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

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

🧠 Anthropic in early talks to rent Microsoft's custom AI chips.
🚀 SpaceX scrubs inaugural test flight of upgraded Starship V3 megarocket.
🎬 IMAX explores a potential sale after talks with possible buyers.
🎟️ States ask judge to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly.
🦠 Angry residents burn an Ebola center in Congo as the outbreak worsens.

TECHNOLOGY

• Anthropic in early talks to rent Microsoft's custom AI chips (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, CNBC, The Information}}

  • Anthropic is in early talks to rent servers powered by Microsoft's custom-designed AI chips, according to a report.

  • A deal would mark a major win for Microsoft's push to rival Alphabet and Amazon's custom chip businesses.

  • Anthropic has emerged as a key customer for custom chips, already striking deals with Amazon and Google.

• Anker's new earbuds deliver the best call quality I've ever tested (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: CNET, Mashable}}

  • The 5 Pro case has a 0.96-inch TFT screen for adjusting ANC, sound profiles, and tracking settings.

  • The 5 Pro Max upgrades to a 1.78-inch AMOLED screen, a built-in microphone, and 357 MB of storage.

  • Its AI note-taker records audio directly to the case, then transcribes and summarizes through the Soundcore app.

• SpaceX scrubs inaugural test flight of upgraded Starship V3 megarocket (CNN)
  ^{_{More: The Verge, TOI}}

  • SpaceX scrubbed the 12th Starship test flight Thursday evening after last-minute issues triggered a series of holds.

  • The mission marks the debut of the upgraded V3 vehicle, following several mishaps with the V2 prototype last year.

  • SpaceX is racing to ready Starship for NASA's plan to land astronauts on the moon by 2028.

BUSINESS

• IMAX explores potential sale after holding preliminary talks with possible buyers (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, CNBC, The Verge}}

  • IMAX shares jumped 10% in extended trading after reports surfaced that the premium theater company is exploring a sale.

  • A source said IMAX held 'preliminary talks' through intermediaries, though no official pitches have been made by the company.

  • CEO Rich Gelfond previously told shareholders in December that he was open to a sale to unlock greater value.

• States ask judge to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: CBC, The Verge}}

  • Over 30 states are asking Judge Arun Subramanian to force a sale of Ticketmaster and several large amphitheaters.

  • The request follows an April jury ruling that found Live Nation an illegal monopolist after a month-long trial.

  • States also seek monetary relief, including refunds for overcharged ticketing fees and protections against venue retaliation tactics.

• NYC Mayor Mamdani launches Twitch series to answer New Yorkers' questions (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, NBC}}

  • New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching 'Talk With the People,' a Twitch series answering real-time questions.

  • The show will also stream on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and X, extending his social media strategy into City Hall.

  • The format echoes FDR's fireside chats and Fiorello La Guardia's 'Talk to the People,' targeting younger online audiences.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Rubio doubts Cuba diplomacy as Trump threatens potential U.S. military action (AP)
  ^{_{More: Euronews, NPR}}

  • President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the prospect of U.S. military intervention in Cuba on Thursday.

  • The renewed threat follows the administration's announcement of criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro this week.

  • Rubio called Cuba a long-standing national security threat, citing its ties to U.S. adversaries that Trump intends to address.

• Angry residents burn Ebola treatment center in Congo as outbreak worsens (PBS)
  ^{_{More: AP, CBC, Al Jazeera}}

  • Residents set fire to an Ebola treatment center in eastern Congo after being blocked from retrieving a local man's body.

  • The arson reflects clashes between strict containment measures and local burial customs in a region lacking health facilities.

  • Bodies of Ebola victims remain highly contagious, prompting authorities to manage burials despite frequent protests from grieving families.

• Indonesia vows to 'listen to market' after shock commodity export plan (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Business Times, Financial Post}}

  • Indonesia is listening closely to the market while building a body to oversee key commodity exports, an official said.

  • President Prabowo Subianto's plan to channel palm oil, coal, and nickel shipments through a state entity surprised many officials.

  • The for-profit outfit will initially focus on trading coal and crude palm oil, with further details coming in the weeks ahead.

