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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🔒 Synology is tightening restrictions on third-party NAS hard drives.
💰 Zuckerberg and Dimon are among top sellers ahead of tariff stock rout.
🚀 How beehiiv raised $50M to date with Tyler Denk.
⚡ Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of breaking Easter ceasefire no extension seen.
⚖️ FTC v. Meta live: the latest from the battle over Instagram and WhatsApp.

TECH

• Synology is tightening restrictions on third-party NAS hard drives

  • Synology is preparing to roll out new restrictions on third-party hard drives in its future network attached storage devices later this year.

  • The changes could make it much harder to use third-party drives in Synology’s devices for typical use cases.

  • The good news is that if you already own a Synology NAS, the company says the change won’t affect you.

• Robots run a half marathon slowly

  • Beijing’s E-Town tech hub hosted what it described as the world’s first humanoid half-marathon on Saturday with 21 competing robots.

  • The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, was built by research institute X-Humanoid and finished the race in two hours and 40 minutes.

  • In order to compete, robots needed to have a humanoid appearance and run on two legs.

• Famed AI researcher launches controversial startup to replace all human workers everywhere

  • Mechanize was launched on Thursday via a post on X by its founder, famed AI researcher Tamay Besiroglu.

  • The startup’s goal, Besiroglu wrote, is ‘the full automation of all work’ and ‘the full automation of the economy.’

  • Besiroglu’s AI research institute, Epoch, analyzes the economic impact of AI and produces benchmarks for AI performance.

BUSINESS

• Zuckerberg and Dimon are among top sellers ahead of tariff stock rout

  • Insiders including Meta Platforms Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg and JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jamie Dimon cashed out shares worth billions of dollars.

  • They cashed out along with Oracle Corp.’s Safra Catz before President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements roiled markets.

  • Zuckerberg sold 1.1 million shares worth $733 million in the first quarter through his Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and its related foundation.

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• More rich Americans are opening Swiss bank accounts fearing U.S. risks

  • Swiss banks say they have seen a surge of interest and business from high-net-worth Americans opening investment accounts recently.

  • Switzerland’s neutral politics, stable economy, strong currency and reliable legal system are all a draw for clients.

  • Opening a Swiss bank account today is highly regulated and more widespread, complete with tax forms and reporting.

• Fed’s Goolsbee warns against curbing central bank independence

  • Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago president Austan Goolsbee warned against efforts to curtail the central bank’s independence,

  • The warning came in days after US President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with Fed chair Jerome Powell.

  • Goolsbee said “the fact is, the inflation rate is higher, growth is slower, the job market is worse”.

CONTENT

• How beehiiv raised $50M to date with Tyler Denk

  • Guest post features Tyler Denk, the CEO of beehiiv, who’s going to detail how they raised their $50M to date across four different rounds.

  • Tyler stressed that they were not actively looking to raise money but took the opportunity because it aligned with their long-term vision.

  • They want to remain independent and focus on building a long-lasting business, not rush toward an acquisition or exit.

• Anti-business billionaires: lessons from Steve Jobs, James Dyson, and Yvon Chouinard

  • David Senra, the creator and host of the popular podcast Founders, joins Sam on this episode.

  • He stressed that extreme disagreeableness is a superpower among legendary founders, they refuse to compromise and instead force the world to adjust to their standards.

  • David discussed how self-confidence always comes before evidence in great entrepreneurs.

• How Zepto became India’s fastest growing startup

  • This episode of Y Combinator introduced Aadit Palicha as the Co-Founder and CEO of Zepto.

  • Zepto is known to be one of the fastest-growing e-commerce and quick commerce companies in India.

  • Aadit shared how Zepto started as a simple WhatsApp group during COVID that solved the pain of unreliable grocery delivery in India.

WORLD

• Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of breaking Easter ceasefire no extension seen

  • Russia and Ukraine blamed each other on Sunday for breaking a one-day Easter ceasefire declared by President Vladimir Putin.

  • Both sides accusing the other of hundreds of attacks and the Kremlin saying there was no order for a ceasefire extension.

  • Zelenskiy says Russian activity picks up this morning while Russia says Ukraine broke ceasefire more than 1,000 time.

• Israel’s military cites ‘Professional Failures’ in killings of Gaza medics

  • The Israeli military has said ‘professional failures’ led to the killing of 15 emergency workers in Gaza last month.

  • An inquiry into the incident by the Israel Defense Forces found a series of failings, including a ‘breach of orders’.

  • The deputy commander of the unit involved has been dismissed ‘for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief’.

• El Salvador proposes sending US-deported Venezuelans to Venezuela

  • El Salvador proposed a deal to send 252 Venezuelans deported from U.S. and imprisoned in his country to Venezuela.

  • Bukele listed in X a number of family members of high-level opposition figures in Venezuela, journalists and activists detained.

  • Bukele said he would ask El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry to contact the Maduro government, which did not immediately respond to the post.

AND MORE…

• FTC v. Meta live: the latest from the battle over Instagram and WhatsApp

  • The long-awaited antitrust trial between Meta and the Federal Trade Commission kicked off on April 14th.

  • DC Court heard about whether then-Facebook illegally monopolized the market through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

  • This is the third US trial seeking to break up Big Tech in recent years, following the Justice Department’s two separate cases against Google.

• Uber in talks to buy Turkish delivery platform Trendyol Go

  • Uber Technologies Inc. is in discussions to acquire Trendyol Go, a food and grocery delivery service from Turkey’s Trendyol Group.

  • Sources familiar with the negotiations report that the terms of the deal are not yet disclosed, and no final agreement has been reached.

  • Trendyol Group is one of Turkey’s largest ecommerce platforms, operating in retail, logistics, and fintech sectors.

• The new Star Wars strategy game launches in 2026

  • Star Wars Zero Company will release sometime in 2026, according to an announcement from Disney and EA.

  • In Star Wars Zero Company, players will step into the shoes of Hawks, a former Republic officer to command an elite squad of cunning operative.

  • Bit Reactor is leading development on Zero Company alongside Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games.