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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🚀 Artemis II astronauts needed IT support to fix Microsoft Outlook.
🎙️ OpenAI acquires tech talk show TBPN in surprise media deal.
📦 Amazon adds 3.5% fuel surcharge for sellers amid Iran war energy spike.
🏦 Blue Owl caps private credit fund redemptions at 5% amid AI fears.
💥 Iran strikes Mideast targets as U.S. & Israel hit Tehran again.

TECHNOLOGY

• Artemis II astronauts needed IT support to fix Microsoft Outlook (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: NBC, NY Times, The Guardian}}

  • Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman called Mission Control for tech support after Outlook failed mid-mission.

  • Ground teams remotely fixed the Outlook issue & resolved a separate Optimus software problem on his device.

  • Separately, the crew's toilet fan jammed shortly after launch, requiring ground teams to send repair instructions.

• OpenAI acquires tech talk show TBPN in surprise media deal (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, NY Times, The Guardian}}

  • OpenAI acquired TBPN, a Silicon Valley tech talk show launched in late 2024, in an undisclosed deal.

  • The move marks OpenAI's unexpected entry into media, with TBPN promised full editorial independence.

  • TBPN founders John Coogan & Jordi Hays will join OpenAI as part of the acquisition.

• Google Vids lets users direct AI avatars through text prompts (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, CryptoRank, Economic Times}}

  • Google added prompt-based avatar directing to Vids, letting users place characters in scenes with props & products.

  • The update also brings Veo 3.1 support, offering 10 free video generations per month for all users.

  • Users can now export finished Vids projects directly to YouTube, with videos set to private by default.

BUSINESS

• Amazon adds 3.5% fuel surcharge for sellers amid Iran war energy spike (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Amazon is imposing a 3.5% fuel surcharge on sellers using its Fulfillment by Amazon distribution service.

  • The policy, effective April 17, follows spiking U.S. gas prices driven by the ongoing war in Iran.

  • Amazon says the surcharge is temporary & lower than fees applied by other major carriers.

• Blue Owl caps private credit fund redemptions at 5% amid AI fears (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Reuters, Business Insider}}

  • Blue Owl's $36B OCIC fund saw redemption requests of 21.9%, while tech-focused OTIC hit 40.7% in Q1.

  • The firm capped both funds at 5% redemptions, citing heightened investor concerns over AI disruption to software companies.

  • Private credit broadly faces pressure as investors worry about overexposure to software firms vulnerable to AI disintermediation.

• Defense Secretary Hegseth fires U.S. Army chief of staff Randy George (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: NBC, CBS, CNN}}

  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Randy George, who had over a year remaining in his term.

  • Two other senior Army officials, General David Hodne & Major General William Green, were also dismissed.

  • No official reason was given for the firings, which occur amid a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Iran strikes Mideast targets as U.S. & Israel hit Tehran again (AP)
  ^{_{More: Washington Post, WBOC, Yahoo!}}

  • Iran struck Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery & triggered air defense alerts across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, & the UAE.

  • U.S. & Israeli airstrikes hit targets near Tehran & Isfahan as the conflict entered its fifth week.

  • Brent crude hit $109 per barrel Friday, up over 50% since the war began on Feb. 28.

• Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing elected president by parliament (NY Times)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg}}

  • Min Aung Hlaing won a parliamentary vote Friday, formalizing his political grip five years after his 2021 coup.

  • The election was widely criticized as a staged move to entrench military rule under a civilian guise.

  • Civil war continues in Myanmar, with resistance groups uniting against what they describe as an entrenched dictatorship.

• Cuba to release 2,010 prisoners amid intense U.S. pressure campaign (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: AP, Reuters, NPR}}

  • Cuba announced pardons for 2,010 prisoners, framing the move as a humanitarian gesture tied to Holy Week.

  • The release includes foreigners & Cubans among women, elderly, & young people, with no timeline yet given.

  • The announcement comes as the Trump administration tightens pressure on Cuba through a suffocating oil blockade.

FUTURISM

• Tesla's cheaper models fail to reverse its declining sales trend (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, PYMNTS, Morningstar}}

  • Tesla delivered 358,023 EVs in Q1 2026, missing analyst expectations of around 368,000 vehicles.

