Welcome back to your daily memorandum talking tech, business, AI, markets, and more. 🗞️

In today’s edition, we are tackling the following:

🔓 U.S. lifts export restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos & Fable models.
🦞 OpenClaw's AI agent app finally launches on both Android & iOS.
🪛 AWS invests $1B in new AI engineering unit for customers.
🪙 Trump reports at least $1.4B in crypto earnings during 2025 disclosures.
☁️ Iran says it won't meet U.S. envoys, clouding peace deal prospects.

TECHNOLOGY

• U.S. lifts export restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos & Fable models (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: CBS, Al Jazeera, Washington Post}}

  • The U.S. government lifted export license requirements on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models, restoring public access.

  • On June 12, the government added the models to its export-restricted technology list, resulting in suspended access.

  • Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Anthropic agreed to address security risks and collaborate with the government on safety protocols.

• OpenClaw's AI agent app finally launches on both Android & iOS (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: TechRadar, TechCrunch}}

  • OpenClaw, the open-source AI agent that went viral this year, is now available as a mobile app.

  • Users pair their phone with the OpenClaw Gateway, connecting requests to agents and the tools they use.

  • The launch follows OpenClaw's viral MoltBook stunt and creator Peter Steinberger's move to OpenAI in February.

• X launches hosted MCP server to connect AI tools directly (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: TNW, Tech Buzz}}

  • X launched a hosted MCP server that lets AI tools like Claude and Cursor connect via account permissions.

  • Previously, developers had to build and host their own server, handle authentication, and connect to the X API.

  • X joins GitHub, Slack, Notion, and Stripe in offering official MCP servers, though spam concerns remain.

BUSINESS

• AWS invests $1B in new AI engineering unit for customers (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Yahoo!, TechCrunch}}

  • AWS is investing $1B in a new Forward Deployed Engineering unit to help customers build AI systems.

  • The unit will launch with "thousands" of engineers, according to Francesca Vasquez, VP of frontier AI.

  • AWS joins OpenAI and Anthropic, both of which launched similar forward-deployed engineering units earlier this year.

• Trump reports at least $1.4B in crypto earnings during 2025 disclosures (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: Politico, NBC, Bloomberg}}

  • Trump earned more than $1.4B through several cryptocurrency ventures in 2025, according to new financial disclosures.

  • CIC Digital, behind his $TRUMP memecoin, brought in over $636M, largely via a licensing agreement.

  • World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Trump and his sons, generated nearly $600M in trading volume across its crypto tokens.

• Wayve launches $85M employee tender offer at $8.5B valuation (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Tech Buzz, Yahoo!}}

  • Wayve is letting employees sell vested equity through an $85M tender offer at a $8.5B valuation.

  • The valuation stems from a $1.2B Series D in February led by Eclipse, Balderton, and SoftBank.

  • This marks Wayve's second liquidity event, following a tender tied to its 2024 Series C round.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Iran says it won't meet U.S. envoys, clouding peace deal prospects (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Business Standard, Japan Times}}

  • Iran said it won't meet top U.S. envoys who flew to the region, clouding peace prospects.

  • Both sides must still settle ceasefire terms before tackling harder issues, such as limits on Iran's nuclear program.

  • Kushner and Witkoff arrived in Doha, but Iran and Qatar said they would meet only with mediators.

• Japan's FX chief says past yen intervention has shown clear impact (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Financial Times, CNBC}}

  • Japan's top currency diplomat said the yen intervention two months ago was effective, per Bloomberg.

  • Vice Finance Minister Atsushi Mimura said the market's subsequent movement showed the move clearly had meaning.

  • Mimura noted some U.S. officials were "supportive," and he knew of no disagreement from U.S. authorities.

• SK & KKR to launch $1.3B South Korea renewable energy venture (CNA)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, CNBC}}

  • KKR and SK Inc will launch South Korea's largest renewable energy platform, valued at $1.3B.

  • It combines solar, wind, and fuel cell assets to meet clean-power demand from AI data centers.

  • KKR will own 51% and SK 49%, with the venture expected to launch by year-end.

