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

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

📸 NASA shares stunning Moon mission photos taken on iPhone 17 Pro Max.
🤖 Microsoft's Copilot terms of use label it 'for entertainment only'.
🎲 Polymarket removes bets on rescue of downed Air Force officer.
🪙 Bitcoin rises modestly despite Trump's Iran war threats rattling markets.
⚠️ Trump threatens Iran with 'hell' unless Hormuz Strait reopens by Tuesday.

TECHNOLOGY

• NASA shares stunning Moon mission photos taken on iPhone 17 Pro Max (NY Post)
  ^{_{More: MacRumors, TechRadar}}

  • NASA released three photos shot on an iPhone 17 Pro Max during the Artemis II mission.

  • Each Orion crew member was equipped with an iPhone 17 Pro Max onboard.

  • The photos show Commander Reid Wiseman & Mission Specialist Christina Koch viewing Earth through Orion's window.

• AI data center boom stress-tests insurers as private capital floods in (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Financial Times, Business Standard}}

  • Hyperscalers are tapping private credit & debt markets to finance AI data center buildouts.

  • The massive capital flows into the sector create both risks & rewards for insurers.

  • Insurance brokers are forming specialized teams & crafting bespoke policies to meet rising demand.

• Microsoft's Copilot terms of use label it 'for entertainment only' (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Tom's Hardware, PCMag}}

  • Microsoft's Copilot terms warn users not to rely on it for important advice.

  • The terms, last updated October 24, 2025, state that users proceed at their own risk.

  • Microsoft says the 'legacy language' no longer reflects Copilot's use & will be updated.

BUSINESS

• Polymarket removes bets on rescue of downed Air Force officer (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, NBC, Boston Globe}}

  • Rep. Seth Moulton called Polymarket a 'dystopian death market' over rescue bets.

  • Polymarket pulled the market down, citing a failure of its integrity standards.

  • The platform previously saw $100M in trading on U.S.-Israel-Iran bombing contracts.

• Bitcoin rises modestly despite Trump's Iran war threats rattling markets (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Business Times, Straits Times, MSN}}

  • Bitcoin climbed as much as 2.8% in early Asia trading on April 6, hitting ~$69.2k.

  • Trump threatened to bomb Iranian power plants by April 7 if the Strait stays closed.

  • Oil crept up to $110 a barrel on fears that the conflict has no near-term end.

• Lucid misses Q1 delivery targets due to seat supplier quality issue (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, MSN, Tech Buzz}}

  • A 29-day Lucid Gravity sales halt due to seat quality issues disrupted Q1 deliveries significantly.

  • Lucid delivered 3,093 vehicles vs. analyst expectations of 5,237 for the quarter.

  • Lucid recalled 4,476 Gravity SUVs due to seatbelt anchor welds failing safety standards.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Trump threatens Iran with 'hell' unless Hormuz Strait reopens by Tuesday (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, AP, PBS}}

  • Trump threatened to strike Iran's power plants & bridges if the Strait stays closed.

  • The U.S. & Israel have conducted strikes on Iran for over five weeks, targeting nuclear & missile assets.

  • Trump also told Fox News a deal with Iran could be reached by Monday.

• One Chinese factory found stability despite Trump's tariffs & trade turmoil (Business Times)
  ^{_{More: Japan Times, Reuters, Straits Times}}

  • Agilian Technology saw U.S. orders, over half its revenue, frozen for months in 2025.

  • Beijing's export controls on key minerals prompted tariff reductions, helping Chinese manufacturers recover.

  • China's official PMI grew at its fastest pace in a year by March 2026.

• Taiwan opposition leader visits China amid Beijing's renewed reunification push (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: NBC, AOL}}

  • KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun travels to China April 7–12, possibly meeting President Xi Jinping.

  • Taiwan's opposition-dominated parliament has stalled a government plan for $40B in extra defense spending.

  • The DPP accused the KMT of cooperating with Beijing to weaken Taiwan's defense capabilities.

FUTURISM

• Japan deploys AI robots to fill jobs nobody else will take (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Tech Buzz}}

  • Japan's shrinking workforce & demographic pressures are the primary drivers of robotics adoption.

  • The government aims to capture 30% of the global physical AI market by 2040.

  • Japanese manufacturers already dominate industrial robotics, holding ~70% of the global market in 2022.

• Britain courts Anthropic expansion after U.S. defense department blacklisting clash (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Financial Times, Investing.com}}

  • The U.K. is pitching Anthropic on a London office expansion & dual stock listing.

  • Anthropic was blacklisted by the U.S. after refusing to let the military use Claude for weapons.

  • The proposals will be presented to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei during his late May U.K. visit.

• SpaceX eyes orbital data centers ahead of $1.75T IPO valuation (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, MEXC}}

  • SpaceX filed confidential IPO paperwork to raise $75B at a $1.75T valuation.

  • Musk sees orbital data centers as a key part of SpaceX's future business.

  • Executives see space-based data centers as easier than overcoming Earth's social & regulatory opposition.

CONTENT

• Anthropic's growth head shares how Claude became AI's fastest-growing product (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Anthropic scaled from $1B to $19B+ in ARR in just 14 months of growth.

  • Anthropic automates growth experiments internally using a Claude-powered tool called 'CASH.'

  • The company indexes 70/30 toward big bets, the opposite of most growth teams' approach.

• Hims & Hers CEO on reaching $4.3B market cap on $2.3B revenue (20VC)

  • Hims & Hers hit $2.3B in revenue, but its stock is down 66% over the past 6 months.

  • The company acquired its largest international competitor, Eucalyptus, for $1.5B to expand globally.

  • Hims helped cut GLP-1 drug prices by 80% over 18 months through competitive pressure.

• Partiful's CEO on surviving the pandemic & pushing boundaries for growth (The Prof G Pod)

  • Partiful CEO Shreya Murthy discusses how the company survived & grew through the pandemic.

  • The episode explains why Partiful became a cultural phenomenon compared to other messaging options.

  • Murthy also outlines the path to monetization for the party app.

EXTRAS

• Founders Fund backs $2B NZ startup making solar-powered cow collars (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Tech Buzz, Yahoo!}}

  • Halter raised $220M in a Founders Fund-led Series E at a $2B valuation.

  • The startup uses solar collars, virtual fences, & an app to manage cattle remotely.

  • Collars also track animal health and fertility cycles & flag sick cattle using behavioral data.

• Amazon cuts M5 MacBook Air prices by up to $200 off (MacRumors)
  ^{_{More: Mashable}}

  • The 13-inch M5 MacBook Air 512GB is down $149 to $949.99 at Amazon.

  • The 15-inch M5 MacBook Air starts at $1,149.99, down $150 from its regular price.

  • Both 13-inch & 15-inch configurations are at record-low prices, exclusively at Amazon.

• 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 essential 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.

AND MORE

• Suno makes it easy to flood streaming with AI music rip-offs.

• Amazon discounts 'Apple: The First 50 Years' book by 31%.

• Friend-finding apps are gaining traction as people seek new social connections.

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

• The story of how Amazon Echo learned to talk & listen.

• Apple's HomePod Mini celebrates 2,000 days since its launch.

• Is the Slate Truck too minimal for its own good?

• Apple CarPlay adds three popular iPhone apps to its roster.