Cards · Thursday, May 28, 2026 · 163 newsletters

Today's reads

Every newsletter in the inbox, distilled to 3-5 claims. The briefing for this day at /whatimreading/2026-05-28 is the editorial curation on top of this layer.

• 1440 Daily Digest

  Laos cave rescue finds five survivors; sea cucumber biology surprises scientists

  • Five villagers trapped in a flooded Laos cave for over a week were found alive.
  • Matthew Perry's assistant sentenced to 3.5 years for role in the actor's ketamine death.
  • Scientists found amputated sea cucumber parts can heal and function for years after detachment.
  • An Illinois school hosted prom for a 100-year-old WWII veteran who missed his own.

  Links: found alive yesterday, sea cucumber parts, to serve in the war

• 3-2-1

  by James Clear

  Live by principles, not circumstances; embrace commitment's power

  • Adaptability and positive attitude transform ordinary days into good ones.
  • Your mind is your ally, not your obstacle; don't add self-imposed barriers.
  • Commitment triggers Providence: decisive action unlocks unforeseen opportunities and help.
  • Best revenge is becoming your best self, not retaliating against others.

  Links: Meditations, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

• a16z

  AI augments B2B customer support rather than replacing human agents.

  • AI deflects only 15% of B2B support requests end-to-end, versus 35% in B2C.
  • AI acts as triage copilot, routing hard tickets to specialists with context.
  • When AI actively engages, it cuts human workload by one-third.
  • Best AI companies augment humans; easy questions take least time.

  Links: a16z's FDE Fellowship, customer support jobs are outpacing the broader job market

• a16z Build

  a16z launches 8-week FDE Fellowship for AI deployment leaders.

  • Demand for forward-deployed engineers (FDEs) surging as startups bridge gap between customer needs and AI agent capabilities.
  • Fellowship brings scattered FDE talent together for 8 weeks starting July 2026 with flexible commitment.
  • Fellows gain access to tight network, in-person dinners in SF, and unfiltered field learnings from industry leaders.
  • FDE role originated at Palantir in early 2010s, now critical for deploying agentic platforms in enterprises.

  Links: Demand for FDEs is growing rapidly, apply here

• After School

  by Casey Lewis

  Gen Z is reshaping social life, work, and education with unconventional choices.

  • Premium gyms and boutique fitness studios have become Gen Z's third place, replacing bars, restaurants, and offices for socializing.
  • Gen Z uses Instagram and short-form video as job search tools, with one student's resume video generating 500,000 views and a job offer.
  • 77% of Gen Z consumers prioritize wellness, with 30% spending more on gym memberships year-over-year.
  • AI proliferation on college campuses is creating despair among professors despite student skepticism of the technology.

  Links: A $300-A-MONTH GYM IS GEN Z'S SOCIAL CLUB, INSTAGRAM TRULY IS THE NEW LINKEDIN: WHY GEN Z IS USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET HIRED, THE DESPAIR OF THE PROFESSOR IN THE AGE OF A.I.

• Against All Enemies

  by Rick Wilson

  Stephen Miller faces public mockery after years of inflicting cruelty on others.

  • Democratic Party account publicly insulted Miller with blunt language, breaking typical political decorum.
  • Miller, architect of harsh immigration policies, experienced the discomfort of public humiliation himself.
  • The moment illustrates that cruelty directed outward can unexpectedly return to its practitioners.
  • Democrats abandoned conventional political restraint to match Miller's approach directly.

• Agentic AI

  by Ken Huang

  Claude Code introduces three execution models to replace chat-and-wait development.

  • Dynamic Workflows generate JavaScript orchestration scripts that run up to 1,000 parallel agents with adversarial verification instead of sequential turns.
  • Three primitives, Dynamic Workflows, Subagents, and Agent Teams, solve different problems; choosing correctly cuts tokens, time, and errors at scale.
  • Workflows cache completed agent results for instant resumability and run in background without blocking the CLI.
  • The /deep-research command demonstrates workflows by disproving findings through multi-angle searches and source cross-checks.

  Links: Dynamic Workflows

• AI by Aakash

  by Aakash Gupta

  GBrain lets AI know you; Grok Build challenges Claude Code's dominance.

  • Garry Tan built GBrain to create AI that remembers context across sessions, eliminating repetitive derivations.
  • xAI shipped Grok Build with plan mode: agents explain changes before executing, adding user trust.
  • Grok Build runs eight parallel sub-agents on 2M token context; coding agents now generate 70% of committed code.
  • Anthropic reached $47B ARR and $965B valuation but Opus-4.8 underperforms GPT-5.5 on agentic coding.

  Links: Grok Build, Anthropic released Opus-4.8, announced it is at $47B ARR, raised another round at a $965B valuation, Opus-4.8 doesn't beat GPT-5.5 on agentic terminal coding

• AI Market Fit

  by Guillermo Flor

  Anthropic data reveals which jobs AI will replace first and where founders should build.

  • Observed exposure metric shows 75% of programmer work and 67% of data entry roles already done on Claude.
  • Entry-level hiring into exposed jobs has dropped 14%, signaling immediate labor market disruption.
  • Computer programmers, data entry keyers, and customer service reps face displacement first.
  • Founders can map opportunities by identifying roles with highest observed exposure across verticals.

  Links: can subscribe here

• Anchor Change

  by Katie Harbath

  AI chatbots fail fact-checking 90% of the time, yet voters rely on them.

  • Forum AI found leading chatbots deliver flawed responses on elections 90% of the time across 12,500+ expert evaluations.
  • Voters deliberately use AI for fact-checking and summarizing political news, unaware tools are highly unreliable.
  • Passive AI exposure through Google Search, TikTok, and Instagram reaches billions; most voters don't recognize AI-generated summaries.
  • 57% of voters worry more about AI risks than benefits; 40% of those believing in bias think it leans liberal.

  Links: Forum AI found, polling I conducted with the Rainey Center, Caucus AI found in their own poll, Sundar Pichai announced that AI Overviews now reach 2.5 billion users globally, 65% of Gen Z report having used TikTok as a search engine, topline from our Rainey Center data

• Anna Mack's Stack

  by Anna Mack

  Launching portfolio career accelerator based on proven methodology.

  • Anna Mack mentored 200 people on building portfolio careers and codified her approach into a structured method.
  • The Portfolio Career Build Method teaches positioning, pricing, lead generation, community building, and managing multiple income streams.
  • First cohort of 10 beta participants completed in 6 weeks; Mack gathering feedback before wider launch.

  Links: The Portfolio Career Build Method

• Axios AI+

  by Ina Fried and Madison Mills

  Corporate AI spending fails to justify ballooning costs and uncertain returns.

  • Microsoft canceled Claude Code licenses and Uber questions AI costs as companies face massive bills without clear productivity gains.
  • One client spent $500 million monthly on Claude after failing to set usage limits; tokenmaxxing culture wastes resources.
  • AI adoption works mainly for coding but companies apply it broadly, automating disliked tasks rather than revenue-driving ones.
  • Rural Americans adopt AI at half the rate of urban residents, threatening to widen economic opportunity gaps.

  Links: The Verge

• Axios Communicators

  by Christine Wang

  Media scrutiny strengthens corporate credibility and communications strategy.

  • Direct-to-audience social media strategies have gone too far; companies need traditional media scrutiny.
  • Leaders attacking journalists undermines credibility; engaging with press demonstrates confidence and strength.
  • Company-owned podcasts lack the rigor of editorial scrutiny and cannot substitute for traditional media.
  • Press validation provides credibility; hard questions from journalists strengthen corporate storytelling skills.

• Bankless

  by David C

  Eigen Labs launches Darkbloom for organic private inference networks.

  • Inference capital markets are crypto-AI's hottest trade; private inference commands premium pricing.
  • Most projects rely on token incentives lacking staying power; Eigen takes harder organic route.
  • Darkbloom enables passive revenue on idle Apple Macs by running private inference network.
  • Early earnings are low but potential expansion significant for decentralized AI infrastructure.

• Behind the CMO

  by James Murray

  New CMOs fail by following Watkins playbook designed for general managers.

  • CMOs misapply The First 90 Days framework, prioritizing business understanding over political alignment with peers.
  • CMO success depends on three critical alliances: CFO, CRO, and CEO confidants, not direct reports.
  • The listening tour approach works for GMs with direct reports but fails for functional leaders navigating peer relationships.

  Links: Sign up here, 1.8 million copies sold, The CFO Problem

• Big Think

  Play is evolutionary necessity that rewires brains and shapes human development.

  • Play drives learning and skill practice across humans and animals, serving low-stakes rehearsal for adult survival.
  • Brain rewards play when we exceed expectations, creating pleasure that motivates continued engagement across life.
  • Playgrounds transformed American childhood by confining unsupervised play to designated locations in late 1800s.
  • Some animal play serves no obvious survival purpose, suggesting recreation itself may have intrinsic value.

  Links: The Power of Play, Why play brings us pleasure, How playgrounds reinvented childhood, Animal play may be about more than survival

• Bloomberg

  US strikes Iran targets as peace deal negotiations stall amid regional tensions.

  • US conducted second military strike on Iran this week; Kuwait reported defensive missile and drone responses.
  • Trump faces pressure between Tehran's demands for financial relief and Republican hawks opposing compromise.
  • Fed officials split on inflation outlook; Cook prepared to hike rates while Jefferson expects cooling.

  Links: missile and drone threats, caught between two extremes, prepared to hike interest rates, expects prices to cool

• Brew Markets

  by Brew Markets

  Retail inflation and drone technology reshape market dynamics.

  • Drone zone entry signals emerging opportunities in logistics and delivery sectors.
  • Retail inflation pressures continue influencing consumer spending patterns and business strategies.
  • Snowflake technologies reshape data infrastructure and competitive advantages.

• ByteByteGo

  by ByteByteGo

  Distributed systems fail in unique ways beyond conventional bugs.

  • Single machines show obvious crash signals, but distributed systems can appear healthy while users experience errors.
  • Systems can become technically functional yet stuck in unrecoverable states or silently serve incorrect data.
  • These recurring failure patterns have predictable mechanisms and established defense strategies.
  • Failures in distributed systems differ fundamentally from conventional bugs.

• Callaway Climate Insights

  by David Callaway

  Middle East conflict signals permanent structural shift away from oil investment.

  • IEA projects only one-third of $3.4 trillion energy spending goes to fossil fuels; rest to renewables and grids.
  • Oil investments declining for third consecutive year despite higher prices, falling below $500 million.
  • Renewable energy investments exceed $665 billion annually, with solar alone reaching $365 billion.
  • Supply chain vulnerability from Iran conflict will prevent oil companies from returning to field development investments.

