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

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

♻️ Blue Origin successfully reuses a New Glenn rocket but misses orbit.
⚖️ French prosecutors summon Musk over deepfake abuse allegations.
💰 Big Tech's $4T rebound pushes the S&P 500 to new highs.
🧠 AI chip startup Cerebras files for IPO after earlier withdrawal.
⚓ Iran vows swift response after U.S. seizes cargo vessel.

TECHNOLOGY

• Blue Origin successfully reuses a New Glenn rocket but misses orbit (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, MSN, CBS}}

  • Blue Origin achieved its first New Glenn reuse, marking a major milestone in competing with SpaceX.

  • The mission hit a snag when the payload satellite entered an orbit lower than planned.

  • AST SpaceMobile confirmed its satellite was powered on, but it will need to be de-orbited due to the mishap.

• French prosecutors summon Musk over deepfake child abuse allegations (AP)
  ^{_{More: ABC, France24}}

  • French investigators summoned Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to Paris for voluntary interviews.

  • The probe covers allegations of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content spreading on X.

  • It remains unclear whether Musk or Yaccarino will travel to Paris to comply with the summons.

• Uber commits over $10B to autonomous vehicle investments and purchases (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • Uber has pledged more than $10B toward autonomous vehicles, split between $2.5B in direct investments and $7.5B in robotaxi purchases.

  • The company holds stakes in several AV firms, including WeRide, Wayve, Rivian, Lucid, Nuro, and others.

  • The spending marks a shift from Uber's original asset-light model toward a more capital-intensive growth strategy.

BUSINESS

• Big Tech's $4T rebound pushes the S&P 500 to new highs (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • The S&P 500 has surged since its March 30 low, with the tech sector leading the recovery.

  • The Magnificent Seven index is up 20% from its bottom, with Microsoft alone surging 19% in the rebound.

  • Seven companies, including NVIDIA, Apple, and Meta, added roughly $4T in market value over the course of weeks.

• AI chip startup Cerebras files for IPO after earlier withdrawal (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, CNBC}}

  • Cerebras withdrew its 2024 IPO bid after federal scrutiny of an Abu Dhabi investment from G42.

  • The company raised $1B in February at a $23B valuation, securing deals with AWS and OpenAI.

  • Cerebras posted $510M in 2025 revenue and $237.8M net income, though non-GAAP results showed a $75.7M loss.

• Palantir posts ideological manifesto attacking inclusivity and 'regressive' cultures (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, MSN, Yahoo!}}

  • Palantir posted a 22-point summary of CEO Alex Karp's book, 'The Technological Republic,' outlining the company's ideology.

  • Palantir faces scrutiny over its ICE work, with congressional Democrats demanding answers on deportation surveillance tools.

  • Palantir argues Silicon Valley owes a moral debt to the U.S. and that "free email is not enough."

MARKETS

WORLD

• Iran vows swift response after U.S. seizes cargo vessel (AP)
  ^{_{More: The Independent, Euronews, Yahoo!}}

  • The U.S. seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran called a ceasefire violation.

  • Trump threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran if it rejects the current U.S. nuclear deal offer.

  • The fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire expires Wednesday, with key issues like nuclear enrichment and Hormuz control still unresolved.

• Starmer faces fury over Mandelson's ambassador appointment despite failed vetting (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: AP, Politico, NBC}}

  • Peter Mandelson was appointed Britain's U.S. ambassador despite failing security checks, without Starmer reportedly being informed.

  • Starmer says he is "furious" that he was kept in the dark, and fired the Foreign Office's top civil servant.

  • Opposition lawmakers are calling for Starmer's resignation, while allies question what else the prime minister may not know.

• Asian hedge funds took heavy losses from the Iran war (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: AInvest, Yahoo!, Investing.com}}

  • Trivest's TAL China Focus Fund suffered its worst-ever monthly loss in March, dropping 10.2% on $5.4B in assets.

  • Southern Ridges Summit Macro Fund also fell 10.2% in March, its steepest decline since its October 2022 launch.

