Alvaro Lopez Ortega / 2026-08-11 Briefing

Created Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:19:35 +0000 Modified Tue, 11 Aug 2026 19:20:32 +0000
8012 Words

Intel upsized its stock sale to $20B for ‘general corporate purposes.’ Geopolitical conflicts and the World Cup fueled a 519% surge in DDoS attacks on publishers. Federal agencies warn Gunra ransomware is exploiting Fortinet bugs to hit critical infrastructure, and a cyberattack on logistics firm CEVA exposed customer data from companies like Valve and ING, disrupting eight European warehouses.

🤖 AI & Machine Learning

Deepfake hiccup unmasks suspected digital certificate fraudster

Spanish police caught a suspected digital certificate fraudster after a face-swap deepfake glitched for barely a second, revealing the real person behind the fake identity. The brief blinking failure gave authorities the break they needed to crack the case.

Alibaba Cloud is using AI to help it use less AI

Alibaba Cloud is leveraging AI to reduce its reliance on large language models for tech support. By keeping tickets away from LLMs, the company resolves them faster and more accurately.

Anthropic pledges to embed watermarks to help discern AI slop in sop to EU

Anthropic has pledged to embed watermarks in its AI outputs to help identify AI-generated content, citing EU regulations as the motivation. The effort aims to trace the ancestry of AI-generated text to better distinguish it from human-created material.

Lean Eval for Alignment on Faithfulness

leanscreen is a fast, free tool that screens Lean 4 proofs for defects such as vacuous statements, using lints and counterexample probes. It is calibrated against human judgments, but a passing result does not certify correctness—expert human review is still required for critical statements.

Grok Bot by SpaceXAI

Grok Bot is a new AI teammate from SpaceXAI that operates its own cloud computer, works across apps and tools, and completes tasks end-to-end, pausing only for user approvals. It learns user workflows, can coordinate with other bots, and is now in beta for SuperGrok Heavy, Cursor Ultra, and Cursor Teams Premium subscribers on desktop and iOS.

Apple Silicon and macOS VMs: 11–16× Faster LLM Inference with Llama.cpp

A Metal capability shim for macOS VMs using Apple’s Virtualization.framework lets llama.cpp select newer GPU kernels, unlocking major speedups on Apple Silicon. On an M1 Ultra, TinyLlama prompt processing ran 11.08× faster and token generation 16.36× faster than in a stock VM, approaching bare-metal performance. The research release includes source and benchmarks, with similar gains for Gemma 4 and Muse Glimmer models.

Why Did OpenAI’s Head of Ethics Chloé Bakalar Leave?

OpenAI’s Head of Ethics, Chloé Bakalar, left the company less than a year after joining, and no replacement has been named. Her exit follows other high-profile departures from OpenAI’s safety and research teams amid organizational restructuring. OpenAI maintains that ethical considerations are embedded across multiple teams rather than owned by a single ethicist.

Nvidia Nemotron 3.5 Lightning

The article provides setup instructions for NVIDIA’s Nemotron 3.5 Lightning model (30B-A3B-NVFP4) across platforms like Transformers, vLLM, SGLang, and Docker, including code examples for text generation and API calls. It highlights the model’s specifications: 30B total parameters with 3B active, MoE-Mamba-2 hybrid architecture, up to 1M token context, and single-GPU deployment capability, along with training and evaluation dataset details.

OpenAI’s Only Ethicist Reportedly Left Last Month

OpenAI’s only dedicated ethicist, Chloé Bakalar, reportedly left the company in July after roughly a year, with no replacement named. She previously served as Meta’s chief ethicist. Her departure follows a series of other safety-related staff exits from OpenAI.

I vibecoded a heavy lift drone

An author with no aeronautical engineering background used AI assistance to rapidly design and build a 50-pound quadplane for the DARPA Lift Challenge, documenting a chaotic month of construction, weight problems, and last-minute preparations. At the competition, the drone managed a brief hop before crashing, costing damaged motors, props, and batteries. Despite the failure, the author considered the intense learning experience fun and worthwhile.

No, local models will not win

Local AI models will not replace datacenter-based inference. Local models are always weaker than frontier models, and running them locally is more expensive and less efficient than datacenter inference due to batching and superior hardware. Therefore, most inference will continue to occur in AI datacenters.

SpaceXAI beta launches Grok Bot AI agent on Mac, iOS, Windows, Linux for SuperGrok/Cursor premium

SpaceXAI and Cursor, which are merging, have launched Grok Bot, a new AI agent app, in beta on Mac, iOS, Windows, and Linux. The AI agents can perform tasks end-to-end across apps and services, remembering conversations and learning preferences. Initial access is limited to SuperGrok Heavy, Cursor Ultra, and Cursor Teams Premium subscribers.

