Alvaro Lopez Ortega / 2026-06-22 Briefing

Created Tue, 23 Jun 2026 01:45:40 +0000 Modified Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:13:41 +0000
9704 Words

A massive cyberattack on Tata Electronics has leaked sensitive Apple and Tesla trade secrets, involving over 630 GB of stolen data. Similarly, a Texas vendor breach has exposed the personal information of 3 million people. In technical news, critical vulnerabilities were discovered in the libssh2 library, while Xiaomi’s YU7 GT achieved a milestone with the world’s first fully autonomous Nürburgring lap.

🤖 AI & Automation

Xiaomi YU7 GT sets world’s first autonomous Nürburgring lap record

Xiaomi’s YU7 GT has completed the world’s first fully autonomous lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit, clocking in at 10 minutes and 29.483 seconds. While a significant technological milestone, the AI-driven time was more than three minutes slower than human-driven laps, illustrating the current performance gap in high-speed autonomous driving.

AI’s PR Problem

Real wages for all education levels have remained stagnant since 2000, even as the inflation-adjusted value of capital has increased significantly. The author argues that advancing AI technology threatens to further concentrate these productivity gains among capital owners at the expense of workers and society.

Runing GLM-5.2 on local hardware

Z.ai’s new GLM-5.2 is a 744B parameter open model that delivers state-of-the-art performance in reasoning, coding, and agentic tasks. The model can be run on local hardware using Unsloth Dynamic GGUFs, which utilize advanced quantization to significantly reduce memory requirements while maintaining high accuracy.

I’m the Agent for Claude Now

An Aha! engineer has automated their technical support workflow by equipping Claude with five specialized production debugging tools. These tools enable the AI to direct the troubleshooting process by requesting specific data, such as log links and configuration details, from human engineers.

AI and tech are trying to influence the midterm elections

AI-linked groups and super PACs are spending millions on midterm elections to influence the future of artificial intelligence regulation. This surge in campaign spending is notably evident in a New York City congressional primary, where competing tech interests are using large contributions to shape candidates’ regulatory stances.

Block/buzz: a workspace built for teams of humans and agents

Buzz is a self-hostable workspace built on a Nostr relay that enables seamless collaboration between humans and AI agents within shared channels. The platform uses a unified event log to consolidate all messages, workflows, and code interactions under a single, auditable identity model.

The Optimal Amount of Slop Is Non-Zero

The author argues that developers should apply code review rigor proportional to the risks associated with using LLM-generated code. While bypassing human verification can lead to hidden technical debt and poor internal quality, the level of scrutiny should be determined by the potential cost of failure.

Prompt Injection as Role Confusion

The paper “Prompt Injection as Role Confusion” investigates prompt injection vulnerabilities by framing them as a failure of models to distinguish between system instructions and user inputs. The research explores how this confusion can be exploited to manipulate the behavior of large language models.

The text in Claude Code’s “Extended Thinking” output

Claude Code’s “extended thinking” reasoning logs are encrypted by Anthropic, making them inaccessible to users without an enterprise agreement. Additionally, because the API provides only a summary of the model’s logic rather than the full process, developers cannot reconstruct an accurate audit trail from local files.

Selector Forge – browser extension for AI-generated resilient selectors

The Intuned team has released Selector Forge, an open-source browser extension that uses AI to generate reliable, semantic CSS/XPath selectors. The tool aims to provide more resilient alternatives to brittle traditional selectors, helping developers create automations that are less prone to breaking during webpage changes.

Nvidia Unveils Halos Robot OS

NVIDIA has introduced NVIDIA Halos OS, a safety-focused operating system designed to streamline the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots. The platform integrates hardware, software, and simulation across the AI lifecycle to enhance environmental awareness and enable safer real-time decision-making in human-robot interactions.

Moebius: 0.2B image inpainting model with 10B-level performance

Moebius is a lightweight 0.2B parameter image inpainting framework designed to deliver performance comparable to much larger 10B-level models. The system utilizes a Latent Diffusion Model with Latent Categories Guidance, employing restructured blocks and an adaptive distillation strategy to maintain high capacity despite extreme architectural compression.

The Coming Enshittification of AI

Meta is implementing intrusive monetization tactics, such as blocking scrolling on Facebook and Instagram to force ad viewing and introducing premium features for WhatsApp. This pattern of “enshittification” seen in companies like Adobe and Uber is predicted by the author to eventually manifest in the AI sector.

GLM 5.2 vs. Opus

A comparison between GLM-5.2 and Claude Opus 4.8 shows that while Opus produces faster and more accurate results in complex coding tasks, it is significantly more expensive. In contrast, the open-weights GLM-5.2 provides a highly cost-effective alternative for long-horizon work and allows for local deployment, despite lacking multimodal capabilities.

Crespo – Tree-sitter AST blueprints instead of raw code for LLMs

Crespo is a CLI tool designed to optimize codebase analysis for LLMs by significantly reducing token usage and avoiding context limits. It utilizes Tree-sitter AST parsing to extract essential structural elements, such as imports, classes, and functions, into compact XML blueprints.

Sakana Fugu

Fugu-Ultra has outperformed or equaled frontier models across multiple benchmarks, including LLM training optimization and classical Japanese reading order estimation. The model demonstrated superior accuracy in reconstructing historical calligraphy layouts and successfully optimized GPT training recipes through autonomous experimentation.