  • Aspex, managing over $14.5B, retreated 7% in March as war escalation and ceasefire swings whipsawed global markets.

FUTURISM

• Humanoid robots outpace human records at Beijing's half-marathon event (AP)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • A humanoid robot completed Beijing's half-marathon in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, beating the human world record.

  • The winning autonomous robot was built by Honor; a faster remote-controlled Honor model was disqualified from top honors.

  • Around 40% of robots ran autonomously, while others struggled, with some falling or hitting barriers during the race.

• Tesla expands its robotaxi service to Dallas and Houston, Texas (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Reuters, Dallas News}}

  • Tesla launched its robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston, bringing its total to three Texas cities.

  • The Austin fleet has been involved in 14 crashes since launching driverless rides in January 2026.

  • Early rollout appears limited, with crowdsourced data logging only one active vehicle in each new city.

• Fusion energy's funding boom shows signs of internal disagreement (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • Fusion startups raised $1.6B in the past 12 months, sustaining an overall optimistic mood in the sector.

  • TAE Technologies and General Fusion announced plans to go public, giving long-term investors a chance to cash out.

  • Many industry insiders worry these companies are listing too early, before hitting key fusion development milestones.

• 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 essential 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

• Half of product managers are becoming obsolete, warns Nikhyl Singhal (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Singhal predicts the next two years will be the most chaotic period in product management history.

  • He warns that half of the current PMs are at risk, with psychological barriers blocking many from reinventing themselves.

  • Singhal forecasts companies will shed 30k workers and rehire just 8k, all in AI-first roles.

• Jake Paul argues attention beats cash in his new VC venture (20VC)

  • Jake Paul co-founded Anti Fund, a $30M venture fund that has invested in Ramp, Anduril, Cognition, and Olipop.

  • Paul argues that creator distribution and audience attention are more valuable to founders than capital alone.

  • The fund targets a new investment model in which relevance and reach matter as much as financial backing.

• Kara Swisher investigates tech bros' obsession with living forever (The Prof G Pod)

  • Swisher's new CNN series explores the billion-dollar longevity industry and why tech elites are obsessed with immortality.

  • Peptides and biohacking have surged in popularity, but Swisher argues most longevity trends are just noise.

  • The biggest longevity advantage, they suggest, may simply come down to wealth and access to quality healthcare.

EXTRAS

• Chinese streaming giant iQiyi overhauls itself around AI-generated content (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Business Times, CGTN}}

  • iQiyi launched its biggest corporate overhaul in 16 years, betting on AI to create films and shows from scratch.

  • The company debuted Nadou Pro, an AI tool handling everything from scriptwriting and storyboards to final video rendering.

  • iQiyi aims to reverse a year-long sales slump caused by the rise of short-video platforms like Douyin.

• Samsung SDI signs its first EV battery deal with Mercedes-Benz (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, Investing.com}}

  • Samsung SDI signed a multi-year agreement to supply high-nickel NCM batteries to Mercedes-Benz for its next-gen EVs.

  • The batteries will power future Mercedes-Benz compact and mid-size electric SUVs and coupe models.

  • Samsung SDI did not disclose the financial size of the supply deal.

• Man kills eight children and shoots two women in Shreveport (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: AP, NBC}}

  • A man killed eight children, including seven of his own, in what became the deadliest U.S. shooting in over two years.

  • Two women were also shot during the attack in a Shreveport, Louisiana, neighborhood early Sunday.

  • The city's mayor called it "maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had," as mourners gathered to grieve.

AND MORE

• Trump's FCC deregulation clears path for major local TV merger.

• Investor Elad Gil warns founders: peak company value lasts just 12 months.

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

• Dyson's new handheld fan is more powerful and louder than expected.

• Veteran VC Ron Conway reveals he has been diagnosed with a rare cancer.

• OpenAI dominates the news cycle across acquisitions, competition, and societal debates.

• Keychron's Ultra 8K keyboard earns top marks for marathon battery life.

• The App Store is booming again, and AI may be why.