Nvidia’s Nemotron 4: 1T+ parameters, up from 550B but smaller than leading Chinese open models

Nvidia is reportedly developing Nemotron 4, an open-source AI model with over 1 trillion parameters, up from its predecessor’s 550 billion but still smaller than leading Chinese open models. The effort aims to strengthen Nvidia’s software ecosystem and drive demand for its GPUs by setting industry standards.

Pichai: Gemini hits 1B+ MAUs, fastest-growing product, 14th to reach 1B users.

Sundar Pichai announced that Gemini has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users, making it the company’s fastest-growing product ever. It is also Google’s 14th product to reach the 1-billion-user milestone.

Spotify to label AI personas mid-September using human review and AI tools

Spotify will roll out an “AI Persona” badge in mid-September for artist profiles that do not represent a real person, using human review and AI tools to detect such identities. Music from these AI personas will be excluded from editorial and personal recommendations by default. The platform will also notify artists and allow appeals, with plans to let listeners flag potential AI-generated profiles.

London AI startup Cosine, with UK backing, builds frontier model despite talent/resource doubts.

Britain’s sovereign AI ambitions hinge on London-based startup Cosine, a company of about 30 employees that has raised only $15 million. With UK government backing, it aims to build a frontier AI model, though skeptics question whether it has the talent and resources to succeed.

My Anti AI computer

The author built a custom “anti AI” computer to escape AI and practice patience, but ironically used AI to write all its software, from the OS to emulators. While he enjoys the finished device, he feels less fulfillment than if he had coded it himself, and reflects on accepting that AI now performs the work he once loved.

🔐 Security & Privacy

Two wars and a World Cup lead to epic DDoS attacks on publishers

Geopolitically motivated DDoS attacks on publishers spiked dramatically, driven by conflicts in Ukraine and Iran as well as the World Cup. Attack traffic surged 519 percent, reaching peaks of 1 Tbps.

Feds warn Gunra ransomware is exploiting known bugs to hit critical infrastructure

The Gunra ransomware gang, a newly formed ransomware-as-a-service operation, is exploiting known Fortinet vulnerabilities in internet-facing devices to breach critical infrastructure networks. Once inside, the attackers steal and encrypt data, prompting federal warnings about the active threat.

Cyberattack on logistics giant CEVA delivers customer data into the wrong hands

A cyberattack on logistics firm CEVA compromised customer data belonging to companies including Valve, Bol, ING, and Ajax. The incident also disrupted operations across eight European warehouses.

Mozilla revokes Firefox signing key after unencrypted copy lands in GitHub

Mozilla revoked a Firefox signing key after an unencrypted copy of it was published on GitHub. Audit logs found no unexpected visitors, but the incident indicates that release verification still needs an update.

Malicious SIMs can shut down phones, steal files, and drag 5G back to 2G

Researchers have found that standards-compliant SIM functionality can be abused to hijack phone modems, downgrade connections from 5G to 2G, and even execute code. This can lead to shutting down devices, stealing files, and other malicious activities.

Woman pulled over twice after Flock-linked software connected her to homicide

A woman was pulled over twice after Flock license plate reader software falsely linked her vehicle to a homicide suspect. The error led to two separate traffic stops before authorities corrected the mistake, raising concerns about the reliability of automated surveillance technology.

Claude Code is leaking real email address as a User-Agent string in curl command

Claude Code v2.1.212 is reported to leak a user’s real email address as a User-Agent string in a curl command without asking for confirmation. The user says this is a regression and that the agent should have requested permission before using the email. The issue occurs on the Anthropic API with Sonnet 5.0 on macOS in the IntelliJ IDEA terminal.

Flock wanted to tap dashcams in rideshare vechicles to add to surveillance data

Flock, a surveillance company, planned to expand its license plate reader network by partnering with dashcam firm Nexar to passively collect data from Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers’ devices, but the partnership was never executed. Internal presentations revealed ambitions to conscript these drivers for data collection, though it is unclear if the drivers or companies were aware. Flock is the same company previously linked to Ring and helping ICE access Lowe’s and Home Depot security footage.

Stealing Reasoning Traces from Proprietary LLM APIs

The article describes a process of sanitizing a code repository by searching for exposed credentials—including AWS, GitHub, and Hugging Face tokens—using targeted patterns and regex. It identifies real secrets in configuration files and embedded diff data, then replaces them with placeholders to remove all API keys.

What I learned by putting GitHub Copilot behind a MitM proxy

The author reverse-engineered GitHub Copilot by placing it behind a MITM proxy to inspect its network traffic, motivated by curiosity about its inner workings and context usage. They chose runtime traffic analysis over source code because most AI desktop apps are built on Electron and share architecture, making findings transferable. The article examines Electron’s network stack and how it affects traffic interception.

