The Comunicano for Friday June 27th 2025

Feastful Friday

You can almost hear it. The whir of a machine trying to think, trying to feel its way forward like a child learning to walk, only this child drives a car. In Austin, the streets hum with the sound of Teslas inching toward autonomy. They swerve. They stop short. They scare. It’s not progress, it’s performance art. No one’s dead, but that’s not quite the comfort it should be.

Meanwhile, in the halls of Uber, the ghost of Travis Kalanick stirs. The man who once bulldozed the future is back, this time, with a Chinese-made map to the self-driving dream Uber once abandoned. If the band’s getting back together, it's not for a reunion tour. It’s because the future is back on sale, and Wall Street’s buying.

Over in Redmond, Microsoft hoped its Copilot would soar. Instead, it stumbles, an assistant no one really wants, a brand no one fully understands. Even its creators hesitate to sell it. In the browser wars, newcomers like Dia and Comet are betting that AI can be more than clunky chatbots; it can be intuition itself, baked into the tools we already use.

And then there’s Zuckerberg. Driven not by curiosity but by conquest. He’s betting billions, poaching brains, dreaming of superintelligence not to serve us, but to save Meta from irrelevance. He wants to win. Altman wants to resist. And the rest of us? We watch as tech's cold war heats up.

Across the ocean, Germany bans DeepSeek. Privacy, it turns out, is not negotiable when power is the price. Even Google feels the chill, racing to reinvent search as AI erodes its empire, dangling “Offerwalls” to publishers like lifeboats on a sinking ship.

Apple tweaks. Xiaomi leaps. And somewhere in the shadows, the Concorde may fly again.

So here we are, in a moment that feels like science fiction with a hangover. The machines are coming. But they’re not gods. Not yet. They're teenagers. Brilliant, moody, unpredictable, and we’re handing them the keys.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s time to ask where we’re really going. Which is why you have a compass in your hands, with THE COMUNICANO!!!

Andy Abramson

AV Watch

Teslas robotaxi peppered with driving mistakes in Texas tests (Reuters)—Tesla kicked off its public robotaxi trials in Austin with a fleet of Model Y vehicles on June 22. But what was supposed to be a tech milestone quickly turned into a collection of cringe-worthy YouTube moments. From mounting curbs to awkward drop-offs in intersections and swerving into oncoming lanes, the robotaxis gave riders more suspense than convenience. No accidents yet, but safety experts and regulators are watching closely. Elon Musks autonomy dream is still running red lights.
Read more here

Uber explores self driving revival with Travis Kalanick (The New York Times)—Uber might be getting the band back together. The company is in talks to support former CEO Travis Kalanick as he moves to acquire the U S arm of Pony ai, a Chinese autonomous vehicle firm. If the deal goes through, Kalanick would lead Pony ai U S while continuing to run his ghost kitchen outfit, CloudKitchens. This reunion would mark a sharp turn for Uber, which exited the self driving space back in 2021. With Tesla and Waymo gaining ground, Uber sees a chance to jump back in, and Wall Street seems to like the idea. Read more here

AI Watch

Microsoft Copilot suffers awkward deployment woes (Futurism)—Microsoft’s Copilot AI, built on OpenAIs backbone, is turning heads for all the wrong reasons. Internal demos are underwhelming, described as a downgrade from ChatGPT. Sales staff feel stuck pushing a product that lacks flair, and Microsoft execs are hesitant to overpromise. Add in branding confusion across the Copilot suite and you get a cocktail of consumer hesitation and corporate frustration. Not quite the AI revolution Redmond envisioned. Read more here

Begun the AI browser wars have (Spyglass)—Two camps are emerging in the AI browser revolution: Dia from The Browser Company and Perplexity’s upcoming Comet. Dia brings AI into everyday browsing—it’s simple, smart, hides complexity, and is winning early fans who see it blending Chrome with AI. Spyglass argues that AI-centric browsers are the future, even if Dia isnt perfect. Perplexity aims to launch Comet soon, aiming to reinvent the browser with its AI search roots. Read more here

Meta Watch:

Zuckerberg goes all in on AI superintelligence (The New York Times)—After Meta’s April AI demo underwhelmed, Mark Zuckerberg shifted into overdrive. Frustrated with Llama’s underperformance, he demoted leadership, poured $14.3 billion into Scale AI, and began poaching talent—sending $100 million offers to OpenAI staff and growing Meta’s AI division past 1,000 people. Now Zuckerberg is pivoting from open-source to proprietary models, targeting AI “superintelligence” once thought out of reach. The push has sparked infighting, burnout, and scrutiny over Meta’s real mission. Yet with names like Alexandr Wang onboard and outreach to elite figures like Ilya Sutskever, Meta is betting everything on AI becoming its future. Read more here

Meta vs OpenAI $100 M talent tug‑of‑war (The Verge)—Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth confirmed that Meta offered massive signing bonuses—reportedly up to $100 million—to lure top AI talent to its Superintelligence team. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded by matching offers, and insiders say a few senior leaders were targeted. Meta CPO Chris Cox noted that despite a billion monthly AI users, engagement trails ChatGPT. OpenAI’s Altman criticized the approach as a possible cultural mistake. Read more here

