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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

📅 Gmail gains an ‘Add To Calendar’ button powered by Gemini.
📉 JPMorgan’s Lebovitz readies to buy the dip despite 20% recession bet.
🚀 3 proven startup trends that will make $124k/month with Cody Schneider.
🇨🇦 Ontario Premier says he will not back down until Trump's tariffs are gone.
🤖 China's Manus AI challenges OpenAI's $200 agent if you can get an invite.

TECH

• Gmail gains an ‘Add to calendar’ button powered by Gemini

  • A nifty new Gmail capability powered by Google’s Gemini AI has arrived for Google Workspace customers.

  • Gemini will automatically detect calendar-related content in an email and present an ‘Add to calendar’ button. 

  • ‘Add to calendar’ is only the latest Gemini-powered tool to reach Gmail inboxes.

• Fidelity backs chip startup Celestial AI at $2.5B value

  • Celestial AI has raised $250 million in a funding round led by Fidelity Management & Research.

  • This investment brings the company's total funding to $515 million and values Celestial AI at over $2.5 billion.

  • The company focuses on developing a ‘photonic fabric’ to improve the efficiency and speed of connections between AI chips.

• Why today’s AI is dangerous*

  • AI chatbots are "good at saying what an answer should sound like, which is different from what an answer should be." (Robert Brooks, Roboticist.)

  • At New Sapience, they are moving beyond illusion to create an AI that truly understands, reasons, and interacts intelligently.

  • Ready to invest? Just click here to begin.

• TikTok now lets parents see their teen’s follower/following list

  • TikTok announced on Tuesday that it’s rolling out new features to protect teens on its app.

  • The social network is giving parents the ability to block their teen from using TikTok during certain hours.

  • With the new ‘Time Away’ feature, parents can block their teens from accessing TikTok during times that they control.

BUSINESS

• JPMorgan’s Lebovitz readies to buy the dip despite 20% recession bet

  • David Lebovitz maintains a positive outlook on the market despite increasing the firm's recession probability forecast from 15% to 20%.

  • While acknowledging a slight increase in the chances of a recession, Lebovitz continues to believe in long-term growth in financial services.

  • Lebovitz is preparing to ‘buy the dip’ if the market experiences a significant downturn, particularly if the S&P 500 drops below 5,500.

• Southwest will begin charging for checked bags, ending a popular policy

  • Southwest Airlines has announced a significant change to its longstanding baggage policy.

  • Starting May 28, 2025, the airline will begin charging fees for checked bags on flights booked after this date.

  • This marks a departure from its previous policy of offering two free checked bags per passenger.

• Kohl’s shares plunge 20% as retailer gives rough outlook for the year ahead

  • Kohl’s earnings and revenue topped estimates for the fourth quarter, but it issued disappointing guidance for 2025.

  • Revenue came in at $5.18 billion for the fourth quarter and $15.39 billion for the full year.

  • Timm said Tuesday that while store sales were strong, digital sales underperformed, especially in the legacy home category.

CONTENT

• 3 proven startup trends that will make $124k/month with Cody Schneider

  • In this conversation with Cody Schneider, the duo explores three groundbreaking business trends and online ventures. 

  • They emphasize that we are living in the Golden Age of Online Business Opportunities, where AI tools make it easier than ever.

  • Their conversation highlights how AI is leveling the playing field, making it accessible for anyone to start a business.

• The art of selling enterprise software with ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott

  • In this masterclass, ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott shares invaluable insights into the art of enterprise sales.

  • McDermott's journey has taken him to remarkable heights, including becoming CEO of global software giant SAP and leading ServiceNow.

  • Under his leadership, ServiceNow’s market cap has soared to nearly $200B, making it one of the largest enterprise software companies.

• Trump 2.0, DOGE, and America's global decline with Sam Harris and Jonah Goldberg

  • Sam Harris speaks with Jonah Goldberg about the damage Trump is doing domestically and abroad. 

  • They discuss issues regarding Trump’s tariffs, Curtis Yarvin and the Tech Right, and threats against Republicans who criticize Trump.

  • Jonah Goldberg is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Dispatch. A Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

WORLD

• Ontario premier says he will not back down till Trump's tariffs are gone

  • The premier of Ontario said he would not back down until U.S. President Donald Trump scrapped his tariffs on Canadian imports.

  • Doug Ford, reiterating a threat he made on Monday, also said he would not hesitate to cut the supplies if need be.

  • Ontario exports power to 1.5 million homes in New York state, Minnesota, and Michigan.

• Dangote buys more foreign oil as Nigerian mega-refinery ramps up

  • Aliko Dangote's ambitious $20 billion Dangote Refinery, located near Lagos, Nigeria, is gradually increasing its operations.

  • Despite challenges in sourcing local crude oil, the refinery has begun importing U.S. crude to meet its processing needs.

  • In February, the refinery received its first delivery of 1 million barrels of Agbami crude oil via the ‘Single Point Mooring’ system.

• Greenlanders vote in consequential polls conflicted over Trump

  • Greenlanders recently participated in a pivotal parliamentary election that has attracted global attention due to President Trump’s interest.

  • Trump's proposal has intensified discussions about Greenland's sovereignty and its future relations with both Denmark and the United States.

  • The election underscored Greenland's complex position between pursuing independence and maintaining beneficial ties with Denmark.

AND MORE…

• China's Manus AI challenges OpenAI's $200 agent if you can get an invite

  • The agent-focused platform was launched earlier this month by startup Monica AI, which is reportedly headquartered in Beijing.

  • Manus bills itself as a ‘general AI agent’ able to book trips, analyze stocks, create educational content, and more.

  • The platform is designed to do tasks without the user having to configure APIs, or set up complex environments.

• Sony is experimenting with AI-powered PlayStation characters

  • Sony is working on a prototype AI-powered version of at least one of its PlayStation game characters.

  • An anonymous tipster has shared an internal video from Sony’s PlayStation group that demonstrates an AI-powered version of Aloy.

  • The technology demo uses OpenAI’s whisper for speech-to-text, and both GPT-4 and Llama 3 for conversations and decision making.

• Google Ads expands PMax negative keyword limits

  • Google Ads is significantly increasing the negative keyword limit for Performance Max campaigns, raising the cap from 100 to 10,000.

  • Advertisers had expressed frustration that the previous 100-keyword limit was too restrictive, limiting control over where their ads appeared.

  • The update provides greater flexibility while maintaining campaign effectiveness.