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

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

⚖️ Sam Altman testified confidently, but the trial outcome remains uncertain.
🎓 Princeton reinstates exam proctors amid fears of widespread AI cheating.
📢 Anthropic warns investors to avoid certain secondary market sellers.
📞 Jensen Huang joins Trump's China trip after receiving a presidential call.
⚔️ Saudi Arabia secretly struck Iranian soil in retaliation for prior attacks.

TECHNOLOGY

• Sam Altman testified confidently, but the trial outcome remains uncertain (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: ABC, Business Insider, Tech Buzz}}

  • Altman took the stand appearing credible and composed, and seemed to win over some jurors.

  • He quipped that Musk tried to "kill" OpenAI twice, not that anyone could steal a charity.

  • Unlike other witnesses, Altman's account is largely backed by contemporaneous documents from the period in question.

• Princeton reinstates exam proctors amid fears of widespread AI cheating (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: The Verge, The Atlantic}}

  • Princeton's 131-year-old Honor Code, built on student integrity, has finally met its match in generative AI.

  • Faculty voted to reintroduce proctors after AI-facilitated cheating became too widespread and obvious to ignore.

  • Students will still sign an anti-cheating pledge, but professors will now actively monitor their honesty.

• Google & SpaceX are in talks to build orbital data centers (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, Yahoo!, Bloomberg}}

  • SpaceX is pitching orbital data centers as the cheapest AI compute option within a few years.

  • Google is also speaking with other rocket companies and plans to launch prototype satellites by 2027.

  • Experts note that satellite construction and launch costs make orbital data centers pricier than ground-based ones.

BUSINESS

• Anthropic warns investors to avoid certain secondary market sellers (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Anthropic updated its website listing eight platforms unauthorized to sell or transfer its shares.

  • The company stated any share transfers through these firms are void and unrecognized officially.

  • Forge Global disputed its inclusion, saying it only facilitates transactions with explicit company approval.

• Jensen Huang joins Trump's China trip after receiving a presidential call (NY Times)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, SCMP, Reuters}}

  • Nvidia confirmed CEO Jensen Huang will visit China this week at Trump's personal invitation.

  • Trump called Huang directly after noticing media coverage of his absence from the delegation.

  • Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday this week.

• Nebraska's ‘blue dot’ House Democratic primary is too close to call (AP)
  ^{_{More: PBS, The Guardian, CNN}}

  • Activist Denise Powell led state Sen. John Cavanaugh by roughly 2 points with 51,000 votes counted.

  • Douglas County, covering 90% of the district, historically counts significant ballots after election day.

  • The county expected to release information on outstanding ballots Wednesday, leaving the race unresolved overnight.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Saudi Arabia secretly struck Iranian soil in retaliation for prior attacks (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Politics Today, Japan Times}}

  • Saudi Arabia conducted covert airstrikes on Iran in late March, marking a historic first for the kingdom.

  • The strikes were retaliatory, following Iranian attacks on Saudi soil during the wider regional war.

  • Despite the military action, diplomatic channels between Saudi Arabia and Iran were reportedly maintained.

• Samsung recovers $66B intraday loss after Seoul calms strike fears (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Tech Buzz}}

  • Samsung lost up to $66B in market value after failing to reach a wage agreement with its union.

  • Over 41,000 workers threatened an 18-day strike starting May 21 over performance bonus demands.

  • South Korean officials stepped in, urging both labor and management to avoid further disruption.

• Japan's three megabanks will gain access to Anthropic's Mythos in weeks (CNA)
  ^{_{More: AOL, Nikkei, Reuters}}

  • Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho, and Sumitomo Mitsui are expected to access Anthropic's Mythos within two weeks.

  • Cybersecurity experts warn Mythos poses significant challenges to banks' legacy technology systems and infrastructure.

  • Japan's finance minister met U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent to discuss establishing a cybersecurity working group.

