Dear reader,
It’s anything but self-evident in tech, but the new age of AI is actually being shaped decisively by women. In the USA, for example, Mira Murati (35) has long been a star: she has been head of technology at the pioneer OpenAI since 2018. In keeping with International Women’s Day, we have compiled a list of who are driving the massive transformation in Germany.
What do you think, have we forgotten a crucial AI maker? Then write to us! tech-update@manager-magazin.de
These are our topics this week:
Who are the most important AI pioneers in Germany?
What’s behind Sunday Natural’s $800 million deal
Wefox: The resignation of CEO Julian Teicke
Workaholism: Founder Christian Reber on burnout and toxic start-up culture
Top topic: You should definitely know these AI pioneers
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Thinking about the AI of tomorrow: Dagmar Schuller, Elisabeth L’Orange, Nicole Büttner, Feiyu Xu, Sabina Jeschke (from left to right)
Photo:
[M] Martin Nink, Oxolo, Viktor Strasse, Marcel Maffei, Ole WItt
Nobody can ignore these women: In a specially researched list, we present 15 creators who are shaping the development of artificial intelligence in Germany – whether with their own companies or as thought leaders in research. These include: Dagmar Schuller (48, AudEERING), Nicole Büttner (38, Merantix Momentum), Elisabeth L’Orange (41, Oxolo), Feiyu Xu (55, formerly Nyonic), Sabina Jeschke (55, KI Park). Click here for an overview.
Plus: Vanessa Cann (31), who recently left her company Nyonic, which started with much fanfare, spoke to my colleague Franziska Martin about why female perspectives are important in AI development.
Exclusive research: Rich in and with vitamins
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Pilldeal: Poster campaign for Sunday Natural at Berlin’s Alexanderplatz
Photo: antoni / öer
Cashed out: The financial investor CVC recently took over the vitamin retailer Sunday Natural, according to insiders, at a company valuation of around 800 million euros. Former Springer finance director Jörg Schweikart (55) can be happy because he built his ultra-profitable brand without any venture capitalists. My colleagues Christina Kyriasoglou and Jonas Rest say, how Schweikart could now become even richer.
Heads: Julian Teicke ++ Mark Hartigan ++ Jeff Bezos ++ Elon Musk ++ Marc Benioff ++ Parag Agrawal ++ Vijaya Gadde
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Sudden departure: After nine years, Julian Teicke steps down as Wefox CEO and moves to the board of directors
Photo: Matthias Lüdecke / akg-images
Replaced by the watchdog: It’s the end for Wefox founder Julian Teicke (37), he is stepping down from his CEO position at the insurance start-up. His successor will be Chairman of the Board of Directors Mark Hartigan (60). We already had that when he moved to Wefox heard
that he was considered a “guardian for Julian”. Now Hartigan officially becomes the man at the top. Things haven’t been going well at Wefox lately: Our research had revealed something like the start-up systematically manipulates Google reviews
had been.
Battle of zeros: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (60) is back wealthiest person in the world. This means he has overtaken the previous top earner and personal archenemy Elon Musk (52). He recently became a few billion dollars poorer because of a drop in Tesla’s share price.
Musk has other worries: Ex-Twitter boss Parag Agrawal (39), former chief lawyer Vijaya Gadde (49) and two other ex-managers are suing him for more than $128 million. They find the reasons for their terminations flimsy. A bit clumsy: Musk had already revealed the layoff plans to his biographer.
Happy Sales Day: This Friday, Salesforce celebrates its 25th birthday. Boss and founder Marc Benioff (59) is happy Targeted sales of over 38 billion dollars
.
Column: Defending the Alliance with Big Tech
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Photo: [M] Index Ventures
The AI start-up Mistral has with its deal with Microsoft an outcry
in the European Union: Lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the tech giant’s concentration of power. Investor Katharina Wilhelm, whose fund Index Ventures itself invested in Mistral, doesn’t want to know anything about it: she argues in her column for fraternization with Big Tech.
