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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🤖 Meta releases the two new Llama 4 AI models.
📉 After a blowout week Wall Street decision-makers brace for more chaos.
🧠 Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact with Wes Kao.
🌍 Over 50 nations want to start trade talks with the US after tariffs, Trump officials say.
📱 Apple keeps TikTok in its store after assurances from AG Bondi.

TECH

• Meta releases the two Llama 4 AI models

  • Meta claims its new models are superior to those from OpenAI and Google across ‘a broad range’ of benchmarks.

  • The two new models, also available to download from Meta or Hugging Face, are Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick.

  • Meta says it’s still in the process of training Llama 4 Behemoth, which Zuckerberg says is “the highest performing base model in the world.”

• BBC seeks more prominent credit in Apple and Google News

  • BBC has filed a complaint with a UK antitrust regulator complaining that aggregators minimize credit for the stories they feature.

  • Apple Insider reports that the BBC is asking the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to require Apple and Google to credit news sources.

  • Apple recently paused AI news summaries after complaints of inaccuracy from the BBC and other publishers.

• Microsoft has created an AI-generated version of Quake

  • Microsoft unveiled its Xbox AI era earlier this year with a new Muse AI model that can generate gameplay.

  • The tech demo is part of Microsoft’s Copilot for Gaming push and features an AI-generated replica of Quake II.

  • The Quake II level is very basic and includes blurry enemies and interactions, and Microsoft is limiting the amount of time you play.

BUSINESS

• After a blowout week Wall Street decision-makers brace for more chaos

  • Investment banks are facing significant challenges due to increased market volatility and the potential for a broader economic downturn.

  • Shares of major financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup, have declined over 7%, reflecting investor concerns.

  • Analysts have raised the probability of a U.S. recession to 60%, citing the disruptive impact of the tariffs on global trade and economics.

• Trump promised to lower energy prices but it wasn’t supposed to be like this

  • President Trump’s friends in the oil patch never dreamed he would do so by upending the global economy.

  • Oil and gas donors spent tens of millions of dollars backing Trump after he promised a new golden age of oil prosperity.

  • They bet he would make fossil fuels a centerpiece of his second term help them lower production costs, and attract investors.

• Tesla bull slashes stock price target 43% citing Musk and Trump

  • Despite Tesla's U.S.-based manufacturing, its reliance on Chinese components, such as batteries, exposes it to these trade tensions.

  • CEO Elon Musk's political alignment with President Trump has reportedly affected Tesla's brand image.

  • This association may deter potential customers who view the brand as politically charged.

CONTENT

• Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact with Wes Kao

  • Wes Kao is an entrepreneur, coach, and advisor. She co-founded the live learning platform Maven, backed by First Round and a16z.

  • Wes co-created the altMBA with best-selling author Seth Godin and teaches a popular course on executive communication.

  • Through her course and one-on-one coaching, she’s helped thousands of operators, founders, and product leaders.

• Newsletter growth secrets from Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief

  • Sam Parr chats with Morning Brew co-founders Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief on how they built a newsletter business from zero to millions.

  • Alex and Austin started Morning Brew in 2015 as a simple PDF newsletter named Market Corner during their college years.

  • They personally reached out to potential readers, leveraging their college networks and encouraging word-of-mouth referrals.

• Rippling targets $16B, market chaos, TikTok timeout, and office hours

  • Jason and Alex unpack the latest turbulence in the startup world from Nasdaq’s slide and Trump’s renewed tariffs to Klarna hitting pause.

  • They highlight key trends every founder should watch: shrinking CIO budgets, longer sales cycles, and hiring becoming easier.

  • Plus, they cover the delayed TikTok ban and in Office Hours, they spotlight two fast-growing startups.

WORLD

• Over 50 nations want to start trade talks with US after tariffs, Trump officials say

  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said more than 50 nations had started negotiations with the U.S. since last Wednesday.

  • Neither Bessent nor the other officials named the countries or offered details about the talks.

  • "He's created maximum leverage for himself," Bessent said on NBC News' Meet the Press.

• China investors brace for ‘ugly’ Monday on US tariff retaliation

  • The anticipated market volatility stems from recent tit-for-tat tariff announcements that have intensified tensions.

  • A gauge of Chinese stocks listed in the U.S. plummeted 8.9% on Friday, April 4, 2025, reflecting investor concerns over trade wars.

  • Given these developments, Chinese investors are bracing for significant market volatility as trading resumes.

• Le Pen vows to fight conviction in front of supporters but large-scale protests fail to materialize

  • The leader of France’s National Rally (RN) party, Marine Le Pen, told supporters she would not give up despite being found guilty.

  • The RN called its supporters to mobilize in Place Vauban in Paris, near the historic Les Invalides, to ‘defend freedom, and save democracy’.

  • Protesters waved tricolor flags, what appeared to be a few thousand in attendance to protest Le Pen’s barring from the 2027 election.

AND MORE…

• Hundreds of job opportunities to make a difference*

  • Many people who want to do good with their careers become doctors or charity workers.

  • But what if the best career paths are little known in neglected fields like AI safety, pandemic preparedness, and nuclear security?

  • 80,000 Hours curates the most promising and potentially impactful roles they can find on their (free) job board.

• Apple keeps TikTok in its store after assurances from AG Bondi

  • ​Apple Inc. has decided to keep TikTok and other ByteDance Ltd. apps available on its U.S. App Store for an additional 75 days.

  • This decision follows a letter from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, advising compliance with President Donald Trump's executive order.

  • On April 4, 2025, President Trump signed another executive order, extending the delay of the TikTok ban for an additional 75 days.

• David Sacks’ Craft Ventures lays off staff co-founder steps back

  • Craft Ventures, co-founded by David Sacks, has implemented staff reductions.

  • While the exact number of layoffs hasn't been publicly disclosed, these cuts reflect a strategic shift within the firm.

  • Co-founder Jeff Fluhr is transitioning from his role as a General Partner to that of a Venture Partner.

• Honda is sending its hydrogen tech to space

  • The automaker is teaming up with space tech companies to test its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system on the ISS.

  • The test is part of Honda’s vision to support life on the Moon and elsewhere in space using regenerative fuel cell technology.

  • Honda says it envisions its hydrogen-powered regenerative system as part of a human settlement on the lunar surface.