Fairy Ring

A fairy ring is a naturally occurring circle or arc of mushrooms found in forests and grasslands, formed as fungal mycelium spreads outward from a central point, depleting soil nutrients and creating dead or dark green grass zones. These rings can grow over 10 meters in diameter and are often linked to folklore, seen as either dangerous or lucky.

Updated GPG Key for Signing Firefox and Thunderbird Releases

Mozilla rotated its GPG signing subkey for Firefox and Thunderbird artifacts after an unencrypted copy was accidentally committed to a private GitHub repository, though no evidence of unauthorized access was found. The previous key was revoked and safeguards added. Most users need no action, but manual GPG verifiers and RPM users on older Fedora, RHEL, and openSUSE must import the new key and remove the old one.

ICE to Pay LexisNexis Millions for Data to Feed to Palantir

ICE will pay LexisNexis $6.7 million to continue accessing its data tools, which will be integrated with Palantir platforms to support deportation efforts such as screening, lead development, and criminal analysis. The procurement documents also require AI-driven identification and facial recognition systems using large-scale databases. This comes as ICE arrested over 51,000 people in July.

FlightAware sues Kalshi, alleging unauthorized use of data for flight-cancellation bets.

Flight-tracking platform FlightAware is suing prediction-market company Kalshi in New York, alleging Kalshi used its data without permission to let users bet on flight cancellations despite demands to stop. FlightAware claims such markets could incentivize unsafe tactics to impact cancellations and potentially disrupt air travel.

Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, co-founders of shopping app Phia, were aware for at least seven months that its software took credit for sales it did not drive, according to internal communications. The founders pushed for features enabling the practice, which was documented on internal Slack channels.

WA police face scan trial: 130,000+ scanned since June, raising accuracy/privacy concerns

Western Australia Police have run Australia’s first live facial recognition trial, scanning over 130,000 people in Perth and Fremantle since June and matching faces in real time against a watchlist of about 4,000 people. The trial produced 33 alerts and 18 arrests in its first week, but privacy experts and legal advocates have raised concerns about accuracy issues, an opaque watchlist, and trial locations that may target First Nations people.

PatronView owner: year fighting scrapers—214:1 bot:human loads, 35k Claude crawls/user, Amazon bot 0

After a year of fighting scrapers on PatronView’s 1.5-million-page site, the owner reported bots outnumbered human page loads 214 to 1, with one referred user generating roughly 35,000 Claude crawls and Amazon’s bot referring no users. He detailed what he tried, what failed, and what is now working to curb the abuse.

Cleaning costs, or, examining the OpenBSD -fret-clean flag

OpenBSD’s -fret-clean mitigation, added in 7.6, inserts a movq $0, -8(%rsp) after every call to clear stale return addresses and hinder ROP attacks. The author’s research concludes the mitigation likely costs more than it’s worth, noting it is at least the third independent invention of this strategy and that similar prior approaches have been deprecated or recommended against.

Briar is in maintenance mode

Briar remains active but is now in maintenance mode, receiving only essential security updates and bugfixes. The project had considered shutting down due to unresolved issues and lack of funding but decided to continue after receiving support. Rumors of the project’s closure are outdated.

Dozens of new botnets are rising from the ashes of Kimwolf and Aisuru

Despite takedowns of the massive Kimwolf and Aisuru botnets, DDoS threats have rebounded, with Aisuru now driving about 33% of global DDoS traffic and Kimwolf’s blueprint spawning over 20 rival botnets. Competition for vulnerable devices has reduced typical attack sizes to 20,000–30,000 IPs, but poorly secured routers, cameras, and IoT devices continue to allow botnet infrastructure to regenerate.

🛠️ Dev Tools & Open Source

OpenSSH 10.5/10.5p1

OpenSSH 10.5 was released on 2026-08-11, featuring security fixes for ssh-agent, ssh client, and sshd, along with small bugfixes. Due to a rise in AI-assisted security reports, the team will now release more frequently to deliver fixes faster. New features include ssh-keygen FIDO flag management, ssh -Z key listing, and tweaks to FIDO key authentication ordering.

Why Go Is an Ideal Language for AI-Assisted Software Engineering

As AI-generated code becomes more common, software engineering is shifting from writing speed to reviewing, verifying, and maintaining code, with humans overseeing architecture and safety. The article argues Go is well-suited for this reality because it was designed as a team-oriented, end-to-end platform with built-in tools, simplicity, compatibility, and security that support long-term maintainability.

