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

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

🧠 OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman takes over the company's product strategy.
📚 arXiv will ban authors for a year over unchecked AI-generated work.
✈️ Spirit Airlines' collapse leaves budget travelers with fewer affordable flight options.
⚡ Lake Tahoe has less than a year to find a new energy supplier.
🚁 A drone strike hits the United Arab Emirates' nuclear plant amid U.S.-Iran tensions.

TECHNOLOGY

• OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman takes over the company's product strategy (Tech in Asia)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!, WIRED}}

  • Greg Brockman is leading OpenAI's product strategy while CEO Fidji Simo is on medical leave.

  • Brockman plans to merge ChatGPT and Codex into one unified product experience for users.

  • OpenAI aims to consolidate ChatGPT, Codex, and its API under a single core product team.

• Kindle owners jailbreak older devices after Amazon cuts store support (XDA)
  ^{_{More: MSN, TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Amazon cut store support for original Kindle models, blocking users from buying or downloading books.

  • Owners are jailbreaking supported Kindles and installing apps like KUAL and KOReader to restore functionality.

  • Jailbreaking risks violating Amazon's terms of service, but many users prefer it over replacing working devices.

• ArXiv will ban authors for a year over unchecked AI-generated work (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, The Verge}}

  • ArXiv is cracking down on low-quality, AI-generated papers submitted to its research repository.

  • First-time posters now need endorsements, and ArXiv is becoming an independent nonprofit for more funding.

  • Authors who fail to review AI-generated content face a one-year ban from the platform.

BUSINESS

• Spirit's collapse leaves budget travelers with fewer affordable flight options (AP)
  ^{_{More: AOL, CNBC, Economic Times}}

  • Spirit Airlines shut down on May 3, ending a 34-year run serving price-conscious American travelers.

  • Rising jet fuel costs tied to the Iran war have pushed airfares higher across the industry.

  • Two remaining U.S. budget carriers recently merged, further limiting affordable options for summer travelers.

• Lake Tahoe has less than a year to find a new energy supplier (LA Times)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, TechCrunch, MEXC}}

  • Lake Tahoe's energy contract with NV Energy ends by May 2027, leaving Liberty Utilities without a supplier.

  • NV Energy is redirecting power to Nevada's booming data center market, which demands over 22 gigawatts of load.

  • Data centers willing to pay premium rates are effectively crowding out traditional customers, such as Lake Tahoe residents.

• Nectar Social raises $30M Series A to power its AI marketing platform (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Tech Buzz, Business Wire}}

  • Nectar Social raised $30M in a Series A round led by Menlo Ventures and its Anthology Fund.

  • The platform uses autonomous AI agents to run end-to-end social, creator, and commerce workflows.

  • Co-founders Misbah and Farah Uraizee, ex-Meta sisters, will use funds to grow engineering and GTM.

MARKETS

WORLD

• A drone strike hits the UAE's nuclear plant amid rising U.S.-Iran tensions (Seattle Times)
  ^{_{More: AP, The Hill, MSN}}

  • A drone struck the edge of the UAE's only nuclear power plant, causing a fire but no injuries or radiation release.

  • The UAE accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks, as tensions rise over the Strait of Hormuz.

  • President Trump warned Iran of consequences after a call with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu amid escalating conflict.

• Taiwan's president defends U.S. arms deals as a key regional deterrent (Washington Post)
  ^{_{More: AP, Euronews}}

  • Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te called U.S. arms purchases the most important deterrent against regional conflict and instability.

  • Lai stressed that U.S. arms sales are legally governed and a catalyst for peace and stability in the region.

  • Trump had raised doubts about continuing arms sales to Taiwan after his recent visit to China.

• WHO declares a health emergency as Ebola spreads across Congo & Uganda (BBC)
  ^{_{More: The Guardian, PBS, AP}}

  • The WHO declared an international public health emergency after over 300 suspected Ebola cases and 88 deaths.

  • A confirmed case in Kinshasa, 1k kilometers from the epicenter, suggests the outbreak may be spreading wider.

  • The first confirmed Ebola case in Goma was detected on Sunday, complicating the response amid the ongoing armed conflict there.

FUTURISM

• Southwest Airlines bans humanoid robots from flights after two disruptions (Futurism)
  ^{_{More: NY Post, Yahoo!}}

  • Southwest Airlines banned humanoid and animal robots from its cabins and checked luggage after two separate incidents.

