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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🚀 SpaceX appoints longtime Elon Musk ally Roelof Botha as board director.
🧠 Midjourney develops ultrasonic full-body scanner for rapid medical imaging.
🍎 Apple may raise iPhone prices as AI demand drives memory chip costs.
🌍 Anthropic joins Frontier collective, backing a new $915M fund for carbon removal.
🕊️ Trump & Iran sign initial deal to end war as nuclear talks continue.

TECHNOLOGY

• SpaceX appoints longtime Elon Musk ally Roelof Botha as independent board director (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, TechCrunch, Bloomberg}}

  • Roelof Botha, who worked with Musk at PayPal in 2000, joins SpaceX's board as an independent director.

  • Since 2003, Botha has worked at venture firm Sequoia, a major SpaceX investor with a stake near $35B.

  • SpaceX completed a record IPO last week and now carries a market cap of $2.5T.

• Midjourney develops ultrasonic full-body scanner for rapid medical imaging (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, The Verge}}

  • Midjourney is building a full-body scanner that produces detailed medical images in about 60 seconds.

  • The system uses ultrasonic technology and a water-based platform for rapid body scanning.

  • Company plans spa-like facilities, aiming faster alternative to traditional MRI imaging systems.

• Apple may raise iPhone prices as AI demand drives memory chip costs (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Reuters, Forbes}}

  • AI's insatiable hardware demand has triggered a global memory chip shortage, raising costs across Apple's product lineup.

  • Outgoing CEO Tim Cook called price increases "unavoidable," describing the situation as "unsustainable" amid fourfold chip cost rises.

  • The iPhone, due in September, will likely be affected, alongside the Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

BUSINESS

• Anthropic joins Frontier collective, backing a new $915M fund for carbon removal (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, TechCrunch}}

  • Anthropic is joining carbon removal collective Frontier with a new $915M tranche, becoming its first pure AI member.

  • The funding nearly doubles pledges to Frontier, bringing the total to $1.8B across carbon removal commitments.

  • This is Anthropic's first climate deal, possibly signaling shifting attitudes amid AI's recent energy buying spree.

• JetBlue to reduce Newark and LaGuardia presence while expanding Fort Lauderdale (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Washington Times, Reuters}}

  • JetBlue will cut flight attendant base at Newark and tech operations at Newark and LaGuardia airports.

  • Carrier is increasing service in Fort Lauderdale, its profitable hub where it remains top carrier.

  • JetBlue has complained about high operating costs at airports including recently revamped LaGuardia facility.

• Snap's stock falls after unveiling pricey Specs AR glasses costing nearly $2.2k (Futurism)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Snap's stock, down 30% over the past year, sank another 5% to $4.83 after Specs' debut.

  • The main concern is cost: Specs, over a decade in development, will retail at nearly $2.2k apiece.

  • Critics note Snap's teen users can't afford them; CEO Evan Spiegel likened Specs to high-end computers.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Trump & Iran sign initial deal to end war as nuclear talks continue (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: AP, NBC, BBC}}

  • Trump signed an initial agreement requiring Iran to dilute highly enriched uranium stockpiles.

  • The deal immediately lifts U.S.-backed sanctions, allowing Iran to freely export oil.

  • Both sides agreed to end hostilities while pursuing a final nuclear deal.

• AI executives gather at G7 as Europe seeks checks on U.S. dominance (ABC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Top AI executives are gathering Wednesday in France as Europe pushes for greater tech sovereignty amid U.S. dominance.

  • OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google DeepMind's Demis Hassabis and Anthropic's Dario Amodei join a working lunch on AI deployment.

  • The European Commission unveiled a tech sovereignty package this month, while the pope urged robust regulation of AI.

• U.S. shows interest in permanent military base proposal in Poland (AP)
  ^{_{More: ABC, Washington Post, Boston Globe}}

  • Poland invited the United States to establish a permanent military base on NATO's eastern flank.

  • Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said the proposal includes joint financing by both countries.

  • Polish officials support the base, but emphasize the final decision rests with Washington.

FUTURISM

• Amazon executive predicts useful quantum computers could arrive within seven years (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, PYMNTS}}

  • Amazon executive Peter DeSantis expects useful quantum computers to emerge within seven years.

  • DeSantis leads Amazon's new division overseeing AI models, chips, and quantum computing.

  • Supporters believe quantum computers can solve problems beyond the reach of current systems.

• Google bets on Gemini AI to reinvent its $99.99 smart home speaker (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: CNET, Yahoo!}}

  • Google introduced the $99.99 Google Home Speaker on Wednesday, its first audio device built specifically for Gemini AI.

  • It is Google's first stand-alone smart speaker since the Nest Audio launched in September 2020.

  • Gemini lets users make natural, multistep requests and even correct themselves mid-sentence without rephrasing commands.

• Qualcomm CEO says AI agents will replace apps in future devices (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: MSN, TNW}}

  • Qualcomm CEO says company is developing over 40 AI-powered device designs across categories.

  • Planned devices include wearables like jewelry, earbuds with cameras, pins, and smart watches.

  • CEO predicts AI agents will replace traditional apps as user-device interactions evolve.

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CONTENT

• Sebastian Mallaby discusses AI race across DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, China (Tim Ferriss)

  • Sebastian Mallaby explores AI competition between DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, and China.

  • He compares choosing book projects to venture capital-style startup investment decisions.

  • Discussion covers superintelligence risks, breakthroughs, and debates among leading AI researchers.

• Why SpaceX acquisition of Cursor changes everything in AI landscape (This Week in Startups)

  • Discussion covers SpaceX reportedly acquiring Cursor in a major $60 billion AI deal.

  • Experts analyze implications for startups building on frontier AI models and coding systems.

  • Conversation explores venture capital trends, AI economics, and rising consolidation in the industry.

• How the World Cup achieves global unity that the UN cannot (The Prof G Pod)

  • Scott Galloway discusses how the World Cup fosters global unity beyond political institutions.

  • He shares highlights, match reactions, and perspectives on tournament impact and fan experience.

  • Conversation covers football economics, club ownership trends, and future of global soccer growth.

EXTRAS

• Only 16% of Americans think AI will positively impact society (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: The Verge, MSN, Gizmodo}}

  • A new Pew Research study finds most Americans hold neutral to negative views about AI's long-term impact.

  • Only 16% expect a positive societal impact over 20 years, while around 40% anticipate a negative one.

  • Roughly 67% doubt the U.S. government will meaningfully regulate AI, and 59% distrust companies to develop it safely.

• Jensen Huang says society needs new social norms in AI era (AP)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, SCMP}}

  • NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang says society must adapt and embrace artificial intelligence more widely.

  • He argues AI could boost economic growth and accelerate major scientific breakthroughs globally.

  • Huang responds to concerns about job losses, safety, and rising political tensions over AI adoption.

• AI lab Odyssey reaches $1.45B valuation after latest funding round (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNA, Yahoo!}}

  • Odyssey raised $310M in Series B funding, reaching $1.45B valuation with major investors.

  • Amazon Web Services deal provides access to specialized high-performance machine-learning chips for development.

  • Company builds world-simulation AI systems aimed at advancing beyond chatbot-style applications.

AND MORE

• U.K. orders Google to improve search transparency and boost competition.

• Social media's next evolution focuses on user-controlled recommendation algorithms.

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

• Chi-Hua Chien predicts AI winners will not be selling AI services.

• Telegram challenges India blocking order, citing threats to free speech rights.

• Cybercriminals allegedly hacked tens of thousands Fortinet firewalls worldwide.

• Italy antitrust regulator probes Apple cloud services under Digital Markets rules.