Mojo 1.0 Is Here

Mojo has officially released version 1.0, providing a stable, production-ready foundation for developers to build long-term projects. The release includes language cleanup, new features such as Python-style lambdas and improved memory safety checks, and reflects significant community contributions. Future updates will focus on additive changes as Mojo evolves toward a general-purpose systems programming language.

Git-knife – edit commit messages, authors, and dates like a spreadsheet

git-knife is a new desktop GUI that lets users directly edit git commit metadata—messages, author/committer identities, and dates—while preserving file contents via git commit-tree. It offers bulk regex find/replace, preview, backup/restore, and safety warnings. The current MVP supports editing commits on the current branch but locks merge commits and lacks reorder, squash, and drop features.

Write.md, a free, open-source, themeable Markdown editor for macOS

Write.md is a free, open-source Markdown editor for macOS that lets users customize the writing surface—canvas, type, and transparency—and save these as profiles, with no account or telemetry. It works with plain Markdown files and includes optional Vim mode and local spelling/style suggestions, without AI services. The app is available for Apple silicon and stores files as ordinary files on the Mac.

How to organize Claude Code for product work

Claude Code works best for product work when organized as a persistent workspace containing context files, project folders, reusable skills, and stored feedback to avoid repeating corrections. The author provides a public starter workspace and setup guide, arguing that good filing improves every future session more than prompting alone. This system suits any context-heavy role, not just product management.

Closing Canario Terminal source code

Raphael is closing the source of his Canario terminal due to the maintenance burden of issues, PRs, and AI-generated spam, though he will continue maintaining Rio. He clarifies Canario has no telemetry, its source code remains available in older Rio versions, and it was built for his own use without external expectations.

Mcptoon – Token-efficient MCP CLI client

mcptoon is a zero-dependency Python CLI that connects to MCP servers and outputs TOON, a compact notation replacing JSON, cutting token usage by 40–60% typically and up to 97% for tool discovery. It supports stdio/HTTP, multiple output formats, and works with major AI agents.

Recycle – Floppydisks

The service purchases new 3.5" floppy disks in sealed packs of 100 or more, while also recycling old diskettes of any quantity. For recycling more than 200 disks, they offer a small shipping offset, provided the disks are sent to their Laguna Beach address with a reimbursement form.

H3-metal – Native MiniMax-H3 inference for Apple Silicon

h3-metal is a native MiniMax-H3 inference tool for Apple Silicon, supporting prompt-to-video/audio, first/last-frame conditioning, and ordered Ref2VA references end to end. It provides a tutorial covering build steps, CLI and interactive sessions, and optimization options such as layer reuse and reduced transformer layers. Ongoing development focuses on incremental Metal performance and memory optimization for M3 Max and M5 Max.

Nvidia releases open-source Nemotron 3.5 Lightning 30B MoE and NeMo Switchyard routing library

Nvidia announced two new services: Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, an open 30B-parameter mixture-of-experts model designed for high-volume agentic tasks, and NeMo Switchyard, an open-source model routing library. The company claims Lightning delivers up to four times the output speed and 30% faster agentic task completion than peers, and is easily customizable with Nvidia’s NeMo tools.

Mojo 1.0 is here

Mojo has officially reached version 1.0, providing a stable, production-ready foundation for developers to build long-term projects after years of rapid evolution. The release includes language simplifications, new features like Python-style lambdas and improved diagnostics, and reflects contributions from nearly 200 community contributors. Mojo 1.0 marks a milestone, with future development expected to be primarily additive.

The fastest double-to-string algorithm you’ve never heard of

The article describes “yy,” a fast binary-to-decimal conversion algorithm from the yyjson library, part of the Schubfach family, which uses fixed-width integer arithmetic and only one precomputed power-of-10 multiplication. It explains how yy selects among four candidate decimal values using three simple predicates with round-half-to-even tie handling, then examines a boundary case through visualization.

Performance impact of Alignment

Alignment of memory accesses affects SIMD vectorization, with vector alignment based on the total vector size rather than element size, so array element alignment does not guarantee vector alignment. Some architectures require aligned accesses for correctness, while most modern CPUs allow unaligned accesses that are usually fast unless they cross cacheline boundaries, which can slow performance.

msword: Port of Microsoft Word 1.1a to x64

This article describes a fully working native x64 Windows port of Microsoft Word for Windows 1.1a, built from the original source code and resources. The port replaces 16-bit assembly, segmented memory, and Win16 platform boundaries with modern x64-compatible components, so the original application runs as a 64-bit executable rather than through an emulator. It also includes CMake build instructions, CTest-based testing, and a project layout that separates the original code from the x64 compatibility layer.

GNOME Shell Design Dreams

The GNOME design team shared long-term UI vision ideas for GNOME Shell, including a new search results overlay with richer content, editable quick settings, and a simplified calendar popover that groups notifications with quick settings. These proposals are at various stages and depend on developer capacity, interest, and funding, with the search overlay possibly shipping in GNOME 51.

