The Comunicano Sunday Edition for June 1st 2025
Sultry Sunday
It’s early on Sunday morning, and this is not just another tech update. This is your wake-up call to a world in metamorphosis.
The age of artificial intelligence has moved past polite parlor tricks. We are no longer asking machines to recognize a cat. We are now handing them the keys to reason, to code, to drive, to teach—and perhaps, to outthink.
At the heart of it all? NVIDIA, the new deity of silicon. Their GPUs are not chips anymore—they’re cathedrals of computation, erected by the tens of thousands each week. Microsoft alone generated over 100 trillion tokens this quarter. That’s not a number. That’s an uprising. AI isn’t knocking on the door. It’s building factories inside your servers.
Meanwhile, a model named DeepSeek from China quietly matched Gemini 2.5 Pro. Reinforcement learning, no architectural magic, just grit and grind. China is no longer in the AI race. It’s running alongside, whispering, “Catch me if you can.”
But just as the machines ascend, the humans? We waver. Nicholas Carr warns us that we may be building intelligence while draining our own. Students now outsource thinking, not just typing. And in doing so, we risk deskilling the very species that invented skill.
Google, for its part, is putting AI on your phone. Not in the cloud, not at the edge—on the edge. Control is decentralizing. AI is going native. And then there’s Apple—once the oracle of innovation, now knocked down in China by Huawei and HarmonyOS. A 50% shipment drop. The giant stumble.
Meta says, “Let AI handle the risk reviews.” TikTok lets half its mental health tips mislead. Tesla’s cars deliver themselves. Uber’s CPO delivers pizza. If irony were fuel, Silicon Valley would run forever.
But don’t despair. In New York—the world’s new #1 city—we are reminded that human ambition, when paired with context, community, and trust, still matters.
This is not just a tech story. This is a tale of power shifting—from people to platforms, from West to East, from logic to language.
And in the end, what matters isn’t whether the machines win.
It’s whether we remember why we built them. Which is why, the news, insights and opionions keep coming. Right here. In THE COMUNICANO!!!
Andy Abramson
What I Wrote Last Week
CCaaS Reimagined: From Cost Center to Experience Catalyst
The Future of Communications Won’t Be Dial Tone—It’ll Be Reasoning, Memory, and Voice That Thinks
vCON Watch: Why vCons Are the Real Deal for Service Providers—and Why They Matter Now More Than Ever
vCON Watch: From Pipe to Platform-Why vCons Are Telecom’s Ticket to Relevance in an AI Era
vCon Watch: From VoIP Protocols to Virtual Conversations—History Repeats, But Smarter
The Orbital Empire: A Strategic Game Plan for Total Market Dominance
AI Watch
NVIDIA’s GPU Demand Skyrockets as AI Reasoning Models Take Off (Tom Tunguz)—NVIDIA’s earnings show AI demand is shifting from basic inference to complex reasoning models, massively increasing compute needs. These models process far more tokens, driven by applications like AI coding agents. Microsoft alone generated over 100 trillion tokens in Q1 2025. To support this, hyperscalers are deploying 72,000 Blackwell GPUs weekly using NVL72 racks. NVIDIA calls these setups “AI factories,” with nearly 100 already active. While AI algorithms are improving in efficiency, the growth in demand for reasoning tasks is outpacing gains, fueling further expansion. Read more here
DeepSeek R1 Matches Gemini 2.5 Pro in AI Intelligence Benchmark (Thread Reader App)—DeepSeek's new R1-0528 model has matched Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro with a score of 68 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, outperforming AI models from xAI, Meta, and Anthropic. These gains were achieved through reinforcement learning techniques without changing the model’s architecture. The model saw major improvements across key benchmarks—up 21 points in competition math, 15 in code generation, and 10 in scientific reasoning. Token usage rose by 40%, suggesting deeper reasoning capability. This leap demonstrates that open-weight models from China are rapidly closing the performance gap with proprietary U.S. systems. Read more here
AI Tools Risk Undermining Real Learning (New Cartographies)—Nicholas Carr argues that widespread use of AI tools like ChatGPT in education threatens core learning processes. By offloading writing, problem-solving, and studying to AI, students may miss the foundational thinking required for deep understanding. While helpful for experts, Carr warns these tools can deskill learners and create a dependency on automation. He calls for a more cautious, thoughtful integration of AI into education systems to preserve intellectual development. Read more here
Google Watch
Google Launches AI Edge Gallery for On-Device Model Execution (TechCrunch)—Google has released the AI Edge Gallery app, allowing users to download and run AI models locally on Android devices, with iOS support coming soon. The app supports offline functions like image generation, coding, and Q&A using the device’s processors. Users can select models such as Google’s Gemma 3n and use Prompt Lab for quick tasks. While performance depends on hardware and model size, the move signals a shift toward decentralizing AI capabilities and increasing local control for developers and enthusiasts. Read more here
Apple Watch
