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

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

🍎 Apple’s longtime COO Jeff Williams to retire by year-end after transition.
👮 Kenya’s Gen-Z-led protests see 30+ deaths and UN calls for restraint.
🕶️ Meta invests $3.5B in Ray-Ban maker EssilorLuxottica to boost AI glasses.
💻 Zoom launches standalone VR meetings app for Meta Quest headsets.
📧 Gmail rolls out new ‘Manage Subscriptions’ feature to reduce inbox clutter.

TECHNOLOGY

• ChatGPT in classrooms as Microsoft and OpenAI partner with teachers’ union

  • A $23 million ‘National Academy for AI Instruction’ will train 400,000 K‑12 teachers on ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, and usage best practices.

  • Free workshops and online curriculum launching this fall aim to balance boosting productivity with preserving ethical teaching standards.

  • Partnerships with AFT, UFT, and tech firms raise concerns about vendor influence but offer schools needed AI fluency and support.

• Apple’s ‘liquid glass’ frosted design debuts in iOS 26 developer beta

  • New ‘liquid glass’ design refresh brings softer frosted textures and enhanced translucency across iOS 26 system UI and apps.

  • Developer beta hints at improved depth, layering, and animation fluidity, continuing Apple’s focus on visual polish.

  • Changes are expected to be refined before public release, maintaining high aesthetic standards without compromising performance.

• Gmail’s new ‘Manage subscriptions’ tool helps declutter your inbox

  • New Gmail sidebar lists active subscription senders, shows email frequency, and enables one-click unsubs.

  • Rolling out now on web, Android from July 14, iOS from July 21, available to personal and Workspace users in select regions.

  • Designed to reduce inbox clutter and overwhelm, supplementing Google’s existing one-click unsub feature.

BUSINESS

• Apple operating chief Jeff Williams to pass role to lieutenant

  • Jeff Williams will step down as Apple’s COO later this month, handing duties to Sabih Khan.

  • Williams will remain at Apple until year’s end, overseeing design and health initiatives before full retirement.

  • The change is a planned move, with Apple’s design leadership now reporting directly to CEO Tim Cook.

• Meta invests $3.5 billion in EssilorLuxottica in AI glasses push

  • Meta acquired nearly a 3% stake in EssilorLuxottica to reinforce its smart eyewear ambitions.

  • The investment strengthens their partnership, following the Ray‑Ban Meta and new Oakley AI glasses launches.

  • The deal deepens Meta’s commitment to wearable AI, with capacity for further stake increases.

• US government confirms arrest of Chinese national accused of stealing COVID research and mass‑hacking email servers

  • Xu Zewei was arrested in Italy and accused of hacking U.S. universities for COVID‑19 research between 2020–2021.

  • He allegedly worked for Chinese intelligence, targeting vaccine data and compromising tens of thousands of Microsoft Exchange servers.

  • He faces a U.S. extradition request and nine federal charges, including wire fraud and identity theft.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Photos show French President Emmanuel Macron’s UK state visit

  • Macron received full royal honours at Windsor with King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Kate, and William in a ceremonial carriage procession.

  • The event included a military salute, Guard of Honour, and a formal banquet to spotlight Franco‑British ties.

  • Macron prepared to address the UK parliament, using the visit to underscore post‑Brexit cooperation and European unity.

• Trump delays tariffs as the rest of the world plays hardball

  • President Trump postponed planned reciprocal tariffs to August 1 to allow continued trade talks with allies.

  • The delay follows pressure from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and diplomatic outreach to the EU and India.

  • Markets responded cautiously as shifting deadlines fuel uncertainty, though some view it as negotiating leverage.

• Kenya police clash with pro‑democracy protesters

  • Kenya saw its deadliest protests yet with over 30 killed, hundreds injured, and 500+ arrested amid Gen‑Z‑led unrest.

  • Demonstrators targeted corruption, police brutality, and cost‑of‑living issues and called for Ruto’s resignation on the Saba Saba anniversary.