You’re probably using Agent Skills wrong

The article argues that Agent Skills are frequently misused as “thinking blocks” that prompt agents to generate procedural knowledge without addressing actual information gaps. Instead, it advocates for using skills to bridge specific context gaps in complex projects and to automate repetitive tasks through the provision of necessary tools and documentation.

Claude: Elevated Error Rates for Opus 4.8, Opus 4.7, Opus 4.6, and Sonnet 4.6

Claude is experiencing elevated error rates affecting the Opus 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, and Sonnet 4.6 models. Users can subscribe to receive real-time updates regarding these incidents via email or text message.

Sakana AI launches Fugu, a multi-agent API matching Fable and Mythos on benchmarks.

Sakana AI has launched Fugu, a multi-agent orchestration system that dynamically routes queries to a swappable pool of specialized AI agents via an OpenAI-compatible API. The platform aims to match the performance of leading models like Claude Fable and Mythos while offering resilience against vendor lock-in and geopolitical export controls.

Prosper AI raises $30M Series A led by a16z to automate patient calls

NYC-based Prosper AI has raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The company, which develops healthcare AI tools designed to answer patient phone calls, brings its total funding to $35 million.

JD.com’s Richard Liu: Robots to replace 700K delivery staff and retrain them in robot maintenance

JD.com founder Richard Liu has stated that robots will eventually replace the company’s 700,000 delivery workers. To manage this transition, the company plans to retrain these employees for roles in robot maintenance.

Aether AI raises $20M to teach robots cause and effect via causal world models, led by MPCi

San Diego-based Aether AI has raised $20 million in seed funding to develop “causal world models” for robotics. Additionally, India’s Jio Platforms is filing for a massive IPO, and Ubisoft co-founder Claude Guillemot has passed away following a plane crash near La Baule.

Munich 1991: the Roots of the Current AI Boom

In 1991, a research lab at the Technical University Munich led by Jürgen Schmidhuber developed several foundational technologies essential to modern Large Language Models. These breakthroughs included Transformer variants, unsupervised pre-training, and deep residual learning, all of which underpin today’s most advanced generative AI systems.

🔒 Security & Privacy

Tata Electronics breach leaks Apple, Tesla secrets

Following a cybersecurity breach at Tata Electronics by the “World Leaks” ransomware group, over 200,000 files totaling approximately 630 GB have been leaked on the dark web. The stolen data allegedly contains sensitive manufacturing records, technical drawings, and trade secrets belonging to major clients Apple and Tesla.

Controversial “day off” phishing simulation

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services has issued an apology after using a fake promise of extra vacation days in a cybersecurity phishing simulation aimed at medical workers. The tactic drew widespread condemnation from unions as insensitive to an already burnt-out workforce, prompting an investigation into how the scenario was approved.

Canadian lender TD tells some employees it will use software to monitor their work

TD Bank is implementing software to track employee activities, such as browser usage and meeting participation, to improve workflow transparency within its hybrid work environment. While the lender maintains this is a standard industry practice for resource allocation, employees have raised concerns regarding privacy and how the collected data might impact performance management.

Danish privacy activist raided by police

Danish police raided the home of anarcho-capitalist activist Lars Andersen after he allegedly posted Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s private personal information online. While authorities view the incident as illegal doxxing and harassment, Andersen claims the raid is a disproportionate response to his protests against mass surveillance.

Two critical vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-55200 and CVE-2026-55199, have been identified in the libssh2 library, enabling remote code execution and denial-of-service attacks. These flaws affect version 1.11.1 and earlier, potentially impacting a vast ecosystem of systems including Linux distributions, curl, and various IoT devices.

Texas vendor breach exposes personal data of more than 3 million people

A data breach involving a third-party vendor used by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has exposed the personal information of more than 3 million people. The compromised data includes names, addresses, and driver’s license numbers for hunting and fishing license holders. In response, the department is implementing new security safeguards and offering free credit monitoring to those affected.

Dutch privacy regulator warns municipalities are struggling to control public camera surveillance

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has warned that many municipalities are failing to comply with privacy regulations regarding public camera surveillance. The regulator emphasized that without stricter oversight and clearer definitions of necessity and duration, widespread monitoring risks infringing on citizens’ fundamental rights.

Cloudflare teams up with big browsers to help websites tell welcome from unwelcome visitors

Cloudflare has partnered with major browsers, including Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, to implement Private Access Control Tokens for improved bot-fraud defense. This initiative aims to help websites more effectively distinguish between legitimate visitors and malicious bots.

Security shops among the ‘hundreds’ of Klue hack victims

Security firms are among hundreds of victims in the Klue hack by the Icarus extortion group, which utilizes Salesforce-linked integration exploits. The news digest also covers various technological updates, including developments in AI governance and recent Microsoft SharePoint vulnerabilities.

Canadian utility fesses up to data breach, but key details remain off-grid

Canadian utility London Hydro has reported a data breach that may have exposed customer names, addresses, and account details. However, much of the information regarding the specific nature and extent of the intrusion remains unknown.

Gizmodo readers hit with ClickFix malware prompts after account compromise

Gizmodo readers have been targeted by ClickFix malware prompts following an account compromise. While Mac users were largely unaffected, Windows users face the potential risk of infection from a dangerous trojan.

