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

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

🤖 Salesforce unveiled 30 new AI features for Slack on Tuesday.
🪓 Oracle has begun laying off thousands of employees across the company.
💰 OpenAI closed a record $122B funding round at $852B valuation.
⚖️ A judge has ordered Trump's $400M White House ballroom to halt.
📊 U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly despite sharp drops in hiring.

TECHNOLOGY

• Salesforce unveiled 30 new AI features for Slack on Tuesday (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Techmeme, Yahoo!, Tech Buzz}}

  • Salesforce revealed 30 new Slack AI features, headlined by a major Slackbot upgrade.

  • Reusable 'AI-skills' let users define & automate recurring tasks across different workplace scenarios.

  • Slackbot now functions as an MCP client, connecting to Agentforce & other enterprise tools.

• Oracle has begun laying off thousands of employees across the company (CNA)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, MSN, Straits Times}}

  • Oracle is laying off thousands of employees globally, including 491 in Washington state, effective June 1.

  • The layoffs are part of a restructuring plan expected to cost up to $2.1B.

  • Cuts come as Oracle ramps up AI infrastructure spending to better compete with cloud rivals.

• Anthropic had two accidental data leaks in just one week (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Business Insider, The Information}}

  • Anthropic accidentally exposed nearly 2k source files & 512k+ lines of Claude Code source code.

  • A separate incident last week made ~3k internal files public, including an unannounced model draft.

  • Anthropic called both incidents human error, not security breaches, but developers analyzed leaks immediately.

BUSINESS

• OpenAI closed a record $122B funding round at $852B valuation (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, The Guardian, Forbes}}

  • OpenAI closed a record-breaking $122B funding round, up from its initially announced $110B figure.

  • The company is now valued at $852B, marking a major milestone ahead of its anticipated IPO.

  • OpenAI raised $3B from individual investors & extended participation through bank channels for the first time.

• A judge has ordered Trump's $400M White House ballroom to halt (NY Times)
  ^{_{More: ABC, AP}}

  • A federal judge blocked construction of Trump's $400M White House ballroom, pending congressional approval.

  • Judge Leon ruled no statute grants the president authority to demolish & rebuild White House structures.

  • Trump immediately appealed the ruling, arguing that past White House construction never required congressional sign-off.

• U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly despite sharp drops in hiring (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, Firstpost}}

  • U.S. consumer confidence edged up to 91.8 in March, beating economist forecasts of 88.0.

  • Job openings fell by 358k in February, with hiring dropping to a six-year low.

  • Layoffs rose to 1.721M as Trump's trade & immigration policies dampened labor market demand.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Large Japanese firms grew more optimistic in Q1, but risks remain (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Investing.com}}

  • Business optimism among large Japanese manufacturers rose to 17 in Q1 2026, up from 15.

  • Large non-manufacturers held sentiment at 36, maintaining a multi-decade high per LSEG data.

  • Analysts warned that the results may not yet fully reflect the economic impact of the Iran war.

• Prince Harry's privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers has now concluded (BBC)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, Reuters}}

  • Harry & six co-claimants sued Associated Newspapers over alleged unlawful private information gathering.

  • Claimants included Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, & Sadie Frost, among other high-profile public figures.

  • The case centered on proving specific stories resulted from deliberate, knowing use of illegal newsgathering methods.

• The UAE has barred Iranian nationals from entering or transiting the country (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, The Business Standard}}

  • Emirates confirmed Iranian nationals are banned from entering or transiting the UAE, effective immediately.

  • Flydubai noted Iranian nationals holding a UAE 'Golden Visa' are exempt from the travel ban.

  • The ban follows Dubai's closure of the Iranian Hospital & Club amid intensifying U.S.-Iran war.

FUTURISM

• Robotaxi companies won't disclose how often their vehicles need remote assistance (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Tech Buzz, WIRED}}

  • Seven AV companies refused to reveal how often their vehicles rely on remote staff input.

  • Sen. Markey's investigation exposed varied safety practices & no federal standards governing remote operations.

