TechCrunch Startup News At the Microsoft Excel World Championship, selfies and a ‘hype’ tunnel, plus Anthropic plans to release a ‘two-way’ voice mode for Claude and IMDb's founder steps down
4 snips
Jan 22, 2025 Dive into the quirky world of the Microsoft Excel World Championship, where competitors glow in a hype tunnel and strut in humorous costumes. Revel in Anthropic’s exciting news about a new ‘two-way’ voice mode for their chatbot, Claude, enhancing user interactions. Also, witness a major shift in the tech landscape as the founder of IMDb steps down after an impressive 35-year tenure, paving the way for new leadership.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Excel World Championship
- The first in-person Microsoft Excel World Championship was held in Las Vegas, featuring 12 contestants.
- The winner received $5,000, a championship belt, and the title of "World's Best Spreadsheeter".
Anthropic's Claude
- Anthropic plans to add a two-way voice mode to its chatbot Claude.
- A memory feature will allow Claude to retain more information about users and past conversations.
Anthropic's Funding
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei revealed at Davos that demand for AI has surged, exceeding their compute capacity.
- Despite raising billions, Anthropic is reportedly seeking additional funding due to high operational costs.