Welcome back to your daily memorandum talking tech, business, AI, markets, and more. 🗞️

In today’s edition, we are tackling the following:

📱 Nothing launches Phone 3 and Headphone 1 with premium pricing and flashy design.
📨 Threads now supports DMs, taking its biggest step away from Instagram.
🧠 Tinder pilots Face Check with mandatory video scans for new users in California.
🧵 Sam Altman says ‘missionaries beat mercenaries’ in leaked Slack exchange.
💰 Cloudflare launches platform to charge AI bots for scraping website content.

TECHNOLOGY

• Nothing unveils the Phone 3 and Headphone 1 with premium pricing

  • Nothing launched Phone 3—its first true flagship—powered by Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 and featuring triple 50 MP cameras.

  • The device sports a 6.77″ LTPO OLED, 5,150 mAh battery, 65–100 W charging, and sleek Glyph Matrix rear lighting.

  • It also introduced Headphone 1 over‑ears at $299; Phone 3 starts at $799/€800 (~₹90,500), pre‑orders begin July 4 and ship July 15.

• Threads gets its DMs as the app distances itself from Instagram

  • Threads added a standalone DM inbox supporting one‑on‑one chats, preset emoji reactions, spam reporting, and muting options.

  • Blocking now syncs across Instagram; only followers can message, and users must be 18+ in most regions at launch.

  • This rollout marks a major step away from Instagram dependency, with group messaging and filters to follow in updates.

• Tinder pilots mandatory facial recognition ‘Face Check’ in California

  • New Tinder users in California must now complete a biometric selfie video scan to verify their profile authenticity.

  • The ‘Face Check’ system aims to reduce bots and fake accounts by granting a verified badge upon matching profile pictures.

  • Tinder’s Match Group plans to expand this feature gradually, signalling a shift toward stricter user identity validation.

BUSINESS

• Sam Altman’s leaked chat reveals Meta is hiring away top AI talent

  • Altman’s Slack messages claim Meta has aggressively recruited OpenAI engineers, offering hefty pay packages and equity incentives.

  • The leaks highlight company tension as AI talent becomes the core asset and headhunting intensifies across the industry.

  • Internal debate arises at OpenAI around counteroffers, retention strategies, and the ethical implications of talent raids.

• Cloudflare launches marketplace to let websites charge AI bots for scraping

  • Cloudflare Marketplace allows publishers to monetize web scraping by AI bots, enabling per‑page or per‑request fees via API keys.

  • The platform includes tiered pricing, bot verification, and usage analytics to help websites regain control of their content.

  • Aimed at balancing data access and fair compensation, the initiative could shape how AI firms source web content.

• Figma’s FIGS files for IPO as tech debuts gain steam

  • Design startup Figma filed confidentially for a U.S. IPO under the ticker ‘FIGS,’ joining a wave of tech debut activity.

  • Market conditions are growing more favorable, with investors returning to high-quality software offerings and product assets.

  • Figma aims to continue product innovation and expand enterprise adoption while capitalizing on improved IPO sentiment.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Senate removes tax bill provision limiting state AI regulation

  • The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted 99–1 to strip out a 10-year moratorium on state-level AI regulation from the tax and spending bill.

  • The removed provision would have barred states from passing AI rules in exchange for broadband funding, protecting state autonomy in tech.

  • This decision rebuffs efforts to centralize AI control, preserving state powers to regulate areas like biometric privacy and online safety.

• Thailand’s Prime Minister Shinawatra suspended amid ethics probe

  • Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra over a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s Hun Sen.

  • The call, seen as overly deferential to Cambodian officials, damaged her reputation and triggered her suspension from office.

  • Deputy PM Suriya Juangroongruangkit assumes caretaker role while the investigation continues, deepening political instability.

• Israel has agreed to conditions for a 60-day Gaza ceasefire, Trump says

  • Former President Trump stated that Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza.

  • Talks facilitated by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar aim to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners and enable humanitarian aid.

  • The proposal still awaits Hamas’ acceptance; significant hurdles remain around disarmament, troop withdrawals, and lasting peace terms.

CONTENT

• Meta vs. OpenAI: Who Will Win the AI Talent War?