Nearly half of LG smart TV apps contain residential proxy SDKs

A study of over 6,000 apps on LG and Samsung smart TVs revealed that nearly half utilize residential proxy SDKs to sell users’ IP addresses for profit. These apps, which include simple utilities like screensavers and games, route third-party internet traffic through home networks, potentially creating security vulnerabilities for other connected devices.

Flock-Powered Police Chiefs Stalking Women Shows Why Warrants Are Needed

The arrest of an Illinois police chief for using Flock license plate readers to track ex-partners underscores a documented national pattern of law enforcement officials abusing surveillance technology for personal use. These incidents, involving various high-ranking officers tracking romantic partners and rivals, have prompted calls for mandatory warrant requirements to prevent such misuse.

Linux Secure Boot Certificate Expiration 2025

A Microsoft certificate used to sign the Linux shim bootloader is set to expire on September 11, potentially preventing new Linux installations on systems that lack updated replacement keys in their firmware. While existing distributions should remain functional, users may need to apply hardware firmware updates to ensure continued Secure Boot compatibility for new installs.

A court has dismissed a copyright infringement claim in Sokolskyfilm v. Messiah, ruling that a blogger’s use of a vintage photograph constituted fair use. The court found the usage transformative because the image accompanied fashion guidance rather than being presented as fine art, and determined it did not negatively impact the photographer’s primary market.

Everything you say CAN and WILL be used against you

The author compares Miranda rights to digital Terms of Service, warning that users often disregard privacy risks when agreeing to technology agreements. The article specifically critiques Anthropic’s new identity verification feature, arguing that linking government IDs to AI usage creates a permanent, searchable record that could be used against individuals in legal or professional disputes.

Never Give Them Your Face

The article argues that “age verification” laws marketed as child safety measures are establishing a system of mandatory identity tracking for all internet users via biometric and government ID requirements. This shift poses significant privacy risks by creating vulnerable databases containing unchangeable personal data, such as facial recognition templates and official identification.

WhatsApp’s “End-to-End Encryption” Is the Biggest Lie in Tech History

The article argues that WhatsApp’s “end-to-end encryption” claims are misleading because they only hold true under very narrow technical conditions. It contends that features such as cloud backups, metadata collection, and business accounts effectively compromise user privacy despite the strength of the underlying Signal Protocol.

Mullvad to China: Block This. We Dare You

Mullvad VPN is bypassing China’s Great Firewall by using QUIC obfuscation to disguise traffic as standard HTTPS web traffic, making it difficult for authorities to block without disrupting their own digital infrastructure. However, this technique can result in significantly slower internet speeds and connection instability due to proactive state-level censorship.

Trump signs two executive orders to boost quantum computing and mitigate security threats

President Trump has signed two executive orders designed to accelerate the development of advanced quantum computing and mitigate potential security threats. One order directs federal agencies to collaborate with the private sector and academia to deploy a powerful quantum system capable of conducting scientific research by 2028.

Japan is the world’s most targeted country for 2024 cyberattacks at 22% (S&P/IBM)

Japan has become the world’s most targeted country for cyberattacks, accounting for 22% of all global incidents in 2024 according to S&P and IBM. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son warned that AI-powered attacks pose a significant threat to the nation’s stability due to their unprecedented speed and scale.

Reclassifying DMARC ARC as historic

A new IETF proposal recommends reclassifying the Authenticated Received Chain (ARC) protocol as “Historic,” advising against its continued deployment between disparate senders and receivers. This move marks the conclusion of the ARC experiment, with its operational lessons being integrated into the development of the DKIM2 successor.

🛠️ Software & Development

The database that refused to die: How Postgres survived its own creators

PostgreSQL, originally an academic project developed by Michael Stonebraker, survived abandonment by its creator through the dedicated efforts of an open-source community. By integrating standard SQL into its extensible architecture, the database has evolved from a research tool into a cornerstone of modern cloud infrastructure.

ytr: YouTube Radio for Emacs

ytr is a new experimental Emacs package designed for streaming YouTube audio using mpv and yt-dlp. Unlike traditional file-driven players, it features a widget-like interface that utilizes child frames to present channel metadata.

Rhombus v1.0 Release

Rhombus version 1.0 has been released as a new general-purpose, functional, and extensible programming language built on the Racket ecosystem. The language combines an approachable, conventional syntax with powerful macro-based extensibility and improved data structures while maintaining compatibility with existing Racket tools.

Managing Postgres Time Zones in BC

The potential shift to permanent daylight savings in British Columbia may cause PostgreSQL timestamptz columns to display incorrect local times if system timezone rules are updated after data is stored. To ensure accuracy for scheduled events, developers are advised to use a dual-column pattern that stores both the local timestamp and its corresponding UTC value.

Codeberg’s First Anniversary

The Guix project has completed its first year of using Codeberg for source code hosting and collaboration following a migration from Savannah’s email-based workflow. This transition, implemented through the newly adopted Guix Consensus Document (GCD) process, aimed to enhance the developer experience via a modern pull-request-based system.

Steam Machine game testing

An ongoing discussion regarding Steam Machine game testing can be found in a recent Hacker News thread. This resource provides a platform for users to follow and participate in the conversation.

Oak – Git replacement designed for agents

Oak is a new version control system specifically designed to improve the speed and context available to AI agents. By utilizing virtual mounts, it allows agents to work on multiple tasks in parallel without the need for full repository downloads.

