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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🚨 CISA admits it improvised incident response playbook mid-crisis after leak.
📸 Meta scraps Instagram AI photo remix feature after swift user backlash.
⚖️ Apple sues OpenAI for trade secret theft over consumer hardware push.
💰 SK Hynix raises $26.5B in largest-ever U.S. IPO by foreign company.
📱 EU orders Meta to fix addictive Facebook & Instagram features or pay.

TECHNOLOGY

• CISA admits it improvised incident response playbook mid-crisis after credential leak (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: TNW, Yahoo!}}

  • CISA lacked a prepared response plan when a contractor exposed sensitive U.S. government credentials in May.

  • The agency's postmortem admitted staff had to build a playbook during the incident's early stages.

  • A contractor's employee had uploaded reams of passwords to a publicly accessible GitHub repository.

• Meta scraps Instagram AI photo remix feature after swift user backlash (AOL)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Meta removed a feature letting users modify public Instagram photos with AI, admitting it 'missed the mark.'

  • The Muse Image tool allowed generating images by @-mentioning public accounts without alerting affected users.

  • Backlash was immediate, and Meta reversed course within days via a Friday blog post announcement.

• OpenAI targets families & older adults as ChatGPT's household reach grows (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Tech Buzz, Digital Trendings}}

  • OpenAI is hiring a product manager to build experiences for families, caregivers, and older adults.

  • Users aged 35 and older rose to 31% of ChatGPT's global audience, while younger users declined.

  • Nearly one in four U.S. smartphone users who are parents used ChatGPT last quarter, up from 16%.

BUSINESS

• Apple sues OpenAI for trade secret theft over consumer hardware push (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: BBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo!}}

  • Apple filed suit in Northern California federal court, alleging OpenAI stole intellectual property for hardware development.

  • The filing claims theft occurred 'at every level,' from technical staff to the chief hardware officer.

  • Relations chilled after OpenAI bought Jony Ive's startup IO Products for $6.4B last year.

• SK Hynix raises $26.5B in largest-ever U.S. IPO by foreign company (Financial Times)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • The South Korean memory chip giant sold 177.9M American depositary shares at $149 each.

  • Demand reportedly exceeded available shares seven times over, and the stock opened 14% above its IPO price.

  • SK Hynix supplies high-bandwidth memory for AI GPUs, with NVIDIA relying on it as a primary supplier.

• Disney+ weighs free streaming tier to compete with YouTube & Tubi (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Business Insider, TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Disney's product chief Adam Smith discussed a possible free tier during a Thursday town hall, per Business Insider.

  • Which shows or movies would be included, and any launch timing, remains unknown.

  • Free services captured 18.7% of U.S. television watch time in April 2026, up from 12.7% in 2024.

MARKETS

WORLD

• EU orders Meta to fix addictive Facebook & Instagram features or pay (BBC)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, TechCrunch}}

  • The Commission found Meta breached the Digital Services Act through infinite scroll, autoplay, and personalized recommendation algorithms.

  • Regulators say these features shift users' brains into 'autopilot mode,' fueling compulsive use among minors and vulnerable adults.

  • Meta's existing time management tools were deemed easily dismissed and ineffective at meaningfully reducing usage.

• U.S. & Iran claim control of Strait of Hormuz after weekend attacks (AP)
  ^{_{More: Washington Post, Economic Times}}

  • Iran struck a container ship Sunday off Oman's coast, sparking attacks across the wider Middle East.

  • The strait once carried a fifth of the world's traded crude oil and natural gas.

  • Both nations are midway through a 60-day interim deal meant to permanently end the war.

• EU logs 10k excess deaths during record late-June heatwave, data show (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Al Jazeera, Business Standard, TOI}}

  • More than 9k of the deaths occurred among people aged 65 and above, EuroMOMO data showed.

  • Scientists said the heatwave would have been 'virtually impossible' without human-caused climate change.

  • Excess mortality peaked during June 22 to 28, with no other major factors like COVID-19 outbreaks identified.

