🕶️ Startups, not soldiers: NATO’s new defense strategy

Ten bullets of updates

1. 🧑‍💼 Klarna shifts focus to VIP human service, balancing AI efficiency—with revenue per employee nearing $1M.

2. 🎬 A movie is in the works about the OpenAI boardroom saga—director Luca Guadagnino takes on Altman’s 5-day ouster drama.

3. ⚖️ Reddit sues Anthropic for allegedly using its data for AI training without a license—the first major Big Tech legal showdown.

4. 🧠 AMD acquires AI startup Brium to challenge Nvidia and strengthen the open AI ecosystem.

5. 🚀 Nvidia surpasses Microsoft with a $3.45T market cap, leading the AI chip boom following a 69% revenue jump.

6. ☁️ OpenAI's ChatGPT now integrates with cloud services and productivity tools—serving over 3 million businesses.

7. 🎵 TikTok launches TikTok for Artists, a new music analytics tool now live in 30+ countries to help artists grow.

8. 📊 Europe's software sector hits a key inflection point: over 280 firms have €100M ARR, but many struggle to scale to €1B compared to U.S. peers.

9. ✍️ Claude Explains, the AI-powered blog from Anthropic, showcases how human-AI collaboration can elevate writing.'

10. 🎨 Automation is taking over mundane tasks—unlocking time for creative innovation in the workplace.

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Altman declares: AI’s the new grad in the office

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman likened AI agents to a team of junior employees, noting that workers increasingly assign tasks to autonomous AI programs, review their output, and provide feedback—mirroring traditional team workflows. Speaking at the Snowflake Summit 2025, Altman emphasized how AI is reshaping job structures, particularly at the entry level. A recent SignalFire report revealed that AI contributed to a 25% drop in entry-level hires at tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, and Google from 2023 to 2024.

Firms such as McKinsey already use AI for tasks typically handled by junior staff, including drafting proposals and building presentations. Looking ahead, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could eliminate up to half of all entry-level white-collar jobs within five years, potentially pushing unemployment to 20%—a prediction he acknowledges many still find hard to believe.

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How Big Tech Got Scammed by an 'AI'

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These companies just raised money

1. ✈️ Joby Aviation signs a tentative $1B deal with Saudi Arabia’s ALJ to distribute 200 electric aircraft—fueling eVTOL expansion.

2. 🌞 TAE Technologies, backed by Google, raises $150M to pursue fusion power—aiming to reach 1 billion°C plasma by early 2030s.

3. 🌏 Bolttech raises $147M Series C—bringing its valuation to $2.1B with $60B in annual premiums.

4. ⚡ Speedata raises $44M in Series B to advance its APU chips—claiming a 280x processing speed boost.

5. 💳 Nomupay, the Irish fintech, raises $40M from SoftBank, hitting a $290M valuation and targeting Asia for growth.

6. 🌍 Thunder Code secures $9M seed to revolutionize AI-powered software testing—led by one of Africa’s top tech founders.

7. 📝 Rosebud lands $6M to expand its AI journaling app—users have logged over 500M words of reflection.

8. ⚖️ Valla raises $2.7M to simplify employment law support—empowering 12K+ users with AI tools.

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Startups are NATO’s new secret weapon

NATO is turning to startups to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of defense tech, launching its DIANA accelerator to fast-track dual-use innovations that serve both civilian and military needs. Led by COO Jyoti Hirani-Driver, a former UK counter-terrorism advisor, DIANA operates across 200+ sites, connecting startups with NATO mentors, test centers, and €100,000 in funding—not just for cash, but for deep integration into NATO’s defense ecosystem.

The program addresses key security challenges like cybersecurity, logistics, and surveillance, and has already nurtured ventures such as Goldilock’s network isolation system and Lobster Robotics’ seabed mapping drones. By embracing fast-moving civilian tech and new talent from outside the traditional defense space, DIANA aims to outpace adversaries and revolutionize how NATO sources battlefield-ready innovation.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. Startup Battlefield 200 | Deadline: June 9 | Global

2. Slidebean Webinar: Crash Course on Startup Fundraising l Jun 10 l Online

3. The Startup Open Mic by CEDAT l Jun 11 l Bengaluru

4. Techstars New York City Accelerator | Deadline: June 11 | US

5. Slidebean Webinar: Crash Course in Financial Modeling l Jun 15 l Online

6. Entrepreneur First London - Summer | Deadline: July 1 | UK

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