Xfwl4 First Preview Release

The first alpha preview of xfwl4, a new Wayland compositor for Xfce, has been released following six months of development. While the project aims to seamlessly replicate the existing X11 desktop experience, this early version currently contains known bugs and lacks several features.

I built Ponytrail, a local audit trail for AI coding-agent edits

Ponytrail is a new CLI tool designed to provide a local audit trail for file changes made by AI coding agents. It allows users to track edits, visualize them via a history tree, and revert files back to previous snapshots.

MSYS2 and the No-Fuss Way to Get More GNU into Your Windows

To address the lack of a seamless command line interface in Windows comparable to Linux or BSD, the article proposes MSYS2 as a low-overhead solution. This tool integrates a Bash shell and the pacman package manager directly into the Windows ecosystem to provide a familiar GNU-style development experience.

Monolisa v3 – a typeface for developers and creatives

The creators of MonoLisa, a monospaced typeface designed for developers, have expanded their collection with a new proportional font family called MonoLisa Text. This addition is intended to support use cases beyond coding and is currently available through a free trial.

QSOE: QNX-inspired OS with dual-kernel architecture

The QSOE project has released version 0.1 of its QNX-inspired operating system, featuring two kernel variants, QSOE/N and QSOE/L, that share a unified userspace. This release marks a significant milestone for QSOE/L, which now supports booting from NVMe storage on the SiFive Unmatched platform.

I rebuilt the only parts of my IDE I use, in Rust, over a weekend

A developer has released Kyde, a lightweight macOS git commit and diff editor built in Rust over a single weekend. Designed as a fast alternative to heavy IDEs, the open-source tool focuses specifically on streamlining Git operations.

window.showDirectoryPicker opens up a whole new world

Chrome’s new window.showDirectoryPicker() API enables web applications to access and modify files within a user’s local directory, supporting the development of “local-first” software. Using this technology, the author leveraged Claude to create functional prototypes of photo and video editing tools that operate directly on the local filesystem without manual coding.

Got sick of ads, so I made my own logic puzzle site

Puzzle Lair is an ad-free platform that provides daily logic puzzles, including Sudoku, Kakuro, and Nonograms. While many games are available at no cost, players can purchase a one-time unlock to gain permanent access to the full catalogs of specific puzzle types.

Linux Drawing Tablet Driver Collaboration Issues

Major drawing tablet manufacturers, including Gaomon and Huion, have rejected initiatives aimed at collaborating with Linux developers to create open-source drivers. Despite efforts to facilitate communication between these hardware brands and the Linux community, company marketing departments have declined to participate in the development project.

Manticore Search 27.1.5 introduces several major features, including built-in authentication and authorization, sharded tables, and new conversational search capabilities. The release also delivers significant performance improvements for KNN and HNSW builds, along with enhanced faceting and aggregations.

UUID: NewV7() always generates a UUID with 7000 on browsers (Golang)

A bug in Go version 1.27rc1 has been identified where UUIDv7 generation consistently produces a fixed “7000” segment when targeting js/wasm. This issue prevents the expected random bytes from being generated, resulting in predictable segments within the output.

Codex logging bug may write TBs to local SSDs

A bug in Codex’s SQLite feedback logs is writing an estimated 640 TB of data annually, posing a significant risk to local SSD endurance. The high volume is primarily driven by excessive TRACE and INFO level logs that could be reduced by approximately 96% through filtering.

Ultra-fast autocomplete for 240M domains

Wirewiki.com has introduced a near-instant autocomplete tool for 240 million domain names, achieving p99 0ms latency by delivering results before a user releases a key. The system utilizes client-side prefetching paired with an efficient API that employs in-memory tries and SSD-backed indices to handle massive datasets.

Deno Desktop Application News

deno desktop transforms Deno projects into self-contained, redistributable desktop applications by bundling code with the Deno runtime and a web rendering engine. The tool features automatic framework detection, cross-compilation support, and updates via binary diffs, and is currently available for testing in the Deno v2.9.0 canary build.

Instagram tests horizontal video, long-form content, and launches on Samsung TV.

Instagram is expanding its “Instagram for TV” feature to Samsung devices and testing horizontal video to attract more viewers. The platform also plans to experiment with longer-form storytelling, episodic series, and the ability to watch Stories on television.

How a Computer Should Work

The author proposes an “offline-first appliance” designed to replace modern operating systems with a minimalist, hardware-agnostic system that runs on both new and refurbished machines. This proposed system would prioritize user autonomy by enabling offline logins, easy application portability via flash drives, and seamless updates without requiring constant internet connectivity or account registration.

Computing Camera Rays

This article describes a method for computing camera rays by deriving them directly from view-projection matrices to ensure consistency between ray tracing and rasterization pipelines. The proposed approach provides a robust solution that supports both perspective and orthographic projections while avoiding potential numerical cancellation issues.

OpenMW 0.51.0 Released

The OpenMW team has released version 0.51.0 of their open-source engine, introducing new tools for modders such as magic effect scripting via an API and terrain vertex painting. This update also implements various gameplay and graphics fixes, including improved Lua stability and enhanced gamepad navigation.

📈 Business & Industry

Bankruptcy, trademark wars, and digital detox: How did Commodore live through it all?

US-based Commodore International has recently launched the Callback 8020, a retro flip phone designed to facilitate digital detoxing. However, the revived brand is currently embroiled in a trademark dispute with the Italian company Commodore Industries over the rights to the name.