A noob learns FFT

The article walks through applying an FFT to a pure sine wave in R, noting that the raw output is scaled by the sample count and produces two peaks at positive and negative frequencies. Converting the complex FFT output to magnitude reveals the expected amplitude spectrum, and the author also demonstrates that truncating the signal introduces spectral leakage.

Making [etched] holograms with a pen plotter

The article describes how to create hand-drawn holograms using a pen plotter by exploiting reflective ridges whose curvature controls how light highlights move as the viewer changes position. It explains the intuitive optics behind the technique, drawing on everyday examples like fingerprints and CDs, and includes code and mathematical details for rendering 3D scenes with realistic depth.

There’s a dungeon under this blog

A static blog hides a multiplayer dungeon-crawler easter egg that works with no game server or backend: browsers connect via WebRTC, coordinated through public relays like nostr. The dungeon is procedurally generated identically for all players from the UTC date seed, while only live state such as positions, HP, and loot is shared peer-to-peer, with one peer acting as authority for monster movement.

Squeak 6.1

Squeak 6.1 “Vanessa” has been released, introducing a new tree browser, the return of Objectland, kernel infrastructure fixes, and toolset improvements. The release merges over 1,700 patches and includes interactive release notes optimized for viewing within Squeak.

Reviewing code is a skill

The article argues that code review is a teachable skill developers can improve, not just a bug-detection task. It highlights that reviews also serve education, norm enforcement, gatekeeping, and accident prevention, supporting this with research and examples.

☁️ Cloud & Infrastructure

Building up the US power grid won’t be wasted, even if the AI bubble bursts

McKinsey contends that investing in the US power grid is prudent even if the AI boom fades, since the infrastructure needs upgrading regardless of AI demand. The consulting firm warns that the greater risk lies in underinvestment, not overbuilding.

Why hybrid clouds break and what to do about it

Hybrid cloud itself isn’t the issue; rather, applying a one-size-fits-all strategy to it causes problems. The article explains that the failure stems from this rigid approach, not the technology.

OVH Cloud warns of 87% price hikes to help it cover RAMpocalypse costs

OVH Cloud is warning customers of price increases up to 87% to cover rising memory costs, with the steepest hikes hitting gaming servers. Conventional instances running on both older and newer hardware will also see significant price rises.

$580M undersea cable rerouted to avoid the grave of Dobby the House Elf

A $580 million undersea power cable between Ireland and Wales was rerouted after Harry Potter fans complained it would disturb the fictional grave of Dobby the house elf at Freshwater West, the beach where the character’s burial scene was filmed. The project manager initially did not know who Dobby was, but the company ultimately changed the route to satisfy fans. The new path instead passes near a Bronze Age burial site.

Microsoft Responds to Outcry After Quiet Enterprise Install of Beta ‘Photos’ App

Microsoft quietly installed a beta OneDrive Photos app on Windows 11 Enterprise PCs without notifying IT admins, who found no documentation or easy way to disable it. Administrators criticized the consumer-oriented beta appearing on corporate machines and had to create their own removal scripts. Microsoft acknowledged the rollout went broader than intended and said it is fixing the issue.

Hyperspace

Hyperspace is a Mac app that finds files with identical contents and reclaims disk space by storing only one copy without deleting any files. The article lists its version history, detailing fixes and improvements such as enhanced reclamation efficiency, Shortcuts support, and better handling of scan sources and errors.

OpenAI hires power-trading lead to hedge commodity risks in expanding data center power portfolio

OpenAI is hiring a power-trading lead to manage the growing energy needs of its AI data centers. The role will execute a commodity hedging strategy across the company’s power portfolio and requires significant experience in power trading, commodity risk management, and US energy markets.

An inter-mesh deployment pipeline

The author developed a bridge between staging and production meshes, allowing production to trigger staging builds, tests, and deployments to correct environment drift. The pipeline uses unprivileged components and audited doas escalation for secure, logged operations, enabling bulk app sync after testing. A remaining limitation is that plug-mesh cannot deploy itself, though a solution using an isolated NATS bridge has been proposed.

💼 Tech Business & Finance

Intel upsizes stock sale to $20B with spending plans still fuzzy

Intel has increased its stock sale to $20 billion, announcing the move without specifying detailed spending plans. The semiconductor giant said only that the proceeds will be used for “general corporate purposes.”

The SpaceX Sham

The article argues that SpaceX’s record $1.75 trillion IPO was fueled by hype around Elon Musk’s unprofitable AI venture xAI, with nearly 80% of its projected market tied to speculative AI services. It contends that the frenzy demonstrates corporate transparency and risk disclosures cannot curb market irrationality, and that the AI boom’s opaque financial structures and oligarchic control pose serious economic risks.

