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🕶️ Mattel x OpenAI: Barbie just got a tech upgrade

🕶️ Mattel x OpenAI: Barbie just got a tech upgrade

From Malibu Dreamhouse to machine learning lab.

Lucila Sarquis
June 14, 2025

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Barbie’s getting brains, Google’s down bad, and space startups are suiting up for defence — welcome to tech in 2025. Klarna’s CEO clone wants your feedback, Chime is laughing all the way to Nasdaq, and YC’s AI darlings are chasing the next “Cursor for X.” Meanwhile, Mattel and OpenAI are cooking up playtime 2.0, and Meta just dropped $14B to supercharge Scale AI.

Video pick: Cursed startups: the deadliest companies in history

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Ten bullets of updates

📈 Chime hits the Nasdaq at a $12B valuation, overcoming 100 VC rejections and turning profitable in Q1 2025.
👨‍💻 AI to write 90% of code soon, says Anthropic CEO. Developers urged to upskill.
⚠️ Massive outage hits Google and Spotify; 60,000+ downtime reports by 4 p.m. ET.
🚀 YC's Spring '25 Demo Day: 11 startups wow investors, with AI and robotics leading the "Cursor for X" trend.
💰 Chime IPO raises $864M, opens at $43/share; Iconiq VCs stay in despite 180-day lock-up.
💻 Nvidia excludes China from forecasts amid U.S. chip curbs, risking an $8B revenue hit.
📞 Klarna debuts AI hotline where you can talk to a CEO clone for feedback.
🛠️ Tesla sues ex-engineer for allegedly stealing trade secrets to launch Proception (YC).
🚗 Autonomous vehicles take off, driven by Nvidia’s $329M auto revenue.
🔋 Powin files for bankruptcy with $300M debt and Chinese cell reliance.

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Not just a pretty face: Barbie enters her AI era

Photo by Sean Bernstein on Unsplash

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, has teamed up with OpenAI to integrate generative AI into its products and content. This marks OpenAI’s first collaboration with a toymaker, potentially extending its influence into Mattel’s growing entertainment division, which includes films, TV, and gaming based on iconic toys like Hot Wheels and UNO.

The partnership aims to deliver the first AI-powered product by the end of 2025, emphasizing safety, privacy, and responsible design. Mattel will retain full control over its IP, and employees will gain access to tools like ChatGPT Enterprise to fuel innovation and product development.

Whether it's smarter toys or AI-enhanced storytelling, Mattel sees this move as a leap toward reimagining play for the next generation.

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Cursed startups: the deadliest companies in history

Startups can be dangerous—sometimes deadly. In this video, we explore six of the deadliest startup inventions in history, where founders and innovators paid the ultimate price for their creations. From the AVE Mizar, a car-plane hybrid named after a star, to the ill-fated Oceangate submersible, the Segway, and even the Titanic, we dive into the tragic stories of ambition gone wrong.

🕶️ More videos here 🕶️

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StartEngine’s $30M Surge — Own a Piece Before June 26

Private markets are having a moment, thanks to companies like StartEngine.

The leading alternative investing platform is helping everyday investors like you access deals once reserved for VCs and insiders, including exposure to private market titans like OpenAI, Databricks, and Perplexity.¹

How’s it going? In Q1 2025, StartEngine pulled off $30M in revenue, its biggest quarter ever (based on unaudited financials).²

But StartEngine isn’t just a middleman. The company earns 20% carried interest on select pre-IPO offerings, unlocking value for shareholders when these deals succeed.³

How can you tap into this diversification play? By investing in StartEngine.

StartEngine has crowdfunded $85M+ to date, and you can join 45K+ shareholders before the company’s current round closes on June 26.

Invest in StartEngine

_{Reg A+ via StartEngine Crowdfunding, Inc. No BD/intermediary involved. Investment is speculative, illiquid & high risk. See OC and Risks on page.}

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These companies just raised money

🤖 Meta invests $14.3B in Scale AI, valuing it at $29B; CEO Wang joins Meta’s AI team.
📊 Felicis launches $900M Fund X, doubling down on AI-native startups (70% of portfolio).
🏨 Canary raises $80M Series D to enhance guest experiences in 20K+ hotels.
📬 Landbase raises $30M Series A, using AI to automate outreach for 100+ clients.
🇳🇬 Definely raises $30M Series B; Nigerian-founded legal AI grows U.S. presence.

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“Houston, we have a pivot”

Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash

Space startups are increasingly pivoting from commercial applications to defence as global tensions and government defence budgets — now at $135B — surge, marking a structural shift rather than a fleeting trend. While this raises concerns about sustainability and bureaucratic hurdles, the shift is revitalizing aerospace innovation and funding critical technologies like optical communications and synthetic aperture radar. Dual-use models, blending defence and commercial goals, are emerging as the sweet spot, offering resilience and broader impact. With space underpinning everything from communications to climate monitoring — and the economy projected to hit $1.8T by 2035 — this defence-driven evolution, if balanced wisely, could usher in a new golden age for the space sector.