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

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

💰 OpenAI acquires AI personal finance startup Hiro in talent-focused deal.
🎮 Xbox CEO admits Game Pass has become too expensive for players.
💵 IBM pays $17M to settle DOJ lawsuit over alleged DEI violations.
🏭 An Amazon warehouse worker died on the job at an Oregon facility.
🌍 Xi Jinping warns world order is 'crumbling' amid ongoing Iran conflict.

TECHNOLOGY

• OpenAI acquires AI personal finance startup Hiro in talent-focused deal (Tech in Asia)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Economic Times, AIBase}}

  • OpenAI acquired personal finance startup Hiro Finance, with the deal structured as an acquihire.

  • Hiro offered AI-powered financial planning, allowing users to model scenarios based on salary, debt, and expenses.

  • Hiro will shut down on April 20 and delete all user data by May 13.

• Xbox CEO admits Game Pass has become too expensive for players (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Engadget, Tech Buzz}}

  • New Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wrote a memo calling Game Pass 'too expensive for players.'

  • Microsoft raised Game Pass prices twice in 15 months, with Call of Duty costs cited as a factor.

  • Sharma signaled plans to evolve Game Pass into a more flexible, better-value subscription model in the long term.

• Microsoft is shutting down its Outlook Lite app on May 26 (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: TOI, PCMag, Forbes}}

  • Outlook Lite, launched in 2022 for low-storage Android devices, will lose functionality on May 26.

  • Microsoft had already removed the app from the Google Play Store in October 2025.

  • Users are advised to switch to Outlook Mobile to retain access to email and calendar data.

BUSINESS

• IBM pays $17M to settle DOJ lawsuit over alleged DEI violations (NY Post)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, AOL, Yahoo!}}

  • IBM settled with the U.S. DOJ for $17M over allegations of illegal DEI hiring practices.

  • The DOJ also alleged IBM used government contract funds for DEI programs and sought reimbursement.

  • The settlement marks the first resolution under the DOJ's Civil Rights Fraud Initiative. IBM denied wrongdoing.

• United Airlines CEO pitched American Airlines tie-up in meeting with Trump (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Business Times, Yahoo!, Japan Times}}

  • United CEO Scott Kirby proposed a merger with American Airlines during a White House meeting on February 25.

  • A United-American tie-up would be the biggest U.S. airline consolidation in more than a decade.

  • Kirby argued a combined airline would better compete internationally, though regulators are expected to push back hard.

• An Amazon warehouse worker died on the job at an Oregon facility (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Futurism}}

  • An Amazon employee collapsed and died at the Troutdale, Oregon, PDX9 warehouse last week.

  • Workers at PDX9 claim that newly installed soundproof curtains limited airflow, making the building dangerously hot.

  • Amazon confirmed the death, offering grief counselors and support resources to the worker's family and colleagues.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Xi Jinping warns world order is 'crumbling' amid ongoing Iran conflict (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Business Standard, Reuters}}

  • Xi told Spain's PM that the international order is 'crumbling into disarray,' urging closer cooperation to counter global disorder.

  • Spain has closed its airspace to U.S. warplanes and barred the use of its military bases in the conflict.

  • China has criticized military action against Iran and called for peace talks to preserve the fragile truce.

• Kabul is gripped by a deepening water crisis affecting its residents (AP)
  ^{_{More: The Independent, Yahoo!}}

  • Kabul residents, especially in poorer neighborhoods, are forced to carry heavy water containers daily.

  • Available well water is yellow and undrinkable, while trucked-in potable water is too costly for many.

  • Residents say the Taliban cut pipes in 2021 that had channeled communal well water into homes.

• Mark Carney secures Liberal majority government in Canadian special elections (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, CNN}}

  • Carney's Liberals won two Ontario ridings in special elections, bringing their total to 173 seats in the House of Commons.

  • The majority government strengthens Carney's position as he navigates an ongoing trade war with the U.S.

  • With a majority secured, Carney is now unlikely to face another election until 2029.