  • Markey is urging NHTSA to investigate & plans legislation imposing strict guardrails on AV remote operators.

• Alexa+ now lets users order food via Uber Eats & Grubhub (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Tom's Guide, TechCrunch, Engadget}}

  • Amazon's Alexa+ now supports conversational food ordering through Uber Eats & Grubhub integrations.

  • Users can browse menus, customize orders, & make changes all within a single conversation.

  • The feature is rolling out on Echo Show 8 & larger devices for Alexa+ customers.

• A system failure halted multiple Baidu robotaxis in Wuhan on Tuesday (CNA)
  ^{_{More: Straits Times, Reuters}}

  • A 'system failure' caused 100+ Apollo Go robotaxis to stop mid-road in Wuhan at the same time.

  • Passengers exited safely, though some were stranded inside vehicles for nearly two hours.

  • The incident reignited debates on Chinese social media about the readiness of robotaxis and the reliability of autonomous vehicles.

• Cut through the hype. Roko’s Basilisk distills the day’s AI breakthroughs, market moves, and workable workflows into a five-minute brief.

  • Get one sharp deep dive, fast Quick Hits, and a witty pro tip, plus links that actually matter.

  • Built for builders, operators, and curious leaders who need context fast. Join 100k+ readers who start decisions here each morning.

CONTENT

• Variance co-founder explains why the startup stayed in stealth for three years (Y Combinator)

  • Variance emerged from three years of stealth, announcing a $21M Series A funding round.

  • The startup builds AI agents for fraud detection, content review, & identity verification for Fortune 500 firms.

  • Clients like GoFundMe rely on Variance to detect scams & stop state-sponsored fraud rings.

• Physical Intelligence's Sergey Levine discusses the future of general-purpose robotics (Invest Like The Best)

  • Levine is building foundation models enabling robots to understand & interact with the physical world broadly.

  • The discussion covers parallels between large language models & robotic learning for complex motor control.

  • Key topics include data collection challenges, 'Robot Olympics' benchmarks, & realistic timelines for household robots.

• Liz Hoffman breaks down Trump's new tech council & its AI implications (The Prof G Pod)

  • Trump's new technology council is seen as a signal of the administration's evolving AI policy direction.

  • SpaceX's anticipated IPO & the future of Elon Musk's empire are also discussed in depth.

  • The episode also covers the Iran War's growing economic impact & why tracking costs matters.

EXTRAS

• Apple turns 50, but faces growing pressure in the AI era (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, AOL, The Verge}}

  • Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak, reshaping the global computer & smartphone market.

  • The company is now the second-worst 'Magnificent Seven' performer since ChatGPT launched in November 2022.

  • Analysts say delayed AI features, including a revamped Siri, suggest Apple was underprepared for the shift.

• Nike shares dropped 9% after issuing a weak quarterly sales outlook (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, MSN, Investing.com}}

  • Nike beat Q3 earnings estimates but issued a weaker-than-expected outlook for the current quarter.

  • Greater China revenue fell short while North America posted another quarter of solid sales growth.

  • CEO Elliott Hill's turnaround effort faces renewed scrutiny amid an uncertain recovery timeline.

• Rec Room, once valued at $3.5B, is shutting down June 1 (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, MSN, CryptoRank}}

  • Rec Room announced it will shut down on June 1st after years of struggles with profitability.

  • The platform attracted 150M+ players but couldn't generate enough revenue to cover rising costs.

  • Founded in 2016, Rec Room reached a $3.5B valuation in 2021 before facing market headwinds.

AND MORE

• A judge ruled that Elon Musk must face a class action by Twitter stakeholders.

• The AirPods Max 2 are a solid but unambitious follow-up.

• Hire AI engineers who build, deploy, and maintain models that perform reliably in production.*

• Art schools are pushing AI into curricula despite widespread student & faculty resistance.

• AT&T signs a $2B deal to upgrade the emergency cellular network.

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is beautiful but a little too busy.

• Meta was finally held accountable for harming teens. Now what?