FUTURISM

• Even Realities bets camera-free smart glasses can win on productivity alone (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Tech Buzz, GMAsia}}

  • Even Realities' G2 smart glasses ditch cameras and speakers, prioritizing productivity over recording the people around you.

  • The monochrome heads-up display shows green neon-style text visible in any lighting, but relies heavily on phone connectivity.

  • Upgrades over the G1 include a brighter 1,200-nit display, four mics, 75% larger display area, and 60Hz refresh.

• China lands reusable rocket booster at sea, matching SpaceX's signature feat (Futurism)
  ^{_{More: CNN, Reuters, WSJ}}

  • State-owned CASC landed a Long March booster on a recovery vessel, becoming the second country to do so.

  • Unlike SpaceX's landing legs, China's approach captures the descending rocket using netting strung across a shipboard frame.

  • CASC plans to reuse the booster, which matches Falcon 9's payload capacity, by year's end.

• Netflix explores always-on live TV channels as viewer engagement slows down (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: TNW, TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • The Wall Street Journal reports Netflix is considering channels that continuously stream content 24/7 for subscribers.

  • The move would compete with free services like Pluto TV and boost Netflix's ad business.

  • Netflix is also exploring bundles, with Peacock reportedly among potential partners being discussed.

• 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.

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CONTENT

• Noam Segal reveals how tech workers actually feel about AI today (Lenny's Podcast)

  • The second annual Tech Worker Sentiment Survey captured thousands of responses across product, engineering, design, and more.

  • AI has split the workforce nearly in half, with four emotional archetypes from Energized to Resentful.

  • Burnout jumped 11 points in one year, and workers wouldn't recommend tech jobs to newcomers.

• Glean founder explains why OpenAI & Anthropic won't win app layer (20VC)

  • Arvind Jain leads Glean, the enterprise AI company valued at $7.2B after raising more than $770M.

  • Before Glean, he co-founded Rubrik and spent over a decade at Google as a Distinguished Engineer.

  • The discussion covers frontier model commoditization, open source shifts, and why AI isn't working in enterprise.

• Mark Pincus talks about figuring out what projects to spend life on (My First Million)

  • The Zynga founder joins Sam Parr and Shaan Puri to discuss choosing life's pursuits.

  • Topics include pattern matching, picking macros, a case for gold, and creating a 'book of life.'

  • Pincus also covers the FarmVille story, being hated and misunderstood, and frameworks versus instincts.

EXTRAS

• Toni Schneider drops 'interim' title to become Bluesky's permanent CEO (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, TechCrunch}}

  • Schneider took over in March when longtime CEO Jay Graber moved to chief innovation officer.

  • The former Automattic founding CEO announced the change on his blog, saying he's 'all in.'

  • His first priority is creating smaller spaces and more private communities to unlock Bluesky's growth.

• Bangkok pub fire kills 27 as police probe blocked exits, negligence (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: ABC, BBC}}

  • More than 60 people were hospitalized after the midnight blaze at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub.

  • Bangkok's governor said beer crates and a table obstructed fire exits as customers scrambled to flee.

  • Initial assessments point to an air-conditioner electrical short circuit, despite an April safety inspection.

• Jurassic Park star Sam Neill dies suddenly in Sydney at 78 (BBC)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, The Guardian, NBC}}

  • His family said the death was sudden and unexpected, though Neill had remained cancer free.

  • The New Zealand actor starred in more than 50 movies, including 'The Piano' and 'The Hunt for Red October.'

  • Born Nigel in Northern Ireland, he changed his name to Sam at age 11 after moving countries.

AND MORE

• Reed Jobs prefers talking about curing cancer over his famous surname.

• China's 'Green Great Wall' slows desert growth, but scientists warn fight continues.

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

• HyperTexting app transforms the open web into a scrollable social feed.

• What to know about new rules and tech behind contentious World Cup calls.

• This slushie machine proved a lifesaver during New York City's heat wave.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham likely died after aorta tear, medical examiner says.

• Phia accused of 'cookie stuffing' to claim affiliate credit it never earned.