  • A Dallas business owner sparked controversy by buying his 3.5-foot robot 'Stewie' its own seat on a flight.

  • Southwest cited lithium-ion battery rules for the ban, though the robot's owner disputes that reasoning entirely.

• Pope Leo XIV forms an AI study group ahead of his first encyclical (AOL)
  ^{_{More: AP, Boston Globe, MSN}}

  • Pope Leo XIV created a Vatican study group on AI, citing concerns over human dignity and the technology's rapid growth.

  • His first encyclical, signed on Friday, is expected to call for an ethics-based approach to the development of artificial intelligence.

  • The pope has drawn parallels between the AI revolution and the Industrial Revolution addressed in 'Rerum Novarum.'

• A humanoid robot is now working as a shop assistant in Germany (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: MSN}}

  • A humanoid robot capable of switching personalities and accents is being tested as a shop assistant in Germany.

  • A robotics and AI solutions company is evaluating how the Chinese-made machine can work alongside human employees.

  • The test explores whether programmable humanoid robots can be tailored for customer-facing roles in retail settings.

• Explore the essential startup reading database*

  • Learning from the best is how you become the best. We've curated a list of top-notch articles, blogs, and readings essential for startup founders.

  • And here's the kicker: we've organized it all in a user-friendly Notion database for easy access and tracking. Double win!

  • As aspiring leaders and innovators, this list serves as a bridge to absorbing the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

CONTENT

• Abridge's CEO on five years of struggle before finding product-market fit (20VC)

  • Abridge reached a $5.3B valuation after a $300M round backed by Jensen Huang, Henry Kravis, and others.

  • CEO Shiv Rao, a practicing cardiologist, scaled the generative AI healthcare company to 450 employees.

  • Abridge has partnered with major health systems like Emory and Yale, making AI documentation a clinical standard.

• Caitlin Kalinowski says we're just at the start of the AI hardware boom (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Kalinowski built hardware teams at OpenAI, Meta, and Apple, spanning VR, AR glasses, and Mac products.

  • She warns of a coming memory price shock and advises startups to pre-buy chips now.

  • Kalinowski believes humanoid robots remain prototypes, with mass deployment still gated by unresolved technical challenges.

• The self-driving startup betting on end-to-end AI over city mapping (This Week in Startups)

  • Wayve and Waabi have raised a combined $2B in six months, with Uber as a partner.

  • Both companies bet that end-to-end AI and world models outperform Waymo's city-by-city mapping approach.

  • Wayve CEO Alex Kendall made a contrarian bet on end-to-end AI as far back as 2017.

EXTRAS

• Shein acquires U.S. apparel brand Everlane in a $100M deal (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Business Times}}

  • Shein is acquiring Everlane from its majority owner, L Catterton, in a deal valued at around $100M.

  • Common stockholders will receive no payout, and details for preferred shareholders remain unclear from the report.

  • L Catterton had been seeking investors to address roughly $90M in debt before agreeing to the sale.

• Samsung & its union hold talks to avert a historic worker strike (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Firstpost, MSN}}

  • Samsung Electronics and its union began last-ditch talks Monday to prevent a strike by over 45k workers.

  • An 18-day walkout starting Thursday could disrupt global supply chains amid an acute memory chip shortage.

  • The chip shortage has fueled soaring profits at Samsung, making the strike's timing especially consequential for markets.

• This offline desk gadget tracks posture & hydration without a camera (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • Isa is a desk device by German startup Deep Care that monitors posture, hydration, light, sound, and movement.

  • It works entirely offline with no camera, making it a privacy-friendly alternative to app-based posture tools.

  • The gadget features a 5.5-inch IPS screen, resembles a table clock, and runs on USB-C power.

AND MORE

• 6M vapes are discarded weekly in the UK, causing fires and waste.

• Power prices on America's biggest grid have surged 76%, a watchdog says.

• Roko’s Basilisk skips the buzz words and cuts straight to what moves markets, products, and careers.*

• Fujifilm's X Half gets even more appealing with a $300 price cut.

• The AI gold rush is creating a stark divide between winners & losers.

• ElliQ is proving to be a genuinely helpful companion robot for older adults.

• Commencement speakers in 2026 are being advised to avoid mentioning AI.

• Seth Rogen says anyone using AI to write shouldn't call themselves a writer.