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GOOGLE'S AI-FOCUSED EDUCATION TOOLS AI

Google's new AI-focused educational tools include training for educators, student resources, and expanded access to Gemini for younger users.

MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES SECURITY AI AGENTS TO HELP OVERWHELMED HUMANS

Microsoft has introduced six AI-powered security agents for its Security Copilot to help teams handle phishing and data loss incidents more efficiently.

PERPLEXITY CEO ADDRESSES FINANCIAL RUMORS

Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas has denied financial trouble rumors, stating the company has healthy funding and no IPO plans before 2028.

TRUMP PARDONS BITMEX CO-FOUNDERS

President Donald Trump has reportedly pardoned BitMEX co-founders, Arthur Hayes, Benjamin Delo, and Samuel Reed. The pardon comes amid a broader conversation around crypto regulation and enforcement actions in the U.S.

FDIC SHIFTS STANCE ON DIGITAL ASSETS AND WILL ALLOW FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO ENGAGE IN CRYPTO ACTIVITIES WITHOUT GETTING PRIOR SIGN-OFF

The FDIC has reversed its previous stance and will now allow U.S. financial institutions to engage in digital asset activities without needing prior approval. This policy shift signals growing regulatory openness toward crypto integration in the traditional banking system.

INTRODUCING DREAMNET, POWERED BY $DOOD

Doodle's DreamNet envisions a decentralized story universe that aims to counter the centralizing forces of AI-generated media with decentralized, tokenized storytelling that harnesses community-generated content through Universe Tokens, Idea Tokens, and Character Tokens. It uses a dynamic Vector Worldstate to create coherent, evolving narratives that fuel immersive, multi-platform experiences. The approach promises to shift creative control and value accrual from centralized entities to diverse communities, empowering small IPs to compete at scale.

STARGATE LAUNCHES ON HYPERCORE/HYPERLIQUID

Stargate has officially launched on HyperCore, letting users move ETH from any Stargate-connected chain to HyperCore, where it's converted to tradable uETH on Hyperliquid. Note that transfers are currently one-way, with outbound support coming next week. A minimum transfer of 0.05 ETH applies.

STABLECOINS AND THE PARALLELS WITH MONEY MARKET FUNDS

The rise of stablecoins today closely mirrors the emergence of money market funds in the 1970s, which revolutionized cash management by offering a more efficient alternative to traditional banking. As US lawmakers debate stablecoin regulation, many of the concerns such as systemic risk, regulatory gaps, and monetary policy impact echo the criticisms faced by money market funds decades ago.

WHY STABLECOINS WILL CHANGE THE WORLD

Stablecoins offer a reliable alternative to traditional banking and volatile cryptocurrencies, allowing for stable everyday transactions and wealth protection. They provide a crucial hedge for individuals facing unreliable banking infrastructure and unpredictable currencies, complementing Bitcoin's role as a store of value. Improvements like near-zero transaction fees and enhanced privacy promise to further streamline payments and expand global adoption, thereby reinforcing the global economic influence of the US dollar.

POLYMARKET'S $7M “HOME ALONE ATTACK”

A $7m prediction market on Polymarket was manipulated in an attack during a UMA oracle dispute. Attackers exploited unmonitored periods and timed their moves with UMA's voting deadlines to falsely claim that a mineral deal between the US and Ukraine had been agreed upon since February. The tactic resulted in an unwarranted market resolution that netted around $200k for the conspirators and triggered cascading issues across related markets.

GRASS MAKES MID 8 FIGURES

GRASS, a data-scraping protocol that stores over 1.6 petabytes of data daily for AI customers, is generating mid-eight-figure revenue. It isn't reliant on speculative crypto demand. The protocol's real-world product, which provides in-demand data, makes it an outlier unaffected by the broader crypto market downturn.

ETH WHALES CLOSE TO LIQUIDATION

Two whale vaults on Maker holding a total of 125,603 ETH (~$238M) are at risk of liquidation as ETH prices decline, with health ratios dropping to 1.07 and liquidation thresholds at $1,805 and $1,787 respectively.

DEFI ENTERS DEMAND STAGE

DeFi's revenue model is shifting from token incentives to genuine demand, with liquidity providers now earning more from protocol fees than from incentive programs.

SOCIAL CURRENCIES ARE THE FUTURE OF MEMECOINS

Memecoins have re-emerged as crypto's favorite speculative tool, but their future lies in evolving into social currencies i.e. tokens with community value, real-world utility, and cultural staying power.

CRYPTO NARRATIVES

Top-tier, A-ranked crypto themes focus on emerging AI Agents, autonomous use cases, and advanced DeFi applications, while B Tier highlights modularity, efficient DeFi apps, and stablecoin innovations.

