The rapid expansion of AI capabilities is evident with Google's new Veo 3 video-generation model and customizable Gemini chatbots integrated into Workspace, while xAI's data center permits spark environmental concerns, and AI job predictions fuel industry discussions, also touching on Meta's AI superintelligence efforts and Pinwheel's AI chatbot smartwatch for kids.

• Wonder Dynamics co-founder Nikola Todorovic joins the AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — TechCrunch -
• E Ink is turning the laptop touchpad into an e-reader for AI apps — The Verge -
• Ilya Sutskever will lead Safe Superintelligence following his CEO’s exit — TechCrunch -

• Meta’s “AI superintelligence” effort sounds just like its failed “metaverse” — Ars Technica -
• Meta has found another way to keep you engaged: Chatbots that message you first — TechCrunch -
• xAI data center gets air permit to run 15 turbines, but imaging shows 24 on site — Ars Technica -
• Pinwheel introduces a smartwatch for kids that includes an AI chatbot — TechCrunch -
• Deerhoof did not want its music ‘funding AI battle tech’ — so it ditched Spotify — The Verge -
• xAI gets permits for 15 natural gas generators at Memphis data center — TechCrunch -
• Writer CEO May Habib to take the AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 — TechCrunch -
• Adding calendar events with a screenshot is AI at its finest — The Verge -
• RFK Jr.’s plan to put ‘AI’ in everything is a disaster — The Verge -
• Google rolls out its new Veo 3 video-generation model globally — TechCrunch -
• Google’s customizable Gemini chatbots are now in Docs, Sheets, and Gmail — The Verge -
• AI job predictions become corporate America’s newest competitive sport — TechCrunch -

The tech landscape is buzzing with funding rounds for startups like Castelion's hypersonic missile business and Qedma's quantum computing, the rise of a serial moonlighter engineer Soham Parekh, TechCrunch events focusing on fundraising and AI, and the fintech growth of Qonto and Increase.

• Everyone in tech has an opinion about Soham Parekh — TechCrunch -
• Cluely’s ARR doubled in a week to $7M, founder Roy Lee says. But rivals are coming. — TechCrunch -
• Who is Soham Parekh, the serial moonlighter Silicon Valley startups can’t stop hiring? — TechCrunch -

• Meet Soham Parekh, the engineer burning through tech by working at three to four startups simultaneously — The Verge -
• TechCrunch All Stage brings back early launch prices for a limited time — TechCrunch -
• Stripe’s first employee, the founder of fintech Increase, sort of bought a bank — TechCrunch -
• Kristen Craft brings fresh fundraising strategy to the Foundation Stage at TechCrunch All Stage — TechCrunch -
• Y Combinator alum launched a new $34M fund dedicated to YC startups, backed by Garry Tan — TechCrunch -
• Castelion is raising a $350M Series B to scale hypersonic missile business — TechCrunch -
• Tighten up your cap table with Fidelity, Cimulate, and DepositLink at TechCrunch All Stage 2025 — TechCrunch -
• Israeli quantum startup Qedma just raised $26M, with IBM joining in — TechCrunch -
• French B2B fintech Qonto reaches 600,000 customers, files for banking license — TechCrunch -

Shoppers are presented with early Prime Day deals on robot vacuums, laptops, MacBooks, and Apple Watch bands, alongside reviews of the 2025 VW ID Buzz and the Whoop MG wearable, and news about the Nintendo Switch 2's VRR support and Samsung's trifold phone design.

• The best robot vacuum and mop to buy right now — The Verge -
• We confirmed Nintendo’s Switch 2 TV dock supports VRR — so why doesn’t it work with Switch 2? — The Verge -
• The best laptops you can get — The Verge -

• Here are the best robot vacuum deals available right now — The Verge -
• Not everyone is thrilled with Threads’ DMs — TechCrunch -
• 2025 VW ID Buzz review: If you want an electric minivan, this is it — Ars Technica -
• Paramount Plus slashes prices to $2 for two months — The Verge -
• Apple’s colorful Watch Solo Loop bands are up to 70 percent off now — The Verge -
• The best phone to buy right now — The Verge -
• Whoop MG review: a big whoop for a small crowd — The Verge -
• The best deals on MacBooks right now — The Verge -
• Everything you need to know about Flashes, the Bluesky-based Instagram alternative — TechCrunch -
• Lego’s latest buildable arcade machine is packed full of fun hidden details — The Verge -
• Samsung seems to have leaked its own trifold phone design — The Verge -

The Trump administration's policies are impacting areas from EV tax credits and clean energy initiatives to health websites related to gender and White House media curation, with a judge ruling against banning DEI grants and letters influencing TikTok's online presence.

• The White House’s favorite source of pro-Trump news is … the White House’s YouTube channel — The Verge -
• Slate Auto drops ‘under $20,000’ pricing after Trump administration ends federal EV tax credit — TechCrunch -
• Here are the letters that convinced Google and Apple to keep TikTok online — The Verge -

• Congress passes budget to expand mass deportations, cut social services, and stall clean energy — The Verge -
• Final GOP bill kneecaps renewables and hydrogen but lifts nuclear and geothermal — TechCrunch -
• Judge: You can’t ban DEI grants without bothering to define DEI — Ars Technica -
• Trump admin unlawfully killed health websites related to gender, court rules — TechCrunch -

This section covers streaming service deals for summer viewing, while The Last of Us co-creator exits HBO show, and Helldivers 2 makes history as a PlayStation-published Xbox game, offering a glimpse into the evolving landscape of digital content.

• The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann exits HBO show — Ars Technica -
• Here are the best streaming service deals available right now — The Verge -
• Helldivers 2 is the first PlayStation-published Xbox game — The Verge -

• A guide to the best sci-fi streaming this summer — The Verge -

A covert surveillance app provider spills passwords for thousands of users, and the ransomware group Hunters International announces its shutdown, highlighting ongoing challenges and developments in digital security.

• Provider of covert surveillance app spills passwords for 62,000 users — Ars Technica -
• Ransomware gang Hunters International says it’s shutting down — TechCrunch -

A medical anomaly is featured in the headline **man’s ghastly festering ulcer stumps doctors**, providing a rare glimpse into a unique health case from a tech/science publication.

• Man’s ghastly festering ulcer stumps doctors—until they cut out a wedge of flesh — Ars Technica -