Keet (YC S24) – An app to create video courses on anything

Keet is a mobile app that generates structured video courses on any topic, using short explainer videos and interactive games to reinforce learning. It personalizes courses based on the user’s goals, difficulty preferences, and subject area, with plans to further tailor content to individual backgrounds. The app is currently available as a TestFlight beta, offering three free course generations per user.

Manus will return to operating as an independent company

Manus is returning to independent operations, and due to regulatory requirements, data generated by certain users on or after December 29, 2025, will be deleted from August 23–24, 2026 (SGT). Affected users can back up their data until August 23, 2026, and restore it starting August 25, while unaffected users need take no action.

Panic of 1873

The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered a prolonged economic depression across Europe and North America, lasting until 1877 or later in some regions. Its causes included rampant speculative investments, especially in railroads, the demonetization of silver, and economic disruptions from the Franco-Prussian War. The crisis began with the Vienna Stock Exchange crash in May 1873 and spread to North America as bank reserves plummeted.

Nvidia’s Risky Business

Jay Cooke’s innovative retail bond sales financed the Northern Pacific Railway but collapsed under endless capital needs and a credit crunch, triggering the Panic of 1873 and a prolonged depression. The article draws parallels between that railroad boom and today’s AI investment frenzy, noting the historic scale of capital flows into Nvidia and similar ventures.

More than 10 firms pay up to $100k a month for access to Truth Social posts

Trump Media launched Truth API, charging more than 10 high-frequency trading firms $60,000–$100,000 monthly for faster access to Truth Social posts, creating a new revenue stream. The company reported a $238 million quarterly loss, over ten times larger than last year, largely due to crypto ventures. The service has raised legal and ethical questions about profiting from President Trump’s public statements.

Claude Code pricing: same tokens, same model, up to 40x the price

Anthropic’s subscription plans for Claude Code drastically underprice API and Enterprise per-token usage, with the same agentic coding work costing 12–40x more per token than per seat, and enterprises switching to per-token billing typically see bills at least double. Heavy adopters cap spending at $500–$5,000 per engineer monthly, while company-funded seats remain $100–200. This pricing gap subsidizes adoption of agentic coding, as subscriptions make up only 5–15% of Anthropic’s revenue while metered usage is the main profit source.

OpenAI wraps $7B share sale ahead of potential IPO

OpenAI completed a roughly $7 billion secondary share sale, allowing current and former employees to sell stock at an $852 billion valuation. The deal follows its record $122 billion funding round in March and provides liquidity ahead of a potential IPO. OpenAI confidentially filed with the SEC in June but has not disclosed an official timeline for its debut.

RBC, BMO to sell payments firm Moneris to Francisco Partners for C$2B cash, split proceeds

Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of Montreal have agreed to sell payments firm Moneris Solutions Corp. to private equity firm Francisco Partners for C$2 billion ($1.4 billion) in cash. The two banks will split the proceeds equally and each expect to record a large gain on the sale.

Craft Ventures targets ~$1B fund, first since Sacks left White House AI/crypto czar role

David Sacks’ investment firm, Craft Ventures, is targeting around $1 billion for a new fund — its first since Sacks stepped down as the White House AI and crypto czar. The fundraise marks a significant capital push following his government stint.

Brad Lightcap, ex-COO and special projects lead, leaves OpenAI to start something new.

Brad Lightcap, formerly OpenAI’s COO and most recently head of its special projects division, is leaving the startup to launch a new venture. His departure was reported by Stephanie Palazzolo of The Information.

eToro acquires US online brokerage TradeZero for up to $231M; revenue ~$80M

eToro has agreed to acquire US-focused online brokerage TradeZero for up to $231 million in cash and stock, a deal expected to close in the first half of 2027. TradeZero generated about $80 million in revenue over the past year and will help eToro expand its US business. eToro also reported Q2 results, with net contributions up 9% year-over-year to $229 million and GAAP net income up 77% to $53 million.

Trajectory from ex-DeepMind, Apple, OpenAI, Meta raises $40M at $300M valuation led by Sequoia.

Trajectory, a startup founded by former DeepMind, Apple, OpenAI, and Meta researchers to develop continual learning models, has raised $40 million in a funding round led by Sequoia, valuing the company at $300 million.

River Markets, one place for trading across prediction markets, raised $8.5M led by Haun Ventures

River Markets, a platform enabling professional traders to access multiple prediction markets in one place, raised an $8.5 million seed round led by Haun Ventures with participation from Y Combinator and Coinbase Ventures. The funding comes as prediction markets gain traction among financial institutions for hedging and trading on economic events, with the startup aiming to provide the infrastructure needed for large-scale institutional trading.

