The Comunicano for Friday June 13th 2025
Friendly Friday
We stand today not at the foot of a mountain, but at the summit of a trembling digital age—a time when the cloud itself quakes, and our most trusted towers of information flicker and fall.
On June the twelfth, the mighty Google Cloud—an unseen engine beneath much of our modern life—suffered a catastrophic failure. From Spotify to Snapchat, from Cloudflare to Character.AI, the silence spread like a fog. The world discovered what happens when our digital dreams are tied to a single thread, and that thread snaps. The lesson is clear: if we place all our hopes in one place, the failure of one becomes the failure of many.
And yet, while one door closes, another swings open. Meta, the colossus of social conversation, has made a daring bet—a $14 billion wager—on a new frontier called superintelligence. They have summoned a young titan named Alexandr Wang to lead this charge. But let us not be fooled by the glimmer of ambition. The path to artificial general intelligence is not paved by money alone, but by the moral will and the wisdom to use such power justly. For what shall it profit a company to gain the world’s smartest machine and lose its soul?
Meanwhile, Apple—long a lighthouse of innovation—finds its voice, Siri, stuck in the shallows, its next great leap delayed until 2026. In that silence, rivals may rise. For time waits on no brand, and progress has no favorites.
And from the towers of finance, new money stirs. Coinbase links arms with American Express to blend crypto with credit. Walmart and Amazon eye their own stablecoins to escape the chains of traditional finance. But with each coin comes questions—of oversight, of trust, of justice for the many, not just the few.
And in the realm of the young and restless, Instagram offers new ways to express, to share, to be heard—not with permanence, but with play. Yet even here, Meta’s AI feed has exposed secrets not meant for the world. Our privacy, our dignity, must not be the price of participation.
Let us remember: technology is not destiny. It is a tool. And like every tool, it must be guided by a hand and a heart. Let ours be both wise and just. And let the light shine on, from THE COMUNICANO!!!
Andy Abramson
Google Watch
Cloud Chaos: Google Outage Shakes the Internet (TechCrunch)—On June 12, a sweeping outage at Google Cloud brought down major swaths of the web. Services like Cloudflare, Spotify, Discord, Snapchat, Replit, Cursor, and Character.AI were knocked offline as Google's storage infrastructure faltered. The disruption kicked off at 10:51 PDT and lingered until 18:18, with significant fallout in the us-central1 region. Google quickly identified the issue and applied fixes, but the cascading effects illustrated the vulnerability of centralized cloud dependency. Read more here
Under the Hood: Google Cloud Incident Breakdown (Google Status)—Google's service dashboard confirmed a broad failure affecting over 50 Google Cloud products across multiple regions. The root cause, traced to a core storage subsystem, was resolved by the evening, though residual issues persisted in the us-central1 region. The incident underscored the fragility and critical nature of cloud infrastructure in powering the modern internet. Read more here
The End of Instant: Google Kills Android Instant Apps (The Verge)—Seven years after launch, Google is sunsetting Android Instant Apps due to poor adoption. These lightweight app previews never quite caught on, and Google plans to deprecate the APIs and tools by December 2025. Instead, the company is shifting focus to AI-driven app discovery and enhanced install experiences, signaling a new direction for Android's evolution. Read more here
Meta Watch
Meta’s AI Feed Raises Privacy Red Flags (BBC News)—Meta AI users may be unknowingly sharing their queries—and results—on a public feed, revealing everything from test cheating to racy character prompts. Despite a warning before posting, many seem unaware their activity, tied to usernames and profile pictures, is viewable online. BBC reports some posts include personal medical questions and explicit requests, easily linked back to users’ social profiles. Experts warn this disconnect between user expectations and platform behavior is a major security flaw. Meta says sharing is optional, but critics argue more transparency is needed to protect privacy. Read more here
Meta’s $14 Billion Bet on Scale AI and the Superintelligence Race (Decrypt)
