The Comunicano for Monday July 7th 2025

Melodic Monday

Folks, lemme tell ya, the world today? It’s like a jalopy with a jet engine. Movin’ fast, barely holdin’ together, and some group of rich guys are putting the steering wheel in Peter Thiel’s hands! It makes me wonder if the Rolling Stones were right with “Doom and Gloom".

Now Thiel, he’s building his own private billionaire bank club. Forget Silicon Valley Bank, he's calling on his rich pals to bankroll startups. I mean, what could go wrong when tech tycoons play Monopoly with real money? Can it scale? Sure. If your idea of scalable is yacht-sized egos!

And speaking of egos—Google! These guys dropped AI upgrades like they’re handin’ out candy. Faster, smarter, and now it talks to ya. "Gemini," they call it—shoulda named it Houdini the way it does tricks. It even teaches kids science. When I was in school, the only AI we had was Mister Nerenberg’s Algebra with a wooden ruler!

Now TikTok? Ah, that’s a spicy meatball. They're tryin’ to dodge the ban with a new app, M2, while lettin’ Oracle babysit. It’s like changing the label on a hot dog and calling it filet mignon. We see ya, ByteDance.

Apple? They’re taking the EU to court over a fine big enough to make a banker cry. All ‘cause they wouldn’t let developers tell folks where to find cheaper apps. Hey Apple, maybe let people know where the fire exits are before the inspectors show up?

And over in China—hang on to your hats—they’re building coder villages in Hangzhou. Kids with laptops, coffee, and dreams bigger than the Great Wall. It's Silicon Alley over there!

Meanwhile, back home, AI’s replacing interns, mentors, and probably your barista. On-the-job learnin’? More like on-the-job guessin’.

But here’s the kicker—legacy manufacturers are booming, building data centers! Yep, your Uncle Louie, who used to make pipes, is now cooling Google’s servers. Who knew?

And Emirates Airlines? They served 60 million chocolates last year. Which is nice, ‘cause with all this news, we could use somethin’ sweet.

So hang on tight, folks. The future’s flyin’ faster than Jeff Pulver’s fists in a poker game.

“Bang! Boom! Zoom! Take me to the moon again!” And until then, there’s always The Comunicano!!!

Andy Abramson

Money Watch

Can Peter Thiel's Fellowship of Billionaires Replace Silicon Valley Bank? (The Daily Upside)—With the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank still fresh, Peter Thiel’s ambitious “fellowship of billionaires” aims to become the new private banking consortium backing startups. The idea is to tap ultra-wealthy tech leaders as a direct, reliable capital source—sidestepping traditional banking. But can it scale to the diverse needs of early-stage companies? Critics cite worries over governance, crowding out smaller investors, and potential conflicts of interest. The model fundamentally challenges how startups traditionally access liquidity, and it remains to be seen whether Thiel’s group can deliver flexibility without sacrificing oversight. Read more here

Google Watch

Google AI Updates - June 2025 (Google Blog)—June brought a flurry of AI enhancements from Google: faster, more cost-efficient Gemini models, new voice-powered AI search, and smarter photo handling. Classroom tools got a serious boost—AI now aids student learning and scientific analysis. New tech for developers rolled out too, including Gemini Code Assist using the powerful Gemini 2.5, customizable coding workflows, deeper thought-process tracking, and multimodal Gemma 3n for phone-to-tablet deployment. These strides reflect AI's evolution from lab research to everyday utility, empowering users, educators, and coders alike. Read more here

TikTok Watch

TikTok's Ban Fix: New App and Oracle-Backed Sale on the Horizon (The Verge)—As TikTok faces mounting pressure under the U.S. divest-or-ban mandate, a workaround emerges. ByteDance is reportedly near a deal to transfer majority ownership to Oracle and other U.S.-aligned investors while launching a new domestic app—codenamed M2. Set for release on September 5, 2025, this app would replace TikTok in U.S. stores, with the original phased out by March 2026. ByteDance would retain a minority stake, pending China's approval. This hybrid solution could allow TikTok to survive in America, all while sidestepping a full ban. Read more here

Apple Watch

Apple Fights Back Against 587 Million Euro EU Fine Over App Store Rules (Reuters)—Apple is appealing a 587 million euro fine levied by the European Commission over alleged antitrust violations tied to App Store restrictions. The EU claims Apple unfairly blocked developers from directing users to cheaper subscription options outside the App Store. Apple argues the fine is excessive and its conduct within bounds. Though it has updated policies to avoid further penalties, Apple now takes the battle to Europe’s General Court, with regulators collecting developer feedback to assess compliance. This could set a major precedent for digital marketplace rules. Read more here

AI Watch

Sakana AI Urges a Team-Based Model Future for Language AI (Constellation Research)—Sakana AI believes in collaboration over singularity for LLMs. Rather than one mega-model, their system assembles multiple smaller models into dynamic "dream teams" to handle complex queries. Using adaptive Monte Carlo Tree Search, the method selects which model to invoke—or how deep to go—on the fly. The result? A 30 percent improvement on reasoning-heavy benchmarks. This concept reshapes the AI narrative from “one model to rule them all” to “many minds make smarter answers.” The industry may be entering the age of collective AI. Read more here