Latest Technology News Updates

OpenAI has unveiled new cybersecurity tools, including the GPT-5.5-Cyber model and the “Patch the Planet” initiative to assist open-source maintainers, amid rising threats from Russian phishing campaigns and SharePoint vulnerabilities. The broader tech industry is also experiencing significant shifts in AI governance, evolving database strategies at Google, and major updates within Linux distributions such as OpenBSD and Fedora.

Chevron, Microsoft sign 20-year power agreement

Chevron and Microsoft have signed a 20-year agreement to develop “Project Kilby,” a massive West Texas data center powered by natural gas-based generation scheduled to begin operations in 2028. While the project aims to provide approximately 2.67 gigawatts of electricity, its reliance on gas turbines has raised environmental concerns regarding increased emissions and local air quality.

Walt Disney Company is the most successful at monetizing human nostalgia [audio]

The Walt Disney Company has evolved from a high-risk “moonshot factory” under Walt Disney’s leadership into a global leader in monetizing nostalgia through its vast intellectual property. By leveraging its unique “flywheel” business model, the company successfully transformed ambitious artistic gambles into a highly profitable and predictable entertainment empire.

Jobs and Software Is Fucked

An experienced software engineer expresses deep frustration with the current tech job market, citing the difficulties of navigating automated interview filters and keyword-heavy resume screening. The author argues that AI-driven recruitment tools undermine professional standards by creating an unfair advantage for candidates who use technology to bypass traditional technical assessments.

Mexican government unveils a prototype for a new homegrown, ultra-affordable EV

The Mexican government has unveiled a prototype for the Olinia Uno, an ultra-affordable six-passenger electric vehicle expected to launch next summer for approximately $8,500. As part of the “Plan México” initiative, the project aims to strengthen the nation’s manufacturing sector and expand its role in global automotive supply chains.

NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say

The National Science Foundation is cutting budgets for hundreds of its basic science programs by 20% to 30%, despite an overall budget decline of only 3%. Insiders suggest these funds are being reallocated to support the new $1.5 billion X-Labs initiative, which aims to transform scientific discoveries into commercial products and industries.

Steam accounted for 20% of Capcom’s revenue, double PlayStation’s share

For the fiscal year ending March 2026, Steam generated approximately 40.38 billion yen for Capcom, nearly doubling the revenue earned from PlayStation. Driven by the success of digital distribution and long-term catalogue sales, Capcom plans to further expand its focus on the PC platform through enhanced marketing and catalogue growth.

Bain uses AI for due diligence

Bain is using AI coding tools and “vibecoding” to create software prototypes and replicas of potential acquisition targets during its due diligence process. This approach allows the firm to evaluate candidates by simulating how their operational environments would integrate and perform within a client’s existing ecosystem.

Nadella Warns Against AI Monopoly

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is calling for a new wave of AI development to challenge the market dominance of leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic. His vision emphasizes providing more affordable models and greater user control as essential steps toward preventing an AI monopoly and building public trust.

DHL Set to Transport Goods on New Wind-Powered Cargo Ships

DHL Global Forwarding is partnering with the French company Vela to utilize wind-propelled cargo ships starting next year. This initiative aims to reduce freight emissions by integrating more sustainable transportation methods into their logistics operations.

Groq Secures $650M in New Funding

Groq has raised $650 million in a new funding round led by Disruptive and Infinitum to accelerate its expansion into an AI computing provider. The company plans to use the capital to scale its global AI inference cloud, targeting 200 MW of data center capacity by 2027.

$400k Pledge to Zig Software Foundation

Mitchell Hashimoto’s family has pledged an additional $400,000 to the Zig Software Foundation (ZSF), bringing their total committed support for the project to $700,000. The continued investment is motivated by Hashimoto’s respect for the foundation’s technical progress and its unique community culture.

Next Move Theory gives you an algorithm for every product decision

Next Move Theory is a methodology and algorithm designed to guide tactical and strategic product decisions for founders, product managers, and leaders. The system maps out all available moves and weighs their potential impact on key metrics like conversion and retention to minimize guesswork and improve the success rate of product bets.

I rebuilt Jobs To Be Done on scientific foundations and open-sourced it

Ivan Zamesin has open-sourced Next Move Theory, a decision-making methodology and toolset designed for founders and product managers to navigate strategic and tactical product choices. The system utilizes an algorithmic approach to identify all available moves and select the most effective options for improving key metrics like retention, conversion, and product-market fit.

Alan Greenspan Dies at 100; Led Fed During Boom Before 2008 Bust

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has died at the age of 100 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was known for guiding the United States through a period of significant economic expansion, though his legacy was later impacted by the 2008 financial crisis.

A site where people pay me money for no reason

An individual created a novelty website where people pay money for no reason as part of a bet to reach $1 million by the end of the year. The site has currently raised $5,010 toward that goal.

The Reason Bosses Want You Back in the Office Full Time

New research suggests that many executives’ demands for full-time in-person work are driven by narcissism and a desire for power rather than concerns about productivity or collaboration. The study found that leaders exhibiting self-centered and entitled traits are significantly more likely to oppose remote and hybrid work models to maintain their authority and status.

