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Your Laptop screen will disappear

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Cash Nut
May 23, 2023

In Today’s Edition

  • SpaceX set to join FAA to fight an environmental lawsuit that could delay Starship work

  • Microsoft-Backed Builder.ai Raises $250 Mn In Series D Funding Round Led BY QIA

  • Amazon employees plan to walk off the job as tech worker tension rises

  • Apple's Crypto Policy Softens as Stepn Offers In-App Digital Asset Trading

  • Paramount streaming service to merge with Showtime on June 27

  • OpenAI leaders propose an international regulatory body for AI

  • Hypersensitive robot hand is eerily human in how it can feel things

  • The End of Screens?

  • New nontoxic powder uses sunlight to quickly disinfect contaminated drinking water

  • Changing my mind on remote, moving the team back to San Francisco

🚀Startups Nuts

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is set to join the Federal Aviation Administration as a co-defendant to fight an environmental lawsuit brought after the first Starship test flight. The groups suing the FAA allege the agency should have conducted a more in-depth environmental study on the likely impacts of SpaceX's activity before allowing the company to launch its Starship rocket. SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen said Starship delays could harm the company financially and disrupt the deployment of its Starlink satellite internet service.

The funding round also saw participation from Iconiq Capital, Jungle Ventures, and Insight Partners, among others. Builder.ai said it will use the funding to hire fresh talent, build partnerships and technology. Including the latest funding round, the startup has raised a total of $450 Mn to date.

🏭Business Nuts

Some employees at Amazon's Seattle headquarters are planning a walkout on May 31. The protest was organized in response to the frustration over layoffs and the return-to-office mandate. There are also some concerns over Amazon's climate commitments. Walkout organizers are hoping to draw at least 1,000 participants to the protest. Employees report that morale in the company is at an all-time low.

Stepn, a crypto-based fitness app, has announced that mobile app users will now be able to buy, sell, and trade its NFT sneakers within the app itself, integrating with Apple Pay to allow purchases through traditional debit and credit cards. This is a big step forward as Apple’s policies have traditionally made it too difficult and costly for web3 apps to provide in-app trading, forcing them to direct users to external marketplaces. Stepn, known for creating user experiences that can garner mass market appeal, is departing from this approach and giving users the ability to transact directly in the app on iOS.

Paramount plans to launch its combined streaming services Paramount+ and Showtime in the U.S. on June 27. Paramount+ with Showtime’s premium tier will increase to $11.99 from $9.99, while its lower-priced tier, without Showtime content, will increase by $1 to $5.99. The company will sunset its standalone Showtime app, as well as rebrand the premium Showtime cable-TV network, by the end of the year.

📱Tech Nuts

OpenAI's leadership believes the world needs an international regulatory body to govern AI. They say that the pace of innovation is so fast that existing authorities cannot adequately rein in the technology. While an AI-governing body may not be able to flip the switch on a bad actor, it can at least establish and track international standards and agreements. Companies are unlikely to self-regulate - even OpenAI plans to continue developing the technology due to its enormous potential.

A team of researchers at Columbia University has developed a robot hand with a level of sensitivity and dexterity high enough to feel and handle things as humans do. The team integrated multiple types of machine learning to give the robot hand its abilities. The robot hand can feel what it is touching and it can easily reposition its fingers to hold objects better. It can complete tasks in the dark using proprioceptive sensing, something many organisms are capable of. A picture of the robot hand is available in the article.

Sightful's Spacetop augmented reality laptop could start a new trend that may lead to a future with no more screens. The laptop is still in a beta testing, and it will likely take years before the technology is ready for mainstream use. Creating virtual monitor space is something that AR could convincingly solve. Once the technology is sufficiently developed, other companies will likely want to create their own versions.

🎁Miscellaneous

Scientists at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have invented a powder that can quickly disinfect water when exposed to sunlight. The low-cost, recyclable powder could be a significant advance for nearly 30% of the world's population. It disinfects water in under a minute and can be removed from water using an ordinary magnet and reused. The powder can be used in wastewater treatment plants to save energy.

While remote work is more comfortable for workers, it makes it harder for startups to succeed or find product/market fit. Working remotely raises coordination costs. It makes it harder for people to align their thoughts. Building community with workers is important as it creates trust. Network effects drive success for both employees and their companies.

💡What else are we reading and seeing?

  • The Fusion Race

  • Games and blockchain: 2023 update

  • Liquid Venture Investing in Crypto

  • Self-made millionaire says parents need to stop giving young people ‘terrible life advice

  • What’s the shoe leather cost of ₹2000?

😎Fun Fact

The word "bankruptcy" originated from the Italian phrase "banca rotta," which means "broken bench," referring to the practice of breaking a banker's bench to symbolize insolvency.

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That’s it from our side for today.