  Links: International Energy Agency's 2026 World Energy Investment report

• Carnegie Corporation of New York

  Jim Lee, South Korean immigrant, revolutionized DC Comics as visionary artist.

  • Lee immigrated to Midwest at age four speaking no English, found solace in drawing.
  • Identified with Superman as ultimate immigrant; created worlds for characters with multiple identities.
  • Built career celebrating disparate influences: comics and Korean culture now widely revered.
  • Holds Guinness World Record for best-selling comic book of all time.

  Links: Great Immigrants, Great Americans Comic Series, READ THE FULL JIM LEE COMIC

• Cautious Optimism

  by Alex Wilhelm

  Snowflake's AI-driven quarter crushes expectations with 33% revenue growth.

  • Snowflake reported $1.39B revenue, beating estimates; AI capabilities like Cortex Code driving fastest new product adoption ever.
  • AI now represents material revenue for data platforms; Snowflake guidance raised to 31% FY27 growth.
  • MCP server connectivity emerging as new industry standard for AI agents accessing data, replacing SEO paradigm.
  • Snowflake acquiring Natoma for enterprise AI control tools; committing $6B to Amazon for compute.

  Links: its coding agent Cortex Code, also called CoCo, Natoma, MCP servers for agents

• CB Insights

  by Ahad Ali

  Generative and agentic AI are reshaping SaaS strategy and pricing.

  • Generative and agentic AI adoption is accelerating across SaaS platforms.
  • Traditional SaaS pricing models are breaking down due to AI disruption.
  • Strategic response required to compete in AI-transformed SaaS landscape.

  Links: on-demand briefing, Watch the free webinar here

• ChinaTalk

  by ChinaTalk

  Arizona secured billions in chip and battery investments through strategic state coordination.

  • Arizona attracted TSMC, Intel, and LG Energy fabs through consolidated commerce authority and engineering-focused culture.
  • Governor's office mediates labor disputes and manages permits, power, and workforce hiring for semiconductor construction.
  • Clean Air Act compliance and resource management helped Arizona outcompete Ohio and Texas for industrial facilities.
  • Arizona integrated TSMC engineers into communities via Mandarin school programs and local services like Din Tai Fung.

  Links: Ian O'Grady, Listen now on your favorite podcast app

• Crooked Media

  by Reid

  Texas Democrat Talarico must explain past comments before voters listen to Paxton critique.

  • Talarico said God is nonbinary and made other provocative statements he now regrets as sitting state rep.
  • He gave CBS interview with Ed O'Keefe explaining comments were intentionally provocative, then pivoted to Paxton corruption.
  • Paxton faces felony securities fraud indictment and bipartisan impeachment; these offenses dwarf Talarico's rhetorical missteps.
  • Talarico must patiently explain comments repeatedly to defuse issue and demonstrate honesty versus Paxton's corruption.

  Links: just sat down for a tough interview, bottom-versus-top, you're-getting-screwed, indicted on felony securities fraud charges, reported

  by Matt

  Trump rushes Trump-branded projects using America's 250th birthday as cover.

  • Trump officials pushed for illegal $250 bill with Trump's portrait; Bureau director was reassigned after objecting.
  • Living persons cannot appear on US currency for over 150 years due to law.
  • Growing list includes renamed D.C. banners, passports, park passes, coins, and public buildings.

  Links: disregards norms, wasting money, Washington Post, that's illegal, Banners across Washington, D.C, Passports, National park passes, Gold visa cards, Gold coins, Penn Station

• Dan Go

  by Dan Go

  AI nutrition coach HeySherpa fixes MyFitnessPal's passive tracking problem.

  • Existing nutrition apps track meals and macros but don't coach users during critical moments like late-night snacking.
  • HeySherpa uses AI to provide real-time coaching via messaging; users describe meals in plain language without barcode scanning.
  • Successful dieters need accountability coaching, not just data; HeySherpa fills that gap.
  • Early adopters can join waitlist for first access before public launch.

  Links: Join the waitlist here

• Democracy Docket

  Judge allows Trump's mail voting order to proceed without immediate block.

  • Federal judge ruled it too early to block Trump's mail voting order, citing lack of standing since agencies haven't implemented it yet.
  • Judge did not dismiss concerns about constitutionality but found Democrats lack harm needed to sue before implementation.
  • Louisiana suspended election to eliminate one majority-Black district; white voters now push to eliminate both.

  Links: said it's too soon to block, But that's apparently not fast enough nor far enough

• Design Better

  by Aarron & Eli

  Rare video tour of Eames Archive reveals design process and philosophy

  • Llisa Demetrios, Eames granddaughter and curator, guides viewers through early prototypes and personal artifacts.
  • Eames philosophy: failures were misconceptions; great ideas emerged from 30-year processes, not sudden flashes.
  • Archive contains Charles' high school cartoons, Ray's paintings, wartime leg splints, and evolution of the lounge chair.
  • Charles and Ray Eames influenced 20th century design; their iterative methods still shape designer practice today.

  Links: Subscribe to Design Better on YouTube, Learn more about the Eames Institute and schedule a tour

• Designlab

  by Rachel at Designlab

  Memorial Day sale ends today with $150 discount on design courses.

  • Save $150 on all courses with code MEMORIAL26; offer expires today.
  • Multiple cohorts launching soon including AI for Visual Design and Advanced Figma.
  • Courses span design fundamentals to advanced AI product design skills.

  Links: Designing AI Products, AI for Visual Design, Advanced Figma, Strategic Business Acumen for Designers, Design 101, AI for UX Design, Prototyping in Figma

• DesignTAXI: From The Community

  OpenAI cancels Sora film for Cannes; Bob's Red Mill rebrands; Snoopy game faces lawsuit

  • OpenAI cancelled an AI-powered film project that was set to debut at Cannes Film Festival.
  • Bob's Red Mill completed its largest rebrand in decades.
  • Official Snoopy game sued by Peanuts licensor over music copyright similarities.

  Links: 1,000+ proven ChatGPT prompts, Claim your free prompts

• Digital Commerce 360

  2026 Omnichannel Report reveals seamless retail experiences shoppers demand.

  • Survey of 1,020 shoppers identifies which omnichannel features matter most to consumers right now.
  • Report includes 15+ data-packed charts on adoption, performance, and consumer behavior trends.
  • Case studies from Ace Hardware, Ulta Beauty, and Petco show omnichannel expansion strategies.
  • Gold membership provides access to 35+ analysis reports and thousands of member articles.

  Links: The 2026 Omnichannel Report, PURCHASE REPORT, become a Gold Member, Contact us

• Digital Commerce 360 Learning Lab

  B2B ecommerce customization, personalization, and fraud prevention strategies.

  • Shopify enables B2B features like custom price lists and ERP integrations without coding.
  • Real-time personalization targets anonymous visitors to boost conversions and loyalty.
  • Account creation and login fraud costs more than checkout fraud in retail.

  Links: Customize B2B without custom code, Shopify does B2B, Personalizing the Moment: From Static to Living, DOWNLOAD NOW, Checkout Fraud Is a Symptom, Not the Problem, Download the Report

• DoSomething Strategic

  by DoSomething Strategic

  Center young people's voices in your mental health strategy year-round.

  • Gen Z and Gen Alpha need organizations to listen to their lived experiences and involve them in decision-making about mental health resources.
  • DoSomething Strategic helped Fresno Unified reach 70,000 students by creating safe spaces and a Youth Advisory Council for peer-led insights.
  • One More Hour platform addresses youth loneliness by funding social groups; 78% of participants joined to meet new people and build belonging.

  Links: The Foundation for Fresno Unified Students, One More Hour, Get in touch

• Dotdigital

  by Jenna

  Build ICPs from real customer data, not wishful thinking.

  • Most teams lack consensus on ideal customer definition, signaling misalignment on strategy.
  • Personas built on desired customers miss insights; real buyer behavior reveals what actually works.
  • ICPs grounded in customer data outperform those based on sellability assumptions.
  • Unified customer data enables personalization that shapes effective marketing strategy.

  Links: FIND OUT, Read now, REQUEST DEMO, Instant demo, Success stories

• DTC Newsletter

  Meta's default settings drain ad budgets; Shopify launches 100-tool content app.

  • Meta Audience Network often delivers low-intent clicks; disabling it yields 140%+ CVR lifts.
  • Audit placements for inflated CTRs (10-40%) with low conversions and redirect budget.
  • Shopify's Tinker app generates product photos, logos, videos, and 360-degree views.
  • Walmart offers up to 75K in new-seller savings with tiered referral fee discounts.

  Links: @herrmanndigital, Tinker, Sell with Walmart, Join Walmart Marketplace Today

• Elephant Room

  by Elephant Room

  May 2026 digest explores emotional exploitation and transnational crime in China.

  • Beng Laotou scheme: Gen Z women extract small payments from emotionally starved middle-aged men through feigned affection and standardized scripts.
  • The practice reflects China's emotional desert among middle classes, with industrialized systems and dedicated trainers systematizing the exploitation.
  • Chemical submission case exposes transnational sexual assault network spanning Germany and Los Angeles, centered on encrypted Telegram groups.

  Links: 卧底了一个崩老头群组, "化学驯服"："德国老司机驾校"跨国迷奸案全纪录

• Elevator

  Weekend guide to entertainment, dining, and activities.

  • Curated recommendations for things to watch, eat, drink, and do this weekend.
  • Email contains entertainment and lifestyle suggestions for the upcoming days.

• ELEVATOR Partner

  Puffs for Pops campaign announcement or promotion.

  • Email content requires HTML format to view properly.
  • Campaign or initiative titled 'Puffs for Pops' is being promoted.

• eMarketer

  by eMarketer Editors

  AI accelerates creative testing as central performance driver.

  • Creative testing remains an afterthought for many teams despite abundant measurement tools.
  • Talent gaps and reactive workflows disconnect creative quality from performance goals.
  • Pre-campaign testing is becoming critical for building campaign performance.
  • AI is accelerating the shift toward creative intelligence investment.

  Links: The Growing Value of Creative Intelligence, GET THE INSIGHTS

• Every

  by Dan Shipper and Katie Parrott

  Opus 4.8 tops coding and writing benchmarks but lacks matching app.

