GM! It’s Brett again. Last week, I hit the surreal Utah salt flats with my mom. It got me thinking about how our 5-years-ago selves would view our current lives. Back then, I couldn't have predicted I'd be building my second startup in NYC with an amazing team. Yet here I am, living this surreal reality.

Anyway, onto this week's scoop.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

🏠 AI

Jony’s back

Jony Ive and Sam Altman are teaming up on a new AI hardware project.

They're aiming to create a device that's "less socially disruptive than the iPhone." Jony's design firm, LoveFrom, is leading the charge, with ex-Apple heavyweights Tang Tan and Evans Hankey on board.

They already have 10 people team. The project has already raised some private funding. They're reportedly aiming to raise up to $1 billion in startup funding by year-end.

Interestingly, this collaboration started from dinners arranged by Brian Chesky. Note to self: never skip those "quick catch-up" dinners.

Details are slim, but the goal is clear: revolutionize AI interaction like the iPhone did for mobile internet. They're looking to leverage generative AI for more intuitive user experiences.

This collaboration could mark a major shift in how we interact with AI. With Ive's knack for user-friendly design and Altman's AI expertise, we might be looking at the next big leap in tech. Think iPhone moment, but for AI.

This could be the device that finally makes AI feel like a natural part of our daily lives, rather than just another app or voice assistant. It's too early to tell, but with these tech heavyweights involved, it's definitely one to watch.

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🤝 THE LATEST IN…

TECH

• Cruise robotaxis are back in the Bay after a year off.

• iOS 18 is here - new icons, hidden apps, and RCS, but the AI is still on the way.

• Flappy Bird is returning after a decade.

• Doctors still use pagers!

AI

• Three Mile Island is coming back to power Microsoft’s AI and cloud.

• Snapchat launching an AI video-gen tool for creators.

• Altman leaves OpenAI’s safety committee.

• OpenAI will flag you if you try to jailbreak their models.

SCIENCE

• Turns out Earth might've had rings like Saturn.

• Drinking 3 cups a day could help lower your risk of serious heart and metabolic issues.

• Climate change could double temperature-related deaths in the US.

• X-rays with gold nanoparticles might be the new go-to for spotting kidney issues.

CRYPTO

• Spot Bitcoin ETFs ended the week with $92M in inflows.

• Australia’s looking to license all crypto firms, not just exchanges.

• German authorities shut down 47 exchanges.

• Coinbase to bring cbBTC to Solana network.

🏃‍♀️ QUICKIES

Raise: Intezer, a cybersecurity startup, raised $33M in a Series C funding round to scale its AI-driven tools that triage and investigate security alerts for faster threat detection.

Stat: 7%. That’s the percentage of Cisco’s workforce laid off in its second round of job cuts in 2024, impacting around 5,600 employees.

Rabbit Hole: Unfortunate startup pivots (Andrew Chen)

🤩 MONDAY MOTIVATION

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❓️ AI GENERATED OR NOT

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