The Comunicano for Wednesday June 11th 2025
Walkabout Wednesday
Let’s take a quick lap around the landscape, because the tectonic plates of tech, media, and marketing are shifting under our feet.
First, McKinsey just gave us a wake-up call: attention isn’t about time spent anymore—it’s about time well spent. Depth over duration. Focus over flicks. Their research says audio and long-form video deliver more cognitive value per minute than your average scroll-stopping meme. Translation? It’s not about louder—it’s about smarter. Intentional content wins. That’s a strategy pivot that separates signal from noise.
Now, Apple. Siri’s big AI moment? Didn’t land. WWDC teased a future that’s still months out. Internally? Mixed signals and missed alignment. For now, Siri stays basic while Apple recalibrates in a race it used to lead. It’s less a stumble, more a stall—and in AI, every stall creates space for someone else to surge.
Which brings us to OpenAI. The o3 pro model dropped—80% price cut and sharper-than-ever capability. This isn’t theater—it’s throughput. Developers are already folding it into workflows. Creative writing? Tops EQBench. Tool use? Smooth. This is quiet confidence with massive implications.
Meanwhile, robotics is eating real-world work. XRobotics is serving up 25,000 pizzas a month via a countertop cube. It doesn’t replace humans—it enhances them. It’s automation that augments, not alienates. And over in Zurich, a four-legged robot now plays badminton. Why care? Because AI is no longer just thinking—it’s moving.
Google’s juggling its own identity. Android 16? Incremental but unified. But the real shake comes from AI Overviews gutting news referral traffic. Publishers are bleeding clicks—and suing. The open web? It’s being rewritten by closed-loop AI summaries.
Then there’s Tesla. A driverless “robotaxi” was spotted in Austin. No driver. Just a chaperone car. June 22 might mark the first real pilot. The future? Practicing in public.
And X? It’s lawyering up, trying to muscle back ad revenue lost under Musk. Pressure, persuasion, lawsuits—everything’s on the table.
The message across all of this? Everything’s in motion. Attention. AI. Autonomy. Algorithms. The brands and leaders who win next are the ones who stop chasing hype and start delivering clarity, capability, and conviction. Ah, the three C’s. Well, here’s a fourth. THE COMUNICANO!!!
Andy Abramson
Strategy Watch
The Attention Equation Winning the Right Battles for Consumer Attention (McKinsey)—McKinsey reframes how brands should approach consumer attention with a new model that emphasizes depth over duration. Instead of chasing clicks and screen time, companies are urged to measure focus and intent—because not all attention is created equal. Their research shows formats like audio and long-form video deliver higher cognitive value per minute. This shift asks marketers to stop shouting in crowded feeds and start crafting more thoughtful, intentional media that actually sticks. A smart pivot toward meaningful engagement, not vanity metrics.
Read more here
Apple Watch
What Really Happened with Siri and Apple Intelligence (TechRadar)—Apple’s AI reveal was premature—Siri’s big leap didn’t land. Internally, teams weren’t aligned before WWDC. Apple Intelligence was pitched hard but is still months away from release. Behind closed doors, there’s frustration and backtracking. Some say it’s a relief—they’re not shipping something half-baked. Others say Apple’s behind and knows it. For now, Siri stays the same, while Apple plays catch-up in a race it helped start. Read more here
OpenAI Watch
First Thoughts on o3 pro (Latent Space)—o3 pro is here, and OpenAI dropped prices by 80 percent to mark the moment. Early hands-on from Latent Space says the model is sharper, quicker, and better at tool use than ever. Creative writing? It tops EQBench. Reddit is buzzing, benchmarks are showing solid gains, and devs are already testing it in workflows. With agentic capabilities and broader context handling, o3 pro seems tuned for function, not flash. Read more here
The Gentle Singularity (Sam Altman Blog)
Sam Altman’s vision of AI’s future is steady—not sudden. In his “gentle singularity” post, he explains how progress feels slow until it isn’t, and that we’ll likely ease into powerful AI gradually. No cinematic takeovers—just incremental shifts in how we live and work. He frames the rise of AI as a natural evolution, not a rupture. It’s measured optimism from the center of the storm. Read more here
Robotics Watch
XRobotics is Serving Up a Tech Slice: 25000 Pizzas a Month (OpenTools.ai)
XRobotics’ countertop pizza robot, the xPizza Cube, is automating kitchens nationwide. At 1300 dollars monthly on lease, it’s churning out up to 25000 pizzas every month. Restaurants love it—solving labor shortages while boosting productivity. The machine applies sauce, cheese, and toppings with machine-learning precision. With 2.5 million in seed funding, XRobotics offers small-footprint, scalable automation that enhances kitchens rather than replacing staff. It’s the kind of tech that quietly reshapes food service by working smarter, not just harder. Read more here