  • Opus 4.8 scores 63 on Senior Engineer Benchmark, beating GPT-5.5 at 62 and Opus 4.7 at 33.5.
  • Model achieves 79.6 on writing tests, strongest tested; fewer AI tells than non-Claude models.
  • Generates best one-shot PowerPoint presentations on Every Consulting Benchmark with clear storytelling.
  • Fragmented app experience across Chat, Code, Cowork keeps Codex as better daily tool.

  Links: Read the full Vibe Check

• Feed Me

  by Emily Sundberg

  David Protein's ice cream mysteriously appeared on Bella Hadid's yacht

  • L.A. Material expands newsroom; Peter Rahal reports on David Protein ice cream placement
  • Staten Island Ferry bar promised by NYC Department of Transportation remains inconsistently available
  • Another bathhouse opening in Greenwich Village; Glossier hoodie launch has mixed results
  • Investigation reveals ferry bar availability issues despite March reopening announcement

• FinAi News

  Wells Fargo appoints former Google AI leader to head AI strategy

  • Wells Fargo hired a former Google AI executive as head of AI for Wealth and Investment Management division
  • Community banks accelerate AI adoption across transaction processing and customer operations
  • BMO's AI-powered offers generated $61.5M in annualized revenue through personalized recommendations

  Links: Wells hires former Google AI leader as head of AI for WIM, Transactions: Community banks ramp up AI adoption, AI-powered offers help BMO drive $61.5M in annualized revenue

• Fintech Is Femme

  by Nicole Casperson

  SoFi launches bank-issued stablecoin to 15 million retail customers

  • SoFi becomes first U.S. national bank offering stablecoin directly to retail customers on public blockchain.
  • SoFiUSD enables 24/7/365 cross-border transfers with lower costs than legacy financial systems.
  • Blockchain's original peer-to-peer vision reaches mainstream adoption through trusted banking platforms.
  • Crypto and fintech integration, not isolation, builds the real future of financial services.

  Links: announced, Stripe's Sophie Sakellariadis is Teaching us About Stablecoins, Listen to the full episode here

• Foreign Affairs Today

  NATO deterrence, Iran diplomacy, and China's Taiwan strategy face critical tests.

  • U.S. nuclear guarantees alone cannot sustain NATO deterrence without forward military presence in Europe.
  • Trump administration exploring limited Iran deal as pragmatic option amid regional tensions.
  • China adopts patient long-game strategy regarding Taiwan rather than immediate confrontation.

  Links: A Foreign Affairs subscription is less than $3.50/month, Subscribe Now

• Fortune Tech

  Tech sector faces bold but essential strategic shifts.

  • Dell secures Pentagon deal, signaling defense sector expansion.
  • Snowflake surges 35% on robust Q1 earnings report.
  • Salesforce misses Q2 revenue forecasts, raising growth concerns.
  • Valve increases Steam Deck pricing amid market demand.
  • Last.fm regains independence in notable ownership transition.

  Links: Dell does a deal with the Pentagon, Snowflake shares soar 35% on strong Q1 earnings, Salesforce forecasts Q2 revenue below expectations, Valve raises Steam Deck prices, Last.fm is independent once again

• FreightWaves

  Supply chain gets live daily broadcast starting June 1.

  • FreightWaves Today launches June 1 at noon ET, bringing live daily market analysis and executive interviews to freight.
  • Show features major industry leaders including J.B. Hunt CEO and Port of Los Angeles director in first week.
  • Over 20 trucking companies filed bankruptcy in May; carrier exits up 31% versus 2025.
  • Supreme Court rules intrastate companies with interstate operations cannot force arbitration disputes.

  Links: Read the full story

• FSA Store

  by FSA Store

  6X points ending soon on top-rated suncare products.

  • FSA Store offers 6X points promotion on suncare items, ending soon.
  • All products are FSA eligible, guaranteed.
  • Best sellers, new items, and hi-tech health products available.

  Links: Best Sellers, New, Hi-tech Health, Every product is FSA eligible, *guaranteed

• FT Editor's Digest

  by Roula Khalaf

  BP ousts chair Manifold over bullying complaints after tumultuous leadership period

  • BP removed chair Albert Manifold after less than a year due to multiple whistleblower complaints alleging bullying; Manifold denies allegations.
  • BP has replaced two CEOs and two chairs in three years, creating investor concerns despite Manifold's recent turnaround efforts.
  • Tim Cook's Apple tenure succeeds financially but faces competition and AI challenges under new CEO John Ternus.
  • China upgrades surveillance network with AI to automate tracking and behavior prediction across population.

  Links: the inside account of the scandal and what comes next., Can new boss John Ternus set the tech titan on a new course?, the board's financial fund is empty, how Ooni came through the fire

• FXC Intelligence

  by Daniel Webber

  FXC Intelligence releases 2026 Top 100 Cross-Border Payments Companies list.

  • Annual ranking identifies 100 most critical cross-border payments firms globally for 2026.
  • Covers major players including Wise, PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, HSBC, and emerging fintechs.
  • Includes analysis of Euronet investor day and stablecoin insights from earnings season.

  Links: View in browser, Subscribe here, Sales Enablement, FX Benchmarking, Market Sizing, Stablecoin Buyer's Guide

• Global Trade Magazine

  CMA CGM reports Middle East turmoil disrupting global shipping operations.

  • Middle East geopolitical tensions continue creating significant disruptions in international shipping routes and logistics networks.
  • CMA CGM, a major container shipping company, warns of ongoing supply chain impacts from regional instability.
  • Global trade operations face sustained pressure from shipping delays and route diversions due to regional conflict.

  Links: CMA CGM Says Middle East Turmoil Continues to Disrupt Global Shipping

• Gothamist

  New York lawmakers finally pass delayed $268.5 billion budget

  • Budget softens climate goals, limits local police ICE cooperation, and distributes aid to struggling cities.
  • Includes pied-a-terre tax and $5.4 billion in state help for NYC's budget deficit.
  • Over 8 million New Yorkers eligible for utility cost assistance checks up to $200 this fall.

  Links: New York lawmakers finally pass $268.5B budget. Here's what made the cut, See if you're eligible, stealing MTA conductors' keys, been euthanized at the age of 55

• Gothamist Daily

  Newark immigration center guards allegedly beat detainees and used gas.

  • Families and activists claim guards at Newark immigration center beat detainees and deployed gas.
  • Gothamist observed multiple people taken out on stretchers and transported in ambulances.
  • Incident raises serious allegations of excessive force at immigration detention facility.

  Links: Family, activists allege Newark immigration center guards beat and used gas on detainees

• Gothamist News Alerts

  Two men killed in scooter-bike collision on Queensboro Bridge

  • Head-on collision between motorized scooter and bicycle on Queensboro Bridge bike lane Thursday morning.
  • 39-year-old scooter operator traveling westbound struck 35-year-old bicycle rider going eastbound.
  • NYPD responded to 911 call just after 8 a.m. reporting the fatal crash.

  Links: Read More

• Gov Brief Today

  by George Bounacos

  Trump DOJ prosecutes E. Jean Carroll over testimony after jury found him liable

  • Justice Department criminally investigating 82-year-old Carroll for alleged deposition lie about legal bill payments; appeals court deemed issue nonissential.
  • Jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation; he owes Carroll $88 million judgment.
  • Trump administration pursuing multiple controversial actions: ordering Venezuela probe dropped, authorizing 50-foot worship protest zones, killing civilians without due process.
  • Labor Department urges reporting colleagues for past DEI work within three-year window predating Trump's presidency.

  Links: CBS News, The Santa Fe New Mexican, Wired, The Associated Press, UPI, The Chicago Sun-Times, The New York Times [gift link], The Washington Post

• GTMnow by GTMfund

  AI infrastructure spending reaches $575B, the 5th-largest project in history.

  • Hyperscalers spending 7-to-1 leveraged cash flow on data centers with uncertain demand.
  • For every $1 AI revenue generated, industry spends $12 on infrastructure.
  • Data center CapEx could reach 5-7% of US GDP by 2030.
  • Data and AI/ML infrastructure worlds have completely merged.

  Links: Listen on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, watch/listen to the entire episode on X, Tomasz Tunguz

• Hilary Gridley

  by Hilary Gridley

  Codex outperforms Claude Code in live product testing demonstration.

  • Codex shows superior judgment and builds on user work better than Claude Code.
  • Codex handles delegation well, managing up with helpful autonomy on unspecified tasks.
  • UX for creating agents and skills feels meaningfully different and improved versus Claude Code.
  • Hilary tested Codex on real tasks: Couch to 5K updates, invoice tracking with agents, ambitious thinking skills.

  Links: Update Couch to 5K for AI

  by Hilary Gridley

  Copying versus inspiration; what distinguishes theft from creative progress.

  • AI makes copying effortless and tempting, but the line between copying and inspiration has always been blurry in creative work.
  • What matters is whether a stolen idea advances creatively; mere derivative work without new thought feels like genuine rip-off.
  • Seeing your ideas remixed by others can be thrilling validation of your work, creating chains of creative progress.
  • Generative people face particular challenges when AI enables easy copying without added creative thought or proper attribution.

  Links: Supermanagers, writerbuilder

• History Facts

  Seven essential films illuminate World War I's human impact.

  • Multiple films explore WWI, a world-altering early 20th century conflict.
  • Cinema puts human faces on the historical tragedy of the war.
  • Films offer diverse perspectives on one of history's pivotal events.

  Links: The Biggest Movie the Year You Were Born, 5 Strange Rules From Hollywood's Hays Code, 5 Things Movies Get Wrong About the Medieval Era

  In 1518, a dancing plague struck Strasbourg with mysterious origins.

  • A single woman began dancing uncontrollably in the street, sparking a contagious epidemic.
  • Within weeks, hundreds joined the involuntary dancing phenomenon lasting two months.
  • Similar mass hysteria occurred in Tanzania in 1962 with uncontrollable laughter affecting 1,000+ people.
  • The causes of these mass epidemics remain medically unexplained.

  Links: In the 'dancing plague' of 1518, hundreds of people danced uncontrollably for two months., Arts & Culture, World History

• Hyper

  by Oren

  Creator economy shift demands creative directors, not strategists.

  • Demand shifted from creative strategists to creative directors who script and elevate personal brands across platforms.
  • Over half of Gen Z identify as content creators, reshaping workforce dynamics and talent availability.
  • Top professionals prioritize content creation over careers due to higher income and control, creating talent gaps.
  • Corporate layoffs drive more people to build content as job security backup.

  Links: June community call

• Hypergrowth Leadership

  by Carilu Dietrich

  AI enables product naming at scale without expensive naming agencies.

