Top 5 Stories | Researchers found an unusually blatant backdoor in routers sold under multiple brands, with firmware contacting cloud servers in China for instructions and enabling remote control, raising supply-chain security concerns. — 9to5Mac Adobe launched a ChatGPT plugin bringing 70 of its creative tools into OpenAI’s chatbot, extending its generative AI push and letting users edit content without leaving the conversation. — Engadget Mirendil signed a $100M+ Google Cloud partnership to expand its computing infrastructure for self-improving AI systems aimed at accelerating scientific discovery and AI development. — TechCrunch Violent criminals stole $30M+ from crypto holders in H1 2026, Chainalysis found, putting losses on track to exceed 2025’s $58M total. France emerged as the primary hotspot with 30 publicly known cases. — The Block Suno will begin watermarking AI-generated songs as it fights legal battles on several fronts, adding traceability that could help distinguish synthetic tracks amid mounting copyright scrutiny. — TechCrunch
| Top 5 Funding Announcements | Hadrian — The defense manufacturing startup serving the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin raised a new round at a $7.87B valuation to expand its workforce. — Bloomberg Tech Malachyte — The ex-Spotify team raised $10M to bring continuously learning, taste-based product recommendations to e-commerce. — TechCrunch Lumilens — The optical-interconnection startup raised $700M at a $5.5B valuation to replace data center wiring with light and accelerate data transfers between AI servers. — Wall Street Journal UAE Fund — The unidentified state fund is weighing a $6.3B investment to build an AI data center in Japan, expanding the UAE’s global computing infrastructure. — Bloomberg Omilia — The customer support platform raised a $67M Series B to scale its business after increasing annual recurring revenue tenfold to $60M since 2020. — TechCrunch
| A message from Sentry | Your team should be focused on shipping features — not chasing down bugs. New users can get $240 in free credits when they go to sentry.io/twist and use the code TWIST | Top Tweets | "Can’t wait for the AI to get so good none of this business about detecting AI matters anymore. Silverware used to be handmade, but nobody complains [that] their dinner fork is stamped by a machine…” commented Y Combinator CEO @Garry Tan, offering a long-view perspective on our collective notions of authenticity. AI journo @Sharon Goldman reported in from a “Black Hat conference” where OpenAI discussed the Hugging Face incident, calling it a "watershed moment" for AI security and warning that "agent orchestrated fully automated offensive attacks are real now." Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has expressed concern that talent is joining the company exclusively for a paycheck, as opposed to a passionate concern with the company’s mission; @Tanya sasses “what until he hears what motivates investors.”
| This Week in Startups | E2321: Jason comments on the MASSIVE valuation drop in Airtable’s recent sale with VC roundtable guests Aditya Argawal (South Park Commons), Niko Bonatsos (Verdict Capital), and Rick Heitzmann (FirstMark Capital). Find out why the panel sees this as a good outcome, not a financial disaster. PLUS, Robinhood’s booming prediction market business, the secondary market flap over Anduril shares, why so many VC’s shy away from “vice” categories, and a glimpse at how insiders are talking about the Apple-OpenAI lawsuit. | E2320: In the final TWiST Tokyo segment for summer 2026, Jason sits down with Bespoke founder Akemi Tsunagawa, who took in the reality of Japanese population decline and has now built three businesses around this observation. From the Bebot AI travel concierge to robots that can climb scaffolding, she discusses how her “solve the labor gap” thesis has paid off over time, and why she takes a “fake it till you make it” approach to growing her brands. | E2319: AI models can solve PhD-level math questions and code an app in minutes… So why does everything they design look like identical slop? Jason and Lon dive into this question, interviewing Thais Castello Branco (Founder of Taste Labs). PLUS, breaking news discussion on Leopold Aschenbrenner’s AI hedge fund liquidation, Google early AI generation misinformation factory, AI slop crackdown, and VC opinions on Ceuta border crisis!? | TWiST Partner Offers | | Subscribe to Us On Your Favorite Podcast Platforms | APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | 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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