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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🐦 X targets creators who steal content to exploit revenue-sharing program.
🚀 SpaceX aborts second Starship V3 launch moments after booster engine ignition.
🗳️ Trump questions U.S. election legitimacy in primetime address before midterms.
💰 Uber agrees to acquire Delivery Hero in $14.8B all-stock deal.
🧠 Xi positions China as leader of new global AI order, challenging U.S.

TECHNOLOGY

• X targets creators who steal content to exploit revenue-sharing program (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Firstpost, MSN, Yahoo!}}

  • X is cracking down on users who repost stolen content to earn creator revenue-sharing payouts.

  • The newest Grok model detects duplicated content at three times the rate of its predecessor.

  • Monetized impressions from watermarked or edited stolen posts will now redirect to the original uploader.

• SpaceX aborts second Starship V3 launch moments after booster engine ignition (Politico)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • SpaceX halted its second Starship V3 launch attempt Thursday after several engines failed to start.

  • Elon Musk said two engines will be replaced, delaying the next launch attempt until next week.

  • The abort follows SpaceX's record $85B IPO, with shares closing below their $135 debut price Thursday.

• Coca-Cola halts Fairlife dairy production in U.S. after ransomware attack (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: PCMag, Yahoo!}}

  • Coca-Cola disclosed a ransomware attack on Fairlife, suspending its U.S. production operations indefinitely.

  • Fairlife's Canadian operations remain unaffected, but Coca-Cola gave no timeline for restoring hacked systems.

  • Fairlife generated an estimated $4B in 2024 sales, making prolonged disruption a costly risk.

BUSINESS

• Trump questions U.S. election legitimacy in primetime address before midterms (AP)
  ^{_{More: NY Times, The Guardian, CNN}}

  • President Trump used a primetime address to renew doubts about U.S. elections and push restrictive voting laws.

  • He revisited debunked 2020 election claims that previously fueled the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

  • The address came amid voter concerns over living costs, strikes on Iran, and immigration crackdown scrutiny.

• Uber agrees to acquire Delivery Hero in $14.8B all-stock deal (The Guardian)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Uber's acquisition of Delivery Hero would expand its reach to nearly 100 markets across four regions.

  • Delivery Hero separately agreed to sell operations in 14 overlapping markets to SSW Partners for $1.6B.

  • The deal requires 50% shareholder acceptance and will likely face regulatory scrutiny before closing.

• San Francisco mayor demands stricter autonomous vehicle rules after Waymo gridlock (CBS)
  ^{_{More: SF Chronicle, TechCrunch, NBC}}

  • Mayor Daniel Lurie asked state regulators to tighten autonomous vehicle rules after stranded Waymos paralyzed traffic.

  • Dozens of robotaxis ran out of power during July 4 congestion, blocking streets and trapping municipal shuttles.

  • Lurie's letter argued California's framework fails to address how autonomous vehicles perform during extraordinary incidents.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Xi positions China as leader of new global AI order, challenging U.S. (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, CNA, Straits Times}}

  • Xi Jinping pitched China's World AI Cooperation Organization as a rival to the U.S.-led 'Pax Silica' initiative.

  • He championed open-source AI and pledged support for developing nations, warning against 'new historical injustices.'

  • Xi delivered his first extended remarks on AI safety as Chinese open-weight models close the gap.

• Japan's parliament enshrines male-only succession for shrinking imperial family line (AP)
  ^{_{More: ABC, The Hill}}

  • Japan revised its Imperial House Law to insist only paternal-lineage men can become emperor.

  • New measures allow adopting distant male relatives and let princesses keep royal status after marrying commoners.

  • Popular Princess Aiko remains ineligible, with succession passing to Prince Hisahito and a 90-year-old uncle.

• Canada withholds bridge toll sharing with U.S. until investment recovered (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CBC, AOL, Yahoo!}}

  • Prime Minister Mark Carney said toll revenue-sharing begins only after Canada recoups its $4.7B bridge investment.

  • The Canadian-funded Gordie Howe bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit opens July 27 after delays.

  • Tensions rise as both nations negotiate a trade deal, with Michigan Republicans criticizing Canada over wildfire smoke.