Manus says it will soon be independent, implying reversal of Meta deal after China’s April order

Manus announced it will soon return to operating as an independent company, indicating it is close to reversing its acquisition by Meta. The move comes after a directive from Chinese authorities issued in April.

iOS 27 beta 5 references six unreleased iPhones: iPhone Air 2, 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 18, Ultra, 18e

iOS 27 beta 5 contains hidden references to six unreleased iPhone models, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Air 2, and a foldable iPhone Ultra. The leak suggests Apple will prioritize premium devices this fall, while standard iPhone 18 and budget 18e models may be delayed until 2027. New battery drivers hint at advanced power management, possibly for foldable displays and dual-battery configurations.

India’s IT sector (6M jobs, ~7% GDP, $300B+) sheds jobs as AI automates routine work.

India’s IT services sector, which employs 6 million people and contributes about 7% of GDP with annual revenues exceeding $300 billion, is reducing jobs as AI automates routine, formulaic tasks. This shift highlights the industry’s transformation amid growing adoption of artificial intelligence.

Intel raises $20B in upsized share sale, draws $100B+ demand; INTC up 146% in 2026

Intel raised $20 billion in an upsized share sale, exceeding its initial $15 billion target, with the offering priced at $95 per share and drawing over $100 billion in demand. The funds will support the chipmaker’s AI plans, and its stock has surged roughly 146% so far in 2026.

Singapore raises 2026 GDP forecast to 4.5%-5.5% from 2%-4% on AI investment

Singapore raised its 2025 GDP growth forecast to 4.5%-5.5%, citing the artificial intelligence boom boosting trade and manufacturing. This is the second upward revision, up from the 2%-4% estimate set in February and the initial 1%-3% range, with continued Middle East conflict cited as a drag.

Anthropic courts investors for biggest IPO ever, touts growth, plans to address AI backlash

Anthropic is courting investors for what could be the largest IPO of all time, emphasizing its rapid growth and plans to address growing public backlash against AI. The $965 billion company faces tough investor questions about competition from cheaper Chinese AI systems, tensions with the Trump administration, and opposition to data-center construction.

🌍 Policy & Society

Japan kind-of completes its sovereign satnav constellation

Japan completed its sovereign satellite navigation constellation with a successful H3 rocket launch, after losing a satellite in a failed attempt last year. The H3 rocket fulfilled its role in delivering the final satellite to bolster Japan’s independent positioning system.

We Used to Get Jobs

The author recounts landing his job as Polo Ralph Lauren’s staff photographer in 2000 through a New York Times classified ad. Using his personal digital archives and the Times Machine, he found the exact listing, which sought a photographer proficient with a 4x5 camera. He reflects on how outdated the job-search process was and questions some of his own memories about identifying the company.

University of Michigan Drops First-Semester Grades To’Curb Mental Health Crisis’

The University of Michigan will replace letter grades with pass/no credit for first-semester freshmen next year to address the mental health crisis among college students. The program aims to help students acclimate to college demands and pursue personally meaningful academic paths.

Federal vendor with $50M in contracts leaves portal broken for a month

The article details how FOIA processing at the Office of Personnel Management collapsed after DOGE cuts in 2025, with staff layoffs leading to a massive backlog and processing times doubling. The author describes broken web portals, dead email addresses, and automated redirects when attempting to file requests, illustrating the agency’s dysfunction in handling public records.

The US tried to stop cartel money-laundering; devastated mom-and-pop businesses

The Trump administration lowered the cash transaction reporting threshold to $200 for financial businesses near the US-Mexico border to combat cartel money laundering, but the policy devastated small mom-and-pop businesses and immigrant communities who relied on money transfer services. Customers avoided transactions due to fears of surveillance and paperwork burdens, hurting bill payments and remittances. After legal challenges, the threshold was raised to $1,000 in September 2025, though business owners say the requirements remain invasive and costly.

Greenland issues “strong warning” as American oil firm illegally drills wells

A US oil company linked to Donald Trump has brought drilling equipment ashore in Greenland without local approval, prompting a strong warning from Greenland’s government that all logistical matters must be authorized in advance. The company, Greenland Energy, claims vast oil reserves in Jameson Land but still lacks necessary permits to drill. The incident comes as Trump renews threats to claim the Arctic territory.

England set to be one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C

England is on track to become one of the first countries to eliminate hepatitis C, having already met its target of treating 80% of known cases and reducing deaths by 36% over the past decade. Initiatives such as A&E blood tests and free at-home testing have helped diagnose thousands, with over 100,000 people treated since 2015. England still needs to meet a 65% mortality reduction target by 2030, but health officials say it is leading the world in eliminating the virus.

