Good evening!
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Here are the 7 things you missed today:
1. 😮 xAI’s Co-Founder is Leaving the Company
That’s a big loss. xAI Co-Founder Igor Babuschkin announced his departure from the company yesterday in a post on X. Babuschkin is leaving the startup to launch his own venture capital firm, Babuschkin Ventures, to support AI safety research and back startups that “advance humanity and unlock the mysteries of our universe.” (TechCrunch)
2. 🤫 A Miami Studio Quietly Built One of Meta’s Top Virtual Reality Games*
While most people were watching Apple and Meta battle over VR hardware, a small team in Miami built one of the most-played games on the Meta Quest store.
It’s called VAIL VR - and it already has 365K+ monthly players, $5.5M+ in lifetime revenue, and backing from top VCs.
Now, AEXLAB is opening up its raise to the public on StartEngine.
3. 🤏 Google Released a Tiny Version of its Gemma Open AI Model
Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. No better example than Google’s new tiny version of its Gemma 3 270M open model designed to run on local devices. The new model features just 270 million parameters and can run on devices like smartphones or even entirely inside a web browser. (Ars Technica)
4. 🔍 Can Your SEO Survive AI Overviews?
Google’s AI Overviews are killing click-throughs. Impressions are up, clicks are down — and most SaaS teams don’t have a plan.
Join the team at CommonMind for a live webinar breaking down:
👉 Why AI Overviews are stealing clicks — and what to track instead
👉 Content formats & topics AI search engines actually favor
👉 A framework to stay visible (and build brand authority) in the AI era
Will your brand show up or vanish?
5. 🤑 Cohere Hit a $6.8Bn Valuation
That’s pretty good growth from its $5.5 billion valuation a little over a year ago. The new $6.8 billion valuation for the LLM model maker startup comes after an oversubscribed $500 million round led by existing investors AMD Ventures, Nvidia, and Salesforce Ventures. (TechCrunch)
6. 🏢 Microsoft is Returning to The Office
Another in-office migration is upon us. Microsoft, which tried both fully WFH and hybrid workplace arrangements with employees, is now preparing for a mandatory return-to-office policy of three days in-office a week. The policy will apply to those who live within 50 miles of Microsoft’s Redmond, WA campus and some teams may be required to return for 4 or 5 days. (The Verge)
7. 🏠 Airbnb is Allowing ‘Pay Later’ on Vacation Rentals
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) services are having a major moment, and Airbnb wants to get in on it. The vacation rental company is introducing a new “reserve now, pay later” option that lets users in the U.S. book a reservation and delay their payment to a later date before check-in… but before the end of a stay’s free cancellation period (to not penalize hosts). (The Verge)
Bonus. 🤖 Level Up Your AI Game
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***Disclosure: Topics #2 & #4 in this newsletter include sponsored posts/ads, or Growth Daily LLC may be getting a small commission if you sign up / fill out their form, or Growth Daily LLC might own a percent of the business. In particular, but not always, those sponsored, commissioned, or owned posts might have an * or end in an “→” at the end of the last line or in the headline or are displayed in boxes. You can read our privacy policy at any time here
*This Reg CF offering is made available through StartEngine Primary, LLC. This investment is speculative, illiquid, and involves a high degree of risk, including the possible loss of your entire investment. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This ad may contain forward-looking statements based on current expectations.
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