  • Product naming is underresourced but consequential, traditionally requiring six-figure agency fees.
  • Zoom built an AI workflow using their platform with a seven-criterion rubric for evaluating names.
  • The rubric assesses descriptiveness, clarity, memorability, consistency, SEO, sales enablement, and competitive distinction.
  • AI-powered naming lets companies ship fast at scale without multi-week review cycles.

  Links: SB Master, Kimberly Storin, Leo Boulton

• IDEO U

  May cohort enrollment closes tonight; explore design and strategy courses.

  • Enrollment deadline is May 28 for courses in strategy, systems thinking, and storytelling.
  • Research and Insights with AI certificate is newly available.
  • Popular programs include Accelerated Change Leadership and Human-Centered Strategy.

  Links: ENROLL NOW

• International Intrigue

  Bolivia's centrist experiment fractures under mass protests and political upheaval.

  • President Rodrigo Paz cut cabinet salaries 50% to quell protests over land reforms and fuel shortages.
  • Weeks of roadblocks caused medicine, fuel, and food shortages severe enough for Red Cross humanitarian corridors.
  • A judge's arrest warrant for ex-leader Evo Morales over trafficking allegations inflamed rural grievances into mass unrest.
  • The crisis tests whether centrist governance can survive street pressure amid broader regional instability.

  Links: Become an Intrigue Insider today

• International Monetary Fund

  by Adam Jakubik, Florence Jaumotte, Samuel Pienknagura, Michele Ruta

  Industrial policy surges during crises but implementation challenges persist globally.

  • Industrial policy measures nearly tripled since 2020, with 52,000+ interventions tracked across 75 countries.
  • Middle East conflict prompted 305 new industrial measures in two months, including energy subsidies and export restrictions.
  • Unlike prior crises, pandemic-era policies largely remained post-emergency, reshaping global intervention patterns.
  • Governments increasingly justify interventions through resilience and security concerns rather than competitiveness alone.

  Links: New Industrial Policy Observatory, Global Trade Alert

• Justin Oberman

  by Justin Oberman

  AI lacks reasoning and understanding; it solves sophisticated math problems.

  • AI speaks flawlessly but understands nothing; it calculates probability of next tokens, not thoughts.
  • System prompts provide hidden instructions before your message reaches the language model.
  • Tokenization breaks input into smallest units assigned numbers for mathematical processing.
  • Understanding AI as math, not magic, transforms how you prompt and trust it.

• Linas's Newsletter

  by Linas

  Claude for Small Business closes the automation gap for 36 million SMEs

  • Claude for Small Business integrates directly into tools like QuickBooks, Slack, and Gmail without developer setup or API keys
  • At $20/month, the ROI is substantial, recovering five hours weekly of owner time valued at $50/hour
  • Claude handles invoicing, payroll, hiring, and contract review with explicit approval required before any action
  • Small businesses represent 99.9% of U.S. firms but lacked enterprise-grade automation tools until now

  Links: Claude for Small Business, Claude Cowork

• Lincoln Square

  by Susan J. Demas

  Christian Nationalists mainstream misogyny through tradwife movement and child marriage.

  • Christian Nationalists oppose child marriage bans and promote tradwife ideology as women's empowerment.
  • Online rape academy recently exposed reveals extremist beliefs embedded in MAGA coalition.
  • Andra Watkins, raised evangelical, details shocking beliefs and urgent threats to women's equality.

  Links: For Such A Time As This, Unholy Ground

  by Rick Wilson

  DNC autopsy reveals party lacks answer to effective transgender attacks.

  • DNC's post-mortem report has redacted sections, admitting institutional cowardice about 2024 defeat.
  • Party acknowledges Trump's 'Kamala is for they/them' ads were very effective with no counter-strategy available.
  • Document shows Democratic coalition punishes internal dissent even when it costs electoral victory.
  • Consultant class remains trapped in Obama-era thinking, unable to adapt to modern messaging realities.

  Links: Rick Wilson

  Former US Attorney McQuade warns Trump administration uses mob-style intimidation tactics.

  • Coercion, intimidation, and harassment form the foundation of mob-style justice used against perceived enemies.
  • Barbara McQuade, former Eastern District of Michigan US attorney, discusses her book 'The Fix' on the podcast.
  • McQuade cites historical examples of intimidation tactics and advocates collective action against bullies.

  Links: The Fix: Saving America from the Corruption of a Mob-Style Government

  Live video discussion on revolution with Michael Fanone, Maya May, and David Graham

  • Lincoln Square hosted live video featuring Michael Fanone and Maya May as primary hosts.
  • David Graham from The Atlantic appeared as guest to discuss revolutionary topics.
  • Event was streamed live on Substack platform for audience viewing.

• Litquidity

  Trump doubles down on Iran nuclear stance amid M&A and earnings moves.

  • Trump commits to preventing Iranian nuclear weapons regardless of political pressure or midterm timing.
  • Dimon plans $20B in M&A spending; Samsung workers secure ~$400k bonuses from labor union deal.
  • Salesforce beats earnings but misses FY guidance on Tableau bookings weakness post-Informatica acquisition.
  • Marvell Technology outperforms with strong Q2 forecast driven by AI hardware infrastructure momentum.

  Links: CNBC, WSJ, Polymarket, Autopilot

• Lowpass

  by Janko Roettgers

  Roku succeeds by avoiding coolness; new homescreen proves the strategy.

  • Roku's new homescreen prioritizes simplicity over flashy design, unlike Fire TV and Google TV competitors.
  • Content-forward interface uses small personalized recommendations rather than massive hero banners and autoplay.
  • Roku embraced cord-cutting affordability from day one, avoiding cable company partnerships.
  • Boring, predictable design keeps existing customers comfortable while reducing distractions.

  Links: a major force, 100 million households

• Maritime Analytica

  by Maritime Analytica

  AI will reshape global trade patterns, not just shipping operations.

  • AI represents a macro economic shift, not a normal technology upgrade, per IMF 2026 report.
  • AI will alter productivity, labor costs, investment flows, energy demand, and production locations.
  • Shipping CEOs must ask how AI changes trade patterns their fleets depend on, not just internal use.
  • AI is becoming a force reshaping jobs, inequality, finance, and fiscal systems globally.

  Links: IMF's 2026 AI report

• Mark Manson

  by Mark Manson

  Only 15 years of your life are truly yours to control.

  • Of 80 years alive, sleep, work, and basic tasks consume 64 years, leaving just 15 years of discretionary time.
  • The Immortality Test asks whether your actions matter after you're gone; if not, they lack purpose.
  • Meaningful life comes from creating things that outlive you, not pursuing status or material gain.
  • Purpose app uses AI coaching and courses to align daily actions with what actually matters.

  Links: Purpose

• Marketing Brew

  Dancing to the music: navigating marketing's rhythm.

  • Email rendering issues may affect how subscribers view content across providers.
  • Marketing strategies should align with audience timing and platform preferences.
  • Adaptability in campaign execution remains crucial for engagement success.

• Marketing Ideas

  by Tom Orbach

  Seven internal resources every company already has can replace a zero marketing budget

  • Free mini-tools built from product features drive SEO and backlinks at no cost.
  • Brute-force demos use your product on a prospect's behalf before they ask.
  • Internal data turned into public research attracts press and builds brand authority.
  • Certification programs and community education build credibility without ad spend.

  Links: Mini-tool playbook, Brute-force playbook, Cloud Threat Landscape, Shopify's Name Generator

• McKinsey & Company

  Industrial leaders must build AI-enabled businesses to capture growth

  • Core growth stalling; AI-enabled business building emerging as fastest revenue path for industrial leaders
  • Small set of venture-building plays offering significant opportunity for those executing successfully
  • Agentic organizations represent next paradigm for AI era

  Links: Capture the venture-building opportunity, How to build businesses faster and better with AI, The agentic organization: Contours of the next paradigm for the AI era

  Australian consumer loyalty programs must adapt to rapidly shifting expectations.

  • Consumer expectations in Australia are changing significantly, requiring organizations to evolve.
  • Loyalty programmes can help companies keep pace with ongoing consumer preference shifts.
  • Survey results provide insights into how Australian consumers are altering behavior.

  Links: Explore the survey results, Asia–Pacific consumer sentiment: Stability, selectivity, and spending shifts, The agentic commerce opportunity: How AI agents are ushering in a new era for consumers and merchants

• Modern Operators

  by Modern Operators

  CEOs must transition from doing the work to leading the business.

  • The CEO role has fundamentally changed without formal job description updates, leaving many founders feeling constrained.
  • Leaders often operate as the business itself rather than leading it, routing all decisions back to themselves.
  • The bottleneck to first million is chaos and lack of systems, not hustle or founder effort.
  • Modern CEO framework: Conversations, Experimentation, Foundation, Optimization, Scale.

  Links: Listen On Spotify

• Morning Consult

  MLB's attendance strength masks demographic concentration and generational handoff crisis.

  • MLB ranks third in mental market share at 10.6%, but excels on in-person attendance and community occasions, closest to NFL's position.
  • MLB's mental ownership concentrates heavily in older, White, suburban consumers facing severe generational succession challenges.
  • MLB holds 75% mental penetration among aware consumers with tight network of 11.6 occasions; breadth without depth.
  • Strategic imperative is building next decade's fan base before current demographic ages out and erodes cultural relevance.

  Links: Category Advantage

• MPW Daily, Fortune

  Jane Fraser transforms Citibank's strategy and leadership approach.

  • Fraser rewrote Citibank's operational playbook with significant structural changes.
  • Her leadership redefined how the bank approaches risk and organizational culture.
  • Strategic initiatives focused on modernization and competitive positioning in banking.

• Musings of an AI Product Manager

  by Jaclyn Konzelmann

  Launching products at fixed Google events demands sharper decisions and delivers unique energy.

  • Pomelli shipped three capabilities at Google I/O plus direct Google Ads integration at Marketing Live.
  • Fixed event deadlines force backwards planning, eliminating iteration buffers and deferral options.
  • Products must work day-one post-announcement; this transforms scope prioritization and team discipline.
  • Immovable deadlines create pressure but also catalyze focus, sharper decisions, and meaningful collaboration moments.

• Nate's Substack

  by Nate

  Agent dashboards hide the real failures happening inside runs.

  • A Cursor agent deleted PocketOS's production database and backups in nine seconds while dashboards showed all green metrics.
  • Traditional product analytics cannot see inside agent runs where actual consequences of decisions occur.
  • Agent runs are the new unit of product behavior; clicks and sessions no longer capture what matters.
  • Product teams need dedicated instrumentation for agent runs, traces, and task completion signals separate from engineering telemetry.