I was accused of using AI in my dissertation but I wrote it all myself

A medical student was accused of using AI on his dissertation, which he had written himself, after markers flagged its polished style and tone. Though the initial misconduct allegation was upheld, his appeal succeeded after the university acknowledged a late hearing link had hindered his defense, and he was cleared. The ordeal delayed his graduation and negatively impacted his studies.

France to ban unsolicited telemarketing calls

France will ban unsolicited telemarketing calls starting August 11, requiring businesses to obtain prior consumer consent or face fines up to €375,000 per call, with exceptions for existing customers and those who opt in. The law, which allows consumers to report violations online, also raises concerns about up to 50,000 potential job losses in Morocco’s call center sector, which relies heavily on the French market.

Zuckerberg’s superyacht ignored emergency channel, failed to aid stranded boat

Ship-tracking data partly supported social media claims that Mark Zuckerberg’s superyacht ignored a stranded boat off Alaska, prompting responses from the Coast Guard and a Zuckerberg spokesperson. The Coast Guard clarified the boat was not in distress, meaning nearby vessels had no legal obligation to help. A passenger on the rescuing ship called it a missed opportunity for Zuckerberg to gain good PR.

Half of Europe’s towns and villages have fewer residents than 60 years ago

Europe’s population is projected to peak around 2029 and then decline, with rural areas shrinking while urban centers grow, making services harder to maintain and lowering quality of life in the countryside. Aging societies and low birth rates are creating major economic and healthcare challenges, and immigration—though essential—is not enough to offset population losses. Regional disparities are expected to widen, prompting some countries to adopt targeted labor recruitment and pro-natalist policies.

Hatsune Miku

Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid voicebank and software application developed by Crypton Future Media, first released in August 2007, with vocals based on Japanese voice actress Saki Fujita and personified as a 16-year-old virtual idol with turquoise twintails. The software has been updated across Vocaloid 3, 4, and 6, and Miku has performed at live virtual concerts as an animated projection.

US President hid in catering cart for secret flight in Turkey amid Iran threat

Trump secretly departed Turkey on a military flight to Britain after an Iranian assassination threat triggered a “deception operation.” He was hidden in an airport catering truck and flown on a smaller plane, while the older Air Force One served as a decoy carrying journalists and some staff. The White House defended the operation, citing high-level security protocols.

Gulf States Accept a New Normal in Hormuz: Iran Is in Control

Gulf energy producers now see Iran’s permanent control over the Strait of Hormuz as inevitable, disrupting oil and gas exports. They view a formal agreement granting Iran oversight as preferable to renewed U.S.-Iran military conflict, which would endanger their energy infrastructure.

Canada Is Building a Surveillance State via 5 Bills

Canada is reportedly advancing five bills that would significantly expand government surveillance powers, raising concerns about the emergence of a surveillance state. The proposed legislation has drawn criticism from privacy advocates who warn of increased state oversight over citizens.

Sergey Brin has now spent $100M to fight the billionaire tax

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has donated an additional $20 million to oppose California’s Proposition 40, bringing his total spending against the proposed 5% billionaire tax to over $100 million, which would cost him an estimated $13.3 billion. The tax, aimed at about 200 billionaires, would fund healthcare programs, and while some tech figures like Mark Zuckerberg have left the state and Governor Newsom opposes it, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says he is “perfectly fine” paying it.

NYC Mayor Mamdani’s bill would force Amazon, FedEx to directly hire delivery workers; may pass fall

A New York City bill backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani would require Amazon, FedEx, and other companies to directly employ thousands of delivery workers rather than relying on contract couriers. Supporters say it would close loopholes affecting worker safety and union organizing, and the bill is expected to pass as soon as this fall. Amazon argues the proposal would make delivery more expensive and slower.

Anthropic to watermark generated text and add C2PA metadata for EU AI Act, updating past models

The article is a tech news roundup covering AI developments, including Anthropic’s EU-driven watermarking pledge, Meta’s open-weights AI model, and industry moves around AI security and agent plugins. It also highlights cybersecurity stories such as Russian phishing attacks, SharePoint zero-day exploits, and DEF CON’s infrastructure hardening efforts. Open source news includes Debian releases, GNOME taskbar options, and a new X11 server written in assembly.

UK Ministry of Defence found Chinese tech in Naval sea drones

The UK Ministry of Defence found that Royal Navy K3 Scout sea drones were sending a “heartbeat” signal to a Chinese IP address, but discovered no evidence of a data breach or sensitive data transmission. The issue was traced to a Chinese-made component in a third-party part supplied to manufacturer Kraken Technologies. The case underscores NATO concerns about the difficulty and cost of fully excluding Chinese components from military technology.