🕶️ The Navy’s new secret weapon: startups

When a Bluesky post turns into a national protest, you know it’s serious.

Author

Lucila Sarquis
June 17, 2025

Sponsored by

As AI chatbots fuel conspiracy spirals and activists rally against Elon Musk’s political turn, the U.S. Navy is quietly becoming a tech-savvy partner. Meanwhile, Big Tech’s alliances are shifting—Google may cut ties with Scale AI after Meta’s $14.3B investment, with Microsoft and OpenAI reportedly reconsidering their stakes too.

New video: The invisible company powering the world.

-🕶️ 

✦

Ten bullets of updates

  1. 🔍Google may end its partnership with Scale AI following Meta’s $14.3B investment—Microsoft and OpenAI are reportedly reassessing as well.

  2. 🔧 Patreon will raise its commission for new creators to 10% starting August 2025, up from the longstanding 8% tier.

  3. 🌀 ChatGPT users are diving into conspiracy theories; OpenAI is working to mitigate AI's unintended behavioral influences.

  4. 🤖 AI agents are emerging as the next major wave in tech, with 50% of firms already integrating them into operations.

  5. 🚀 Agentic AI is redefining efficiency, with 85% of CEOs expecting ROI by 2027 and naming it a key driver of transformation.’

  6. 🛡️ Hackers breached Zoomcar, exposing data of 8.4M users—though no financial info was leaked, the company has tightened security.

  7. 📱 WhatsApp introduces ads to its Status screen, reaching over 1.5 billion daily users.

  8. 📈 Mary Meeker’s AI report frames AGI as a "reachable threshold," with 51 mentions of “unprecedented” signaling rapid acceleration.

  9. 💼 After being rejected on Shark Tank, one founder turned failure into a $2.5M+ revenue business by embracing early lessons.

  10. 🍯 David Beckham and Shaun Neff debut BEEUP snacks at Target—honey-powered, kid-focused, and available in 3 flavors.

✦

The #TeslaTakedown: from tech savior to meme supervillain?

The Tesla Takedown is a rapidly growing grassroots protest movement targeting Elon Musk and his company over political extremism, anti-labor policies, and the controversial DOGE government initiative. Sparked by a viral Bluesky post in February, it has united climate activists, federal workers, scientists, and progressives across the U.S. in colorful, nonviolent demonstrations outside Tesla showrooms. Protesters aim not to oppose electric vehicles, but to hit Musk where it hurts—his brand and stock—while spotlighting his alignment with far-right politics.

Despite Tesla’s poor financials and falling stock in early 2025, investor confidence rebounded as Musk repositioned the company as an AI leader. Still, the Takedown continues to build momentum, organizing local divestment efforts and keeping up pressure with coordinated actions nationwide. Participants insist this is more than protest—it's a fight against unchecked tech power and the erosion of democratic norms. Read more about this.

✦

The invisible company powering the world

Most people think Intel built the modern computer—but they’re wrong. This video uncovers the invisible company behind your phone, your laptop, and even your smartwatch. It’s a deep dive into the forgotten tech war that reshaped everything: how ARM beat Intel without ever making a single chip.

🕶️ More videos HERE 🕶️ 

✦

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.

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

✦

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.

✦

Learn how to make AI work for you

AI won’t take your job, but a person using AI might. That’s why 1,000,000+ professionals read The Rundown AI – the free newsletter that keeps you updated on the latest AI news and teaches you how to use it in just 5 minutes a day.

✦

Innovation: the navy wants your tech

While Silicon Valley tech leaders suit up for reserve duty, the U.S. Navy is quietly overhauling its tech strategy, thanks to CTO Justin Fanelli. Over the past two and a half years, Fanelli has led efforts to cut red tape and drastically speed up procurement cycles, making the Navy far more startup-friendly. Using a structured “innovation adoption kit,” the Navy now invites companies to solve problems—not deliver pre-scripted solutions—through a three-stage model: evaluation, piloting, and scaling.

This new approach is already paying off, with success stories ranging from cutting two-year invoice backlogs to saving thousands of sailor hours with network upgrades. Areas of focus include agentic AI, alternative GPS, and legacy system modernization. Though defense budgets still heavily favor traditional contractors, Fanelli expects the tide to shift toward commercial tech as investor interest grows. The message to startups is clear: the Navy is open for business, and fast-tracked innovation is no longer just a talking point—it’s happening. Find out more about this.

✦

Startup Events and Deadlines

✦

How did we do?

Your feedback fuels us.

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.