OpenAI dumps Apple, Meta pulls the plug, and YouTube wants your face

Mornin’,

Your website is the dumbest part of your business.
Cora would like to fix that.

Cora just came out of stealth with a mildly uncomfortable observation:
email optimizes itself, ads optimize themselves, pricing optimizes itself… and your website just kind of sits there. Judging. Converting poorly.

Cora’s take is refreshingly blunt.
The problem isn’t lack of data. It’s lack of action.

So instead of another dashboard telling you what users hate, Cora actually changes the site. Automatically. Continuously. No tickets. No hypotheses. No waiting for Q3.

Think: an AI UI/UX team living inside your website, quietly removing friction while you do literally anything else.

Static websites had a good run. Now they’re on borrowed time.

If you’d like an intro to the founder, reply here.

Let’s go.

This week from the AI for Founders podcast on Spotify:

Healthcare Doesn’t Have a Diagnosis Problem, It Has a Time Problem — LINK 
Most patients get only 13 minutes with a doctor, leading to pills instead of answers. Haresh Patel explains why founders need to build a "13-minute advantage" to give doctors their brains back rather than just building more tech.

Saturnia Design Your "Vibe Coded MVP" Is About to Break — LINK
Mike Vitez warns founders that building in isolation is a trap. He breaks down why you need to stop guessing, audit your chaos, and validate with real users before writing another line of code.

Tip of the spear:

OpenAI Ditched Apple to Build Its Own Device — LINK 
Sam Altman and his team reportedly walked away from a massive Apple partnership to pursue their own dedicated AI hardware ambitions instead.

Meta Just Killed the Office Metaverse — LINK 
Another blow to Zuckerberg’s immersive vision as Meta quietly shuts down its "Metaverse for Work" initiatives.

Trump’s Energy Auction Is a Nightmare for Data Centers — LINK 
New administration policies on electricity auctions are driving up power costs, threatening the massive infrastructure required to power the AI boom.

The EPA Just Busted Musk’s xAI — LINK 
Regulators have ruled that xAI’s massive natural gas generators were operated illegally to power its AI supercluster.

Trump’s Legal Fails Are Saving Offshore Wind — LINK 
Legal roadblocks for the administration are inadvertently providing a lifeline for the struggling offshore wind energy sector.

Leaked Docs Expose the Real Microsoft-OpenAI Deal — LINK 
Internal files reveal the tension and financial realities behind the defining alliance between the tech giant and the AI startup.

YouTube Wants You to Clone Yourself with AI — LINK 
New tools will allow creators to generate Shorts using an official AI version of their own face and voice.

This Robot Survived a Category 5 Hurricane — LINK 
Oshen has made history by successfully deploying an ocean robot to gather crucial data directly inside the eye of a massive storm.

Bezos Declares War on Starlink — LINK
Jeff Bezos ramps up Blue Origin and Amazon's satellite efforts to challenge SpaceX's dominance in space-based internet.

Prompt of the week:

“The Absurdly Overpowered Feature”

Analyze my startup (product, customers, revenue model, team, goals, and market context) and generate 5–7 insanely overpowered product features — features so extreme, audacious, or counterintuitive that they could redefine the market if executed.

For each feature, include:
Feature: the over-the-top, “nobody would dare” concept
Why It Matters: a sharp explanation of the leverage, edge, or hidden advantage it could create
Actionable Step: one concrete experiment, iteration, or mini-launch inspired by the idea that I could implement immediately

Instructions for the model:

• Be bold, provocative, and imaginative — push beyond conventional limits.
  
  

• Avoid generic or safe suggestions.
  
  

• Focus on uncovering hidden differentiators, unconventional growth opportunities, and moves that could give my startup an unfair advantage.

Want more customers?

• Your story deserves more than LinkedIn posts your mom likes.

• Kitcaster puts you on the shows your market trusts.

• Check out kitcaster.com

Keep it moving

X Open Sources Code While Paying Fines — LINK 
In a chaotic move, X releases its algorithm code simultaneously while battling transparency fines and controversies over Grok.

Silicon Valley’s Ugliest Breakup Is Going to Court — LINK 
The drama isn't over yet as a high-profile startup split escalates into a full-blown legal battle, promising to air dirty laundry in the courtroom.

Threads Just Passed X in Users — LINK 
New data reveals Meta's text app has finally edged out Elon Musk’s X in daily mobile usage, marking a turning point in the social media wars.

The Rise of Micro-Apps: Why You Might Stop Buying Software — LINK 
Non-developers are taking control of software creation by building "micro-apps," shifting the industry from buying expensive software to building custom solutions.

OpenAI Is Funding Mind-Reading Tech (Yes, Really) — LINK 
The AI giant has invested in Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface startup backed by none other than Sam Altman himself.

Ads Are Finally Coming to ChatGPT — LINK 
The ad-free era is ending as OpenAI begins rolling out advertising within ChatGPT for users in the United States.

Murdoch’s Empire Just Bet Big on This AI Startup — LINK 
Symbolic AI has secured a major partnership with News Corp, signaling a controversial new era for AI-driven content in legacy media.

This Robot Survived a Category 5 Hurricane — LINK 
Oshen has made history by successfully deploying an ocean robot to gather crucial data directly inside the eye of a massive storm.

Say Goodbye to Asus Phones? — LINK 
Reports suggest the hardware manufacturer might be exiting the smartphone market entirely after its latest release.

Musk Reboots Tesla’s Supercomputer Project — LINK 
Tesla is restarting development on Dojo3, doubling down on its custom supercomputing efforts for autonomous driving.

PwC Boss: You Don’t Even Know AI Basics Yet — LINK 
The global chairman argues that despite the hype, most CEOs and companies still lack a fundamental understanding of artificial intelligence.

Sony and TCL’s Massive TV Shakeup — LINK 
A major partnership announcement between Sony and TCL suggests a significant consolidation in the global TV hardware market.

Google Promises No Ads in Gemini — LINK 
DeepMind’s CEO goes on record confirming there are currently no plans to clutter the Gemini AI model with advertisements.

Ex-Googlers Are Reinventing Kids’ Learning — LINK 
A trio of former Google employees launches an interactive, AI-first application designed to change how children learn.

Google Refuses to Accept "Monopoly" Label — LINK 
The search giant has filed a formal appeal against the landmark ruling declaring its search business an illegal monopoly.

Musk Is Furious Ryanair Won't Buy Starlink — LINK 
Elon Musk lashes out after Ryanair's CEO publicly rejects putting Starlink internet on his fleet of planes.

Amazon CEO Warns: Trump Tariffs Will Cost You — LINK 
Andy Jassy issues a stark warning that new trade tariffs will lead directly to higher prices for Amazon shoppers.

Apple’s Plan to Save Siri from OpenAI — LINK
Apple is reportedly overhauling Siri into a full-fledged built-in chatbot for iPhone and Mac to compete directly with ChatGPT.

Code Story Podcast: It’s like therapy for startup founders, except the therapist is a microphone and everyone’s listening. Code, chaos, and confessions served weekly.

What I’m thinking about:

Thanks for being here.

-Ryan

p.s. When you are ready, here’s how I can help.

We have successfully booked podcast interviews for over 800 funded startup founders, entrepreneurs with exits, and C-suite executives. If you're ready to lead your company from the front, let Kitcaster handle your podcast scheduling and create a powerful stream of content for you and your brand.

I write about Revops, Product, and Founder-led marketing on Linkedin, X, and my blog.