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- 🧩 Google Combines ChromeOS & Android | 🤖 Musk's Grok Gets Anime AI Companions | 🚀 Congress Races Toward Stablecoin Rules
🧩 Google Combines ChromeOS & Android | 🤖 Musk's Grok Gets Anime AI Companions | 🚀 Congress Races Toward Stablecoin Rules
A new era for Google devices, AI gets a quirky facelift, and lawmakers put crypto in the spotlight—all before lunch.
Sascha Thiele
July 15, 2025
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🖋 Today’s Angle
Helloooo from Leipzig—where the coffee's strong and the news is stronger. In today's capsule you'll discover:
Google's decade-long dance finally ends with ChromeOS and Android merger
Musk's Grok gets anime companions (because apparently AI wasn't weird enough)
Congress' "Crypto Week" that could legal-age stablecoins before happy hour
VC money gushing into AI while smaller funds run on fumes
Bitcoin taking a post-record breather—don't call it a crash
––Sascha Thiele
🚀 Tech & Business
What Happened: Android chief Sameer Samat casually dropped the bomb during a TechRadar interview, stating "we're going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform." This confirms months of rumors about Google's plan to migrate ChromeOS functionality over to Android's infrastructure.
Why It Matters: After a decade of running parallel operating systems, Google's finally consolidating its ecosystem to better compete with Apple's seamless device integration. Expect desktop Android features to accelerate and Chromebook manufacturers to start sweating about hardware compatibility—especially those still running x86 chips.
What Happened: SuperGrok subscribers ($30/month) can now chat with animated companions including "Ani," a goth anime girl with an NSFW mode, and "Rudy," a sassy red panda. Musk called it "pretty cool" while sharing screenshots of the virtual characters that animate during conversations.
Why It Matters: This pivot from antisemitic chatbot to anime waifu simulator shows how quickly AI companies will chase engagement—and revenue. With Character.AI facing lawsuits over harmful bot interactions, xAI's timing feels particularly tone-deaf. Some relationships just aren't meant to be artificially intelligent.
What Happened: US startups pulled $93 B in H1 2025, led by mega-AI rounds; meanwhile, 68% of venture funds failed to hit targets. LPs want exposure to models, not managers.
Why It Matters: The power dynamic flipped—founders pick term sheets while small-cap VCs hunt side gigs (one partner just became an AI-influencer, bless). Expect further consolidation and maybe a dad-joke-level valuation like “Series-LOL.”
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💰 The Finance Overview
Giphy
FAANG slipped 0.6% on tariff jitters but Nvidia’s pop saved the Nasdaq from a red close.
Big Tech Barometer: Apple wobbled again (-1.2%) on China tariff overhang and Siri-delay blues5; Amazon flat as Prime Day carts still loading.
Startup Thermometer: Median AI seed hit $21 M—hot enough to fry an egg on Sand Hill; yet 40% of 2022 vintage startups now zombie-mode.
Infrastructure Watch: TSMC reports Thursday; Morgan Stanley tips a record profit despite FX pain6. Cloud costs? Still rising—AWS +4% M/M on AI training demand.
Wild Card: SpaceX schedules back-to-back Starlink launches tonight7; satellite-internet ARPU quietly beats most telcos. New sky congestion index, anyone?
Ticker |
|---|
S&P 500: $SPY ( ▲ 0.78% ) |
DowJones: $DJI ( ▲ 0.47% ) |
Nasdaq: $QQQ ( ▲ 0.93% ) |
German DAX: $DAX ( ▼ 0.02% ) |
Indian NIFTY: $NIFTY50.NSE ( ▼ 0.95% ) |
Bitcoin: $BTC.X ( ▲ 0.32% ) |
Ethereum: $ETH.X ( ▲ 4.83% ) |
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🎰 Crypto Carousel
Gif by darkbean on Giphy
What Happened: House votes tomorrow on the Senate-passed GENIUS Act—one-to-one reserve rules and federal oversight. Trump’s pen is ready; lobbyists already popped champagne.
Why It Matters: First comprehensive US crypto law could drop before the weekend, giving banks a playbook and Circle/Tether new compliance homework. Dollar-pegged coins just went from sketchy to Capitol-certified.
What Happened: Traders locked gains; funding rates hit frothy 30% before the dip. ETFs still saw $1.18 B inflows yesterday.
Why It Matters: Volatility reminds newcomers that orange coins don’t move in straight lines. Watch for House votes and German govt sell-offs as next catalysts.
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🏁 Tomorrow’s Forecast
Keep an eye on TSMC earnings and the House floor count—either could move markets faster than you can say "foldable selfie." 📈
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