iPhone Shipments Drop Nearly 50 Percent in China as Local Brands Overtake (MacRumors)—Apple’s iPhone shipments in China fell sharply by 49.6 percent in March 2025, dropping to 1.89 million units from 3.75 million a year earlier. This decline cut Apple’s market share to around 8 percent, as local competitors now dominate 92 percent of the smartphone market. Huawei led with 19.4 percent, followed by Vivo, Xiaomi, and Oppo. Factors include Huawei’s rebound with its own chips and HarmonyOS Next, plus Chinese subsidies favoring phones under 6,000 yuan—excluding most iPhones. Apple has responded with aggressive iPhone 16 Pro discounts ahead of China’s 618 shopping festival. Read more here
Meta Watch
Meta to Automate 90 Percent of Risk Reviews with AI (NPR)—Meta plans to automate up to 90 percent of its internal risk assessments for new features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The goal is to speed up product development by reducing human oversight of privacy, safety, and societal risk evaluations. While complex decisions will still involve experts, internal documents show AI will handle much of the workflow, including sensitive areas. Critics warn automation could miss nuanced harm scenarios and weaken oversight over Meta’s influence on billions of users. Read more here
TikTok Watch
Half of Top TikTok Mental Health Videos Spread Misinformation (The Guardian)—A study of the top 100 TikTok videos tagged #mentalhealthtips found that over half contained misleading or incorrect advice. Many promoted unproven therapies and misused medical language, potentially confusing viewers and deterring them from seeking professional help. Experts warn that the platform’s algorithm often boosts viral content over accuracy. Mental health advocates are calling for stronger content oversight under the UK’s Online Safety Act to combat the spread of harmful misinformation. Read more here
Social Watch
Bluesky Catches On with Influencers, but X Still Dominates (Pew Research Center)—Bluesky is gaining traction among news influencers, with 43 percent now maintaining accounts, up from 21 percent in late 2024. However, 82 percent still actively use X (formerly Twitter), keeping it the dominant platform for real-time news sharing. The shift suggests influencers are testing alternatives, but Bluesky’s smaller user base limits its reach for now. Platform diversification reflects growing concerns about content moderation and algorithmic control on legacy social networks. Read more here
Tesla Watch
Tesla to Launch Robotaxi and Self-Delivery Services in Austin This June (Tesla Oracle)—Tesla will roll out its highly anticipated robotaxi service and self-delivering vehicles in Austin starting this June. According to Elon Musk, a pilot fleet of 10 to 20 fully autonomous Model Y vehicles will operate without drivers, with plans to scale up to 1,000 units. These cars have already completed unsupervised test drives on public roads without incident. In a parallel move, Tesla vehicles will begin delivering themselves directly to customers from the factory. Though an exact date is unconfirmed, sources suggest the launch may occur around June 12, marking a major step in autonomous vehicle adoption. Read more here
Uber Watch
Uber’s CPO Delivers Food on Weekends to Drive Product Insight (Lenny’s Newsletter)—Uber Chief Product Officer Sachin Kansal regularly completes Uber rides and deliveries—over 700 to date—to experience the product like a user. This hands-on approach helps him spot issues and improve the platform, which he documents in detailed internal reports. Kansal champions a “ship, ship, ship” culture to speed up iteration and urges teams to focus on inputs they can control. He’s also integrating AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to streamline product workflows. Uber’s hybrid approach of combining human drivers with autonomy aims to optimize performance in real-world conditions. Read more here
CX Watch
The Loyalty Equation: Trust, Context, and Community Shape Modern Brand Commitment (CMSWire)—Customer loyalty today is built on three core elements: trust, context, and community. Trust comes from transparent, reliable interactions that show customers they’re respected. Context means maintaining a clear, shared understanding of each customer across touchpoints—so service feels personal, not fragmented. Community fosters deeper engagement, whether through peer forums, advisory boards, or exclusive access. Technology should enhance, not replace, human connection. And success metrics must go beyond satisfaction to reflect emotional bonds and proactive care. When embedded across an organization, these principles turn loyalty from a transaction into a sustainable relationship. Read more here
Workplace Watch
Oxford Economics Names New York World's Top City in 2025 Global Cities Index (Oxford Economics)—New York City ranks as the world’s top city for 2025, according to Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index, leading 1,000 cities across metrics like economics, human capital, quality of life, environment, and governance. The city excelled in economic strength, driven by GDP scale, income per capita, and business density. However, it lagged in governance and environmental metrics, largely due to low economic diversity and high housing costs. London, Paris, San Jose, and Seattle rounded out the top five. The U.S. dominated the top 20, with eight cities represented, underscoring urban resilience in a shifting global economy. Read more here