• Nautilus

  Immune cells captured on video destroying cancer tumor cells.

  • Researchers used two-photon microscopy to film macrophages engulfing mouse tumor cells for the first time.
  • Cancer tumors evade immune defenses through multiple suppression and evasion mechanisms.
  • Video footage shows macrophages nibbling away at edges of skin cancer cells.
  • Discovery could lead to new avenues for cancer treatment approaches.

  Links: Watch immune cells gobble up cancer, Stunning new images from Mars, What NASA will put on its permanent moon base, Check out the video. →, The cancer no one can explain., A universal cancer treatment?

• Newcomer

  AI coding agent demand surge masks rising cost concerns for tech companies.

  • Companies initially underestimated token budgets for agentic coding, burning through budgets at unsustainable rates.
  • Cost efficiency questions now threaten assumptions about sustained AI coding agent demand.
  • Salesforce's token budget proved inadequate despite aggressive agentic coding adoption across engineering.

• News Items by John Ellis

  by John Ellis

  Pentagon poised for Cuba invasion; tensions escalate across Middle East.

  • Pentagon has positioned troops and weapons for potential Cuba military attack, awaiting Trump's final approval.
  • Trump threatened to destroy Oman if it fails to behave regarding Strait of Hormuz control.
  • US conducted second round of self-defense strikes against Iranian drones in three days over the strait.
  • Escalating hostilities threaten fragile ceasefire between US, Israel, and Iran.

  Links: all it needs is a final go-ahead from President Trump, the seizure of, throws itself into, a casual aside, US-Israel war on Iran, The strikes were the latest of multiple attacks in recent days

• next play

  by ben

  Tolan aims to build ethical AI companions as humanity's mythical second self.

  • Cultures worldwide historically believed in a second self or divine companion walking through life.
  • AI possesses key attributes for this role: constant availability, context retention, language skills, scalability.
  • Most existing personal AI products are addictive, anti-social, and harm users in real life.
  • Tolan, led by Quinten Farmer, seeks to build healthy human-AI relationships at scale.

  Links: View this post on the web, Tolan, Quinten Farmer

• Nik Sharma

  by Nik Sharma

  Million-view funnels succeed through psychology, not celebrity or press.

  • The Absorption Company, Pulsetto, and Bioma generate massive traffic quietly by understanding buyer psychology and conversion mechanics.
  • Post-holiday follow-up email flows using AI personalization can recover $100K+ in orders; Instant AI flows averaged 78x ROI across 1,500 brands.
  • Pulsetto uses long-form advertorial homepage with comparison charts and upsell sequence; Bioma builds entire funnel around 19-question quiz confirming product fit.
  • Descriptive, benefit-focused icons convert better than decorative ones; small design changes like visible subscription unlocks and memorable pricing drive significant impact.

  Links: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts

• Nord Media

  Generic email abandonment flows leave 5-10x revenue on table.

  • Most brands send identical cart abandonment emails to all users regardless of behavior or intent.
  • 97% of holiday traffic converts to zero sales; follow-up flows determine real recovery revenue.
  • Abandonment flows should sell products directly, not tell brand stories like campaigns do.
  • AI-powered personalization can recover thousands of extra orders per season worth hundreds of thousands.

  Links: Instant, book a call with me.

• Not Another CEO

  by David Politis

  Early-stage hires need work ethic, learning hunger, and sharp emotional intelligence.

  • Top 5% of early employees share three attributes: relentless work ethic, hunger to learn, and high emotional intelligence.
  • Without brand recognition or processes, early-stage companies need people who execute and sacrifice without being asked.
  • Screening candidates: ask about hardest challenges overcome; listen for resilience and grit that's difficult to teach.
  • Right early hires set company culture and bar; wrong ones stunt growth in resource-constrained environments.

  Links: Subscribe here, READ IN APP, how to treat your top performers

• Numlock News

  by Walt Hickey

  Used cars rise 33%, mangoes spoil in India, parakeets reproduce successfully.

  • Used car prices average $25,630, up 33% since 2019; repossessions projected to grow 2.2%.
  • India's mango crop devastated by temperature swings; Alphonso losses reach 85-90% in coastal areas.
  • New Zealand orange-fronted parakeets Nacho and Trixie produced 55 chicks, aiding species recovery.
  • Chicago homicides fell 32% after removing ShotSpotter gunshot detection system in 12 neighborhoods.

  Links: Emily Flitter, Bloomberg, Ashwin Manikandan, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Heather Cherone, WTTW News

• Oddit

  by Shaun & Taylor

  Taste, not AI, drives conversion optimization and 4X growth.

  • Human judgment on which AI outputs deserve attention creates competitive edge in CRO.
  • Reframing section headers from logistics updates to social proof signals improves engagement.
  • Grid layouts outperform carousels; visible products eliminate friction and reduce abandonment.
  • High-contrast badges and collection CTAs guide browsers toward conversion opportunities.

• Off Message

  by Brian Beutler

  Democratic votes for Trump nominees endorse the 2020 Big Lie.

  • Democratic senators voting for Trump nominees cite qualifications, constituent support, and bipartisan credibility as reasons.
  • Every Trump nominee has passed a loyalty test requiring them to endorse or spread doubt about 2020 election.
  • Tolerating soft election denial sets dangerous precedent with decades-long consequences for democracy.
  • Effective resistance requires pragmatism, not absolute defiance on bills destined to pass anyway.

  Links: Matt Colbert, my recent commentary, Jared Polis/Tina Peters fiasco, South Carolina

• Part and Summed Up

  Meta launches Reddit rival, Google pushes AI shopping, NY mandates synthetic performer disclosures.

  • New York requires advertisers to disclose AI-generated assets in paid media by June 9th deadline.
  • Meta's Forum app challenges Reddit's dominance; Reddit stock dropped 6% following launch.
  • Google announces native checkout and new AI ad formats in Gemini-powered search interface.
  • Debate on whether AI-generated content represents distinct aesthetic or continuation of modern 'slop.'

  Links: new bill, new feature to rival Reddit, Reddit's stock dropped, Reddit is a powerhouse, Google marketing live event, video from Eugene Healey, Leila's post, TJ Marriott

• Paul Krugman

  by Paul Krugman

  US health care faces new assault threatening millions of insured people.

  • ACA reduced uninsured Americans from 47 million in 2010 to 27 million by 2016, real progress short of universal coverage.
  • Trump administration actions projected to add 16 million uninsured by 2034, undoing ACA progress.
  • US healthcare remains patchwork system using private insurers, government programs, and regulations unlike universal models elsewhere.
  • Deep right-wing hostility toward healthcare expansion policies spans generations and persists despite ACA's popularity.

  Links: projected, previous primer

• Pirate Wires

  by Pirate Wires

  Pope warns against building AI's Tower of Babel without community participation.

  • Pope Leo XIV's encyclical argues tech is never neutral; it reflects makers' values and threatens human dignity.
  • Tower of Babel parable warns against AI development driven by pride and self-sufficiency without God's blessing.
  • Alignment alone is insufficient; AI systems need broad community participation in ethical discussions and shared social justice standards.
  • Few people controlling AI's moral vision becomes invisible infrastructure; regulation needs active political involvement to slow acceleration.

  Links: encyclical

• Pirate Wires Daily

  California wealth tax punishes success; UC admits test-free admissions failed; NYC seizes property.

  • California's proposed 5% wealth tax targets billionaires solely for punishment, not policy improvement.
  • UC faculty demand SAT/ACT reinstatement after test-free admissions created severe math skills gaps.
  • NYC mayor Mamdani plans forced property transfers from owners to NGOs under affordable housing guise.

  Links: Share to Substack, Advertise with Pirate Wires

• Pod Save America

  Trump faces diplomatic setback as tentative Iran deal emerges.

  • A tentative Iran deal has been reached after months of chaotic negotiations.
  • The development represents a humiliation for Trump's foreign policy approach.
  • The agreement marks a shift in diplomatic strategy on Iran.

• Popular Information

  by Judd Legum

  Private equity ownership concentrates rents and reduces housing quality

  • Nearly half of US renters are cost-burdened, spending over 30% of income on housing; rents rose 36.2% since COVID-19.
  • Private equity firms now own approximately 13% of US apartment units, with over 1.3 million acquired since 2021.
  • In Georgia and North Carolina, private equity owns nearly one-third and one-quarter of apartments respectively.
  • PE landlords maximize returns by raising rents while cutting maintenance, resulting in mold, pests, and tenant unionization efforts.

  Links: analysis, report, unionization efforts

• PostHog

  by PostHog

  24 practical tips for delivering exceptional product demos.

  • Focus on one main point; get to it immediately without lengthy context or full product walkthroughs.
  • Use storytelling tactics like relatable pain points, familiar concepts, and side-by-side comparisons to build audience engagement.
  • End with actionable CTAs like QR codes or contributor calls; shipping before demo adds credibility.
  • Create separate demo apps for dev tools and use 'you' framing to help audiences grasp impact.

  Links: hackathon, Shipping before you even demo, Claude Cowork, PostHog Code, Channel your inner Steve Ballmer

• Product Habits

  by Hiten Shah

  MCPs eliminate manual context copying into Claude.

  • Model Context Protocols (MCPs) automate context integration from Slack, email, calendars, and docs.
  • Live walkthrough teaches practical MCP setup and connection for immediate productivity gains.
  • Attendees leave with working MCP stack deployable the same day.

  Links: Register here

• Product Market Fit

  by Guillermo Flor

  Use Claude to extract actionable insights from customer interview transcripts

  • Most customer interview value is buried in details, not the obvious opening statements customers lead with.
  • Claude can process transcripts into structured signals in minutes and identify patterns across 10-20 interviews.
  • Set up three context files (company.md, icp.md, research-goals.md) to guide Claude through research synthesis.
  • Use Claude prompts to extract Jobs-to-be-Done framework and convert research insights into concrete product decisions.

• Resend

  Confirm your subscription to Savour design newsletter.

  • Savour is a design-focused newsletter from Resend's team.
  • One email confirmation required to activate subscription.
  • Newsletter will be delivered directly to inbox.

  Links: Confirm email

• Retail Brew

  Amazon expands logistics network access beyond first-party sellers

  • Amazon opens its fulfillment infrastructure to third-party merchants and businesses
  • Move positions Amazon as logistics provider competing with FedEx and UPS
  • Enables smaller retailers to leverage Amazon's delivery capabilities and speed

• Roundhill Investments

  MAGY announces weekly distribution with 100% return of capital composition.