FUTURISM

• Tesla begins testing Cybercab without steering wheel or pedals in Austin (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: InsideEVs, TNW}}

  • Tesla began testing a two-seat Cybercab in Austin, Texas, with no steering wheel or pedals.

  • A safety monitor rides in the passenger seat, nearly two years after the Cybercab design debuted.

  • A pending NHTSA proposal would not require brake pedals in vehicles designed for fully automated driving.

• Arcturus could halve grid electrical losses using its nano-infused metals (NewsBytes)
  ^{_{More: Tech Buzz, Yahoo!, TechCrunch}}

  • Global copper demand is surging, with more needed by 2050 than has been mined in all of human history.

  • Arcturus infuses carbon nanomaterials into copper and aluminum using lasers, cutting energy lost to heat.

  • The same-size power lines could then carry more electricity, easing strain on an aging U.S. grid.

• Google launches faster, cheaper image generator with Nano Banana 2 Lite (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: TNW, India Today}}

  • Google released Nano Banana 2 Lite, a faster and more affordable version of its image generator.

  • The model produces images in 4 seconds and costs $0.034 per 1k images, making it ideal for high volume.

  • It follows the original Nano Banana and Nano Banana 2, with a more powerful Pro version available as well.

• Hunting for AI roles eats hours across careers pages, internal referrals, group chats, and a dozen overlapping boards*

  • The Athyna AI Job Board does the watching for you and matches openings to your profile in the background.

  • When a role hits a 75% matching index or higher, we notify you with details and a direct apply link.

CONTENT

• Three strangers reveal their unusual business models (My First Million)

  • Sam Parr and Shaan Puri bring in three founders whose businesses make $10M, $20M, and $30M.

  • Alex Daniels runs a $10M real estate magazine, and Josh Weissenstein a $20M campground business.

  • The episode also covers a $1.8B app that copies the trades of politicians and hedge funds.

• Etched founders tell the story of building an ambitious AI chip company (Invest Like The Best)

  • Etched co-founders Gavin Uberti and Robert Wachen share how they built an ambitious AI chip company.

  • Three years after dropping out of Harvard, they have raised $800M and signed over $1B in contracts.

  • They discuss why inference may become the world's largest market and their near-death fundraising moments.

• Grant Sanderson explores how AI is reshaping the future of mathematics (Dwarkesh Patel)

  • AI is progressing faster in math than other fields, previewing what AI progress elsewhere might look like.

  • The talk explores whether AI increases or decreases human understanding of mathematics on the whole.

  • Sanderson also offers advice for aspiring mathematicians and coders in fields being transformed by AI.

EXTRAS

• Threads expands Live Chats access & adds translations & host tools (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Meta's Threads is adding translations, new host tools, and wider access to its Live Chats feature.

  • Translation support makes conversations more accessible globally, while access expands to all "Community Champions."

  • Hosts can now add up to three co-hosts, delete messages for everyone, and highlight their messages.

• NVIDIA competitor Etched hits $5B valuation & $1B in AI chip sales (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Tech Buzz, MSN}}

  • Etched booked $1B in orders for its AI systems after TSMC manufactured its chip this year.

  • The startup sells "frontier inference clusters," bundling chips with custom racks and software for faster inference.

  • Etched has raised $800M total, including a $500M round in December at a $5B post-money valuation.

• China's Xi urges Communist Party to adapt & safeguard its advances (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, Straits Times}}

  • Xi urged the Communist Party to adapt to change while protecting its achievements at the 105th anniversary.

  • He cited a period where strategic opportunities and risks coexist, without naming specific threats or gains.

  • Analysts point to slower economic growth and demographic decline as key challenges for the world's second largest economy.

AND MORE

• Podcasting platform Riverside now expands its reach into newsletter publishing.

• Employers who cited AI for layoffs are already starting to regret it.

• Explore all the tools and more here to outperform the competition.*

• Poker AI builders from DeepMind now make money for quant hedge funds.

• Realta Fusion generates electricity directly from a fusion reaction in first.

• Turkey tightens security and showcases strength ahead of upcoming NATO summit.

• Acti embeds AI agents directly into your smartphone keyboard app.