Musk and Kardashian remind us to stop crying for the wealthy

We unpack the numbers and nuances behind the headlines on the Equity show. Programming notes before we get into the show notes.

• First up, use code “EQUITY” for a special listener discount for Disrupt tickets. We’re mere weeks away, and you should come hang out with us when we record on opening day!
• We also have a special for those impacted by layoffs. If you were laid off, go here to get a free ticket to TechCrunch Disrupt’s Expo!

Here is what we got into this week.

• $700M water? Yeah, the Liquid Death round was a big deal in the news this week because everyone had an opinion on the matter. Us included. While there’s good reason to doubt the DTC model today — cough cough, public markets — Alex was on hand to stand up for the, er, near unicorn.
• How much should you pay your staff? From there it was time to chat about fair compensation, and how a startup called Comprehensive wants to take a crack at the question. It just raised $6 million.
• Duolingo goes shopping! Yes, we’ve covered this company before. And, yes, it is now public. But Duolingo snapping up another company gave us the chance to yammer a bit about edtech more generally, and we’re always going to take that chance.
• Naver, Poshmark, and Depop: Naver’s move to swoop up Poshmark is the story of two major companies finding union. But since the Poshmark deal was similar to the 2021-era Depop deal, it fit into our remit. After all, Poshmark and Depop were both venture darlings once upon a time.
• Twitter, Elon, round 472: Since we recorded this podcast, there’s been even more Elon-Twitter news. God we’re tired of it.
• Kim Kardashian’s crypto issue: Far be it from us to give advice, but if you are going to take $250,000 to shill a shitcoin, do disclose the payment!

That's our show. Next week we will live on a regular schedule.

Equity goes down at 7 a.m. on Mondays. Thursday and Friday are at 6 a.m. You can subscribe to us on Apple, Overcast, and all the casts. A show that details how our stories come together and more can be found on the tech site.

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