  • Q1 figures show only 6% growth over Q1 2025, Tesla's worst quarterly performance in years.

  • Poor results mean Tesla risks a third consecutive year of overall sales decline amid falling profits.

• Microsoft releases three new AI models for text, voice, & images (Firstpost)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, TechCrunch, MEXC}}

  • Microsoft AI unveiled MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, & MAI-Image-2, covering speech, audio, & image generation capabilities.

  • MAI-Transcribe-1 supports 25 languages & runs 2.5 times faster than Microsoft's existing Azure Fast transcription service.

  • Microsoft positions the three models as cheaper alternatives to rival offerings from Google & OpenAI.

• ElevenLabs launches ElevenMusic, a free AI music-generation iOS app (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Tech Buzz}}

  • ElevenLabs quietly released ElevenMusic on iOS, letting users generate up to seven AI songs daily.

  • The app competes with Suno & Udio, offering prompts, remixes, live stations, & curated mood mixes.

  • ElevenMusic signals ElevenLabs' push beyond voice AI into broader AI-powered music & audio creation.

• Explore the essential startup reading database*

  • Learning from the best is how you become the best. We've curated a list of top-notch articles, blogs, and readings that are pivotal for startup founders.

  • And here's the kicker: we've organized it all in a user-friendly Notion database for easy access and tracking. Double win!

  • As aspiring leaders and innovators, this list serves as a bridge to absorbing the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

CONTENT

• Simon Willison says AI coding agents have passed the inflection point (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Willison marks November 2025 as when AI coding agents shifted from 'mostly works' to genuinely reliable tools.

  • He warns mid-career engineers face the greatest near-term risk as AI takes over more coding responsibilities.

  • Willison predicts 'dark factories' where AI writes, reviews, & QA-tests code entirely without human involvement.

• Ted Dintersmith says U.S. schools are optimized for the wrong century (The Prof G Pod)

  • Education advocate Ted Dintersmith argues American schools are failing kids by over-prioritizing test scores over practical skills.

  • Dintersmith highlights a growing gender gap in K-12 & the widening divide between public & private schools.

  • He calls embracing AI in education one of the most critical investments for the next generation.

• World's Alex Blania on proving human identity in the AI era (a16z)

  • Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania is building a global proof-of-human network using iris biometric verification.

  • World ID's privacy architecture aims to verify human uniqueness at scale without compromising personal user data.

  • Blania argues platforms like social networks, dating apps, & video tools will soon require proof-of-human verification.

EXTRAS

• ICE confirms using Paragon spyware to investigate drug trafficking cases (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Tech Buzz}}

  • ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons confirmed his agency purchased & deployed Paragon Solutions spyware for criminal investigations.

  • The spyware was used by Homeland Security Investigations to counter encrypted communications exploited by foreign terrorist organizations.

  • Lyons assured lawmakers the tool's use complies with constitutional requirements & poses no significant counterintelligence risks.

• Tiger Woods called Trump after DUI crash, bodycam video reveals (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: USA Today, NBC, NY Times}}

  • Bodycam footage shows Woods telling a police officer he called President Trump right after his Florida rollover crash.

  • Woods showed signs of impairment at the scene, including dilated pupils, bloodshot eyes, & two hydrocodone pills.

  • Following the DUI arrest, Woods confirmed he is seeking treatment in the wake of the crash.

• ICC judges say prosecutor Karim Khan could potentially resume his duties (AP)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Yahoo!, The Hill}}

  • A three-judge ICC panel rejected a U.N. sexual misconduct inquiry, clearing a path for Khan's potential return.

  • The final decision on Khan's fate now rests with the ICC's Assembly of States Parties oversight body.

  • Khan, who stepped down in May 2025, firmly denies all allegations of inappropriate or nonconsensual sexual conduct.

AND MORE

• Why right-wing political wives keep launching their own podcasts.

• Flipboard’s new ‘social websites’ help publishers and creators tap into the open social web.

• Roko’s Basilisk skips the buzz words and cuts straight to what moves markets, products, and careers.*

• Elon Musk is about to be a very busy boy!

• United’s mobile app now shows TSA wait times at select airports.

• A jury says Meta and Google hurt a kid. What now?

• Telehealth giant Hims & Hers says its customer support system was hacked.