FUTURISM

• Kawasaki Heavy & NVIDIA plan Silicon Valley robotics development center (Nikkei)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, Reuters, Yahoo!}}

  • Kawasaki Heavy Industries will partner with NVIDIA to develop solutions integrating robotics with physical AI, according to Nikkei.

  • The collaboration will initially focus on medical and mobility fields, including Kawasaki's four-legged personal mobility robot Corleo.

  • Kawasaki will open the joint center in San Jose, also working with Analog Devices, Microsoft, and Fujitsu.

• Waymo halts service in four cities as robotaxis struggle with floods (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Reuters}}

  • Waymo paused robotaxi service in four cities after vehicles struggled with heavy rain and flooded roads this week.

  • An unoccupied Waymo got stuck for about an hour in a flooded Atlanta street before being recovered on Wednesday.

  • The company also halted operations in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio due to severe weather sweeping across Texas.

• OpenAI brings ChatGPT to Microsoft PowerPoint for slide creation & editing (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: The Verge, Tech Times}}

  • OpenAI launched a beta integration that lets ChatGPT create, edit, and update slides directly inside Microsoft PowerPoint.

  • The feature works through natural language prompts or by pulling content from Gmail, Outlook, and SharePoint connections.

  • Anthropic's Claude has offered similar PowerPoint capabilities since September, while Google's Gemini integrates with Slides.

• Cut through the hype. Roko’s Basilisk distills the day’s AI breakthroughs, market moves, and workable workflows into a five-minute brief*

  • Get one sharp deep dive, fast Quick Hits, and a witty pro tip, plus links that actually matter.

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CONTENT

• Tom Blomfield breaks down how to build a self-improving company with AI (Y Combinator)

  • YC General Partner Tom Blomfield explains how founders can build companies that use AI to improve while they sleep.

  • He argues that copilots are the wrong mental model, urging founders to extract domain knowledge into recursive self-improving loops.

  • Blomfield's takeaways include burning tokens rather than headcount and warning that middle-management roles are effectively over.

• Andrej Karpathy joins Anthropic, SpaceX files S-1, & Cerebras smashes IPO debut (20VC)

  • Anthropic eyes a $900B valuation as Andrej Karpathy makes a surprise move to join the AI company.

  • Cerebras smashed its IPO debut while SpaceX set a date for what could be the largest IPO ever.

  • Hosts also unpack Figma and Datadog's strong earnings, the decline of Wix and Squarespace, and looming tech layoffs.

• David French argues, 'one person doesn't get to start a war' (The Prof G Pod)

  • David French joins Scott to explain why he believes the Iran strikes violated the U.S. Constitution.

  • They discuss just war doctrine and why democracies that skip the constitutional process tend to lose wars.

  • French also reflects on his Iraq War service and the standoff between Pope and President Trump.

EXTRAS

• Stephen Colbert signs off as 'The Late Show' airs its final episode (NBC)
  ^{_{More: USA Today, The Verge, Yahoo!}}

  • CBS aired the final episode of 'The Late Show' tonight, ending the 33-year-old program amid Paramount's Skydance merger.

  • Fans lined up outside the Ed Sullivan Theater early, with tributes pouring in from Conan O'Brien to Barack Obama.

  • Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro, Ryan Reynolds, and Paul McCartney all made surprise finale appearances.

• Spotify ramps up AI push with Universal Music deal & growth targets (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Yahoo!}}

  • Spotify partnered with Universal Music to enable AI-generated covers and remixes for premium users, sending shares up 13%.

  • The company will launch new Audiobooks+ subscription tiers and a 'Studio by Spotify Labs' desktop app for content creation.

  • New features include 'Reserved' early-concert ticket access and 'Personal Podcasts,' an AI tool that generates custom podcasts from prompts.

• Outrage grows after Israeli minister mocks detained Gaza flotilla activists (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, The Guardian}}

  • Western governments voiced outrage after Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists.

  • Two activists alleged they were physically assaulted in detention, with all activists deported from Israel on Thursday.

  • The incident drew rebukes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the U.S., while the Israel Prisons Service dismissed allegations.

AND MORE

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• What to know about the Japanese-style scalp massages catching on in the U.S.

• Law enforcement shuts down VPN service used by two dozen ransomware gangs.

• A mop, a broom, and a calmer mind: the mental health benefits of chores.