Investors get real-time view of UK bond market activity for the first time

ETS Connect UK has launched the UK’s first bond consolidated tape, providing investors with a single, real-time source for prices and trading activity across the market. The new service integrates previously scattered data to enhance transparency and efficiency, covering 98% of in-scope bond trading.

Zombie unicorns are haunting Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is seeing an increase in “zombie unicorns,” which are startups once valued at over $1 billion that have since experienced significant valuation declines. These struggling firms, a byproduct of years of inflated valuations, are becoming a major concern for venture capitalists.

The Doom Justifies the Valuation

The author argues that “AI doom” narratives are being used as a strategic marketing tactic to inflate industry valuations by focusing on existential risks rather than current technical progress. They contend that this alarmist messaging is designed to justify speculative future value through the cultivation of public fear and panic.

Qualcomm in advanced talks to acquire AI chip startup Modular for ~$4B, per Bloomberg

Qualcomm Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire AI chip startup Modular Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $4 billion. An official announcement regarding the deal could be made as early as the coming weeks.

Oracle workforce fell by 21,000 to 141,000 as AI adoption drives cuts, per filing

Oracle Corp. has reduced its global workforce by 21,000 employees over the past 12 months, bringing its total headcount to 141,000 as of May 31. The company attributed these job cuts to the adoption and deployment of artificial intelligence technologies and noted that further reductions may occur.

Air Space Intelligence wins $875M, 12-year FAA contract for AI tools to reduce flight delays

Air Space Intelligence Inc. has won an $875 million, 12-year FAA contract to develop AI tools that map flight trajectories and identify congestion to reduce delays. The startup beat out larger competitors like Palantir Technologies and Thales SA in a federal initiative to enhance air traffic safety.

Alphabet shares fall 7.2%, most intraday since Feb, after second top AI exec leaves DeepMind

Alphabet Inc. shares dropped as much as 7.2% on Monday following the departure of Google DeepMind Vice President John Jumper to Anthropic. This marks the second high-profile AI executive exit in a single week, following researcher Noam Shazeer’s move to OpenAI.

AppsFlyer raises $1B Series E at $2.7B valuation; Moloco, Google, Meta, and Unity join.

Marketing technology startup AppsFlyer has raised over $1 billion in Series E funding at a $2.7 billion post-money valuation. The round included minority investments from major advertising platforms Moloco, Google, Meta, and Unity to support the expansion of independent measurement tools amid the rise of AI.

Crypto app Fomo raises $75M Series B at $550M valuation, led by Index

Crypto startup Fomo has raised $75 million in a Series B funding round led by Index Ventures, bringing the company’s valuation to $550 million. The platform aims to simplify blockchain-based trading through an intuitive app designed for seamless user onboarding and social interaction across various digital assets.

Google to invest ~$75M in A24 as part of new AI partnership

Google is investing approximately $75 million in independent film studio A24 to establish a new artificial-intelligence research partnership. Through its DeepMind unit, Google aims to collaborate with A24 to develop novel tools for movie production and distribution.

UK AI law firm Garfield wins first English court case over unpaid fees.

The UK-based AI law firm Garfield has won its first case in an English court. The legal proceedings focused on a dispute regarding unpaid fees.

Lime seeks up to $180.9M in US IPO, aiming for a $1.7B valuation

Lime, an Uber-backed electric bike and scooter rental firm, is seeking to raise up to $180.9 million through a US initial public offering. The company plans to offer 6.7 million shares priced between $24 and $26 each, which could value the firm at up to $1.7 billion.

Himax founders hit $1B net worth; chip maker supplies Ferrari and VW

The founders of Taiwanese chipmaker Himax Technologies, Biing-seng Wu and Jordan Wu, have achieved a combined net worth of $1 billion. Their wealth has grown significantly due to the high demand for their display integrated circuits, which are used in everything from smartwatches to luxury automobiles.

Getty signs OpenAI licensing deal; GETY jumps 150%+ pre-market

Getty Images shares surged approximately 200% in premarket trading following the announcement of a licensing deal with OpenAI. Under the agreement, Getty’s image library will be integrated into ChatGPT’s search and discovery features.

PitchBook: Defense tech raised $12.3B via 175 deals YTD, up from $9.95B/158 deals in 2025

Defense technology companies specializing in drones and battlefield AI have raised $12.3 billion through 175 deals year-to-date. This figure surpasses the $9.95 billion total from 158 deals recorded in 2025.

Morgan Stanley expects $15B in leveraged loans for data centers this year over bonds.

Morgan Stanley is encouraging data center developers to utilize leveraged loans as an alternative to bonds for financing. The bank estimates that approximately $15 billion in these types of loans will be issued this year.

WiseTech shares drop 11% as co-founder faces sex exploitation probe; down 67% this year

The Australian Federal Police are investigating WiseTech Global executive chairman Richard White over allegations of human exploitation and visa fraud. A complaint from a former Kyckr CEO alleges that White used his influence to coerce an individual into a sexual relationship and provided false information to the government to facilitate a visa application.

ByteDance trades at $600B+ in gray markets; IPO unlikely, growth aids Chinese and US backers

ByteDance shares are reportedly trading at a valuation of over $600 billion in gray markets, though an initial public offering remains unlikely. The company’s continued growth persists to benefit both its Chinese and U.S. backers.

China adds 10 US companies to export controls and bars government purchases from 46 others.