Round-up: Apple vs. EU ++ Apple vs. Epic ++ Apple vs. Spotify ++ Google ++ Nvidia ++ AMD
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Apple shock: Vice President of the EU Commission Margrethe Vestager
Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / dpa
On Friday night the time had come: The Digital Markets Act (DMA), the heart project of the EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (55), has come into force
. And it has already caused a lot of unrest among tech companies.
Especially at Apple. According to the DMA, the tech company would now have to allow apps from sources other than its own app store to be downloaded onto the iPhone. The game developer Epic Games actually wanted to use this to bring its hit game “Fortnite”, which had been banned since 2020, back to the iPhone, at least in the EU. But Apple has already put a stop to this. Because the group does not sufficiently adapt its offering to the Digital Markets Act, opponents criticize it a “mockery” of the EU.
Things aren’t going well for Apple in Europe either: the EU Commission imposed a fine of 1.8 billion euros at the beginning of this week. Compared to music streaming services like Spotify the company is abusing “its dominant position”.
Google, in turn, has revised its Internet search for the launch of the DMA in order to avoid the reputation of discriminating against other providers. Among other things, price comparison sites (flights, hotels, shopping) more prominent in search results placed. The group leads for app developers also introduce new fees
.
And something else outside the EU: After the price hype Nvidia Investors are looking for the next AI star on the stock market. AMD boss Lisa Su (54) and other players are getting into position. My colleagues Mirjam Hecking and Christoph Rottwilm explain the prospects the most important Nvidia hunters
.
Chart of the week:
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Things are looking up: less venture capital flowed into Europe overall in 2023 than in the previous year. But the proportion of women-led start-ups among those profiting has increased: on average, they secured one in four deals (25.8 percent), according to an analysis by the analysis platform PitchBook
. They also received 20.9 percent of the venture capital – an increase of 36 percent and the largest increase since 2012.
Skilling me softly: Workaholism
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Tired of management: The founder of companies like Wunderlist and Pitch Christian Reber
Photo:
Tagesspiegel / IMAGO
Pitch founder Christian Reber (37), who once sold his Wunderlist app to Microsoft for $200 million, was not only very open about it in an interview with my colleague Christina Kyriasoglou his own fall
spoken, but also plain language about workaholism. “This hustle culture that we always promote in the start-up scene – that you actually have to work 24/7 and sleep in the factory – that is complete nonsense,” said Reber. He also blames the fact that the industry continues to be dominated by men. And they “know nothing except ‘bam, bam, bam, let’s go, grow at all costs!’”
The colleagues of the Harvard business manager have also dealt with the phenomenon of “workaholism”: When work becomes an addiction – and what helps against it
.
On your ears: podcast tip
The German solar start-ups Enpal and 1Komma5° have had an unprecedented rise – but still have to do a lot to redeem their tech rating. In the manager magazine podcast “The Topic” Editor-in-chief Sven Clausen talks to reporter Christina Kyriasoglou the history
, which moved many of our readers.
Error 404 – that’s what was missing: OpenAI’s only way
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First friend, then enemy: OpenAI’s Sam Altman and multi-billionaire Elon Musk
Photo: Lamkey Rod / CNP / ABACAPRESS / IMAGO; Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS
After Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI last week, OpenAI boss Sam Altman (38) is now hitting back – and publishes old emails from the tech billionaire. We learn from this: Musk had OpenAI (review today: 80 billion dollars) predicted “zero” chances of success when he left the start-up, but Altman made a supposedly generous rescue offer: OpenAI could join Tesla. Or as Musk put it at the time: “Tesla is the only path”
. It almost seems as if Musk’s rescue missions are not always entirely selfless.
And that’s it for the “Tech Update” for this week, we’ll read it again next Friday.
Questions, comments or criticism are always welcome to: tech-update@manager-magazin.de
.
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Many greetings Sarah Heuberger