THE NEW TWIX LOGO IS A NOSTALGIC TREAT

Twix has unveiled a new visual identity and a $70M campaign focused on unity, shifting from the "pick a side" messaging to "have it all." The rebrand, designed by JKR, modernizes the logo with a nod to its heritage. Some fans have lamented the loss of the iconic pause symbol.

MAURO PORCINI WILL BE SAMSUNG'S FIRST CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER

Samsung has hired its first foreign chief design officer, Mauro Porcini, marking the third time Porcini has created the role after 3M and PepsiCo. His appointment comes amid significant challenges, including leadership loss, semiconductor competition, and potential Mexico-based production tariffs. Despite this, Samsung's design team remains confident in the company's long-term resilience.

FIGMA UPDATES FILE BROWSER AND LOCALIZES FOR THE SPANISH MARKET

Figma has updated its file browser to enhance user experience and efficiency. The updated file cards provide a more intuitive navigation experience, consistent design, and improved organization. Figma is also localizing its product for the Spanish-speaking market, including a complete interface translation and culturally adapted elements.

WE BUILT UX. WE BROKE UX. AND NOW WE HAVE TO FIX IT!

UX lost influence because it prioritized process over purpose and focused on tools rather than outcomes. Oversimplification, broken feedback loops, and unchecked industry expansion diluted its impact. Designers became executors instead of strategists, sidelined as AI and business demands reshaped priorities.

LET DESIGNERS DESIGN: THE CREATIVE TRAP OF ENDLESS A/B TESTING

Over-reliance on A/B testing and data-driven decisions can stifle creativity and lead to unoriginal designs. Designers should trust their judgment, make intentional decisions, and balance data with experience to create unique and impactful work.

“NEVER BULLSH*T” – WHAT CLIENT SERVICES WANT DESIGNERS TO KNOW

Strong relationships, trust, and understanding of business needs are essential for successful design projects. Designers should build relationships, balance creativity with practicality, and communicate effectively. Avoiding last-minute surprises, respecting budgets, and being well-prepared for meetings strengthens collaboration. Clear communication and flexibility improves both project outcomes and client satisfaction.

BUILD CROSS-PLATFORM EMAILS

Create beautiful emails using natural language and test how they look in real life.

FANCY COMPONENTS

This site contains a growing library of fancy, fun, animated React components and micro-interactions for developers looking to elevate their web projects with sleek, ready-to-use UI components.

CREATE STUNNING TEXT VIDEOS

Typito is a web-based drag-and-drop tool for creating engaging videos with beautiful typography, images, and brand layouts.

MAINTAINING SCREENSHOT QUALITY AND COLOR PROFILE IN FIGMA

Designers often lose screenshot quality and the Display P3 color profile when transferring iOS screenshots into Figma, updating designs, and exporting final images. To maintain high quality, best practices include properly transferring images, using Figma's Image Fill method, and selecting the correct export settings.

HOW CULTURAL DIFFERENCES INFLUENCE UX DESIGN

Cultural values significantly impact UX design, influencing aesthetics, user behavior, and interaction patterns. Western designs prioritize simplicity and individual autonomy, while Asian designs emphasize richness, multifunctionality, and community. Learning from both approaches can create more inclusive, engaging, and compelling user experiences catering to diverse cultural preferences and expectations.

AI IS THE FUTURE OF ACCESSIBILITY

Dismissing AI's role in accessibility is shortsighted. AI enhances accessibility through real-time captions, speech recognition, navigation tools, and assistive apps. While imperfect now, it's rapidly improving. Just like past innovations reshaped industries, AI will redefine accessibility. Advocates must engage now to ensure inclusive, adaptive, and transformative technological progress.

ELIZABETH GOODSPEED ON WHY GRAPHIC DESIGNERS CAN'T STOP JOKING ABOUT HATING THEIR JOBS

Many graphic designers feel disillusioned and burned out as their work increasingly consists of repetitive, unfulfilling tasks.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE ONLY JUST DISCOVERED THIS ARTIST'S INGENIOUS OPTICAL ILLUSIONS

Tatsuya Tanaka crafts surreal miniature illusions using everyday objects, transforming them into playful scenes like a bath from bread or a rocket with tempura flames.

CAN ART REALLY HEAL? THE POWER OF CREATIVITY FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Engaging in creative activities like painting, writing, or music boosts mental health by reducing stress, improving mood, and fostering self-expression.

🔖 Bookmark the UBP playbook

2024 VC FUND PERFORMANCE

The venture capital market has changed since the 2022 boom. The median LP count for funds between $100-250M dropped nearly 50% (from 83 to 47). Remaining LPs now write larger anchor checks. Performance data shows declining returns across all vintages—funds from 2017-2020 have lower median IRRs, with the 2017 vintage falling from 16.8% in Q4 2021 to 12.0% by Q4 2024. Smaller funds show better top performance (2018 vintage funds under $10M have 4.03x TVPI at the 90th percentile versus 1.67x for funds over $100M), though many funds still struggle with distributions—half of 2018 vintage funds have yet to return any capital to investors.