Startup Watch

36 U.S. Tech Unicorns Emerge in 2025—AI, Robotics, and Fleet Tech Lead (TechCrunch)—Despite investor caution, the first half of 2025 saw 36 U.S. tech startups achieve unicorn status. These include Threatlocker (cybersecurity), Fleetio (fleet management), Cyberhaven (data detection), Celestial AI (infrastructure for gen AI), and The Bot Company (robotics). Funding trends highlight a sharp focus on AI-enabled automation, secure enterprise tools, and operational intelligence. Startups are scaling fast with niche but scalable platforms, showing VC appetite is still strong for real-world applications of next-gen tech. Read more here

China’s Hangzhou Builds a Coder Village to Rival Silicon Valley (The New York Times)—In Liangzhu, a Hangzhou suburb, China’s AI dream is taking root—not in glass towers, but in coffee shops and apartment co-ops. Young coders, fresh from elite schools, are launching LLM startups with record speed. State-backed funding, tax perks, and a cluster effect near tech giants like Alibaba and DeepSeek power this DIY renaissance. Dubbed the "Six Little Dragons," these rising firms symbolize China's bet on open-source AI. But while the pace is electric, reliance on subsidies and chip sanctions pose hurdles. China’s grassroots model could either reshape AI—or stall under pressure. Read more here

WorkPlace Watch

On-the-job Learning Disrupted by AI and Hybrid Work (Financial Times)—The age-old apprenticeship model is under siege. With AI automating repetitive tasks and hybrid work reducing real-time shadowing, junior employees face a learning drought. JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon bluntly says remote onboarding “doesn’t work,” especially for young professionals. Entry-level tasks once used for skill-building are now being eliminated by tools like ChatGPT and legal AI assistants, leaving firms scrambling to rethink how newcomers gain critical thinking and judgment. Experts suggest intentional mentoring, simulations, and structured debriefs may be the new path forward. The training model isn’t dead—it’s evolving under pressure. Read more here

DataCenter Watch

Industrial Giants Rush Into the Data Center Market (Cryptopolitan)—As global AI demand surges, traditional U.S. industrial firms are retooling to serve the booming data center sector, now valued over 400 billion dollars. Companies like Gates Industrial and Generac are customizing pumps, pipes, and power solutions for hyperscalers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Honeywell reports double-digit growth from advanced cooling systems tailored for server farms. Analysts highlight that this infrastructure gold rush offers rare growth potential for legacy manufacturers, even as broader construction markets slow. Data centers are no longer niche—they're the new frontier of industrial innovation. Read more here

Sports Watch

Unrivaled Co-Founders Deny Conflict of Interest With WNBPA Leadership (Front Office Sports)—Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, co-founders of player empowerment group Unrivaled and leading figures in the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA), have rejected criticism suggesting they might benefit from a league lockout. A viral tweet questioned their dual roles amid collective bargaining talks. They fired back, warning that a lockout would hurt players financially. The move underlines rising scrutiny as the WNBPA pushes for a new CBA before the 2026 season—negotiations where Collier and Stewart play both union and business leadership roles. Read more here

Trump "Big Beautiful Bill" Funds Olympic & World Cup Security (Front Office Sports)—President Trump recently signed a sweeping domestic policy bill that allocates a hefty 1.6 billion toward security for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Los Angeles will receive 1 billion, while World Cup host cities get 625 million. The move underscores federal commitment to mega-event safety, with funding earmarked for infrastructure, personnel, and counter-terrorism efforts well ahead of the global spectacles. Read more here

Congressional Tax Shift Threatens U.S. Sports Betting Industry (Huddle Up)—A provision in the newly signed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” caps gambling loss deductions at 90%, jeopardizing the legal U.S. sports betting industry. This change, effective in 2026, taxes gamblers on volume rather than net income, potentially driving professional bettors offshore and draining liquidity from regulated markets. Casual players will face worse odds, while states risk losing vital tax revenue. Ironically, sportsbooks might benefit short term by eliminating sharp bettors. But the long-term outlook paints a grim picture of shrinking markets, job losses, and rising offshore activity, all for a marginal federal gain. Read more here

Travel Watch

Emirates Customers Devour 60 Million Luxury Chocolates in the Sky (Breaking Travel News)— In an indulgent declaration, Emirates Airlines reports that passengers across all cabin classes consumed a staggering 60 million artisan chocolates over the past year. Economy fliers nibbled through 36.6 million, Premium Economy 1.06 million, Business 9.1 million, and First Class swooned over 13.4 million plus 122,000 extra gourmet boxes. The rotating six-month menu features elite chocolatiers—UAE's Coco Jalila, France's Valrhona, Belgium's Canonica and Neuhaus—alongside decadent desserts spanning mousse cakes, fondants, tarts, and more. A testament to the airline's "fly better" vision, the chocolate surge builds luxury appeal at 140 destinations. Read more here