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šŸ•¶ļø Zuck wants a superbrain, Trump’s playing matchmaker

Poached brains, billion-dollar apps, vending machine meltdowns—it’s a vibe.

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The AI race is speeding up—and it’s wild. Google’s AI tutors are heading to classrooms, Microsoft’s diagnosing diseases, and Meta’s poaching top talent for its shiny new superintelligence lab. Meanwhile, Anthropic’s AI flopped as a vending machine CEO, and Trump’s TikTok deal is shaping up like a billionaire reality show.

Video pick: Can social media evolve past TikTok?

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Seven bullets of updates

  1. šŸ˜‚ Anthropic’s AI ā€˜Claudius’ fails hilariously as a vending machine CEO, hoarding tungsten cubes.

  2. šŸ“š Google launches 30+ AI tools for education, including Gemini-powered tutors and classroom assistants.

  3. 🧠 OpenAI recalibrates compensation after Meta poaches 8 researchers, fueling $100M offer rumors.

  4. šŸš€ Netflix partners with NASA to livestream rocket launches and space missions.

  5. šŸš— Tesla’s Model Y completes a 15-mile driverless delivery with no remote assistance.

  6. 🧳 Former Meta engineers launch Airial, an AI travel tool with $3M in seed funding.

  7. šŸ„ Microsoft unveils medical AI that diagnoses diseases with 80% accuracy.

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Meta’s AI glow-up: new Lab, new chief, and poached brains

Source: Shutterstock

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced the creation of Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), a new division that will centralize the company’s AI initiatives under a bold vision for developing "personal superintelligence for everyone". The group will be led by Alexandr Wang, former CEO of Scale AI—now Meta’s new Chief AI Officer—and supported by ex-GitHub CEO Nat Friedman. MSL will include Meta’s existing AI product and research teams, including FAIR, and will be bolstered by 11 high-profile hires from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic, such as Jack Rae, Trapit Bansal, and Joel Pobar.

The move follows Meta’s $14.3B investment in Scale AI and its aggressive recruitment tactics, which reportedly included compensation offers exceeding $100M—claims publicly denied by Meta’s CTO. Zuckerberg emphasized that superintelligence marks a transformative era for humanity, as Meta prepares to release its next-generation AI models within the next year.

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Can social media evolve past TikTok?

TikTok might just be the last new social media giant we’ll ever see. Every major platform before it—MySpace, Facebook, Instagram, Vine—was built on the back of groundbreaking tech innovations. But with no new waves to ride, social media as we know it is hitting a plateau. What comes next for our online behavior, and will platforms ever truly evolve again? Let’s break it down.

šŸ•¶ļø More videos here šŸ•¶ļø 

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These companies just raised money

  1. šŸ“¦ Levelpath secures $55M Series B to revolutionize procurement with AI-first tools.

  2. šŸ’¼ Campfire raises $35M Series A to challenge NetSuite with fast AI-powered ERP.

  3. šŸ‘Øā€šŸ‘©ā€šŸ‘§ Halogen Ventures closes a $30M Fund III focused on startups shaping the ā€œfuture of family.ā€

  4. 🧩 Tailor snags $22M Series A to build a modular, headless ERP platform.

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Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join 1,000,000+ early adopters reading The Rundown AI — the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

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Trump’s TikTok countdown: billionaires, buyouts, and Beijing

Source: Photo by Rafik Wahba on Unsplash

In a recent Fox News interview, President Donald Trump stated that a long-anticipated TikTok deal is imminent, with the names of the ā€œvery wealthy peopleā€ involved to be revealed in the coming weeks. The sale is being forced by a U.S. law requiring TikTok to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a nationwide ban by mid-September. While Trump didn’t disclose specific buyers, notable bids have come from billionaire Frank McCourt, Kevin O’Leary, Alexis Ohanian, Larry Ellison’s Oracle, AppLovin, Perplexity AI, and Amazon—with some reportedly meeting at the White House. Trump expressed optimism that China’s President Xi Jinping will approve the sale, and reiterated that he does not want TikTok to ā€œgo darkā€ in the U.S.

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Startup Events and Deadlines

  1. TODAY! Slidebean Webinar: Financial Modeling Bootcamp l Jul 1 l Online

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

  3. Crash Course on Startup Fundraising with Caya (Slidebean CEO) l Jul 9 l Online

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

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

  6. Antler Canada | Deadline: Sept 29 | Canada

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