Xiaomi glasses overshadow Meta Ray Bans (Gizmodo)—Xiaomi is about to make Meta sweat. Its smart glasses boast a laundry list of features that make Metas Ray Bans look like overpriced fashion props. Picture this: 12MP camera, five mic array, voice assistant, 45 minutes of continuous video recording, live streaming, and video calling. Even battery life is a win with an estimated 8.6 hours. Gizmodo says if it all checks out, Meta has serious catching up to do. Read more here

Germany orders removal of DeepSeek from app stores (Reuters)—Germany has officially called on Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek from app stores over serious data privacy violations. Authorities say the Chinese AI app transfers German user data to China without adequate safeguards. The request, issued by data commissioner Meike Kamp, cites risks of Chinese government access to personal data. DeepSeek is already banned in Italy, restricted on Dutch devices, and under fire globally for national security concerns tied to Chinas military. This move signals rising resistance to AI tools linked to geopolitical rivals. Read more here

The farcical quality of generative AI (Lawyers Guns and Money)—Paul Campos delivers a sharp takedown of generative AI, calling it a farce dressed up as insight. He highlights the absurdity of AI outputs that mix fact with fiction, like nonsensical sports mashups and fake legal references. Campos argues these systems lack understanding and instead churn out fluent but meaningless prose. The real issue he warns is not just error, but the illusion of competence. In law and journalism, that gap between polish and truth can be dangerous. Read more here

Google Watch

Google Labs rolls out Doppl virtual try on app (Google Blog)—Google Labs has quietly dropped Doppl, a slick new AI app that lets users try on outfits virtually. Upload a full-body pic or screen grab a look, and Doppl generates photorealistic images — even moving ones — of you in the outfit. While it still fumbles a bit with pants and reflections, the app is a solid step forward in merging AI and fashion. Free to use, and available now on iOS and Android in the U.S. Read more here

Google’s Offerwall gives publishers flexibility and users more options (Google Blog)
Google has just introduced Offerwall—a new feature in Ad Manager that allows publishers to present readers with opt-in offers instead of traditional paywalls. Think quizzes, newsletter signups or third-party deals that users can engage with to access content. Publishers can choose from Google's ecosystem or their own deals. Users gain more control over how they pay—whether through data, actions, or cash—so content remains free at the point of access. Read more here

As AI kills search traffic, Google launches Offerwall to boost publisher revenue (TechCrunch) In a landscape where AI-powered answers are eroding traditional search referrals, Google is helping publishers diversify. Offerwall allows sites to offer value exchanges, such as surveys or sign-ups, before content loads. It’s Google’s answer to declining traffic, giving publishers new monetization tools and users agency over content access. It’s a clever pivot in response to how AI reshapes content discovery. Read more here

Apple Watch

Apple announces sweeping App Store changes in the EU (9to5Mac)—Apple is revamping the App Store across the EU to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Starting January 1, 2026, developers can include multiple external links, use tracking URLs, and direct users to alternative app stores or payment options. The familiar disclosure sheet appears only once, with an opt-out option. Apple is introducing a tiered fee model—2% on first-time purchases, 5% or 13% (10% for small devs) store‑service fees, plus a 5% “core tech” commission for off‑App Store sales, replacing €0.50 per-install charges. Apple plans to appeal the decision. Read more here

Apple must steal these 3 tab features to make Safari truly irresistible (Digital Trends)—Safari could use a power-up to stay competitive. Digital Trends highlights three features Apple should consider ‘borrowing’: vertical tabs for better visibility, tab grouping with auto-collapsing to reduce clutter, and background tab preview so users can peek at pages without opening them. Chrome and Edge already offer these conveniences, and bringing them into Safari would sharpen its edge, especially with power users. These aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re becoming table stakes in the browser world. Read more here

RideSharing Watch

NYC Taxi Commission restricts Uber and Lyft lockouts (The New York Times)—New York City just sent a strong message to Uber and Lyft. Starting August 1, 2025, the Taxi and Limousine Commission will require both platforms to give drivers 72 hours notice before locking them out and allow up to 16 hours of app access per shift. This comes after drivers claimed income losses up to 25 percent due to sudden app shutdowns. Alongside this, a new pay hike lifts average ride earnings by 5 percent, bringing a 7.5 mile trip to around 29 dollars. Driver advocates say the rule change is a win for both dignity and dollars. Read more here

Travel Watch

Concorde supersonic passenger aircraft to return in 2026 (Aviation A2Z)—The iconic Concorde may roar again. A UK startup plans to bring back a modern supersonic passenger jet by 2026, aiming to fly at Mach 2 for transatlantic routes. This new-generation Concorde would blend cutting-edge aerodynamics, materials and quieter engines. While price tags—and noise regulations—remain big questions, the project signals a bold leap toward restoring supersonic commercial travel within reach. Read more here