Netflix Breaks Up With Its Cheapest Ad-Free Subscription | Bytes: Week in Review | Marketplace Tech

On the show today, Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds parked a whole lot of money in Silicon Valley. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, for one, spent more than $31 billion on 49 deals, up 33% for the year. Why does Silicon Valley find money from the Middle East so hard to break up with? Plus, Netflix changes up its business model - again. We look at why the streaming giant sees even more ads in its future. But first, job cuts continue across the tech landscape. Even TikTok with its $225 billion valuation and 150 million active users in the U.S. alone is letting people go. Marketplace's Lily Jamali is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

[@Edwordless]

I feel like Elon started the layoff trend at X and got a lot of criticism for it, and now all the others are doing the same!

[@naomidga]

Apple lost me with their price jump to $10. And Netflix gained new subscribers from the password sharing crackdown. I refuse to get another account. I hardly ever watch it