India's AI Talent Demand Set to Reach One Million by 2026 (StartupNews.fyi)—India is poised for a major AI workforce boom, with demand for skilled professionals expected to reach one million by 2026. This surge is fueled by rapid adoption of AI across sectors like healthcare, banking, retail, and manufacturing. Companies are scaling their AI initiatives, pushing hiring needs across data science, machine learning, and AI engineering roles. Despite the momentum, the current talent pool lags behind, highlighting a pressing need for upskilling and education. With government and private players investing in AI capability building, India stands at the brink of becoming a global AI talent hub. Read more here
AI Job Market in 2025 Sees Surge in Specialized Roles and Industry-Wide Expansion (Aura Blog) AI job growth is accelerating, with U.S. postings peaking at 16,000 per month in late 2024. Demand is no longer confined to tech industries like healthcare, consulting, and media, which are actively hiring AI talent. New roles such as Generative AI Engineer, AI Trainer, and Computer Vision Engineer are emerging, driven by rapid advancements in tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion. Employers are prioritizing skills in Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and NLP. San Francisco leads hiring, but hybrid roles are enabling broader geographic participation. The job market reflects AI’s deepening influence across sectors, elevating demand for technical and creative AI expertise. Read more here
UAE’s Golden Visa Draws Global AI Talent—but Not All Equally (Rest of World)—The United Arab Emirates is aggressively recruiting AI talent with 10-year Golden Visas, tax-free salaries, and high compensation. Western professionals are securing top roles, while applicants from developing countries face lower offers or rejections. The UAE’s government is investing heavily in AI infrastructure, training, and partnerships to become a global tech leader. But disparities in access and outcomes reveal the uneven playing field shaping the future of global AI work. Read more here
Strategy Watch
Experts Who Pivot to New Fields Face Drop in Influence and Recognition (Kellogg Insight)—A Kellogg study finds that experts who shift focus to new areas—without prior deep engagement—see a decline in the impact of their work. Termed the “pivot penalty,” this effect shows that publications from such pivots are 43 percent less likely to be cited in patents and 35 percent less likely to progress from preprint to journal. Drawing on millions of papers and patents, researchers found the penalty is worse when pivots cross disciplinary lines or involve complex knowledge shifts. Teams and institutions can reduce the risk by bringing in collaborators with experience in the new domain. Read more here
Money Watch
BOND’s TAI Report Highlights Shifting Investment Trends and Market Dynamics (BOND) BOND's TAI report provides an in-depth analysis of current investment trends and market dynamics, focusing on the evolving landscape of technology, automation, and innovation. The report examines how these factors are influencing investor behavior, capital allocation, and the broader economic environment. Key insights include the increasing importance of sustainable investing, the impact of technological advancements on traditional industries, and the role of automation in shaping future market opportunities. The TAI report serves as a valuable resource for investors seeking to understand and navigate the complexities of the modern investment landscape. Read more here
GOP Eyes Major Hike in College Endowment Tax, Raising Concerns Across Higher Ed (Higher Ed Dive)—Republican lawmakers are proposing a significant increase in the endowment tax on wealthy private colleges, potentially raising the rate from 1.4% to as high as 21%. This move targets institutions with substantial endowments, such as Harvard and Yale, and could divert funds from student aid and research. Critics argue that the tax undermines the tax-exempt status of educational institutions and may discourage donations. The proposed changes are part of a broader legislative effort and have sparked debate over the financial autonomy of higher education institutions. Read More Here
Private Markets Show Resilience Amidst Global Economic Shifts (McKinsey & Company)—McKinsey's Global Private Markets Report 2025 reveals that, despite a challenging economic landscape in 2024, private markets demonstrated notable resilience. While fundraising hit its lowest point since 2016, capital deployment increased across asset classes. Private equity began to recover, with a resurgence in large deals and improved exit activity. Investors are adapting by exploring new fundraising vehicles and focusing on operational transformation. The report highlights the sector's adaptability in the face of higher interest rates and geopolitical uncertainties. Read More Here
Private Equity’s Wealth Strategy Targets RIA Firms for Scale and Reach (PitchBook)—Private equity firms are shifting focus toward wealth management by investing in Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firms to broaden their capital base beyond institutions. Facing a tougher fundraising environment, PE players are leveraging RIA platforms to reach high-net-worth individuals and introduce them to alternative assets. Larger RIAs are scaling aggressively, hiring investment talent and embedding private equity offerings. Smaller firms are relying on outside help to adapt. This trend reflects a strategic move to reshape wealth advisory into a private market distribution channel with greater product access and client depth. Read more here
