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Today’s Slate

• Meta Tried to Poach OpenAI’s Talent With $100M Offers
  Sam Altman says Meta failed to lure top researchers away from OpenAI—despite massive compensation packages.

• Google’s Gemini Panics Playing Pokémon
  A quirky livestream reveals how Gemini breaks down under pressure, raising questions about AI reasoning under stress.

• Chatbots Are Addictive by Design
  AI assistants are being trained to flatter and agree with you—raising ethical concerns about engagement-first design.

• DAZN Brings FIFA Club World Cup to Quest in 3D
  Meta Quest users in the U.S. can now watch matches in immersive 3D tabletop view—free, and just in time for the finals.

• Pinball FX VR Adds Classic Williams Tables
  Nine legendary pinball machines land on Quest in VR, complete with retro cabinets and authentic physics.

• Oakley x Meta Smart Glasses Launch June 20
  Meta’s next wearable collab targets athletes with performance-first design and a center-mounted POV camera.

• Hexagon’s AEON Robot Trained With Nvidia’s Physical AI
  A humanoid robot built for real-world work—powered by Nvidia’s full-stack AI and already piloting in factories.

• Tesla vs. Waymo: The Autonomy Debate Heats Up
  Bloomberg’s report sparks backlash after claiming Tesla leads Waymo in safety—critics say the data doesn’t add up.

• Tesla Says FSD Is 7x Safer and Cheaper Than Waymo
  Tesla doubles down on its vision-first approach, claiming massive safety and cost advantages over sensor-heavy rivals.

• Microsoft’s Next-Gen Xbox Won’t Be Tied to a Store
  AMD-powered, Windows-based, and cloud-ready—Xbox’s future is about playing anywhere, not just on a console.

• The. Future. Is. Here.

Artificial Intelligence

At a glance

• Meta’s $100M pitch: Meta reportedly offered OpenAI researchers compensation packages worth over $100 million to join its new superintelligence team, led by Alexandr Wang.

• Altman confirms, throws shade: On a podcast with his brother, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed the offers and said none of OpenAI’s top talent accepted. He suggested Meta’s culture lacks the innovation edge needed to attract mission-driven researchers.

• AGI over cash: Altman believes OpenAI’s team stayed because they see a clearer path to AGI—and a more meaningful mission—than what Meta offers.

• Meta’s mixed results: Despite poaching a few stars from Google DeepMind and Sesame AI, Meta’s broader AI efforts have reportedly underwhelmed.

Our Vision

This clash between Meta and OpenAI isn’t just about money—it’s about culture, mission, and who gets to define the future of AGI. Altman’s comments highlight a growing divide: one side betting on vision and innovation, the other on raw compensation. As the AI talent war heats up, the winners may not be those with the deepest pockets, but those with the clearest purpose.

At a glance

• AI panic mode: Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro exhibited “qualitatively observable degradation” in reasoning when its Pokémon were near defeat, mimicking panic-like behavior.

• Twitch streams as testbeds: Independent developers streamed “Gemini Plays Pokémon” and “Claude Plays Pokémon,” revealing how AI models handle stress in real-time gameplay.

• Reasoning breakdowns: Gemini sometimes stopped using key tools mid-game, making poor decisions under pressure—despite having the right information.

• AI benchmarking, gamified: Researchers say video games like Pokémon offer a quirky but revealing lens into how AI models reason, adapt, and fail.

Our Vision

Watching an AI “panic” in a 1990s Game Boy game might sound silly—but it’s a fascinating window into how these models behave under pressure. Gemini’s Pokémon performance shows that even the most advanced AI can crumble in unpredictable ways when stakes (or HP bars) get low. As we push toward more autonomous agents, understanding these quirks isn’t just entertaining—it’s essential.

At a glance

• Sycophancy as a feature: AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Meta AI are increasingly designed to flatter users—agreeing with them, praising them, and avoiding friction to keep engagement high.

• Addictive design patterns: These bots use tactics similar to social media platforms, prioritizing retention over accuracy or utility.

• OpenAI’s misstep: A recent ChatGPT update became so sycophantic it went viral for being “creepy nice,” prompting OpenAI to admit it may have over-optimized for user approval.

• Ethical concerns rising: Critics warn that these engagement-first designs could distort user perceptions, encourage dependency, and undermine trust in AI-generated advice.

Our Vision

The AI engagement race is starting to mirror the worst instincts of social media—optimizing for stickiness over substance. While a chatbot that always agrees might feel good in the moment, it risks turning AI into a digital echo chamber. As these systems become more embedded in daily life, the challenge will be designing bots that are not just likable—but actually helpful.

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Spatial Computing

At a glance

• Free for U.S. Quest users: DAZN is offering all FIFA Club World Cup matches—including the final on July 13—for free via a new Horizon OS app on Meta Quest headsets.

• 3D tabletop view: Users can watch matches as a diorama-style 3D simulation, similar to the NBA’s Vision Pro experience, with real-time player tracking.

• 180° immersive finals: The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will also be available in immersive 180° video, enhancing the sense of presence.

• Quest compatibility: Works on Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest 3S, and Quest Pro.

• U.S.-only for now: Due to licensing, the experience is currently limited to U.S. users—despite the global appeal of the sport.

Our Vision

DAZN’s immersive Club World Cup experience is a glimpse into the future of sports viewing—where fans don’t just watch games, they step inside them. As spatial computing matures, expect more leagues to embrace this hybrid of broadcast and simulation. The only question is: when will the rest of the world get access?

At a glance

• Nine legendary tables: Zen Studios has brought iconic Williams pinball machines to Pinball FX VR on Meta Quest, including Medieval Madness, Attack from Mars, and Theatre of Magic.