Scientists Built a Badminton Playing Robot with AI Powered Skills (Ars Technica)—ANYmal-D is a four-legged robot developed at ETH Zurich that plays badminton with remarkable skill. Equipped with AI for perception and motion planning, it tracks the birdie, times swings, and moves around the court with agility. It’s more than a novelty—it’s a demonstration of physical AI in motion. The bot hits up to ten returns in a rally, showing what’s possible when AI leaves the lab and steps onto the court. A real step forward in embodied intelligence. Read more here
Android Watch
Android 16 is Here (Google Blog)—Android 16 is now live with new perks—live delivery tracking, scam alerts, and better support for hearing aids. Developers get new APIs for system health, multitasking, and adaptive displays. Pixel users get VIP features: smarter photo editing, custom chat icons, and on-screen summaries. It’s an update built for utility, accessibility, and continuity—just the kind of push Android needs to feel more unified across devices. Read more here
Google Watch
Here are the summaries with all ASCII characters removed, following your instructions precisely:
Tech Innovation | PCMag
Googles Futuristic Beam VideoCall Tech Will Cost As Much As a Car (PCMag)
— Google’s groundbreaking Beam system—formerly known as Project Starline—is now morphing into a commercial product. PCMag details HP’s collaboration: the HP Dimension, a sleek $24,999 kiosk featuring a 65″ light-field 3D display, six fast cameras, spatial audio, and immersive mics. The goal? To recreate in-person meetings without headsets or glasses. Beam requires a separate license for platforms like Zoom or Google Meet, and both parties need Beam-enabled setups—only they’ll see the 3D magic. The device launches later this year in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, and Japan. Read more here
Google Offers Voluntary Exit Amid Cost Cuts (Android Headlines)
Google’s new move to trim headcount? Offering payouts to employees who just aren’t excited about staying. Aimed at Search, Ads, and Android teams, the buyout plan is part of a broader cost-cutting shift toward AI-heavy priorities. At the same time, hybrid workers near offices are now expected back on-site. It’s a soft approach with a firm message: align with the future—or opt out. Read more here
News Sites Are Getting Crushed by Googles New AI Tools (Wall Street Journal)
Google’s AI Overviews are steamrolling traditional news traffic. Sites like HuffPost, Washington Post, and Business Insider are seeing up to 55 percent drops in clicks, gutting referral revenue. Publishers are now scrambling—cutting jobs, launching events, and trying subscriptions. Google says it helps discovery, but the AI format keeps users inside its ecosystem, bypassing links. What was once a symbiotic relationship is now a chokehold. Lawsuits are coming. So is more paywalled content. The open web is getting rewritten by algorithmic answers. Read more here
AV Watch
Tesla Driverless Robotaxi Spotted in Austin (Electrek)—A Tesla Model Y marked “robotaxi” was seen rolling around Austin with no driver. A follow car trailed it—just in case—but it’s a clear sign Elon’s autonomous fleet is about to hit the streets. Musk says pilot tests may start June 22. Tesla stock climbed, and chatter spiked around a future of fully driverless ride-hailing. It’s not here yet, but this was a very visible preview. Read more here
Waymo, Tesla, and the Self-Driving Infrastructure Tug of War (Slate)—Slate explores the mounting challenges cities face as autonomous vehicle giants like Waymo and Tesla gear up for expansion. Waymo’s sensor-heavy, carefully regulated rollout contrasts sharply with Tesla’s camera-based, aggressive scalability plans via Full Self-Driving. Urban infrastructure—from traffic laws to curb charging and mapping systems—must catch up, but cities struggle with how fast and under what safety guidelines. The article highlights tensions between technological progress, public readiness, regulation, and the readiness of streets themselves to support true autonomy. Read more here
X Watch
X Threatens Lawsuits to Win Back Ad Revenue (Wall Street Journal)—X (formerly Twitter) lost billions in ad revenue after Elon’s takeover—and now it’s going on offense. The company is suing ad groups, accusing them of boycotting the platform. Behind the scenes, execs are pressuring brands to come back, offering better tools and a clearer brand safety pitch. Some advertisers are returning, but trust remains shaky. X is betting legal muscle and Musk’s persona can change the game. Read more here
Entertainment Watch
Hollywood Has Left Los Angeles (Longreads)—Los Angeles is losing its grip on Hollywood. Tax incentives, remote workflows, and rising local costs are driving productions elsewhere. Writers, producers, and crews now work from Atlanta, New York, even Europe. The community that defined an industry is thinning out, and the iconic L.A. studio system is giving way to fragmented, location-agnostic content creation. The center of gravity is shifting fast, and likely for good. Read more here