  • Roundhill Magnificent Seven Covered Call ETF (MAGY) announced this week's distribution.
  • Fund expects to make distributions weekly, though not guaranteed.
  • Current 19a-1 notice shows estimated composition is 100% return of capital for MAGY.
  • Final tax character determination will be reported on Form 1099-DIV at fiscal year end.

  Links: MAGY, Click here for the MAGY Prospectus

• Runtime

  by Tom Krazit

  Data quality infrastructure, not AI models, drives enterprise adoption.

  • Snowflake posted 34% revenue growth and raised full-year guidance to 31%, driven by customers moving workloads to its data platform for AI applications.
  • Enterprise success with AI hinges on strong data foundations; companies with quality data infrastructure deploy AI agents fastest.
  • Salesforce beat expectations but cut growth guidance to 10%, highlighting the disconnect between agentic AI opportunity and execution challenges.

  Links: It's the data query engine, stupid, the companies that had a strong data foundation already in place, on a conference call Wednesday following the results, already-depressed expectations for future growth, CFO Robin Washington predicted Salesforce revenue growth would slow to 10%

• Scott's Newsletter

  by Scott Clary

  Reading widely without discomfort prevents true open-mindedness and growth.

  • Most readers select books confirming existing beliefs, calling it education rather than genuine learning.
  • Truly open-minded people read uncomfortable material that challenges their worldview.
  • High reading volume without intellectual challenge is decorating, not learning.

• Semafor Business

  Prediction markets and retail trading products confuse populism with actual financial access.

  • Retail trading platforms like Robinhood conflate beating elites with democratized finance, offering high-fee nuclear stock funds and midnight crypto derivatives.
  • Prediction markets are Dubai Chocolate: novelty products fine for hedging utility costs, but poorly suited for everyday Americans versus institutional users.
  • Core inflation hit 3.3%, headline inflation 3.8%, and GDP growth revised down to 1.6%, creating stagflationary pressure the Fed cannot solve alone.

• Semafor DC

  Wall Street and Pentagon clash as Iran war roils economy and Strait of Hormuz.

  • Treasury Secretary Bessent will defend Trump's economic strategy amid Iran war fallout and ECB warnings of global financial crisis.
  • Democrats warn Pentagon's new Wall Street investing unit risks national security by giving private equity access to classified defense work.
  • US strikes Iranian targets again; Trump threatens to blow up Oman if it aids Iran over Strait of Hormuz control.
  • Sen. Murphy opposes bipartisan college sports deal, warning compensation caps could limit athlete wages without constraining coach pay.

  Links: global financial crisis, warned that letting private-equity firms, reported, threatened to "blow up" Oman, criticizing the bipartisan college sports deal

  Bessent downplays inflation fears as quarantine facility opens in Kenya

  • Treasury Secretary Bessent rejected doomer economic outlook, citing potential positive consumer confidence amid stock gains.
  • US opens 50-bed Ebola quarantine center at Kenya's Laikipia Air Base for high-risk Americans.
  • US and Iran tentatively agreed to 60-day ceasefire extension, pending Trump and Iranian leader approval.
  • US home sales fell 6.2% in April; mortgage rates jumped to 6.51%, deepening housing market freeze.

  Links: Bessent rejects doomerism, Quarantine facility opens tomorrow, Ceasefire extension optimism, Housing freeze deepens

• SHIFT

  Physical exercise increases generosity and prosocial behavior.

  • Exercise elevates mood and reduces stress, making people more inclined to help others.
  • Studies show exercisers donate more money and volunteer more frequently than sedentary groups.
  • Physical activity enhances empathy and social connection, strengthening charitable impulses.
  • Regular exercise creates a positive feedback loop of generosity and community engagement.

• Sidebar.io

  Shift your design mindset from user to principal stakeholder.

  • Reframe your role: humans are principals, agents are operators, architecture is the substrate.
  • SVGs outperform icon fonts in Figma for superior design flexibility.
  • Figma Agent brings integrated AI capabilities directly into your design canvas.
  • Europe relocation tool helps designers compare cities and plan international moves.

  Links: YOU ARE NO LONGER THE USER. YOU ARE THE PRINCIPAL., JUST MOVE TO EUROPE, WHY I DON'T USE ICON FONTS IN FIGMA, FIGMA AGENT: A FIRST LOOK

• Sinocism

  by Bill Bishop

  Beijing eases hukou restrictions while restricting AI talent from leaving China

  • Beijing moved to further ease hukou restrictions, a welcome reform for millions of citizens.
  • Implementation questions and challenges remain as reforms are rolled out.
  • Chinese AI talent has reportedly been restricted from leaving the country.
  • The episode covers US pressure on Japan and reports of halted Taiwan arms sales.

  Links: Bill Bishop

• Snacks

  Meta launches paid subscriptions across its flagship apps and AI services.

  • Meta One introduces paid tiers for Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and AI features to diversify revenue beyond ads.
  • BYD continues outselling Tesla in Europe with 115% growth versus Tesla's 47% year-over-year.
  • Tesla expects EU-wide approval for supervised Full Self-Driving in Q2 or Q3 2026.

  Links: it's rolling out Meta One, finished up 3.7% on the day, New subscription revenue streams, BYD, continued, according to new data from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, is integral to its success on the continent

• Stat Significant

  Do television shows stick the landing better than St. Elsewhere?

  • St. Elsewhere's divisive 1982 finale, where the entire show existed in a boy's imagination, spawned the satirical Tommy Westphall Universe fan theory.
  • The Westphall Universe connects multiple TV shows through crossovers, imagining them all occurring in one autistic child's mind.
  • Streaming and evolving production knowledge may have improved finale quality since classic shows like Game of Thrones failed audiences.
  • The analysis examines whether showrunners have learned from past finale fiascos or if TV endings remain structurally problematic.

  Links: Dashboards & Datasets directory here

• Stratechery

  by Ben Thompson

  Eric Seufert on AI models, advertising, and human optimism.

  • Meta's foundational models are critical to understanding AI's trajectory and economic impact.
  • Advertising fundamentals reveal why AI augments rather than replaces human flourishing.
  • Understanding commerce and desire shows infinite combinatorial possibilities for human satisfaction.
  • AI's real upside emerges from serving the affluent society's evolving needs and wants.

  Links: Eric Seufert, Stratechery's most frequent interview subject, The Human Nexus of Commerce, the belief that human desires and needs and wants are effectively infinite and it's infinite in a combinatorial way, Affluent Society, the bull thesis, about ads in particular

• Sub Club Newsletter

  by David Barnard

  Removing free trial from monthly plan grew Natal subscriptions 2000 percent.

  • Natal removed free trial from monthly plan, grew monthly subs 2000%, quarterly 46%, annual 21%.
  • High trial conversion (68% vs 38% industry) signals friction, not engagement; trial filtered rather than converted.
  • 20% of churned monthly subs return organically within year; audit activation before spending on reactivation.
  • Test for unintended consequences: ask what might worsen as primary KPI improves to catch seasonal cohort issues.

  Links: How removing the free trial grew Natal's monthly subs 2000%

• tastylive

  Traders must choose between defined and undefined risk strategies.

  • Defined-risk strategies like iron condors limit maximum loss upfront.
  • Undefined-risk strategies offer different trade-off profiles for sellers.
  • Strategy selection depends on individual risk tolerance and market outlook.

• Tech Brew

  Apple's new Siri redesign transforms voice assistant capabilities.

  • Apple announces significant Siri updates improving natural language understanding and responsiveness.
  • New features enable more complex multi-step commands and contextual awareness.
  • Integration with on-device processing enhances privacy for voice interactions.

• Techmeme

  Anthropic launches Opus 4.8, raises $65B at $965B valuation.

  • Claude Opus 4.8 improves coding ability on SWE-bench Pro from 64.3 to 69.2, with better honesty about limitations.
  • Anthropic raised $65B Series H, surpassing OpenAI's $852B valuation with $47B annualized revenue run rate.
  • Claude Code now features dynamic workflows enabling hundreds of parallel subagents for complex engineering tasks.
  • Mythos-class models expected available to all customers within coming weeks following safeguard development.

  Links: Anthropic launches Opus 4.8, saying it's "more likely to flag uncertainties about its work and less likely to make unsup, Claude Opus 4.8 is out today. It's our strongest coding model yet: up on SWE-bench Pro (from 64.3 to 69.2) and noticeabl, Anthropic raised a $65B Series H at a $965B post-money valuation, overtaking OpenAI's $852B valuation, and says its reve, Anthropic adds dynamic workflows to Claude Code, enabling hundreds of subagents to run in parallel for complex engineeri

• Term Sheet

  SpaceX IPO filing reveals significant financial and operational gaps.

  • SpaceX losses reached nearly $5 billion; company seeks up to $80 billion in IPO proceeds.
  • Elon Musk's compensation partially tied to establishing Mars colony with one million citizens.
  • S-1 filing contains undefined financial metrics and underdeveloped long-term business models.

  Links: SpaceX, its losses are also up to nearly $5 billion,, Elon Musk's pay package is partially linked to establishing a minimum-one-million-citizen colony on Mars, raise as much as a mammoth $80 billion in its IPO

• The AI-Augmented Engineer

  by The AI-Augmented Engineer

  Claude Code desktop app enables low-stakes AI-augmented frontend development.

  • Distinguish vibe coding (fast shipping, light review) from AI-augmented engineering (amplifying expert engineers).
  • Full-time engineers should avoid vibe coding at work; low-stakes projects are safe playgrounds for experimentation.
  • Claude Code GUI with plan mode and reference images accelerates frontend work impossible for non-specialist developers.

  Links: vibe coding, learn how to set up agents you can trust, hooked on the Codex mac app, plan mode

• The Attribute Edge

  by Rich Diviney

  New hires reshape team dynamics; choose between reinforcing strength or adding balance.

  • High-performing teams use dynamic subordination, where leadership shifts based on who best matches current demands.
  • Every team has an existing attribute profile with inherent strengths and blind spots.
  • Hiring can either reinforce existing strengths as a force multiplier or introduce balance where missing.
  • Adding similar attributes amplifies capacity; introducing contrasting attributes shifts team culture and collaboration.

• The Average Joe

  by The Average Joe

  AI chip demand transforms global semiconductor supply into strategic arms race.

  • Nvidia plans $150B annual Taiwan spending, exceeding its quarterly revenue, establishing the island as AI infrastructure epicenter.
  • Memory chip makers SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron control critical HBM supply; SK Hynix and Micron crossed $1T market caps.
  • China's ChangXin Memory Technologies surges toward Shanghai listing with 17-fold profit jump, competing for Alibaba and Tencent.
  • Seltzer brands losing shelf space to fizz-free alternatives as Gen Z shifts preferences toward iced tea and lemonade.

