the worst case, this could result in Twitter being booted out of the app stores. In fact, tensions are already brewing: Twitter owner Elon Musk complained in a tweet about app store fees that Google and Apple charge companies like Twitter. These are too high and “a hidden 30 percent tax on the Internet”. In a follow-up post, he tagged the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, which is reportedly investigating the app store’s rules. [Mehr bei Handelsblatt, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian und CNBC]

on Founder Scene: They’ve been sharing for weeks Traffic blockades by young climate activists of the group “Last Generation” Germany into two camps. The protests are helpful for the mobility turnaround, as our mobility expert Don Dahlmann writes in his new column. It reveals a massive problem of the administrations. [Mehr bei Gründerszene]

And here are the other headlines of the night and the past few days:

Setbacks: Tesla has to bring around 80,000 cars back to the workshops in China. The recall affects Model S and Model X vehicles with software issues and Model 3 vehicles with seat belt issues. Amazon is closing its grocery delivery business in India before the end of the year. The US e-commerce group had been trying to establish itself in the country for three years. In addition, struck Walmart Amazon looking for bargains at the Black Friday sales event. [Mehr bei Wall Street Journal, CNBC und Techcrunch]

Binance and Crosstower want new offerings for the digital currency lender Voyager Digital hand over. The latter should of FTX be taken over. But with the bankruptcy of the crypto exchange, the offer for Voyager has also become obsolete. The crypto platforms Binance and Crosstower now want to step in to ensure the company’s continued existence. Binance has also set up a $1 billion fund aimed at supporting struggling companies in the industry. [Mehr bei CNBC]

Yandex wants to reposition itself: The Russian Internet company and Google competitor, whose parent company is based in the Netherlands, wants to cut ties to the Russian unit in order to protect new projects in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomous driving. The internet browser, grocery delivery, and ride-hailing apps would be sold. Since such a sale and transfer of technology out of Russia requires the approval of both the Kremlin and shareholders, implementation of the plan is on shaky ground. [Mehr bei Handelsblatt und New York Times]

Meituan, China’s largest food delivery app, reported a 28 percent increase in revenue to $8.73 billion for the third quarter. Demand for meal and grocery deliveries rose sharply in the quarter as China’s tough Covid-19 restrictions forced many consumers to spend more time at home. This makes Meituan one of the few winners from the Covid lockdowns that have dealt a severe blow to the rest of the country’s ailing economy. The turnover of Tencent for the quarter ended September was down seven percent while revenue from Ali Baba only rose by three percent and thus missed the expectations of the analysts. [Mehr bei Bloomberg und The Information]

Huawei and ZTE, two tech companies from China, suffered a severe blow over the weekend: the import and sale of telecommunications and surveillance technology from Chinese manufacturers is largely banned in the USA. Reason: a risk to national security. The smartphones of the companies are also affected by the ban. [Mehr bei The Guardian]

Our reading tip on Gründerszene: In addition to his football career Mario Götze Investor. The world champion has supported 15 German startups so far, and one has even been sold. You can read about the companies in which the professional footballer’s fortune is in our portfolio check. [Mehr bei Gründerszene+]

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Have a good start into the week!

Your Gründerszene editors