FUTURISM

• Google brings agentic AI & vibe-coded widgets to Android devices (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: NewsBytes, Yahoo!, Tech Radar}}

  • Google announced new Gemini features enabling AI to complete multistep tasks across different Android apps.

  • Users can trigger the assistant with the power button, using on-screen content as context.

  • A new vibe-coding feature also lets Android users create their own custom home screen widgets.

• Unitree unveils a 500-kilogram mecha suit a human can pilot (Futurism)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • Chinese robotics firm Unitree revealed the GD01, a 500-kilogram mecha suit operated from inside by a human.

  • The suit can stride, punch through brick walls, and perform a low crouching locomotion style.

  • Unitree has rapidly become a standout in humanoid robotics through a series of high-profile capability demos.

• Medicare's new AI-ready payment model is flying under the radar (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Tech Buzz, Source, Source}}

  • Pair Team is among 150 organizations accepted into ACCESS, a 10-year Medicare AI care program.

  • ACCESS rewards health outcomes like lower blood pressure rather than routine check-ins or required activities.

  • The program covers six conditions including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and depression, launching July 5.

• Loren ipsum dolor loren ipsum dolor (Classified Ad)

CONTENT

• Eric Ries explains the internal force that quietly destroys successful companies (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Ries argues most companies self-destruct by failing to protect the core values that made them successful.

  • His book covers governance structures used by Anthropic, Costco, and Novo Nordisk to resist corruption.

  • He warns that success makes companies bigger targets, and a simple two-page filing could help protect them.

• Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is redesigning the company for the AI era (Invest Like The Best)

  • Chesky discusses shifting from 'Founder Mode' to 'CEO Mode' and lessons learned during the pandemic.

  • He reflects on Apple's design philosophy and his '11-star experience' framework for building exceptional products.

  • Chesky believes the AI era will spark a major consumer renaissance and reshape how Airbnb operates.

• Legora's Jude Law campaign generated $50M in pipeline at $5.5B valuation (20VC)

  • Legora, the fastest-growing enterprise to hit $100M ARR, is now targeting $250M ARR this year.

  • The company recently raised a $550M Series D round at a $5.55B valuation led by Accel.

  • Its Jude Law brand campaign generated $50M in qualified pipeline, fueling rapid enterprise sales growth.

EXTRAS

• Valve hid a Wilhelm scream Easter egg in its new Steam Controller (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, XDA}}

  • The new $99 Steam Controller emits a Wilhelm scream when accidentally dropped by users.

  • The scream triggers rarely and has a cooldown period of at least one minute between activations.

  • Valve likely uses the controller's haptic motors to produce the sound, not a dedicated speaker.

• India raises gold & silver import tariffs to 15% from 6% (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, Bloomberg}}

  • India tripled gold and silver import tariffs to ease pressure on foreign exchange reserves and the rupee.

  • The higher duties may narrow India's trade deficit but could also revive precious metals smuggling.

  • Industry officials warned demand may fall, as gold and silver prices were already at elevated levels.

• Trump claims control over Iran as ceasefire talks remain stalled (AP)
  ^{_{More: Al Jazeera, CBC}}

  • Trump threatened Iran with decimation if leaders fail to reach a nuclear deal with the U.S.

  • Kuwait accused Iran of launching a failed attack on an island where China is building a port.

  • Iranian state media dismissed the Kuwaiti allegation as baseless amid a fragile, ongoing ceasefire.

AND MORE

• Lenovo’s new ThinkPad X13 is one of its lightest & most repairable.

• Indigo brings the open social web to one app.

• A startup uses AI-equipped trucks to help cities repair costly potholes.

• Singapore must attract AI giants & expand its energy hub status.

• Former Tesla exec Drew Baglino launches a new heat pump startup.

• Barclays recommends 'cheap' luxury stocks as self-help turnaround stories pay off.

• Google announced Googlebooks, vibe-coded widgets, & more at its Android Show.