THE NEW AI RISK CURVE

AI startups grow faster but fade faster too. They can reach $50M ARR quickly but might shrink in year four as their lead vanishes. Unlike past tech eras where physical infrastructure (on-premise) or engineering teams (cloud) created barriers to entry, AI tools make it easy for competitors to catch up at any point. This creates a new risk curve where impressive growth numbers no longer guarantee lasting success as technology keeps shifting under everyone's feet.

COREWEAVE'S IPO DISAPPOINTS, INFLATION COMES IN HOT

CoreWeave, an AI infrastructure provider, priced below its target range at $40 per share. It raised $1.46 billion by selling 36.5 million shares, but missed its initial $47-55 range after concerns about datacenter overcapacity dampened enthusiasm. Meanwhile, inflation ticked up with February PCE hitting 2.5% year-over-year and core PCE reaching 2.8%—both above expectations and worrying given upcoming auto tariffs.

THE PATH TO PRODUCT-MARKET FIT

Small AI startups now achieve hypergrowth without massive funding or hiring sprees. Four ingredients make this possible: intense demand (when markets pull your product because it solves urgent problems better), a repeatable unit (one customer type, one product, one process), scalable pipeline (one reliable lead source plus word-of-mouth), and compression (constantly making your customer journey 50% faster and easier). Master these elements and you can build an efficient growth machine with minimal overhead.

INSIDE FIGMA'S PRICING EVOLUTION

This post explains how to fix pricing as you add products. Figma moved from charging separately for each product to a simpler system with three seat types based on user needs. This solved a common founder challenge—how to expand your product line without creating pricing chaos. The new model (Collab, Dev, and Full seats) kept things clear for customers while enabling a 20-35% price increase for power users and driving the adoption of newer tools like Slides.

STORYTELLING IS THE ‘MAKE OR BREAK' SKILL FOUNDERS ARE LACKING

Despite available VC dry powder, 2025 may see another wave of failed startups due to fundraising challenges. Startups will struggle to gain attention, especially non-AI companies. Early-stage founders often neglect effective storytelling. Founders must articulate compelling narratives to differentiate themselves, drive investment, and build credibility.

PIECES LONG-TERM MEMORY AGENT (PRODUCT)

Pieces is a Long-Term Memory Agent that remembers everything you work on, capturing and resurfacing workflow details across your desktop.

GRETA (PRODUCT)

Greta helps you build full-stack applications designed for growth—no coding required.

QUADRATIC AI (PRODUCT)

Quadratic is an AI-powered spreadsheet with built-in code and data connections for instant insights and interactive charts.

SHARED UNDERSTANDING AT SCALE

Stop drowning in team confusion with five practical fixes: cut unused "strategy layers" that nobody references, design simple formats for sharing updates, create different dashboards for different roles, accept that some teams move faster than others, and pick frameworks that show real problems instead of hiding them. Teams that follow these rules make better decisions because they see what's actually happening instead of getting lost in complicated planning documents that nobody reads.

FIRST SHAREHOLDER LETTERS

The first shareholder letter sets the tone for a company's entire public journey. Steve Jobs emphasized Pixar's focus on "pictures, not quarters," Larry Page warned Google investors about "lumpy" results from long-term bets, and Jeff Bezos declared Amazon would sacrifice "GAAP accounting" for future cash flows. These letters reveal what truly matters to founders—Jamie Dimon's demand for "the highest standards" at Bank One and Steven Rales' insistence on "simple, understandable businesses" at Danaher showed their strategic DNA before success proved them right.

THE NEW RULES OF AI STARTUP GROWTH: 5 KEY LESSONS FROM COHERE, TOGETHER AI & SALESFORCE VENTURES

AI startups are shattering traditional SaaS growth models with exponential scaling. They achieve this through "Experimental Revenue," leveraging rapid technology evolution, novel applications, and customer behavior changes. Successful AI companies are now marketing-led from inception, focusing on transforming experimental revenue into stable production use while simultaneously running multiple growth initiatives.

5 INTERESTING LEARNINGS FROM DROPBOX AT $2.6 BILLION IN ARR

Dropbox, now highly profitable post-IPO, is shifting focus to enterprise with its new Dash product while maintaining its mature file-sharing business.

KLARNA S-1 BREAKDOWN

Klarna has filed to go public, highlighting its evolution from a BNPL pioneer to a comprehensive commerce network with a strong focus on AI-driven efficiency.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND SELLING HOPE ALONG THE WAY

See Material in action now!

X HIT BY DATA LEAK OF 2.8 BILLION USERS; ALLEGEDLY AN INSIDER JOB

A data leak on X, possibly due to a disgruntled employee, exposed information from 2.87 billion users. The leaked data includes a wealth of profile details but does not contain email addresses. Despite the massive breach, X has not acknowledged the incident publicly.