Startups Weekly: Stay tuned for the Rippling espionage movie

Summary

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week reminded us that different startups share a different approach to news: Some choose to remain quiet for a very long time, even about their acquisition details. Others, however, are as loud as can be about their rivalries. Most interesting startup stories from the week Rippling CEO Parker Conrad.Image Credits:Haje Kamps / TechCrunch Founders aren’t always reliable when they claim there’s nothing to worry about — or when they hint at something suspicious. But either way, pass the popcorn; this is more entertaining than when they decline to disclose any details. Corporate espionage: After filing a lawsuit, HR tech startup Rippling publicly released the affidavit of its former employee accused of spying for rival Deel. This reads so much like a movie script that we wouldn’t be surprised if Hollywood producers took notice. Harbinger of trouble: EV truck maker Harbinger accused Canoo of hiding assets in its bankruptcy process and filed an objection to the sale of the company’s assets to Canoo’s CEO, Anthony Aquila, whom it said was “unfairly favored.” Out of Nam: Qualcomm acquired the generative AI division of VinAI, a Vietnam-based AI research company founded by former DeepMind research scientist Hung Bui. Deal terms were not disclosed. Epic tagging: Fortnite maker Epic Games paid an undisclosed amount to acquire Loci, an AI platform that automatically tags 3D assets for easier search and IP infringement detection. AMA: Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas took to Reddit to affirm that the company has “no plans of IPOing before 2028” and is not under serious financial pressure. Most interesting VC and funding news this week Image Credits:Svisio / Getty Images From Series A to E, this week brought us an alphabet of funding rounds — and fresh capital for manufacturing and defense tech. Plus, a veteran VC is moving to...