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

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

📱 Apple unveils iPhone 17 with slim Air model and Pro upgrades.
🎥 YouTube expands multi-language dubbing to all creators worldwide.
🚕 Zoox launches steering-wheel-free robotaxis on the Las Vegas Strip.
💼 Klarna is valued near $20B after $1.37B U.S. IPO.
🎶 Spotify finally launches Hi-Fi lossless audio for Premium users.

TECHNOLOGY

• The Vergecast: iPhone Air, iPhone 17, and Orange Watch

  • Hosts analyze the sleek iPhone Air introduction, debating whether it overreaches amidst incremental iPhone 17 updates.

  • Discussion highlights the ‘Orange Watch’ rumor and its potential to spark new trends in Apple’s wearable lineup.

  • Guest pundits debated whether Apple’s splashy hardware refresh hides a strategic pivot toward services and AI integration.

• YouTube rolls out multi-language audio dubbing to all creators

  • After a successful multi-year pilot with creators like MrBeast, YouTube’s multi-language dubbing feature is now universally available.

  • Creators can dub content into multiple languages—like Hindi, Spanish, and Japanese—extending reach without maintaining separate channels.

  • Early results show international viewers can drive over 25% of watch time through dubbed audio, boosting global engagement.

• Amazon is developing AR glasses for delivery drivers and consumers

  • Amazon’s ‘Jayhawk’ AR glasses aim at consumers with a one-eye, full-color display, mic, speaker, and camera.

  • A rugged ‘Amelia’ version for delivery drivers may launch as early as Q2 2026, with navigation overlays and logistics support.

  • Consumer models are expected by late 2026, signaling Amazon’s move into wearables and direct competition with Meta's AR strategy.

BUSINESS

• OpenAI and Oracle ink historic $300 billion cloud-computing deal

  • Over five years, OpenAI committed $300 billion to Oracle, ensuring massive compute power for future AI advancements.

  • The landmark deal instantly boosted Oracle’s market position, cementing its role as a dominant enterprise AI cloud provider.

  • For OpenAI, the agreement diversifies reliance beyond Microsoft while accelerating its ambitious infrastructure projects like ‘Stargate.’

• Amazon-owned Zoox deploys robotaxi service on the Las Vegas Strip

  • Zoox launched free public robotaxi rides along a 4.2-mile Las Vegas route using purpose-built, steering-wheel-free vehicles.

  • Passengers sit face-to-face inside the custom shuttles, operating under a special federal safety exemption waiver.

  • Expansion plans include San Francisco, Austin, and Miami as Zoox targets producing 5,000 autonomous vehicles annually.

• Klarna’s IPO was valued at nearly $20 billion after raising $1.37 billion

  • Klarna raised $1.37 billion in its U.S. IPO, pushing its valuation close to $20 billion.

  • The successful debut signals renewed investor appetite for high-growth fintech companies after years of cautious sentiment.

  • The IPO marks Klarna’s rebound from steep valuation declines during 2021, showcasing its regained momentum and profitability.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at a Utah college event

  • Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during his ‘American Comeback Tour’ event at Utah Valley University.

  • Authorities classify it as a political assassination and launched a manhunt, with the campus evacuated amid chaos.

  • His death spurred bipartisan outrage and reignited concerns about escalating political violence across the United States.

• White House denies Trump’s alleged birthday message to Epstein is authentic

  • The White House rejects the assertion that Trump’s name appears on a birthday note purportedly sent to Epstein.

  • Trump called the claim false, citing signature style differences; officials framed the controversy as politically motivated.

  • Forensic analysis is being considered amid ongoing scrutiny over documents recently released by a House oversight committee.

• Nepal’s Gen Z protests against corruption intensify

  • Youth-led rallies in Kathmandu escalate over corruption and social media ban; Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigns.

  • Protesters set fire to government buildings, breached symbolic power centers, and clashed with police using force.

  • Demonstrations demand accountability from elites perceived as richly privileged and unresponsive, rallying under slogans of reform.

CONTENT

• Chris Dixon on How to Build Networks, Movements, and AI-Native Products

  • Chris Dixon and Anish Acharya discuss how consumer networks scale exponentially through openness, composability, and timing advantages.

