Top Stories | SpaceX unveiled Grok 4.6, which matches frontier benchmarks vs. OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol, at 60% lower cost. — VentureBeat Virgin Galactic postponed the first commercial flight of its new spaceship until 2027, delaying the brand’s return to revenue-generating spaceflight. — Engadget Deutsche Bank reportedly became Europe’s first foreign bank authorized to clear yuan transactions, potentially streamlining cross-border payments for European companies trading with China. — Traders Union US Customs and Border Protection officers allegedly misused surveillance databases to draw on license-plate readers and facial recognition technology. — Engadget Anthropic is reportedly in early talks to acquire Decart for roughly $6B, potentially adding the Israeli startup’s chip optimization technology to its roster. — CTech
| Top Funding Announcements | Thrive Holdings — OpenAI-backed enterprise AI company raised $2B at a $12B valuation from SoftBank, D1 Capital Partners, and Altimeter Capital. Thrive acquires traditional businesses and integrates AI into their operations. — TechCrunch Databricks — The data and AI platform raised $5B at a $190B valuation, led by unidentified investors. — CNBC Tekever — The Portuguese surveillance drone developer is seeking up to €500M in a round led by an undisclosed investor at a €5.5B valuation. — Bloomberg Form Energy — The battery startup raises $750M to build more 100-hour batteries for the grid — TechCrunch
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Shopify chief @TobiLutke shared a screenshot of Grok 4.6 praising him for his “absurdly low” Github ID, which the bot referred to as “museum-quality.” Coinbase CEO @BrianArmstrong was also impressed. “Linux adoption among programmers is about to go parabolic…” states @David Hansson, 47 Signals CTO. Hansson predicts that open source will lead developers to vacate walled gardens, such as Apple’s. According to data shared by Bloomberg’s @EricBalchunas, many members of Gen Z are integrating sports betting as a “deliberate part of their long-term financial plan.” YouTube commentator @Coffeezilla notes that prediction markets and sportsbooks made this happen by spending billions on Gen Z-targeted marketing campaigns.
| This Week in Startups |  | These robots could cut delivery costs by 80% | Next Unicorns |
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| 0:00 Kevin Gibbons of Cytronic joins the show
4:54 How small is a micro fulfillment center?
10:58 Understanding the unit economics
21:54 Why fulfillment costs rise as you scale
29:11 Automatons Roll Out
29:37 Matthias Hofmann of Eyebot joins the show
30:54 Vision tests vs. eye exams
41:53 The terrifying doctor shortage
46:47 Fundraising and partnerships
56:32 Will we always need human doctors in the loop? |
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| Today’s Fascinating Fact from Harmonic | Virgin Galactic plans to resume commercial space flight operations in 2027. Their last revenue-generating spaceflight — “Galactic 07” — launched on June 8, 2024. It was the VSS Unity’s seventh commercial flight, and 12th overall mission. The company claims that the pause was not a failure but a strategic decision, allowing them to conserve cash and develop their forthcoming Delta-class spacecraft. | Try it yourself at harmonic.ai | Subscribe to Us On Your Favorite Podcast Platforms | | | SF Live-Work Space Now Available | Need a flexible living and working environment in San Francisco? This thoughtfully designed loft-style residence at 787 Bryant St., the heart of the vibrant SOMA district and the city’s creative hub, is now available for rent or purchase. Check the listing for more details. | The TWiST500 newsletter is the new, updated, and improved TWiST Ticker. | | |
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