China has imposed new export controls on ten U.S. companies, including MP Materials and Teal Drones. Additionally, the country has barred government procurement from 46 American firms, such as Anduril, signaling escalating trade tensions between the two nations.

Apple supplier Lingyi iTech seeks $1.1B Hong Kong IPO to expand into AI and robotics

Shenzhen-listed Apple supplier Lingyi iTech is seeking to raise up to US$1.1 billion through a Hong Kong initial public offering debuting on June 26. The company plans to use the proceeds to fund its expansion into artificial intelligence hardware, including smart glasses and AI servers, as well as humanoid robotics.

AI robot maker Coowa plans Hong Kong IPO at $3B valuation after $600M funding.

Shanghai-based robotics company Coowa is planning to file for an initial public offering in Hong Kong. The firm is valued at approximately $3 billion following a recent funding round that raised $600 million.

🔌 Hardware & Infrastructure

Humanity trashed Earth orbit – next stop the Moon

This news digest covers the proposal of lunar scrapyards to manage Earth’s orbital debris alongside recent developments in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity threats. It also highlights significant updates in software engineering, hardware innovation, and the Linux ecosystem.

Optocam Zero: a Pi Zero based digital camera made using off the shelf components

The Optocam Zero is a compact, DIY digital camera built using Raspberry Pi Zero and readily available off-the-shelf components. The project features 3D-printable parts, autofocus capabilities, and support for GIF recording and playback. All necessary assembly guides, software, and hardware instructions are provided in its repository for easy DIY construction.

Canada plans ’nuclear renaissance’ with up to 10 reactors built by 2040

Canada has announced a new national nuclear strategy aiming to build up to 10 new reactors by 2040 to help double the country’s electrical grid capacity by 2050. The plan also seeks to expand uranium exports and international sales of Canadian-made reactors, though officials estimate construction costs could exceed $100 billion.

Valve’s Steam Machine Launch

Valve has officially launched its Steam Machine living room PC, with the base 512GB model starting at $1,049. The release features various hardware configurations and is accompanied by a new related sale and subscription event on the Steam platform.

Steam Machine 512GB

The text outlines the user interface elements of the Steam platform, including options to install software and sign in. It also provides an extensive list of supported languages available for the service.

Inventing the Future, One Lisp Machine at a Time

In a recent interview on Do You Speak Tech?, computing pioneers Larry Masinter and Frank Halasz reflect on their influential work at Xerox PARC. They discuss the lab’s unique culture of creative freedom and high standards, which drove the development of foundational technologies such as Interlisp and NoteCards.

Die analysis of the 8087 math coprocessor’s fast bit shifter (2020)

This article provides a microscopic analysis of the Intel 8087 math coprocessor’s silicon die to explore its complex internal architecture. It focuses particularly on the vital role of the chip’s high-speed barrel shifter in executing efficient floating-point operations according to the IEEE 754 standard.

I Do Not Recommend Google Hardware

An experienced user advises against purchasing Google consumer hardware, citing a consistent history of premature hardware failures across various Nexus and Pixel devices. While they continue to use Pixels exclusively for their compatibility with GrapheneOS, they no longer recommend or intend to buy Google’s electronics due to these persistent reliability concerns.

1983 Northern Telecom Commodore Phone

In 1983, Commodore Canada bundled its VICModem with a branded Northern Telecom rotary phone to navigate strict Canadian telecommunications regulations regarding hardwired equipment. To overcome the technical limitations of these non-modular handsets, engineers developed the VIC-1605 adaptor switch, allowing users to toggle the connection between the telephone and the modem.

Valve Steam Machine review: Smooth and small, but expensive and needs manual configuration.

Valve’s Steam Machine is a compact, quiet PC designed to function like a game console using modern gamepads. However, its high starting price of over $1,000 and the need for manual configuration may deter users, especially as it offers performance comparable to much cheaper alternatives like the PlayStation 5.

SpaceX signs $6.3B computing deal with Reflection AI for Nvidia GB300 access at Colossus 2

SpaceX has signed a computing agreement with Reflection AI to provide the startup access to its Colossus infrastructure and Nvidia GB300 chips. The deal involves monthly payments of $150 million starting in July 2026, potentially totaling approximately $6.3 billion through 2029.

Upscale raises $190M at $2B valuation, building AI networking infrastructure to rival Cisco

Santa Clara-based startup Upscale has raised $190 million in a Series A-1 funding round, bringing its valuation to $2 billion. The company is developing an open-standard networking fabric designed to enable efficient communication between GPUs from different manufacturers, aiming to break the industry’s reliance on proprietary ecosystems like Nvidia’s.

Japan’s top 5 chip toolmakers see first China sales drop of 10% as China boosts local players

Japan’s top five chipmaking equipment manufacturers reported a 10% decline in combined sales to China for the fiscal year ended March 31. This marks the first-ever decrease in sales to the region, driven by Beijing’s efforts to bolster its domestic semiconductor industry.

Toilet maker Toto to invest $495M in semiconductor materials for next-gen 1nm chip R&D by 2030

Japanese bathroom fixture maker Toto plans to invest $495 million over the next five years to expand its semiconductor materials business. The company aims to support the production of next-generation 1-nanometer chips, driven by surging demand for AI technology.

Network shares: still talking about them in 2026

While KDE applications handle network shares seamlessly using specific protocols, non-KDE applications often struggle because they require local file paths rather than protocol-based addresses. This issue is particularly problematic when using apps that utilize their own integrated open or save dialogs.

