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The Sifted Podcast — Why did Snap shut down the French social app Zenly?

The location sharing app was hugely popular with users around the world

By The Sifted Podcast Team

Listen to The Sifted Podcast on Apple, Spotify and all major platforms.

This week on The Sifted Podcast, Amy is joined by stand-in co-host Freya Pratty — Sifted’s climate tech reporter — while Eleanor is on holiday. They speak to Chris O’Brien about his reporting on Snap’s decision to shut down popular social mapping app Zenly, and ask why the move has made big shockwaves in the French ecosystem.

We also hear the bemused reaction of an American who’s not used to employment laws that say you can’t do mass layoffs at the drop of a hat. And we talk about the news that blockchain-based fantasy sports startup Sorare has landed a huge deal with the National Basketball Association. It will mean lots of new potential customers for the company, but might regulatory headaches get in the way of Sorare’s party?

One promising startup that landed cash this week was Code First Girls, a coding school for women and non-binary people that’s looking to reduce the massive gender gap in tech talent. We discuss the business model, which lets students study for free while big companies pay Code First for the opportunity to hire the graduates once they’re done studying.

We also take advantage of Freya’s presence on the pod this week, and pick her brains about what the flurry of climate tech news in Europe means for startups and the energy crisis. We’re talking solar cars, battery recycling and a former Revolut big cheese’s plans to shake up renewable energy.