IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Coding, crypto and control!

Google is brewing something that could shake up how we build software. Meet Opal, its quietly launched “vibe-coding” tool that turns plain English into working web app prototypes, no code needed. Think ChatGPT meets Figma. Housed under Google Labs, Opal isn’t just another AI toy, it’s a real move into the no-code race, aiming to empower hobbyists, solo founders, and curious tinkerers to go from idea to prototype in minutes. You describe the app, it builds it, and you tweak the workflow visually. Even better? You can publish and share your creations straight from the tool, turning prototypes into portfolio pieces. With competitors like Replit and Canva already in the mix, Google’s late but loud entry might just push no-code from trend to norm. For early-stage startups, this could mean skipping the dev backlog and validating faster than ever.

PayPal just rolled out "Pay with Crypto" for U.S. small businesses, letting them accept over 100 cryptocurrencies, including major tokens and memecoins, through wallets like Coinbase and MetaMask. Each payment is automatically converted into PYUSD, PayPal’s stablecoin, which now has a $900M market cap. Launch fees start at 0.99 percent and will increase to 1.5 percent after the first year, offering a cheaper alternative to traditional credit card processing. This move aims to boost PYUSD adoption, improve merchant profit margins, and push crypto payments further into the mainstream while setting the stage for competitors to follow.

China just unveiled its boldest AI action plan yet at the World AI Conference, and it's less “let’s collaborate” and more “we’re setting the rules.” The 13-point plan includes creating a global AI cooperation organization headquartered in Shanghai, injecting nearly $100 billion into local AI development, and offering open-source tools to developing countries in exchange for political goodwill. There’s also a big push to influence global AI ethics standards, with China positioning itself as both referee and coach. While the West debates regulations, China is moving fast, setting up the infrastructure, writing the playbook, and inviting others to join a game where the rules are already written in Mandarin.

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SUBSTRATES
What else is on the radar?

WEB3

• Ethereum celebrates its 10th anniversary of its launch and genesis block.

• Coinbase partners with JPMorgan, enabling Chase credit card users to redeem their rewards for USDC.

• The SEC approved in-kind creation and redemption for spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, easing liquidity and costs while boosting flexibility for issuers like BlackRock under Chair Paul Atkins’s crypto-friendly policy.

• The White House working group released a 168-page crypto report endorsing digital assets and proposing new regulations on banking, stablecoins, taxes, and oversight, including CFTC authority and a Treasury-managed crypto reserve.

• Coinbase now lets select US and Canadian users buy crypto with Samsung Pay, advancing its push to integrate digital assets into mainstream mobile payments.

AI

• OpenAI launches Study Mode in ChatGPT to support active learning by guiding students every step of the way, and prompt of course.

• NotebookLM now offers Video Overviews, turning dense PDFs, notes, and images into personalized AI video summaries to make learning more visual and digestible.

• Microsoft launches Copilot Mode in Edge, turning the browser into an AI-native workflow tool with a single input box that combines chat, search, and navigation.

• The August issue of Vogue features Guess's first-ever AI-generated supermodel, igniting debate over the future of fashion, beauty standards, and authenticity.

• Tesla and Samsung sign $16.5b deal to make AI chips.

• Former OpenAI lead scientist and co-creator of ChatGPT and GPT-4, Shengjia Zhao joins Meta as chief scientist of its new Superintelligence Lab, a major move in the growing AI talent war.

• A new AI agent for Excel, Shortcut, claims to outperform McKinsey and Goldman first-year analysts in 89.1% of tests, positioning itself as a personal analyst for financial modeling and rapidly gaining attention online.

• Runway debuts Aleph, an AI tool that lets users edit real video footage with text prompts, enabling advanced edits like angle shifts, object removal, and lighting changes.

FROM THE REPOSITORY
Check this out!

• a16z hosts Balaji Srinivasan in a podcast on how AI metaphors reflect our own beliefs.

• Which public companies hold the most Ethereum?

• All property will become cryptography and here’s why.

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