Top Stories | Google launched Gemini 3.7 Flash for coding and AI agents. They claim sizable gains in software engineering and business workflows that come at half Gemini 3.6 Flash’s original per-token price through 2026. — Google Uber and Pony.ai will deploy 2,000 robotaxis across Europe, expanding beyond Zagreb into four additional cities. — TechCrunch Anthropic CFO Krishna Rao is holding preliminary investor meetings following a confidential IPO filing. — CNBC DeepSeek will raise peak-hour V4 prices by more than 4x on Aug. 16, in hopes of motivating developers to use the model during less congested hours. — Bloomberg Apple is training a China-specific AI model with Alibaba, while Apple Intelligence will also use Qwen. — Reuters
| Top Funding Announcements | Workday — The HR software company is reportedly in acquisition talks with private equity firm Silver Lake for a deal valuing Workday above $43B. — Bloomberg Kevin Weil’s AI Startup — The former OpenAI product chief is seeking $150M at a $750M valuation for his unnamed AI model training startup. — Quartz Lam Research — The chipmaking-equipment supplier will invest over $3B across five years to expand its global R&D labs. — Reuters AMD — The chipmaker raised $4.75B through a bond sale. — Bloomberg
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PlanetScale CEO @SamLambert asked, "Have you noticed that people have stopped saying that software engineering is over?" Box’s @AaronLevie responded that the "elimination of engineers" idea was "just like absurdly wrong.” Instead, he argues, AI gave engineers "a power tool" that raises their value as companies take on more ambitious work, and the same logic extends beyond engineering. The takeaway: "Great time to be an expert.” "Memory, not compute, is the rate limiter of the Agentic Era," wrote XPrize exec chairman @PeterDiamandis. @ElonMusk agreed in a reply: "Few realize this.” "Going to prison for committing wire fraud in an attempt to make your startup look better when your dad is a billionaire is objectively hilarious”: tech commentator @90daysliquidity, reacting to a New York Post report about Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe and her startup Phia’s alleged cookie-stuffing schemes.
| 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 | Phoebe Gates’ Phia is getting a LOT of attention this week for alleged e-commerce fraud, but it was previously notable for its all-star cap table. Investors include a mix of institutional backers like Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, and Soma Capital (not to mention Gates’ alma mater, Stanford University), but also A-listers like Hailey Bieber, Sydney Sweeney, and Khloe Kardashian. (Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso is also on hand as an advisor.) The startup offers a mobile app and browser extension that helps shoppers do AI-powered price comparisons across online stores. | 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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