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GM! It’s Brett again. We hit 300K people with our announcement last week - and it’s only picking up steam. We’ll likely cross 600K in the coming months. Thousands of waitlist signups, tons of outreach from prospective customers, investors and hires... it could not have gone better.

But the main thing I’m grateful for is that the hype actually has solid ground to stand on.

At my last company, we built a lot of hype for a product that just wasn’t there - and it always felt weird. This time, the product is truly amazing. I have no doubt everyone who tries it will love it.

That said, Homescreen subscribers can cut the line - go to micro.so/waitlist, join the waitlist, and write in “Homescreen” for Other in the “How did you hear about us” question to get early access.

🏠 Tech

Tariff Shock

So President Trump dropped new tariffs called the "Liberation Day" tariffs, slapping between 10% and 54% duties on imports from over 60 countries. And yeah, things got messy real quick.

Apple got slammed especially hard. They're staring down a 54% tariff on goods from China, and analysts at Rosenblatt Securities said this could spike your next iPhone price by nearly 43% - so you might be paying ~$2,300 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple shares felt that pain immediately, tanking around 8% after-hours. Not exactly a good look.

And it's not just Apple. Pretty much anyone - think robotics startups, EV makers, consumer products electronics, etc - just saw their margins get squeezed overnight. VCs are freaking out, too, because raising money is gonna be tougher now. IPOs planned for later this year could pause, while M&A deals may hit the brakes as valuations tumble.

European startups are sweating as well, facing a 20% tariff on EU imports. Hardware-focused startups are in trouble, forced to either absorb costs or jack up prices, risking their entire market strategy.

But for niche manufacturers selling highly specialized or critical products that aren't made domestically in the US, tariffs could actually strengthen their market position, as customers have limited alternatives and will likely absorb the higher costs.

The bottom line - These tariffs aren’t just about paying more for gadgets. They shake the entire ecosystem - innovation, funding, and even forcing tough choices about where stuff actually gets made. Long-term, we might see a faster shift toward onshoring and a deeper dive into AI-driven efficiency. But right now, the immediate future stays uncertain as countries navigate these choppy trade waters.

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🤝 THE LATEST IN…

TECH

• The Nintendo Switch 2 releases on June 5.

• Japan is building world’s first 3D-printed train station.

• Meta and UFC team up to bring AI and VR to fans.

• Former Rippling employee admits to spying for rival firm Deel.

• Intel, TSMC recently discussed chipmaking joint venture.

AI

• Large Language Models pass the Turing Test.

• OpenAI has launched the OpenAI Academy.

• Amazon’s new AI agent will shop third-party sites for you.

• Tinder’s new AI game assesses your flirting skills.

• OpenAI made its first major cybersecurity investment.

SCIENCE

• A team from UC Berkeley unlocked a way to restore naturalistic speech for people with severe paralysis.

• New cells discovered in eye could help restore vision.

• Engineers developed the world’s smallest pacemaker - can fit inside the tip of a syringe.

• Physicists have confirmed a new mismatch between matter and antimatter. 

CRYPTO

• Hong Kong releases crypto staking rules for licensed exchanges.

• Ethereum transaction fees drop to historic lows.

• Circle IPO odds dip 25% on Polymarket amid Trump's tariff turmoil.

• Conor McGregor’s real world gaming token taps out before launch.

🏃‍♀️ QUICKIES

Raise: Isomorphic Labs, an AI drug-discovery platform spun out of DeepMind, raised $600M in a funding round to accelerate development of its AI drug design engine and support clinical trial efforts.

Stat: 1,500. That’s the number of lawsuits TikTok’s new owner may inherit over child safety and privacy concerns.

Rabbit Hole: What to do (Paul Graham)

🤩 MONDAY MOTIVATION

🛠️ FOUNDERS CORNER

The best resources we recently came across that will help you become a better founder, builder, or investor.

📊 Perigon is an AI-powered platform that turns global information into real-time insights.

🧑🏻‍💻 Trag is your AI code review companion.

🕰️ Rize is an AI time tracker that improves your focus.

🎯 The 80 / 20

Simple tricks to get a ton of value with minimal effort for work and life.

Relationship Mode > Fundraising Mode

Here’s the truth: the best fundraising doesn’t start with a pitch - it starts years before you even have something to pitch.

Most people scramble when they’re raising. Cold emails. Spray-and-pray. Stress.

The smarter move is to build real relationships early. It’s surprisingly easy:

• Reply to investor tweets. They want engagement.

• Show up with smart, positive takes. Be consistent.

• If they follow you, shoot a casual DM. Just say hey - no pitch, no agenda.

Once there's a connection, focus on value. Send them interesting startups. Share insights on their newsletter. You can even send incredible candidates their way who could be a good fit for their companies. Help out with no expectation.

That’s how trust builds.

So when it's time to raise, you’re already on their radar - not just another name in the inbox.

One powerful habit: send quarterly updates. Even if you’re not a founder. Talk about what you’re building, what you’re learning, or what you’re thinking about. It keeps you relevant and sharpens your thinking too.

This stuff compounds. A few authentic touchpoints now can unlock huge opportunities later.

❓️ AI GENERATED OR NOT

Last week’s answer: If you guessed AI-generated… you were right.

🟩🟩⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Yeah (~34%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Nope (~66%)

Here’s the original.

 👋 A Quick Note About Micro

Micro is a CRM that doesn't feel like homework and an email client that knows what matters. Simply put, it's an all-in-one productivity tool that organizes itself so you don't have to.

I built Micro with some friends because I was tired of getting guilt tripped for not hitting inbox 0 and having to bounce around between so many tools to do my job.

If you want early access, sign up for the waitlist at micro.so and respond to the confirmation email saying you came from Homescreen.

REACH 40K+ FOUNDERS, INVESTORS & OPERATORS

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