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Catch the podcast edition of this issue:
This week’s tech highlights: 🩸 fitness fans are lining up for blood-test wearables, Spotify split the CEO role after Daniel Ek’s 18-year run, 🍺 Asahi halted beer production after a cyberattack, and 🤖 AI recruiters like Alex are taking first-round interviews. The future isn’t creeping in—it’s showing up loud, automated, and subscription-ready.
🎥 New video out! MIT Tested Your Brain on ChatGPT + Our classic podcast!
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Nine bullets of updates
📹 OpenAI is debuting a TikTok-style app powered by Sora 2, letting users create and share AI-generated videos up to 10 minutes long.
🩸 Fitness fans can now get personalized insights from subscription blood tests synced to their wearables—350K on the waitlist.
🎤 Spotify to split top job as two insiders step in as co-CEOs after Daniel Ek's 18-year run at the helm.
🍺 Japan’s biggest beer maker, halted production after a cyberattack, suspending shipments and call centers, with no timeline yet for recovery.
🤖 Users can now build and launch simple apps with text prompts via Playground, debuting on Essential Apps.
🚗 Amazon’s self-driving arm maps DC streets ahead of a test launch of autonomous rides later this year.
🚛 AI-driven CRM is helping waste pros win back 20% more leads with smarter sales and prospecting tools.
💸 Users can now transfer funds instantly between PayPal and Venmo, ending years of clunky workarounds.
🛰️ AI is helping power a new wave of space startups and tackle $500B in economic growth, says The Aerospace Corp.
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Bye, Recruiters—Alex’s AI Just Took the First Call
AI recruiting startup Alex has raised $17 million in Series A funding led by Peak XV Partners, with backing from Y Combinator, Uncorrelated Ventures, and several Fortune 500 CHROs. Co-founded 18 months ago by ex-Facebook engineer Aaron Wang, Alex’s AI conducts autonomous phone and video interviews to handle early-stage candidate screening for Fortune 100 firms, banks, restaurant chains, and Big 4 accounting companies.
The tool already runs thousands of interviews daily, aiming to save recruiters time by pre-qualifying applicants. While competitors like HeyMilo, ConverzAI, and Ribbon are also in the space, Alex’s long-term vision is to build richer professional profiles than LinkedIn by interviewing millions of job seekers.
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MIT Tested Your Brain on ChatGPT
Is ChatGPT quietly rewiring your brain? 🧠 MIT researchers found that relying on AI can shrink critical thinking, memory, and even your ability to recall your own ideas. In this video, we break down the science, show what’s happening inside your head, and share how to use AI as a tool—without outsourcing your brain.
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🛠️ Reorgs and mission rewrites often backfire; many companies spend six figures to fix what isn’t broken .
🛡️ Cybersecurity Month: SMBs face 40%+ of attacks—smart networks can block 97% of malicious traffic at the perimeter.
AI Pitch Deck Reviewer
Slidebean has been helping startups craft pitch decks for over 10 years. We recently built an AI Pitch Deck Review tool, that processes the text and visuals on your presentation, and provides actionable feedback on the story, potential missing items, and recommendations on how to improve each slide.
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Amazon and Google announce custom AI chips to compete with Nvidia
Photo by Sahand Babali on Unsplash
Amazon and Google reportedly give Nvidia a heads-up before announcing their own AI chips. Since both companies still rely heavily on Nvidia’s hardware, software (CUDA), and supply chain, keeping communication smooth helps them secure the resources they need.
This coordination lets cloud providers time their announcements carefully without suggesting they’re moving away from Nvidia too quickly. It also gives them leverage in negotiations over pricing, supply, and delivery during ongoing chip shortages.
For startups, Nvidia will remain the main option for now, even as competitors improve. It’s smart to prepare for long wait times, design systems that can work with different types of chips, and plan costs across multiple hardware options. The balance is unlikely to shift until rivals can match Nvidia on both performance and software.
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