Meta just dropped $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI, enlisting its 28-year-old CEO Alexandr Wang to lead a newly minted “superintelligence” division. This bold move marks Meta’s biggest AI play since Llama and signals a push to compete with OpenAI and Google in the race for general AI dominance. The deal underscores Meta’s pivot from foundational models to practical AI leadership, leveraging Scale’s infrastructure and Wang’s engineering prowess to reinvigorate its lagging innovation cycle. Read more here
Meta Secures Scale AI CEO to Head Superintelligence Push (DealStreetAsia)—Meta has sealed a $14.3 billion deal for a 49 percent stake in Scale AI, valuing the startup at $29 billion. As part of the agreement, Scale’s founder Alexandr Wang will leave his CEO role to lead Meta’s newly created superintelligence division. While Wang remains on Scale’s board, Jason Droege steps in as interim CEO. Meta’s move reflects a sharpened focus on serious AI innovation, leveraging Wang’s expertise and Scale’s infrastructure to challenge industry leaders. Read more here
Meta’s Superintelligence Dream May Be Built on Shaky Ground (Constellation Research)—Meta’s ambition to chase superintelligence with its new Scale AI partnership is audacious—but fraught. Constellation Research critiques the company’s historic execution gaps, warning that building AGI isn’t just about throwing money at talent. Despite Scale AI’s pedigree, Meta still struggles to meaningfully unify its vast data into a coherent, ethical AI roadmap. Leadership shifts and branding buzz may distract from foundational product weaknesses, making this feel more like a moonshot than a measured leap. Read more here
Apple Watch
Apple’s Super Siri Setback: Launch Pushed to 2026 (Spyglass)—The major Siri update Apple teased at WWDC 2024—featuring improved contextual awareness and seamless on-screen control—has now slipped to a spring 2026 release, specifically via iOS 26.4. Initially expected in late 2024, then early 2025, the upgrade has seen multiple delays. Spyglass reports internal friction between Apple’s engineering and marketing teams as a key factor, with vague timelines like “coming year” used to soften expectations. Merging new and legacy systems has proven more complex than expected. Read more here
Siri’s Lag Might Cost Apple Its Edge (MethodShop)—Apple’s delay in launching its upgraded Siri could be more than just a timeline slip—it may open the door for competitors to leap ahead. MethodShop highlights the broader implications: over 650 million users now face an aging assistant while Google, Amazon, and OpenAI push AI boundaries. The ripple effect could delay next-gen hardware like Apple’s smart home hub and smart glasses. While Apple’s focus on privacy and polish is commendable, the lag could tarnish its reputation for leading on user-facing innovation. Read more here
Fintech Watch
Coinbase Taps AmEx to Launch Bitcoin-Backed Credit Card (CNBC)
Coinbase is partnering with American Express to launch a new credit card available exclusively to its U.S. subscribers. The card is part of the Coinbase One program and offers up to 4 percent back in Bitcoin, depending on user tier and holdings. A new basic membership tier priced at $4.99 per month joins the existing $29.99 plan, both unlocking access to the card. With traditional AmEx perks layered on crypto rewards, this move strengthens Coinbase’s ecosystem and loyalty loop just as competitors seek similar fintech alignments. Read more here
Walmart and Amazon Explore Issuing Their Own Stablecoins (The Wall Street Journal)—Walmart and Amazon are exploring the launch of their own dollar-backed stablecoins to reduce reliance on traditional payment rails and eliminate hefty credit card fees. The move could enable faster, cheaper transactions, especially in cross-border trade. They’re not alone—Expedia and some major airlines are also weighing digital dollar tokens. The projects hinge on the GENIUS Act, a proposed U.S. bill aimed at regulating stablecoins. While the benefits are clear—instant settlements and cost savings—concerns about oversight, security, and public trust will shape whether these efforts materialize. Read more here
Social Watch
Instagram Rolls Out Spotify Song Sharing in Notes, Trial Reels, Grid Customization (The Verge)-Instagram has introduced a wave of updates aimed at easing social pressure and boosting personal expression. Users can now share the Spotify track they’re currently listening to directly in Instagram Notes, complete with an “add to Spotify” button. Trial reels—previously tested—are now available to all, letting creators post content to a limited audience before going public. Starting next week, Instagram will also allow users to manually reorder their profile grid. These updates are designed to empower less vocal users and make sharing feel less permanent and intimidating. Read more here
