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AI didn’t just show up today; it grabbed a badge and went to work.
Apps made more money than games (finally), creators are about to meet their AI twins, X dumped its algorithm on GitHub like a therapy breakthrough, and drones are quietly lining up for curbside delivery.
Preply hit unicorn status by not replacing humans, while Musk’s lawsuit rips open the OpenAI–Microsoft relationship and reminds everyone why “strategic partner” is a loaded phrase.
Coffee first. Then consequences.
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Eight bullets of updates
📱 For the first time, consumers spent more on mobile apps than games in 2025 as AI-powered tools drove $64B in non-game revenue worldwide.
🎬 Netflix shifts to an all-cash deal to maintain its $82.7B bid for Warner Bros, aiming to block Paramount’s takeover.
💻 India saw 25.5B app downloads in 2025, fueled by AI assistants like ChatGPT, now the #2 most downloaded app after Instagram.
🤖 Creators can soon feature AI versions of themselves in Shorts, with beta tests launching later this year.
🔓 X reveals its ranking algorithm code, dropping 6,000+ lines of code for public scrutiny amid transparency pressure.
💊 Medical sales reps can now get AI coaching from tailored language models;PraxisPro raises $6M to boost pharma sales training.
🚁 Backed by $600M, drone delivery will expand to 4+ more states by 2026.
🤝 Analyzing over 5,000 NeurIPS papers reveals surprising pockets of US-China AI collaboration despite broader tensions.
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Preply Achieves Unicorn Status With $150 Million Funding Round
Language learning marketplace hit unicorn status after a $150M Series D, now valued at $1.2B. EBITDA-positive for 12 months, it’s layering AI into summaries, homework, and matching—no plans to replace tutors—while hiring AI talent across Kyiv, Barcelona, London, and NYC. WestCap led; prior backers include Horizon, Hoxton, Owl, Techstars. 100k tutors, ~750 employees, ~150 in Kyiv keeping the lights on, literally.
Signal check: human-guided learning amplified by AI beats “AI-first” optics, preserving marketplace trust and margins via better matching. Growth equity here sets IPO optionality once profitable growth compounds; geopolitical exposure is a real, priced-in risk; and a resilience narrative investors love.
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Why Most Startups Fail to Get Investors
Between 75% and 90% of startups fail. But the game isn’t about small wins—it’s about finding the right connections and building momentum toward that 1-in-1,000 success story.
In this video, we cover:
How to identify the right stage for your startup.
How to leverage your network (and why intros matter more than emails).
How to find investors faster with the right tools.
What to do if you don’t have connections yet.
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Hiring in 8 countries shouldn't require 8 different processes
This guide from Deel breaks down how to build one global hiring system. You’ll learn about assessment frameworks that scale, how to do headcount planning across regions, and even intake processes that work everywhere. As HR pros know, hiring in one country is hard enough. So let this free global hiring guide give you the tools you need to avoid global hiring headaches.
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🎯 Leaders who align message “altitude” to audience are 40% likelier to be seen as effective by their teams.
🛑 AI only knows half the company if it lists policies; teach it when to say no with 'Don'ts' guardrails
🎓 Degrees are static, experience compounds faster; from a 7x founder backing 100+ startups, where outcomes beat effort.
Slidebean Revenue Data
Mistakes were made as we grew Slidebean, but those mistakes shaped the lessons that helped us thrive. The journey wasn’t just about surviving—it was about learning and evolving.
To give you an honest glimpse into what growth really looks like, we’re sharing our actual financial numbers from the formative years of Slidebean. Download them now and see the ups, downs, and everything in between that built the company we are today.
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Elon Musk Lawsuit Reveals OpenAI and Microsoft Internal Documents
Credit: Press Connect / Shutterstock.com
Leaked court filings from Musk v. Altman show how deep the Microsoft–OpenAI alliance runs, with compute, product integration, and governance intertwined; less “nonprofit mission,” more pragmatic JV. Read the internal documents reveal the trade-offs.
Musk is seeking up to $134B, and a spring 2026 trial could drag more emails, term sheets, and safety pledges into daylight. If damages or remedies bite, expect tighter nonprofit/capped-profit guardrails across AI labs and fresh scrutiny of cloud exclusivity and IP licensing.
For founders: platform reliance is a superpower until it isn’t. Multi-cloud optionality, clean charters, and veto-proof governance matter when your distribution, costs, and roadmap depend on a single partner, especially when that partner also ships your end-user products. See the trial scheduled for spring backdrop.