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Financial Technology

Venmo and PayPal Integrate for Seamless Money Transfers

Venmo and PayPal are finally becoming natively compatible, allowing users to send money to each other directly. This resolves a long-standing inconvenience for users who previously relied on workarounds. PayPal users will be able to find Venmo users via phone number and email. Users can control their discoverability in Venmo's privacy settings. This integration is part of PayPal's broader initiative, PayPal World, aimed at connecting various payment systems globally. Venmo and PayPal collectively boast 2 billion users worldwide.

Technology

Amazon's Enhanced Echo Devices: A Leap in AI-Powered Home Assistance with Alexa+

Amazon has launched a new range of Echo devices—Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11—powered by the upgraded Alexa+. These devices feature improved processing power, enhanced sound, and new capabilities such as natural language conversations and integration with services like Fandango and GrubHub. The devices run on Amazon's custom AZ3 and AZ3 Pro chips, which enable better conversation detection, advanced language models, and ambient AI features. New features include Alexa+ Home for smart home management, integration with Amazon shopping services, and partnerships with health and wellness companies like Oura.

Artificial Intelligence

Honey Integrates with AI Chatbots for Enhanced Shopping

PayPal's Honey browser extension is adding new features to provide AI chatbot users with product recommendations, pricing, and access to deals.

When users ask AI chatbots shopping questions, Honey will display links to recommended products, real-time pricing, merchant options, and offers.

The integration is designed to help consumers compare pricing and boost merchant sales through personalized offers.

The agentic shopping integrations will initially work with OpenAI's ChatGPT, with more to follow.

These new features are part of PayPal's broader rollout of agentic commerce initiatives, including partnerships and new tools.

AI providers may become competitors, as they move into product recommendations and connecting users with merchants directly.

Cybersecurity

Asahi Beer Production Halted by Cyberattack in Japan

Asahi Group Holdings, the Japanese brewery giant, experienced a cyberattack on Monday, leading to the suspension of production in its Japanese factories. The company is still working to resolve the disruption, with no clear timeline for recovery.

The attack caused a system failure, forcing Asahi to suspend order and shipment operations, as well as its call center operations. According to a press release, there is no confirmed leakage of personal information or customer data.

As of Tuesday, production had not resumed, and the company is investigating whether all 30 plants across Japan have suspended operations. Asahi has not yet disclosed whether the cyberattack involved ransomware or data theft.

Artificial Intelligence

Composite Secures Funding for Cross-Browser AI Agent

Composite, founded by Yang Fan Yun and Charlie Deane, has raised $5.6 million in seed funding led by NFDG, with participation from Menlo Ventures and Anthropic’s Anthology Fund. The startup is developing an AI agent tool designed to help professionals automate tedious tasks across different browsers. Composite's solution, currently available for Macs, allows users to issue commands across various web tools. It assists with tasks such as managing Jira backlogs, drafting personalized emails, and creating vulnerability tickets. Composite aims to differentiate itself from other AI browsers by focusing on professional needs and providing a tool that is easy to use without requiring technical expertise. The company plans to enhance its task suggestion mechanism and introduce task scheduling features in the coming months. Menlo Ventures believes in Composite’s ability to stand out due to its intuitive design and suitability for professionals handling a range of functions daily.

Technology

DoorDash's Dot: The Autonomous Delivery Robot Revolutionizing Food Delivery

DoorDash has introduced Dot, an autonomous robot designed for food and package delivery. Dot can travel on roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks at speeds up to 20 mph. Currently being tested in the Phoenix metropolitan area, DoorDash plans to expand its availability to 1.6 million residents by the end of 2025.

Dot is equipped with features like LED eyes, a cargo space fitting six pizza boxes or 30 pounds of food, and sensors for navigation. DoorDash emphasizes Dot's ability to navigate tight spaces and optimize delivery routes.

The development of Dot involved the acquisition of AV startup Scotty Labs and the hiring of experts from companies like Zoox. DoorDash is working with lawmakers and has created an ecosystem in Phoenix to support Dot, including warehouses, charging stations, and field operators.

DoorDash acknowledges potential challenges such as public interference and safety concerns but has implemented measures like internal cameras and field operator support. The company aims to use automation to focus human workers on high-value orders.

Finance/Technology

Cerebras Systems Secures $1.1B Funding Round Amidst IPO Delay

Cerebras Systems, an AI hardware company, has raised $1.1 billion in a Series G round, valuing the company at $8.1 billion. The funding round was co-led by Fidelity and Atreides Management.

The company, founded in 2015, has raised nearly $2 billion to date and offers chips, hardware systems, and cloud services designed for AI. This new funding follows a period of growth tied to AI inference services launched in August 2024.

Cerebras will use the funds to expand its data center footprint, U.S. manufacturing hubs, and advance its technology. The company opened five new data centers in 2025, with plans for further expansion in Montreal and Europe.

Despite filing for an IPO a year prior, the company faced regulatory delays, including a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. Cerebras still plans to go public in the future.

Artificial Intelligence & Mobile Technology

Nothing's Playground: AI-Powered App Creation for Essential Widgets

Nothing has launched Playground, an AI tool enabling users to create apps and widgets using simple text prompts. Users can deploy these creations to the Essential Apps platform, customizing existing apps or building new widgets like flight trackers or virtual pets. More technical users can modify the code for finer adjustments.

This launch follows a $200 million funding round, with Nothing aiming to develop an AI-powered operating system and AI-centric devices. CEO Carl Pei emphasizes the need for improved software, leveraging AI to personalize operating systems. While Nothing has launched Essential Space for screenshots and voice note transcription, Pei acknowledges security and maintenance concerns with vibe coding, prioritizing security for user-created apps.

Currently, the AI tools are free, with a focus on building a community and recognizing contributors.

Food Delivery and Technology

DoorDash Enhances User Experience with Creator Program, AI Features, and Dine-In Rewards

DoorDash is launching a creator program to compensate users for short-form videos showcasing dishes from local restaurants. This initiative aims to enhance discovery and provide users with previews before ordering.

The company is also introducing "Going Out," which rewards DashPass members for dining at local restaurants, offering an average of $9 in value per order. This feature is available in select markets across the U.S. and Australia.

New AI features include personalized recommendations, a "Complement your Cart" section for grocery orders, and AI smart tags to filter menu items by dietary preferences. These tags are available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

DoorDash has also integrated with SevenRooms for direct reservations and expanded its comparison feature for various items, including beauty products and electronics.

Business and Technology

Spotify's Daniel Ek Transitions to Executive Chairman Role

Spotify's founder, Daniel Ek, will step down as CEO and become the company's executive chairman by the end of the year.

Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström, currently co-presidents, will become co-CEOs.

Ek stated that this change aligns with the current operational structure, allowing him to focus on the company's long-term vision.

Ek has been Spotify's CEO since its founding in 2006.

Ek co-founded Neko, a body scanning health startup, and runs an investment company called Prima Materia.