FUTURISM

• Humanoid robots dazzle Hong Kong crowds with language and boxing skills (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: AP, Korea Times}}

  • Over 100 robots were showcased at Hong Kong's Convention and Exhibition Center starting Monday.

  • AGIBOT's X2 Ultra robot conversed in Mandarin and English, answering questions and describing its surroundings in real time.

  • Developers say robots can be programmed with distinct personalities to serve as companions, teachers, and emotional support.

• Uber & Nuro begin testing a premium robotaxi service in San Francisco (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Tech in Asia, Tech Buzz}}

  • Select Uber employees can now request rides in a Nuro-equipped Lucid Gravity robotaxi via the app.

  • The autonomous vehicles operate with a human safety operator as backup during this testing phase.

  • Uber invested $300M in Lucid and agreed to purchase at least 20,000 Gravity SUVs over six years.

• Microsoft is developing an OpenClaw-like agent for enterprise Copilot users (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, The Information}}

  • Microsoft is testing OpenClaw-like features in Microsoft 365 Copilot, targeting enterprise customers with stronger security controls.

  • OpenClaw is a local agent tool that creates and performs tasks on behalf of users.

  • Microsoft's Copilot Cowork, powered partly by Anthropic's Claude, offers similar agentic features but runs in the cloud.

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CONTENT

• A founder built 11 AI agents while homeschooling four young children (a16z)

  • Jesse Genet runs 11 AI agents handling coding, curriculum planning, and household management simultaneously.

  • AI generates personalized lesson plans and logs her children's learning progress throughout the homeschool day.

  • Genet credits 'benevolent neglect' parenting and agentic tools for transforming her life as a founder and mother.

• Can startups survive AI's threat to the SaaS business model? (The Startup Podcast)

  • AI poses a greater threat to tech startups than Google and Facebook ever did, experts warn.

  • Making software 'headless' and building agent-friendly tools are emerging as key survival strategies for startups in 2026.

  • The B2B and B2C distinction has sharpened, with deep user empathy remaining critical for consumer-facing products.

• Rahm Emanuel weighs in on Democratic politics and the 2028 race (Sam Harris)

  • Sam Harris and Rahm Emanuel discuss the Democratic Party's struggles with identity politics and its cultural missteps.

  • Emanuel addresses the Gaza war, Netanyahu's failures, U.S.-China policy, and rising wealth inequality in America.

  • The conversation touches on Emanuel's potential 2028 presidential run and the future of the Democratic Party.

EXTRAS

• Booking.com confirms hackers accessed customer personal data and booking details (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: The Guardian}}

  • Booking.com notified customers that unauthorized third parties may have accessed their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and booking details.

  • Hackers appear to be using stolen data to send phishing messages to affected customers via WhatsApp.

  • Booking.com says it contained the breach, updated reservation PINs, and informed impacted guests of the incident.

• Singapore tightens monetary policy as Iran war raises inflation concerns (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Bloomberg}}

  • Singapore's central bank tightened policy on Tuesday, citing energy price risks from the ongoing Iran conflict.

  • Singapore's economy contracted 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in Q1, missing expectations amid mounting global growth pressures.

  • Both core and headline inflation outlooks for 2026 have been revised higher, with further tightening possible.

• Slate Auto raises $650M to fund affordable EV pickup truck production (Firstpost)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto raised $650M in a Series C round led by TWG Global.

  • The funding brings Slate Auto's total raised to roughly $1.4B, with production targeted for late 2026.

  • The raise comes as the U.S. EV market faces headwinds, including the loss of the $7.5k federal tax credit.

AND MORE

• Neuralink may have bet on the wrong brain-computer interface application.

• Thousands of rare concert recordings are now available on the Internet Archive.

• Hire AI engineers who build, deploy, and maintain models that perform reliably in production.*

• Roblox launches new account tiers to give age-appropriate access to content.

• AI influencers are flooding Coachella, but can you truly live vicariously?

• The world's largest orbital compute cluster has officially opened for business.

• Capcom's Pragmata is a safe but disappointing sci-fi game.