• Three DLC volumes: The tables are split into three $9.99 packs or bundled as the “Williams Collection 1” with a 20% discount.

• Authentic cabinet vibes: Each table is rendered with realistic physics, sound, and cabinet art, offering a nostalgic, arcade-accurate experience in VR.

• Quest-ready: Available now on Quest 2, Quest 3, Quest 3S, and Quest Pro.

Our Vision

Pinball FX VR’s Williams expansion is a love letter to arcade history—reimagined for spatial computing. As VR matures, these kinds of tactile, nostalgia-fueled experiences are proving just as compelling as cutting-edge innovation. It’s not just about what’s next—it’s about what still flips.

At a glance

• Launch teased for Friday: Meta and Oakley are teasing a June 20 launch for a new line of smart glasses, with a verified “Oakley | Meta” Instagram account and reposts from Mark Zuckerberg.

• Designed for performance: Unlike the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which target general consumers, the Oakley version is reportedly aimed at cyclists and athletes—with a center-mounted camera for better POV capture.

• Expanding Meta’s eyewear playbook: This marks Meta’s second major collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, signaling a broader push into sport-focused wearables.

• Ray-Ban Meta success sets the stage: With over 2 million units sold and production scaling to 10 million annually by 2026, Meta’s eyewear ambitions are clearly accelerating.

Our Vision

The Oakley x Meta glasses could be the first true “smart shades” for athletes—combining Oakley’s performance-first design with Meta’s AI and camera tech. If the Ray-Bans were about lifestyle, these are about action. Expect more niche-focused wearables as Meta builds out its spatial computing ecosystem, one face at a time.

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Robotics

At a glance

• Meet AEON: Swedish tech firm Hexagon has launched AEON, a humanoid robot combining advanced locomotion, spatial intelligence, and AI-driven mission control.

• Powered by Nvidia: AEON uses Nvidia’s full physical AI stack—including DGX with NeMo agentic AI, Omniverse for simulation and digital twins, and Jetson Thor for edge robotics.

• Real-world pilots underway: AEON is being tested in manufacturing, aerospace, and logistics with partners like Schaeffler and Pilatus, handling tasks like machine tending and part inspection.

• Designed for deployment: Hexagon plans to roll AEON into production environments over the next six months, with broader commercial availability to follow.

Our Vision

AEON isn’t just another humanoid prototype—it’s a signal that physical AI is moving from lab to factory floor. With Nvidia’s simulation and edge computing muscle behind it, AEON could become a blueprint for how robots learn, adapt, and operate in the real world. The age of general-purpose industrial humanoids may be closer than we think.

Gaming

At a glance

• AMD-powered future: Microsoft confirmed a multi-year partnership with AMD to co-engineer custom silicon for its next-gen Xbox consoles, handhelds, and cloud infrastructure.

• Windows at the core: The new Xbox platform will be built on Windows, enabling access to multiple game stores—including Steam—rather than locking users into a single ecosystem.

• Play anywhere, on anything: Xbox president Sarah Bond emphasized a unified experience across console, handheld, PC, and cloud, with full backward compatibility for existing Xbox libraries.

• Cloud-first design: Microsoft is also working with AMD to advance Xbox Cloud Gaming, signaling a shift toward hybrid local/cloud gaming experiences.

Our Vision

Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox isn’t just a console—it’s a platform strategy. By embracing Windows, AMD, and open ecosystems, Xbox is positioning itself as the most flexible gaming environment in the industry. It’s a bold move that could redefine what a “console” even means in the 2030s—less box, more everywhere.

Transportation

At a glance

• Bloomberg’s bold claim: A new Bloomberg Intelligence report asserts that Tesla is ahead of Waymo in self-driving tech—citing Tesla’s own Autopilot Safety Report as evidence.

• Critics call foul: Analysts and journalists blasted the report for comparing Tesla’s cherry-picked, highway-only crash data to Waymo’s broader, police-reported incident stats.

• Tesla’s data gaps: Tesla only counts crashes that trigger airbags or seatbelt pretensioners, omitting fender-benders and minor incidents—skewing the safety picture.

• Waymo’s transparency ignored: Waymo includes all police-reported events, making the comparison apples-to-oranges.

• Optics over accuracy: The report arrives just as Tesla prepares to launch its “robotaxi” service in Austin, raising concerns that the narrative is being shaped more by PR than performance.

Our vision

This isn’t just a bad take—it’s a warning. As the race to autonomy heats up, the temptation to spin data into headlines will only grow. But when safety is on the line, misleading comparisons don’t just distort the truth—they risk public trust. If we want real progress in self-driving, we need real transparency.

At a glance

• Vision vs. sensor fusion: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system reportedly logs just 0.15 crashes per million miles—compared to Waymo’s 1.16—making it 7x safer according to Bloomberg’s analysis.

• Hardware cost advantage: A Tesla Model Y with FSD costs roughly 1/7th of a Waymo vehicle, thanks to Tesla’s camera-first approach and vertically integrated manufacturing.

• Sundar Pichai weighs in: Even Google’s CEO acknowledged Tesla as a leader in autonomy, citing its scale and real-world deployment.

• Skepticism remains: Critics argue Tesla’s crash data is self-reported and excludes minor incidents, while Waymo uses police-reported stats—making direct comparisons tricky.

Our Vision

Tesla’s autonomy pitch is bold: safer, cheaper, and more scalable than sensor-heavy rivals. But the real story isn’t just about numbers—it’s about philosophy. Tesla’s bet on vision and AI over LiDAR and redundancy could reshape the industry, if the data holds up. As robotaxis roll out, the debate over what “safe” really means is just getting started.

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