Whisper lays of 20 percent of staff, SpaceX raises $350 million as valuation rockets to $21 billion, and Will.i.am’s company buys smart home company Wink for $39 million.

Whisper Lays of 20 Percent of Staff

Whisper is laying off 14 of 71 employees, with a concentration in its editorial team, reports TechCrunch. The company believes that it needs less staff now because machine learning software can help repackage user content for distribution by other media outlets in place of humans.

SpaceX Raises $350 Million as Valuation Rockets to $21 Billion

SpaceX raised $350 million at a valuation of $21 billion, reports The New York Times. The latest funding nearly doubles the valuation of the company, which was pegged at around $11 billion when it raised $1 billion from Fidelity and Google in 2015.

Will.i.am’s Company Buys Smart Home Company Wink for $39 Million

Musician Will.i.am’s company, i.am+, acquired smart home company Wink, reports TechCrunch. The company paid $38.7 million upfront for Wink, plus a $20 million commitment towards future manufacturing.

Technology reporter Garrett Reim can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @garrettreim for the latest in L.A. tech news.