🌎 Society & Culture

As another UK prime minister bites the dust, a contradictory tech legacy remains

The outgoing UK Prime Minister leaves behind a contradictory technological legacy marked by unsuccessful attempts to foster growth, efficiency, and digital sovereignty. Successors will inherit these ongoing challenges alongside the same-scale pressures facing the nation’s tech sector.

Tacky men with ridiculous glasses want you to wear them too

The article criticizes tech leaders from Meta and Apple for promoting the adoption of AI-powered smart glasses and augmented reality headsets. The author argues that these devices face significant aesthetic and cultural hurdles, suggesting the trend may ultimately be a “dead-end.”

Job application asked for my SAT scores

An author critiques a startup’s request for SAT scores in a job application, arguing that such outdated metrics are unreliable indicators of current professional ability. The piece also explores the historical evolution of hiring assessments, tracing their origins back to military cognitive testing developed during World War I.

Japanese symbols that speak without words

Japan has a long history of using graphic symbols, such as the heraldic kamon, to convey meaning without the need for words. This tradition continues in modern public services, where specialized emblems are used on police and fire vehicles to communicate identity and purpose through visual cues alone.

Wolves are reconquering Europe. Can people learn to live with them?

A recent attack on a child by a notorious wolf in the Netherlands has intensified the debate over managing Europe’s growing wolf population. While conservationists celebrate the species’ resurgence, farmers and residents are increasingly concerned about livestock losses and human safety.

Finding the Best Dog Treat with Statistics

To determine their Greyhound’s favorite snack, an author applied the Bradley-Terry statistical model to a series of daily pairwise comparisons between different treats. By recording which treat the dog chose in each head-to-head trial, the experiment generated a global ranking based on relative strength scores.

Younger workers avoid phone calls and it might cost them opportunities

A RiseGuide survey reveals that many Gen Z and Millennial workers are avoiding phone calls in favor of text and email, a trend termed “callergy.” This avoidance has reportedly cost 78% of those who skip spoken conversations career opportunities or earnings.

Becoming a dad changes men’s brains

Research indicates that fatherhood triggers neurological changes in men, such as “brain pruning” to increase caregiving efficiency through modified mentalizing and emotional networks. Additionally, approximately one in ten fathers experience postnatal depression or anxiety, which can manifest as irritability or anger.

Keir Starmer announces his resignation as prime minister

Following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as UK Prime Minister, Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has called for a “new relationship” with his successor. Ap Iorwerth is seeking a partnership focused on greater powers, fair funding, and mutual respect to ensure effective engagement between Wales and Westminster.

Staggering amounts of fentanyl hit streets as the DEA watched and took no action

The DEA permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to enter New Mexico between 2023 and 2025 as part of a strategy to build larger criminal cases against major traffickers. Critics argue this tactic jeopardized public safety, potentially contributing to a 21% spike in regional overdose deaths during that period.

Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals

The Japanese government is increasing visa fees for foreign nationals for the first time since 1978 to address inflation and exchange rate fluctuations. Starting July 1, single-entry visa fees will rise from ¥3,000 to ¥15,000, with much larger increases planned for residency applications by March 2027. The additional revenue will be used to fund administrative costs related to managing Japan’s growing foreign population.

Chinas War on Female Delusion

The Chinese government is cracking down on “microdramas” that depict idealized narratives, such as women marrying into wealth and power, in an effort to promote social harmony. This censorship follows a pattern of targeting content deemed “degenerate,” including previous bans on sexualized models at auto shows and revealing costumes in historical dramas.

SC law legalizes pinball for youth, ending decades-old prohibition

South Carolina has legalized pinball for individuals under the age of 18, ending a prohibition that had been in place since 1959. The new law removes the game from the state’s list of status offenses to alleviate legal uncertainty for business owners.

The Flat Curve Society

As advanced AI models become significant security risks, governments are expected to restrict access to superintelligence through strict regulations and supply chain controls similar to those used for nuclear weapons. This shift is predicted to create a ceiling for open-source development, leaving most users dependent on heavily supervised and less capable versions of frontier technology.

Sarah Polcz: Law professor who advised Bernie Sanders’ AI sovereign wealth fund proposal

UC Davis law professor Sarah Polcz served as a consultant for Bernie Sanders’ team during the development of his AI sovereign wealth fund proposal. The article provides a profile of her expertise and her role in the consulting process.

In memory of the man who put red and green squiggles under words

The article commemorates software developer Tony Krueger, a significant contributor to many versions of Microsoft Word. He is best known for inventing the unobtrusive red and green squiggles used for spelling and grammar checks in modern word processors.

What are you doing this week?

Readers are invited to share their plans for the upcoming week. The piece also notes that having no scheduled activities is perfectly acceptable.

Chesterton’s middle finger

The author expresses frustration with inheriting codebases that lack meaningful commit histories and sufficient documentation, making it difficult to understand past design decisions. They argue that software developers have a professional responsibility to provide clear context regarding the rationale behind their changes to assist future maintainers.

help i accidentally a wigglegram

The author developed a script using perceptual hashing and Hamming distance to automatically identify “wigglegrams,” which are animated stereo images created by looping similar frames. The tool detects sequences of photos taken from slightly different angles, allowing the user to easily find accidental animations within large photo libraries.