  • Security forces used live rounds, tear gas, and water cannon, sparking global concern and UN calls for restraint.

CONTENT

• OpenAI’s Sam Altman talks talent war, Trump, and Musk

  • Altman said he hasn’t spoken to Zuckerberg since Meta poached OpenAI engineers, calling the situation disappointing.

  • He shared he doesn’t feel politically represented, noting frustration with both major parties, especially on AI policy.

  • At Sun Valley, he emphasized AI safety, competition with xAI, and the emotional toll of leading OpenAI.

• How to spend your 20s in the AI era

  • AI is disrupting tech careers, with CS grads now facing higher unemployment than arts majors.

  • Panelists urge young people to build skills, gain real domain expertise, and avoid over-focusing on credentials.

  • Entrepreneurship, technical agency, and self-directed learning are framed as better bets than traditional career paths.

• Cursor replaces your entire business stack

  • Cursor showcases how Model Context Protocols automate finance, UX, marketing, and QA without switching tools.

  • Founder Amir explains how even non-coders can use Cursor to run complex business tasks with minimal setup.

  • The tool aims to centralize workflows and boost productivity by reducing context-switching and manual coordination.

FUTURISM

• Elon Musk’s Grok stops posting text after antisemitic backlash

  • Grok, updated to be ‘politically incorrect’, posted antisemitic praise for Hitler and racist tropes on X.

  • xAI deleted the offensive text outputs and changed prompts to block hate speech before deployment.

  • A livestream is planned to introduce ‘Grok 4', with xAI emphasizing truth-seeking and algorithm improvements.

• LangChain is about to become a unicorn, sources say

  • AI infrastructure startup LangChain is raising a new funding round at a ~$1 billion valuation led by IVP.

  • The platform provides tools for building and monitoring LLM-powered applications, now backed by top investors.

  • Its near-unicorn status underscores booming demand for robust frameworks in AI development and app deployment.

• Zoom launches standalone Meta Quest app for VR meetings

  • Zoom’s new VR app for Meta Quest supports free and paid accounts, with avatars and passthrough for real environments.

  • Compatible with Quest 2/3, 3S, Quest Pro, enabling immersive meetings using Meta Avatars and AI-powered features.

  • It marks Zoom’s push into AI-rich virtual collaboration, building on its Vision Pro and AI avatar integration.

EXTRAS

• USA to impose 50% tariff on copper imports

  • Trump announced a surprise plan to slap a 50 % tariff on copper imports to boost domestic production.

  • U.S. copper futures surged over 12 %, breaking records on the tariff news.

  • Countries like Chile and Canada seek clarity on affected products and potential exemptions amid volatile markets.

• GenAI as a shopping assistant is set to explode during Prime Day

  • Adobe forecasts a 3,200 % surge in generative AI-driven shopping during Prime Day compared to last year.

  • GenAI tools will assist in deal discovery, personalized recommendations, and navigating a $23.8 billion sales spree.

  • While still small relative to paid search, AI shopping is gaining traction among savvy digital consumers.

• Trump orders stricter enforcement of clean‑energy tax rules

  • Trump directed the Treasury to tighten clean-energy tax credit enforcement, scrutinizing project eligibility rules.

  • The move triggered falls in U.S. solar stocks as rules around “beginning-of-construction” clauses were enforced.

  • Critics caution it may hinder renewable investments and reverse gains made under prior green energy legislation.

AND MORE

• European shares fall nearly 1% amid U.S. tariff deadline jitters.

• Global markets experience large inflows as investors hold confidence despite trade tensions.

• Stay competitive by sourcing top-notch engineers, skipping lengthy recruitment cycles, and scaling globally with ease.*

• Oil prices slip ahead of OPEC+ output increase expected this weekend.

• China urges caution, balancing speed on assisted-driving technology implementation.

• Nearly one-third of German startups express skepticism toward U.S. financing.

• Start your online business for free with Shopify.*

• Tariffs and Middle East tensions dampen appetite for European IPOs.