Coder in Cellblock D: Preston Thorpe might be serving an 11-year sentence in Maine, but that didn’t stop him from landing a full-time software job at a VC-backed startup based in San Francisco. The company found him through his open-source contributions. The kicker? He codes from prison as part of a state rehabilitation program.
72 hours
That’s the weekly grind for typical AI startup workers. It’s the infamous “996” warning label, that’s 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. six days a week, that feels more like working in the 1950s (minus the pensions, drinks, cigars and long lunches). AI may replace us eventually, but until then, it’s replacing our sleep.
🌐 Faster than bookmarks: You can set your browser to reopen all tabs when it starts. In Chrome, go to Settings > On startup and select Continue where you left off. In Firefox, go to Settings > General > Startup and check Open previous windows and tabs. No more scary crashes.
💻 Free up RAM on Windows: If your laptop’s slow, disable unnecessary startup apps. Go to Settings > Apps > Startup and toggle off things like Microsoft Edge or anything else you don’t use. Bonus: Click Start > Power > Restart to clear memory if it’s just a one-time issue.
⚡ Office apps get speed boost: Microsoft’s new Startup Boost preloads Office apps like Word and Excel in the background at boot. Apps chill in a paused state until you open them, shaving seconds off launch time. It’s already live for some Word users and will hit everyone by September. Your PC: now preheating like an oven.
🌐 Set a start page in Chrome: You can make Chrome open your favorite website when you launch it. Go to Settings > On startup > Open a specific page or set of pages > Add a new page. Type in the URL (like https://www.komando.com) and click Add. Next time you open Chrome, it’ll take you straight there. Neat.
$2 billion
That’s the massive chunk of change the former CTO (and briefly CEO) of OpenAI, Mira Murati, raised for her AI startup. Before it’s even shipped a product. The company’s called Thinking Machines, and it’s gunning to build the next-gen AI that can juggle text, images and more. Investors like Nvidia and a16z don’t need a demo, just Murati’s résumé and a good story.
🍏 Auto-launch apps on your Mac: Always opening the same app? Do yourself a favor and set it to open on startup. Go to System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions. Under Open at Login, click the (+) button and choose your app. Bonus: To remove one you’re not using, select it and hit the (–) button.
$1 billion
That’s Rivian’s latest cash infusion from Volkswagen. It’s the second billion in a $5.8B tech JV, paid out after Rivian hit gross profit (finally). The deal: VW gets EV software; Rivian gets a lifeline. Think of it as funding your roommate’s startup in exchange for their Wi-Fi password.
$1 billion
How much it can cost to develop a single drug. The MIT-founded startup ASG has a new biosensor that detects proteins in 15 minutes and could replace slow, pricey ELISA tests used in drug development. Faster tests mean cheaper bioprocessing, more efficient manufacturing and a chance for rare disease drugs that usually get shelved for being “not profitable enough.”
200 eggs
That’s how many new mozzies a single female mosquito can whip up in a puddle. One inch of water, one day, and boom, you’ve got a bloodthirsty startup. Time to dump those flowerpot saucers and treat your birdbath like each drop raises your tax bracket.
🔖 Better than bookmarks: Reopening the same tabs every day? Let your browser remember them for you. In Chrome, click the three-dot menu (top right) > Settings > On startup > Continue where you left off. Nice.
$1.3 billion
That’s how much Lucy Guo is worth, dethroning Taylor Swift as the youngest self-made female billionaire. She cofounded Scale AI at 21, got fired, kept her stake, which grew to $1.2 billion, and casually launched another startup that raised $40M. Way to go!
88%
That’s how many Gen Zers are cool with sharing their data for free. Now, Verb.AI’s giving them a reason to actually profit from the surveillance. Gen Z: simultaneously terrified of phone calls and totally fine letting a startup track their every digital move. “It’s not stalking if it’s opt-in,” apparently.
📱 ChatGPT is getting physical: OpenAI just dropped $6.4 billion (in stock, because vibes) to buy Jony Ive’s startup, io, the AI device shop he built with ex-Apple folks. Ive’s crew is now officially part of OpenAI, blending brains and beauty to make AI hardware less “black box” and more “please actually use me.”
🧬 Theranos 2: Elizabeth Holmes’ boyfriend wants $50M for, you guessed it, the same Theranos blood diagnostics idea that sent her to the slammer. Billy Evans, hotel heir and now aspiring blood mogul, just launched the startup. Holmes is advising from prison. Rumor has it the pitch deck just reads: “But this time, it works. Promise. Pinky swear.”
💻 Speed up startup: Is your PC booting up slowly? Too many apps may be launching when you turn it on.
3 years straight
How long Utah’s been crowned Best State in America by U.S. News. From Footloose punch line to economic powerhouse, Utah’s glow-up is the stuff of chamber-of-commerce dreams. It’s got a booming tech sector, top-tier math scores and a 6% smoking rate; Utah is basically a straight-A student in a startup hoodie.
The future of robotics: A Swedish startup just built “Luna,” a robot dog that adapts like a human — no preprogrammed data, no training simulations. Instead, it’s one of the first examples of physical agentic AI, meaning it can think, make decisions and act on its own. Since it learns through experience, they’re going to hire a dog trainer to teach it. Wild. Watch it here.
😱 This AI voice assistant sounds human: Startup Sesame is working on AI that’s nothing like Alexa or Siri. There are two models right now where you can have a full-on conversation naturally, complete with pauses and laughs like a human. Take a sec and try it now. It’s wild.