I have 1 minute
AMD
Acqui-hired AI inference chip startup Untether AI team to boost hardware capabilities.
Startup Funding
Anduril ($2.5B), Anysphere ($900M), Neuralink ($650M) raised massive rounds this week.
EleutherAI
Released 8TB licensed/open AI dataset, aiming for transparency over scraped data.
Google Gemini
Adds scheduled actions feature, enabling proactive, time-based AI task automation for users.
Meta Reality Labs
CTO calls 2024 pivotal for AR/VR; Ray-Ban AI glasses sold 2M+.
OpenAI
Appealing court order to save all ChatGPT logs in NYT lawsuit, citing user privacy concerns.
Apple App Store
Court denied Apple's appeal; must stop collecting fees on external US purchases immediately.
I have 5 minutes
Apple's WWDC and AI Strategy Under Scrutiny
Apple's upcoming WWDC is expected to unveil iOS 26 with a Vision Pro-inspired redesign across devices, but focus remains on AI progress. Rumors suggest AI-powered battery management and revamped core apps (Phone, Safari, Camera), while delays plague the next-gen Siri. Developers should watch for new OS features and potential AI integration points, though Apple's "Apple Intelligence" approach still needs to prove its practical value against competitors.
Nintendo Switch 2 Launches with Hardware Upgrades and DRM Concerns
The Switch 2 is here, offering performance boosts like 60fps in Breath of the Wild and improved Joy-Con magnets. However, iFixit gives it a low 3/10 repairability score due to glued battery and soldered components. New "Game-Key Cards" for digital games introduce restrictive DRM, requiring the original Switch nearby for transfers and potentially complicating multi-system use and save data management.
AI Startup Investment Remains High, Driving SF Office Market Recovery
Despite risks in growth-stage AI investing due to rapid evolution and infrastructure gaps, early-stage AI startups, including YC grads, are leasing significant office space in San Francisco. This trend, projected to reach 21 million sq ft in five years, is halving the city's vacancy rate and creating jobs, indicating strong market confidence in the sector's near-term growth potential for builders.
EleutherAI Releases Large Open AI Training Dataset
The Common Pile v0.1, an 8TB dataset of licensed and open-domain text, is now available from EleutherAI and collaborators. This aims to provide a transparent alternative to scraped data, proving high model performance (rivaling Meta's Llama) is achievable without unlicensed content. This release supports open research and addresses data ethics concerns, offering builders a resource for training models responsibly.
OpenAI Fights Court Order to Preserve All ChatGPT Data
In the ongoing New York Times copyright lawsuit, OpenAI is appealing a federal judge's order requiring it to indefinitely store all ChatGPT output logs, even deleted ones. OpenAI argues this violates user privacy and abandons privacy norms, while the Times seeks data to prove copyright infringement. This legal battle highlights critical issues around AI training data, user privacy, and the "fair use" defense for builders leveraging large language models.
Figure AI Pursues Ambitious Robotics Deployment and Funding
Figure AI aims to deploy 100,000 humanoid robots within four years, confirming a contract with a second customer (reportedly UPS) after the initial BMW deal. The company is seeking $1.5 billion at a $39.5 billion valuation, a significant jump, amidst skepticism. This push signals rapid scaling ambitions in the robotics space, relevant for builders in automation and hardware.
Controversial AI Genetics Product Raises Ethical Concerns
Nucleus Genomics launched Nucleus Embryo, allowing IVF parents to select embryos based on predicted traits like IQ and anxiety using polygenic scores. Experts criticize the reliability of these scores for individual prediction, sparking debate about "designer babies" and the ethical boundaries of applying AI/genetics to human selection. Builders in biotech and AI should be aware of the ethical and scientific scrutiny in this sensitive area.
Apple Loses Appeal on App Store External Payment Fees
A court denied Apple's emergency appeal, forcing it to immediately stop collecting fees (up to 27%) on purchases made outside the App Store in the US. This ruling, stemming from the Epic Games lawsuit, requires Apple to allow developers to link to alternative payment systems without penalty. This is a significant win for developers seeking to avoid Apple's commission and retain more revenue.