  • The episode explores Meta’s aggressive poaching of OpenAI talent and the compensation arms race reshaping the AI industry.

  • Ed and guests discuss how government policy, like Canada's tax reversal and the GOP energy bill, intersect with AI economics.

  • Strategic insights on workforce shifts, retention challenges, and the growing influence of regulation on tech innovation.

• In Search of the Early Universe 

  • Jo Dunkley explains key questions in cosmology, from galaxy formation to measuring ancient light and cosmic inflation.

  • She challenges the idea of a final ‘Theory of Everything,’ arguing some mysteries may always elude full scientific understanding.

  • Dunkley shares insights from major telescope projects and the tensions shaping debates on dark matter and universal origins.

• Google: How the Best Business in Human History Happened

  • Acquired traces Google’s evolution from a Stanford research tool to the world’s most profitable company.

  • The episode dives into Google’s leapfrogging innovations in search algorithms, data infrastructure, and ad monetization.

  • It also explores current investor concerns that AI could threaten Google’s model, despite its leading role in AI development.

FUTURISM

• Grammarly acquires Superhuman email app to build AI productivity platform

  • Grammarly is purchasing Superhuman to create a unified ‘AI superhighway,’ embedding intelligent agents into email workflows.

  • The tool aims to improve email efficiency—users already send 72% more messages per hour and save roughly four weekly hours.

  • Long-term goal: integrate multiple task-specific agents for grammar, context, scheduling, and research within a single inbox.

• Amazon deploys its one‑millionth warehouse robot and launches DeepFleet AI

  • Amazon hit a milestone with its 1,000,000th warehouse robot, part of a fleet soon to match human workers in number.

  • It introduced DeepFleet, a new generative AI foundation model that boosts robotic fleet efficiency by around 10%.

  • DeepFleet acts as a ‘traffic manager’ for robots, optimizing routes to reduce congestion, cut costs, and speed up deliveries.

• OpenAI Is Shutting Down for a Week

  • OpenAI will institute a mandatory week-long shutdown to help employees recover from 80-hour‑per‑week workloads.

  • The pause follows a wave of Meta poaching, with internal warnings that competitors may try to recruit staff during the break.

  • Leadership is also adjusting compensation, offering creative rewards to retain talent, and countering aggressive external offers.

EXTRAS

• Mark Zuckerberg offers top AI talent up to $300 million for new superintelligence lab

  • Zuckerberg is personally recruiting elite AI researchers with packages up to $300 million over four years, including upfront stock grants.

  • Meta’s blitz includes at least ten OpenAI hires and promises access to cutting-edge chips and infrastructure for superintelligence.

  • The aggressive strategy sparked internal concern at OpenAI, prompting immediate compensation adjustments and intensified retention efforts.

• France shuts schools as an exceptional heatwave grips Europe

  • France closed over 1,300 schools and part of the Eiffel Tower, as Italy banned outdoor work during scorching early summer heat.

  • Spain confirmed its hottest June on record, while Turkey evacuated 50,000 people battling wildfires amid the heat dome.

  • Health alerts escalated region-wide, with authorities warning of rising heatstroke risk and urging the public to seek cooling measures.

• Iran prepared naval mines for the Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Israel

  • U.S. intelligence reveals Iran loaded naval mines into the Persian Gulf last month, possibly planning to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

  • Though mines weren’t deployed, the move came after June 13 Israeli strikes and raised alarm over potential global oil flow disruption.

  • A full closure could spike energy prices and prompt an international military response, though analysts say Iran may have backed down.

AND MORE

• Trump says he’s assembling a team to buy TikTok assets.

• Nvidia executives quietly sold over $1 billion in shares.

• Indonesia and China will build a lithium battery factory by late 2026.

• Memo readers don’t just scroll—they act. They forward, they buy, they share. Let’s put your brand in that flow.*

• The BIS warns of economic fragility from trade tensions and policy divergence.

• OpenAI starts renting Google’s AI chips for inference.

• Intel CEO proposes shifting to 14A chip production line by 2026.

• Turn complex tasks into stunning step-by-step video guides in seconds.*