FUTURISM

• Google Vids update creates personal AI avatars from selfies & voice (CNET)
  ^{_{More: The Verge, TechCrunch}}

  • Google Vids now generates custom digital avatars using an uploaded selfie and a voice recording.

  • Gemini Omni integration lets users create videos by combining written prompts with uploaded reference images.

  • Omni supports step-by-step edits, background swaps, lighting fixes, and effects without restarting projects.

• Roblox debuts AI-powered Build feature for creating games on mobile (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Business Wire, Mashable, TechCrunch}}

  • Roblox launched 'Build,' letting users generate playable games from text prompts without any coding experience.

  • The feature uses open-source and proprietary AI models to handle mechanics, environments, characters, and sound.

  • Critics warn AI game generation could flood platforms with low-quality titles and intensify creator competition.

• DoorDash launches command-line tool letting AI agents order food directly (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Tech Buzz, XDA}}

  • DoorDash's 'dd-cli' beta lets developers search stores, find deals, and check out via AI agents.

  • The waitlisted tool is available to macOS developers in the U.S. and Canada.

  • The launch exposes DoorDash's platform to agentic commerce, enabling developers to build custom ordering tools.

• 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 that are pivotal 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.

CONTENT

• Julia Angwin & Ami Fields-Meyer discuss whether America is sliding into authoritarianism (The Prof G Pod)

  • Scott Galloway interviews journalist Julia Angwin and former White House advisor Ami Fields-Meyer about 'On Courage.'

  • They examine how modern authoritarianism advances gradually and what ordinary people can do to resist.

  • The conversation covers Big Tech's role, anonymous speech, coalition-building, and the power of small courageous acts.

• VC roundtable breaks down Stripe's reported $53B offer for PayPal (This Week in Startups)

  • Eric Bahn and Jeff Morris Jr. join Alex Wilhelm following news Stripe wants to buy PayPal.

  • The reported $53B deal highlights how little interest leading startups have in going public soon.

  • The panel also covers physical AI, Silicon Valley groupthink, and company-specific AI evals adoption.

• Joyce Ruffell & Chase Holden explore what racing reveals about AI (OpenAI)

  • OpenAI researcher Joyce Ruffell and RaceTek's Chase Holden discuss using AI to maximize racing data.

  • Ruffell details OpenAI's collaboration with Chip Ganassi Racing; Holden built RaceTek using ChatGPT and Codex.

  • They examine how AI gives smaller teams an edge without replacing human expertise in racing.

EXTRAS

• Sweden's Saab posts record orders amid surging global defense spending boom (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, Reuters}}

  • Saab beat second-quarter earnings expectations as demand for military equipment continues to boom worldwide.

  • Order backlog reached 317.7B crowns, up from 197.6B, marking a fifth straight quarter of growth.

  • CEO Micael Johansson said Saab is focused on scaling capacity, delivery, and advancing new capabilities.

• ICE officer in Maine shooting has violent history, family & records show (AP)
  ^{_{More: LA Times, NY Times}}

  • Relatives say ICE officer David Brouillette, who shot a Colombian man, has longstanding serious mental health struggles.

  • Family members accuse him of attacking women and shared a voicemail containing a violent threat.

  • His past raises questions about DHS vetting during its hiring spree for Trump's immigration crackdown.

• India's biggest IPO this year draws $31B in bids amid institutional frenzy (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Investing.com}}

  • SBI Fund Management's IPO, India's largest share issue this year, was subscribed 41.6 times.

  • Institutional investors drove $31B in bids, while retail participation remained relatively muted throughout the offering.

  • India's $50B IPO pipeline this year includes large issues from the National Stock Exchange and Jio Platforms.

AND MORE

• Google renames NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook, continuing its rebranding streak.

• Volvo Cars reports smaller profit for the second quarter of 2026.

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

• Period tracker Stardust shares user health data with analytics firm, Mozilla finds.

• Taco Bell drops lettuce supplier linked to cyclosporiasis outbreak across U.S.

• Oil giant BP closes its corporate venture arm after 20 years.

• Beehiiv adds subscriber-to-subscriber chat & AI tools to newsletter platform.