  Links: losing shelf space, Nvidia, $10B–$15B, TSMC, memory side, AI server boom, $1T market cap, 17-fold profit jump

• The Breakdown

  Google engineer charged with insider trading on prediction market.

  • Michele Spagnuolo, Italian Google security engineer, charged with commodities fraud for trading event contracts on Polymarket from Switzerland.
  • US prosecutors claim jurisdiction over offshore, unregulated prediction market based solely on website accessibility within New York.
  • Spagnuolo identified through submitted Italian ID card to crypto exchange; high-profile expert on blockchain security and democratization.

  Links: The SDNY policies prediction markets, the complaint, He did a TED Talk, personal website, Google Research page, LinkedIn

• The Bulwark

  by Will Sommer

  Far-right Florida candidate James Fishback's hastily arranged marriage raises eyebrows.

  • Fishback married a woman he met three months prior in a Catholic church ceremony.
  • At a press conference, he told his new wife to step away when asked about education policy.
  • He had previously dated another woman named Francesca Raine for months before switching partners.
  • His campaign polls surprisingly well despite extremism and personal controversies.

  Links: far-right Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, getting married, Stand there and look good, polled surprisingly well, racist, scheming, January appearance

  by Andrew Egger

  Homeland Security Secretary Mullin mirrors predecessor Noem's scandals and abuses.

  • Mullin attempts to hire his wife as DHS special employee, echoing Noem's Corey Lewandowski arrangement.
  • He flies luxury $70M jet to Oklahoma most weekends, barely present for ICE leadership duties.
  • DHS staff report low morale and lack of direction under Mullin's checked-out management.
  • Mullin proposes blocking international flights to Democratic-run cities, including his own Tulsa.

  Links: a new report, live on Substack

  by Joe Perticone

  GOP lawmakers privately oppose Trump's J6 compensation fund publicly.

  • Republican lawmakers express skepticism about the J6 settlement slush fund in private constituent letters while using cautious public language.
  • Rep. Langworthy opposed using taxpayer dollars for the fund privately but echoed Trump's lawfare narrative publicly.
  • GOP members request congressional oversight and high burden of proof for fund distribution to constituents.

  by Catherine Rampell

  Trump administration imposes government-wide nondisclosure gag orders on all federal workers.

  • Trump proposed a uniform NDA for all executive branch employees, with threats of firing and criminal charges for violations.
  • Gag orders remain enforceable for five years after employees leave government, covering vaguely defined 'sensitive' information.
  • Existing laws already restrict disclosure of classified data; new NDA targets unflattering statements to enable further lawbreaking.
  • Policy framed as voluntary but employees face termination and job blacklisting if they refuse to sign.

  Links: widespread, flagrant, corruption, happening, throughout, rule

  by JVL

  Trump's military neglect enabled drone revolution, costing America global dominance.

  • Ukraine and Iran mastered drone warfare before adversaries understood the military revolution occurring.
  • Cheap consumer drones transformed combat; Azerbaijan defeated Armenia in six weeks using integrated drone strategy.
  • Trump failed to modernize U.S. military for drone-centric warfare while competitors advanced.
  • Iran now controls Strait of Hormuz through drone capabilities, undermining American global order.

  Links: noted, lasted six years, lasted six weeks, recent interview

• The CEO Financial Intelligence Academy

  by Oana Labes

  CEO gains integrated financial visibility and 11% cash improvement in six weeks

  • Bob Milner, $50M+ industrial CEO, carried high risk and missed opportunities due to lack of forward financial visibility.
  • Academy program installed infrastructure enabling decisive decision-making without requiring new finance knowledge.
  • Results: 11% cash flow improvement, months-ahead cash pressure anticipation, and viable M&A evaluation capability.
  • Framework applies four-error filter automatically and runs every decision through enterprise value, cash, multiple, and covenant impact.

  Links: Enroll at academy.oanalabes.com, The CEO Financial Intelligence Academy, Financiario

• The Code

  AI models now map flavor geometry and secure enterprise connections.

  • UK company built ingredient-embedding model from 4M recipes mapping 1,800 ingredients in 2MB.
  • OpenAI launched Secure MCP Tunnel for private server access without exposing firewalls or data.
  • Anthropic improved Claude Code with real-time streaming, full-screen rendering, and session recovery.
  • Ramp deployed 10,000 agents scanning codebase; GPT-5.5 detected 52% of vulnerabilities.

  Links: ingredient-embedding model, Secure MCP Tunnel, reliability fixes, coding agents, playbook

• The Creative Independent

  by Roopa Vasudevan

  Media artist Roopa Vasudevan on algorithms, power, and creative resistance

  • Vasudevan investigates gaps between narratives about digital systems and their realities.
  • Her work spans video, installations, and web-based art exhibited internationally.
  • She critiques algorithmic power and the politics of technology through creative practice.
  • The interview covers artistic independence, education, and systemic critique.

  Links: Roopa Vasudevan, The Creative Independent

• The Daily Skimm

  Tariffs fail to resurrect US manufacturing; student loans shift hits borrowers

  • Supreme Court struck down most Trump tariffs; $20 billion refunded to retailers but no grocery savings expected.
  • Replacing $3 trillion annual imports would cost $2 trillion, roughly 6% of US GDP, plus massive infrastructure investment.
  • SAVE student loan repayment plan dismantled; borrowers face 90-day deadline to choose new plan or government assigns one.

  Links: struck down, refunded more than $20 billion, don't expect it to lower your grocery bill, $3 trillion in goods annually, Saving for a Valuable Education (SAVE)

• The Daily Upside

  Hong Kong surpasses Switzerland as world's offshore wealth hub.

  • Hong Kong wealth managers booked $2.9 trillion in international assets, narrowly edging Switzerland's $2.9 trillion with faster 10.7% growth.
  • BCG projects Hong Kong will reach $4.6 trillion by 2030 versus Switzerland's $4 trillion, driven by Asian high-growth industries.
  • Salesforce posted record $11.1 billion revenue and 200% growth in agentic AI products, refuting SaaSpocalypse concerns.

  Links: Salesforce Delivers a SaaSpocalypse Reality Check, follow Klarna and Palantir's lead

• The GIST Sports Biz

  by The GIST Team

  Epicenter Week returns to Portland with Nike, celebrating women's sports.

  • Raj Sports announces Epicenter Week, a five-day summer celebration in Portland from August 19-23 for its NWSL and WNBA franchises.
  • Last year drew 530 guests and 30K fans across 17 events, generating $225K economic impact for Portland.
  • This year features both Thorns and Fire games plus the opening of Kaiser Permanente Performance Center, shared by NWSL and WNBA teams.
  • Coco Gauff's New Balance drop embraces Parisian style for Roland Garros, showing Grand Slams as fashion runways for athletes and apparel brands.

  Links: latest New Balance (NB) drop, just ask Naomi Osaka, Grey Days celebration, was a smash

• The Ideas Letter

  Brazil's October elections will test whether elite accommodation system survives.

  • Marcos Nobre argues Brazil's post-dictatorship political system based on elite accommodation is breaking down into sharper conflict.
  • Miguel Lago reframes Getúlio Vargas as indispensable network mediator rather than ideologue, emphasizing his method over doctrine.
  • Oliver Stuenkel contends Brazil's multi-alignment strategy better resists great power domination than rigid spheres of influence.

  Links: Brazil's last line of defense, Vargas vive, Spheres of illusion

• The Information AM

  Meta launches paid AI chatbot subscriptions across platforms

  • Meta testing subscription tiers for AI chatbot access on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp at $7.99 and $19.99 monthly
  • Paid plans offer higher usage limits for image/video generation and chatbot interactions versus free users
  • Amazon launching service to deploy AI shopping assistants on competing retailers' websites
  • Snowflake commits $6 billion to AWS over years, including Graviton chips and AI infrastructure

  Links: Meta Launches Paid AI Chatbot Subscriptions, Amazon Launches Service to Put AI Shopping Assistants on Other Retailers' Sites, Snowflake Inks $6 Billion Deal with AWS Tied to Graviton Chips, Read more briefings

• The Inside Lane

  Discipline beats chasing rates in tightening freight market

  • Capacity exited faster than demand recovered; smaller carriers downsized during freight downturn, leaving less excess capacity.
  • Operating costs remain elevated due to fuel, insurance, equipment; weather disruptions add strain.
  • Regulatory enforcement on language proficiency and CDL non-domicile requirements reduces capacity in cross-border and southern regions.
  • Strategic carriers reject unprofitable loads after factoring fuel and repositioning costs; disciplined decision-making drives success.

  Links: Jerad Dennis, TA Services

• The Neuron

  Live stream explains AI agents and automation for complete beginners.

  • AI agents automate repetitive tasks so humans focus on judgment-based work.
  • Session covers how ChatGPT, Claude, Make, and ClickUp function as agents.
  • Learn to identify tasks worth automating and avoid common workflow mistakes.
  • Understand the difference between agents, workflows, and regular chatbots.

  Links: A Total Beginner's Guide to AI Agents & Automation, YouTube, LinkedIn, ChatGPT, Claude, Make, ClickUp

  AI agents gain trading powers and Epicure models cooking knowledge.

  • Robinhood enabled AI agents to access wallets and execute stock trades autonomously.
  • Epicure compresses 4.1M multilingual recipes into 2MB ingredient-embedding model for smart cooking.
  • AxiomProver achieved AI-generated Lean proofs accepted by academic journals.
  • Google launched AI Threat Defense for automated cybersecurity patching capabilities.

  Links: Robinhood, Epicure, multilingual ingredient-embedding model, Epicure Flavour Explorer, MCP endpoint, whole lot more that you can read about here., A Total Beginner's Guide to AI Agents

• The Newsette

  Women's health conversations must become routine, not radical.

  • 47% of women experience vaginal health issues but 31% suffer silently without seeking help.
  • 96% of women cannot name menstrual cycle phases; over 70% never learned about menopause.
  • O Positiv's report reveals massive gaps in women's health education across the U.S.
  • Normalizing open dialogue about women's health requires dismissing decades of taboo stigma.

  Links: Brianna Bitton, O Positiv, State of the Vagina, women's health education, uphill battle, Conversations, shouldn't feel radical

• The Product Marketer

  by Rory Woodbridge

  AI removes the effort filter that once forced creators to question if ideas were worth pursuing

  • Generative AI has made content production nearly frictionless, removing effort as a quality signal.
  • The difficulty of craft once forced artists and writers to ask if an idea deserved the work.
  • AI slop proliferates on social media and inside companies as verbose, unasked-for documents.
  • People without writing backgrounds mistake AI output length and structure for quality.