  • They highlight movements, niche communities, and AI-native tools as foundations for enduring products with cultural influence.

  • Founders are urged to focus on defensibility, network effects, and leveraging open-source AI for future growth.

• This guy made Millions by inventing the McFlurry

  • Sam Parr and Shaan Puri revisit the fast-food icons behind the McFlurry and Stuffed Crust Pizza inventions.

  • They discuss how seemingly simple menu innovations generated millions and reshaped brand loyalty within fast-food empires.

  • The episode also covers Shaan’s latest stock picks and why unconventional investments can yield massive, unexpected payoffs.

• Elon Musk on DOGE, Optimus, Starlink Smartphones, and the West’s Future

  • Musk outlines progress on Optimus robots, Tesla’s AI5 chips, and Starlink-enabled smartphones through a $17B spectrum deal.

  • He details xAI’s Grok roadmap, Colossus 2 scaling laws, and ambitions for an expansive AI knowledge base.

  • Conversation expands into civilization’s fragility, religion’s decline, and humanity’s pursuit of meaning through space exploration.

FUTURISM

• Thinking Machines Lab wants to make AI models more consistent

  • Thinking Machines Lab is tackling randomness in AI by controlling GPU kernel orchestration to yield reproducible model outputs.

  • Improved consistency could smooth reinforcement learning by reducing noise and stabilizing reward feedback loops.

  • The lab plans to publish research openly through its new ‘Connectionism’ blog to benefit both science and startups.

• Meta whistleblowers testify that the company suppressed VR child safety research

  • Former researchers claim Meta silenced internal studies exposing risks to children using its virtual reality platforms.

  • They allege legal teams blocked documentation of minors’ access and exposure to predators to avoid liability.

  • Witnesses warn that the suppression undermines safety reforms despite broader congressional pressure to protect young VR users.

• Novo Nordisk to slash 9,000 jobs as obesity drug competition intensifies

  • Novo Nordisk plans to cut approximately 11% of its global staff—9,000 roles—as part of restructuring.

  • The layoffs aim to save about $1.25 billion annually by late 2026, reinvesting in core obesity and diabetes treatments.

  • The company faces pressure from rival drugs, lagging trial outcomes, and recently plummeting share prices.

EXTRAS

• Reddit launches tools for publishers to track and share stories

  • Reddit unveiled analytics and sharing tools empowering publishers to see story engagement and promote content on Reddit directly.

  • Features include real-time tracking, embedded widgets, and customized content cards to boost publisher visibility and traffic.

  • The tools aim to attract media companies by helping them tap into Reddit’s large, topic-centric communities effectively.

• Spotify finally launches support for lossless music streaming

  • Spotify is enabling lossless audio streaming for Premium users, offering CD-quality sound via the Spotify Hi-Fi tier.

  • The feature delivers full-resolution tracks and Hi-Fi library access, competing directly with Tidal and Amazon Music Ultra.

  • Initial rollout on iOS, Android, and desktop includes hi-res tracks from major labels and independent artists.

• EU launches “independence moment” in State of the Union speech

  • Commission President von der Leyen declared an ‘independence moment,’ urging self-reliance amid Russian and trade tensions.

  • She pledged €6 billion for a Ukraine-centered ‘drone alliance’ and proposed using frozen Russian assets to support recovery.

  • The speech advocated harsher Russia sanctions, trade defense against destabilization, and bolstering the EU’s global competitiveness.

AND MORE

• S&P 500 and Nasdaq notch record-high closes as Oracle surges on AI optimism.

• Asia stocks gain and bonds fall as traders increasingly expect a Fed rate cut next week.

• EU considers accelerating phase-out of Russian oil and gas under U.S. pressure.

• Only one in four Americans trusts the science behind new vaccine policy shifts.

• 160k+ readers from Google, TikTok, OpenAI, and Deel love Open Source CEO deep dive business content.*

• Flooding in Indonesia’s Bali kills at least nine, displacing hundreds amid heavy rains.

• Chinese goods redirected to Germany as U.S. tariffs distort global trade flows.

• U.S. tariffs and pricing risks for Big Pharma seen as manageable, says Morningstar.

• Senate Republicans block Schumer’s bid to force the release of all remaining Epstein files.