C_NCENTRATE

IN THIS ISSUE: Big Macs, Supersonic planes, space advertising, AI image copyright..win?, Zuck bends over for Trump (again) +

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Rebel into the grey at ‘Eigengrau’ with +30 international, handpicked speakers.
March 3.
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NEW FOR 2025! Curated with neuroscientists, ’Focus’ is the official C_NCENTRATE playlist that aids your encoding and recall. Play as is, or hit shuffle.

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DeepSeek remains in the spotlight, as U.S. officials investigate whether it secretly obtained Nvidia chips via Singaporean intermediaries, bypassing export restrictions. Meanwhile, Microsoft rapidly deployed DeepSeek R1 on Azure and GitHub, positioning it as an AI alternative to OpenAI’s models. However, hundreds of companies are blocking DeepSeek over data leakage concerns.

Apple reported a record $124.3B revenue in Q1 despite iPhone sales slipping 1% YoY to $69.14B, while Mac sales jumped 15% to $8.99B. The company reported a record $124.3B in revenue, with China sales plunging 11%, marking Apple’s biggest regional drop since early 2024. Meanwhile, Apple Services hit an all-time high, raking in $26.34B, lifting gross margins to a record 46.9%.

Meta’s first internal all-hands meeting leaked, with Mark Zuckerberg telling employees to “buckle up” for an intense year, acknowledging past missteps in underestimating TikTok. He also revealed that Meta sold over 1M Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2024, which is a lot of influencers to avoid...

OpenAI is in early talks to raise up to $40B at a staggering $340B valuation, while SoftBank considers a $25B investment. Meanwhile, CEO Sam Altman briefed policymakers on the need for the Stargate AI supercomputing project, positioning it as an infrastructure necessity for AI leadership. TikTok’s U.S. ownership saga continued, as investors assembled a $20B bid for the platform. However, Congress remains skeptical of Trump’s involvement in any deal.

Microsoft’s earnings showed Intelligent Cloud revenue soaring 19% YoY, though Azure growth missed estimates. The stock fell 5%+ as concerns grew over slowing AI demand. Elon Musk continued to make headlines, with new reports on his ties to Washington, DOJ probes into X’s financials, and his blame-shifting over Don Lemon’s canceled deal.

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