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

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

🚗 NHTSA closes Tesla 'Actually Smart Summon' probe after finding minor crashes.
🧠 Broadcom expands AI chip deals with Google & Anthropic.
⚖️ Federal appeals court rules New Jersey cannot regulate Kalshi markets.
🎖️ Trump uses rescued airman story to reframe unpopular Iran war.
💻 Iran threatens to destroy OpenAI's $30B Stargate data center in Abu Dhabi.

TECHNOLOGY

• NHTSA closes Tesla 'Actually Smart Summon' probe after finding minor crashes (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Tech Buzz, Dallas Express}}

  • Regulators found crashes were rare, low-speed & caused only minor property damage.

  • Out of millions of Summon sessions, under 1% resulted in any incident at all.

  • Investigators cited limited app camera visibility & snow obstruction as common causes of crashes.

• Broadcom expands AI chip deals with Google & Anthropic (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Reuters}}

  • Netflix Playground offers ad-free games featuring Sesame Street and Peppa Pig characters.

  • The standalone app is included with all memberships and available on iPhone and iPad.

  • Netflix competes with Apple Arcade, but bundles streaming and gaming at a lower price.

• OpenAI alumni quietly launch a new $100M venture capital fund (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Tech Buzz}}

  • Zero Shot fund has reached its first close toward a $100M goal.

  • Three founding partners are OpenAI veterans, including its original prompt engineer.

  • The team also includes a former 01A partner & ex-Twitter and Disney executives.

BUSINESS

• Federal appeals court rules New Jersey cannot regulate Kalshi markets (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: AInvest, Decrypt, Yahoo!}}

  • A 2-1 appeals court ruling found Kalshi's prediction markets fall under federal CFTC jurisdiction.

  • The court affirmed a prior injunction blocking New Jersey from enforcing its cease-and-desist order.

  • The dissenting judge argued that Kalshi's sports wagers are inherently bets, regardless of federal registration.

• Oil prices rise as Trump sets Tuesday deadline over Iran threats (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: MSN, NBC}}

  • Trump threatened Iran would be "taken out in one night" if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed.

  • WTI crude rose to $113.46 per barrel, and Brent gained to $110.36 per barrel.

  • Iran's closure of the Strait has sent crude, jet fuel, and gasoline prices soaring since February.

• Trump uses rescued airman story to reframe unpopular Iran war (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Japan Times, Business Standard}}

  • Trump recast the downed airman's Easter rescue as a triumphant military victory for the U.S.

  • The president has struggled to explain his rationale for the ongoing Iran bombing campaign.

  • Despite the positive spin, U.S. voters remain broadly opposed to Trump's approach toward Iran.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Iran threatens to destroy OpenAI's $30B Stargate data center in Abu Dhabi (Tom's Hardware)
  ^{_{More: MSN, TOI, TechCrunch}}

  • Iran's IRGC threatened "complete and utter annihilation" of U.S. and Israeli regional facilities.

  • The regime's video singled out OpenAI's $30B Stargate data center in Abu Dhabi.

  • Threats follow Iran's reportedly striking Amazon AWS data centers with damaging rocket attacks.

• Samsung shares rise after profit seen jumping eightfold on AI chip boom (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Straits Times, Reuters}}

  • Samsung forecast a record Q1 operating profit of $37.8B, up 8x year over year.

  • Revenue & profit beat analyst estimates, driven by surging demand for AI memory chips.

  • Results signal Samsung is recovering ground in high-bandwidth memory against rival SK Hynix.

• Brazil blacklists BYD over Chinese workers' slavery-like conditions in 2024 (CNA)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, CNBC}}

  • Brazil added BYD to its labor ministry blacklist over a 2024 human trafficking scandal.

  • The listing bars BYD from certain Brazilian bank loans but won't halt plant operations.

  • 163 Chinese workers were allegedly subjected to abusive contracts by BYD's hiring contractor.

