🕶️ TikTok said eat this — and 100K people did

Ten bullets of updates

1. 💰 Sundar Pichai hits billionaire status, fueled by Alphabet’s $1T market surge and 120% investor returns in 2023.

2. 💡 Google Labs is testing Opal, a “vibe-coding” app that lets U.S. users build web apps from simple text prompts.

3. 💞 72% of U.S. teens are engaging with AI companions — is digital love the future, or a threat to real relationships?

4. 🕵️‍♂️ Google shuts down the Catwatchful spyware campaign after a month — exposing over 62K user emails and passwords.

5. 🚗 Tesla quietly launches a limited robotaxi service in San Francisco — but legal and regulatory hurdles remain.

6. 🚫 Meta will halt political ads in the EU this October, citing “unworkable” compliance demands — another win for the regulators.

7. 👩‍💼 Gen Z is rewriting work culture — demanding flexibility, purpose, and mental health support. 72% leave jobs that don’t deliver.

8. 👕 Google’s new AI now lets U.S. users try on clothes virtually — just upload your photo.

9. 🔐 CVector, an AI startup, pledges no acquisition, raising $1.5M while focusing on critical infrastructure trust.

10. 🛡️ NATO Innovation Fund revamps its team as defense tech funding hits 10% of all VC investment in Europe.

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Spill your secrets to ChatGPT? Might wanna lawyer up first

Sam Altman is raising red flags about privacy in AI therapy. On This Past Weekend with Theo Von, the OpenAI CEO warned that conversations with ChatGPT don’t carry legal confidentiality, unlike chats with doctors, lawyers, or therapists. Altman highlighted a growing concern: millions — especially young users — are turning to AI for emotional support, but there's no legal shield if those chats are subpoenaed. In fact, OpenAI is currently fighting a court order that would force it to preserve user chats as evidence in its case with The New York Times. Altman called it "screwed up" that such deeply personal AI interactions aren’t protected, warning that until privacy laws catch up, users' most sensitive confessions could be exposed.

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The great AI productivity paradox

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TikTok said eat this — and 100K people did

A single viral TikTok turned BiteSight, a Y Combinator-backed food delivery app, into an overnight sensation. Created by 24-year-old Lucious McDaniel IV and co-founder Zac Schulwolf, BiteSight lets users discover food through short-form videos and social recommendations—just like they already do on Instagram and TikTok. When McDaniel’s sister posted a playful “presentation” video introducing the app, it exploded to 20K views in 15 minutes and millions soon after, sending the app into chaos (and briefly to No. 2 in the App Store’s Food & Beverage category). With 100K+ users, restaurant partnerships, and VCs now circling, BiteSight is proving Gen Z doesn’t want menus—they want video, vibes, and viral-worthy eats.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

1. Startupbootcamp | Energy & Sustainability | Deadline: Aug 10 | South Africa

2. Startupbootcamp | Health & LifeScience | Deadline: Aug 10 | Netherlands

3. New York Venture Summit | 9, 10 Sept | NYC

4. Antler Canada | Deadline: Sept 29 | Canada

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