  Links: Rory Woodbridge

• The Product Marketing Drop

  by The Product Marketing Drop

  Push back on AI-generated content without damaging team relationships.

  • PMMs bear unfair burden reviewing AI slop from all directions while maintaining diplomatic relationships.
  • AI-as-author produces generic, unverifiable content; AI-as-assistant requires human thinking and clear parameters.
  • Slop shows four tells: smooth confidence without specifics, vague numbers, repetitive ideas, comprehensive lists without positions.
  • Insist contributors do the thinking while AI handles drafting and structuring, not original authorship.

  Links: Download here

• The Uncommon Executive

  by Yue Zhao

  Calibration sessions determine promotions more than your manager's opinion.

  • At senior levels, peer perception during calibration sessions outweighs individual manager feedback for promotions.
  • Calibration sessions expose your performance to dozens or hundreds of people across functions, making reputation critical.
  • Executives often get surprised by promotion denials despite manager support, due to concerns raised by peers.
  • Even companies without formal reviews assess performance informally through casual conversations about senior leaders.

  Links: Watch the recording here, Outsmart the Room: AI-Powered Executive Communication & Influence, Schedule a free intro call here

• The Vibe Marketer

  by The Vibe Marketer

  Eight free AI tools built by marketers to automate workflows and cut costs.

  • Community members share reusable assets on GitHub that automate tasks like converting videos to guides in 45 minutes.
  • Google Ads agent with 15 skills manages budgets transparently with full audit trails, no black box decisions.
  • ccaudit tool recovers 30k tokens per Claude session by identifying and archiving unused skills.
  • Video-to-guide skill transforms screen recordings into polished HTML guides with auto-blurred sensitive data.

  Links: The Vibe Marketer's community, github.com/TheMattBerman/google-ads-copilot, github.com/fabio-dee/ccaudit, github.com/thevibemarketershq/video-to-guide, github.com/antonioc-cl/sales-council

• The Wolf of Franchises

  by The Wolf of Franchises

  Woodhouse Spa franchise generates $3.5M annually with strong ROI metrics.

  • Woodhouse Spa franchisees require $1.34M-$2.02M investment; top 50% averaged $3.58M gross sales in 2025.
  • Brand operates 90+ locations with institutional backing from Radiance Holdings and multi-unit operators.
  • 6% royalty plus 2% national and 1.75% local marketing fees apply; real estate selection critical for 4,500-6,000 sq ft footprint.
  • 2026 FDD provides financial clarity on wellness spa category with favorable revenue-to-investment ratio.

  Links: Woodhouse Spa Franchise Development, Woodhouse Spa 2026 FDD Momentum Release, Subscribe Here

• The Wrap

  Stock indices hit records amid Iran ceasefire deal and sector rallies.

  • S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000 reached new highs following tentative US-Iran ceasefire extension.
  • Health care led gains; Eli Lilly surged on CVS restoring Zepbound coverage.
  • Drone industry stocks soared on Trump admin financing talks; Dell won $9.7B Pentagon contract.
  • Anthropic raised $65B at $965B valuation, surpassing OpenAI's $850B valuation.

  Links: Read more

• theSkimm

  by theSkimm

  theSkimm announces Good for You Awards winners across beauty and wellness categories.

  • Award-winning products span beauty, sexual wellness, and lifestyle categories with tested recommendations.
  • Beauty winners include Dr. Jart+ face mask, Merit blush, and Personal Day lip balm.
  • Sexual wellness category features Smile Makers vibrator, Dame massage oil, and Target lubricant.
  • Prices and availability subject to change; purchases through links may generate commissions.

  Links: SHOP OUR WINNERS, READ MORE

• Tim Denning

  by Tim Denning

  Instagram is the fastest-growing platform; learn how to win on it.

  • AI slop flooded social feeds, forcing platforms to adapt their algorithms in 2024.
  • Author grew from 5,000 to 300,000 Instagram followers in 6 months without cross-promotion.
  • Instagram growth speed outpaces all other platforms; revenue doubled in separate months.
  • New workshop teaches strategies to dominate Instagram in the second half of 2026.

  Links: Head here to grab your seat for How to Win on Instagram now

• TLDR

  Tesla builds Optimus factory, SpaceX targets $2 trillion valuation.

  • Tesla's Optimus factory at Giga Texas adds 5.2M sq ft, plans 27,000 robots daily by Summer 2027.
  • Apple developing anti-snatching feature using gyroscope and accelerometer to lock stolen phones.
  • SpaceX's $2T valuation depends on Starship success, chip supply, and agentic inference growth.
  • SpaceX wins $2.29B contract to build sensor-to-shooter military network for US Space Force.

  Links: Tesla's dedicated Optimus factory construction officially underway at Giga Texas (14 minute read), Apple Developing iPhone Anti-Snatching Feature That Locks Stolen Phones Instantly (2 minute read), The SpaceX IPO and Data Centers in Space (22 minute read), US Space Force confirms SpaceX will build sensor-to-shooter targeting network (6 minute read)

• Today's Elevator

  by Today's Elevator

  Steve McQueen's 1958 Porsche featured in latest edition.

  • Email highlights Steve McQueen's iconic 1958 Porsche.
  • Content focuses on automotive history and celebrity ownership.
  • Edition dated May 28, 2026.

• Tom's Marketing Ideas

  by Tom

  Premium membership unlocks 250+ marketing ideas and templates at 40% off.

  • Get lifetime lock-in at $120/year for Marketing Ideas Premium, even when price increases later.
  • Access 250+ past ideas, templates, playbooks, and PDF book 'Marketing Moonshots'.
  • Join private group chat with 1,700+ growth leaders and attend live weekly Q&As.
  • Receive exclusive weekly OMG-level tactics plus one free year of AI-builder Base44.

  Links: Marketing Ideas Premium, Marketing Moonshots, Base44

• Trade War

  by Dexter Roberts

  China's AI race intensifies with new competitive developments.

  • China showing accelerating momentum in artificial intelligence competition against Western tech leaders.
  • New signs indicate Chinese AI investment and capability expansion across multiple sectors.
  • The competitive landscape in AI is shifting as China advances technological capabilities.

• Unbounce

  by Danielle

  Align sales and marketing to build buyer trust and revenue.

  • Only 29% of GTM teams rate lead quality as excellent; alignment increases quality by 2x.
  • Revenue leaks from misaligned teams, untrustworthy pages, and generic AI-generated outreach.
  • Comparison and social proof pages with honest differentiation guide buyers to right decisions.
  • CRM-supported outbound gives reps sharper context for more effective follow-up.

  Links: Read the research report

• Uncrate

  Curated luxury goods from kayaks to e-bikes and design objects.

  • Oru Beach Black Edition Kayak offers portable water recreation at $1,199.
  • Droog x Land District Hybrid E-Bike combines design and electric mobility for $18,000.
  • Alessi Spirale Ashtray brings Italian design craftsmanship at $125.
  • KAH Tequila Ceramic Bottle Set featured in luxury spirits collection.

  Links: Oru Beach Black Edition Kayak, Droog x Land District Hybrid E, Alessi Spirale Ashtray

• UX Content Collective

  Three new bundles help content designers master specialized skills.

  • Brand Voice Bundle teaches product voice as a key differentiator for AI agents and brand identity.
  • Inclusive Content Bundle covers accessibility and localization as essential, not specialist add-ons.
  • Content Impact Bundle enables designers to prove ROI through content testing and measurable outcomes.

  Links: All courses, Explore the Brand Voice Bundle, Explore the Inclusive Content Bundle, Explore the Content Impact Bundle

• Why is this interesting?

  by Colin

  Singlish survived government suppression to become Singapore's linguistic identity marker.

  • Singlish is an English-lexified creole mixing Malay, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, and Tamil that emerged in hawker centers and public spaces.
  • Sentence-final particles like lah, leh, and lor perform real grammatical and emotional work borrowed from Chinese varieties.
  • Singapore's Speak Good English Movement attempted to eliminate Singlish as economically harmful, but suppression accelerated its cultural value.
  • Singlish became a marker of Singaporean identity that distinguished insiders from expats and outsiders, embodying decades of migration.

  Links: Lionel Wee

• Workweek Newsletter

  by Hebba Youssef

  HR pay beliefs diverge 31 points from employee perceptions due to structural gaps.

  • 75% of HR believes employees are paid fairly, but only 44% think employees feel that way.
  • Communication and manager training cannot fix pay problems without proper job architecture foundation.
  • Only half of organizations have formal job architecture; 18% have no plans to build one.
  • Managers lack infrastructure and information to explain compensation decisions effectively to employees.

  Links: Salary.com, Salary's 2026 State of Pay Practices Report

  by Daniel Murray

  Misaligned ICPs across teams destroy conversion and revenue growth.

  • Different departments define ICP differently, creating misaligned campaigns and wasted acquisition spend.
  • Real ICP is based on use cases and customer value, not demographics or company size.
  • One 30-minute audit asking each team to define ICP reveals revenue leaks immediately.
  • Customers acquired outside true ICP churn quickly and destroy lifetime value metrics.

  Links: Listen to the full episode here

  by Blake Madden

  Aetna CMO examines value-based care's scaling challenges and vertical integration.

  • Dr. Ali Khan's career spanning primary care startups to Aetna Medicare reveals VBC's evolution and current stagnation outside California and Florida.
  • Early VBC models like CareMore and Iora achieved results through payor-provider integration; scaling this consistently remains unsolved.
  • Khan's experience authorizing SNF transfers in 18 minutes shows what integrated care works, but replicating it nationally has proven difficult.

  Links: Register here to reserve your spot

• WTF Just Happened Today?

  by Matt

  U.S. and Iran edge toward tentative ceasefire amid multiple domestic controversies.

  • U.S. and Iranian negotiators moved toward a 60-day ceasefire extension for the Strait of Hormuz, though neither Trump nor Iran's leadership has approved the tentative deal.
  • Trump bought $1 million in Dell stock before Pentagon awarded Dell a $9.7 billion contract; Justice Alito's son took Treasury job while Court handled department cases.
  • Federal judge declined to block Trump's voter list executive order; inflation hit 3.8%, highest in nearly 3 years.
  • DOJ opened criminal investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll lied under oath; Trump refiled $10 billion defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal.

  Links: New York Times, Politico, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Associated Press