FUTURISM

• Google quietly launches an offline AI dictation app for iOS (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Yahoo!, Tech Buzz}}

  • Google AI Edge Eloquent is a free iOS app using Gemma-based speech recognition models.

  • The app filters filler words, polishes text & offers formatting options like 'Formal' and 'Short.'

  • It supports local-only processing and can import keywords and jargon from Gmail.

• Netflix launches a free kids gaming app for children eight & under (MacRumors)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, The Verge, LA Times}}

  • Netflix Playground offers ad-free games featuring Sesame Street and Peppa Pig characters.

  • The standalone app is included with all memberships and available on iPhone and iPad.

  • Netflix competes with Apple Arcade, but bundles streaming and gaming at a lower price.

• Spain's Xoople raises $130M Series B to map Earth for AI (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: CryptoRank, Tech Buzz}}

  • Xoople closed a $130M Series B led by Nazca Capital to build a satellite data constellation.

  • The startup develops precise ground-truth satellite data optimized for deep learning AI models.

  • Xoople also announced a deal with L3Harris to build sensors for its planned spacecraft.

CONTENT

• Peter Yang on how personal AI agents are replacing everyday apps (a16z)

  • Yang argues that personal AI agents are displacing the everyday apps users open daily.

  • Future companies will remain radically small as software development costs drop to near zero.

  • Human ambition will keep creating jobs even as AI agents automate more work.

• Three AI agents that have already replaced real human jobs (This Week in Startups)

  • Anthropic cut Claude subscriptions for OpenClaw & third-party agentic tools, raising costs.

  • Experts demo ClawChief, Henry & Sidecast as alternatives in the post-subsidy AI era.

  • The panel debates whether Anthropic's move signals the end of subsidized access to AI.

• LinkedIn's Aneesh Raman on why everyone's wrong about AI & jobs (The Prof G Pod)

  • Raman argues that the conventional narrative about AI replacing jobs is widely misunderstood.

  • They discuss which jobs are most at risk of AI disruption & which skills will matter most.

  • Raman's new book guides workers on thriving & adapting in the AI age.

• LLM Feature Integration with Real APIs*

  Building LLM-powered features means handling real APIs, real users, and real edge cases. You need engineers who can do the glue work that makes AI actually usable—Python, JavaScript, and everything in between.

  • Full-stack LLM integration

  • Production-ready implementation

  • 40–60% cost savings

EXTRAS

• Video shows an interviewer exposing a North Korean fake IT worker (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • North Koreans have secretly taken remote jobs at hundreds of Western companies using fake identities.

  • Hiring North Koreans violates U.S. and European sanctions tied to the regime's nuclear program.

  • A viral video shows an interviewer exposing a fake worker by asking for insults against Kim Jong Un.

• Samsung discontinues its Messages app, directs users to Google Messages (AP)
  ^{_{More: MSN, ABC}}

  • Samsung Messages will be discontinued in July, with users urged to switch to Google Messages.

  • Google Messages offers Gemini AI features, reply suggestions, & higher-quality RCS photo sharing.

  • Users on Android 11 or older won't be affected by the Samsung Messages shutdown.

• Convicted spyware maker Bryan Fleming gets time served, no jail (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!}}

  • Fleming was sentenced to time served & a $5,000 fine in San Diego federal court.

  • He admitted to making & selling pcTattletale spyware for unlawful surveillance purposes.

  • The conviction marks the first successful DOJ prosecution of spyware in over a decade.

AND MORE

• How to use ChatGPT's new app integrations with DoorDash, Spotify & Uber.

• Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins wants data centers in space.

• Explore all the tools and more here to outperform the competition.*

• Apple takes its App Store antitrust fight back to the Supreme Court.

• Can AI responses be influenced? The SEO industry is trying.

• Gas prices aren't the only factor driving growth in used EV sales.

• NASA’s Artemis II mission will fly around the far side of the Moon.

• AI design platform Picsart launches a new creator monetization program.