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  • 🚨 Telegram vs. French Intel: The Censorship Showdown | šŸ’¼ Trump Targets Microsoft Exec | šŸ“ž Optus Telco’s Emergency Call Fail

🚨 Telegram vs. French Intel: The Censorship Showdown | šŸ’¼ Trump Targets Microsoft Exec | šŸ“ž Optus Telco’s Emergency Call Fail

President Trump demands Microsoft fire its global affairs head, and Australia's Optus faces fresh emergency call-outages, spotlighting tech, politics, and infrastructure hurdles you need to know today.

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šŸ–‹ Today’s Angle

Good morning! Let’s rescue your Monday from the usual doom scroll with the freshest tech, business, and crypto news that actually matters:

  • Telegram's founder throws shade at French intelligence for political censorship pressure—talk about mixing tech and politics.

  • President Trump isn’t just tweeting; he’s demanding Microsoft axe one of its top execs. Corporate drama, anyone?

  • Australia’s Optus stumbles with another emergency call outage, raising big questions about telecom reliability.

  • Crypto insiders call for ditching a popular valuation metric—because misleading math is last season.

  • Singapore and the UAE are neck-and-neck in becoming the globe’s most crypto-obsessed nations—a new gold rush vibe?

––Sascha Thiele

šŸš€ Tech & Business

What Happened: Pavel Durov, Telegram’s big boss, accused French intelligence of pressuring him via an intermediary to censor certain Moldovan Telegram channels before Moldova’s 2024 presidential election. Despite Telegram’s rule-based removals, Durov rejected the political quid pro quo involving judicial favors during his own legal battles in France.

 Why It Matters: This episode highlights ongoing global struggles over free speech and tech censorship, reminding us that digital platforms have become the new battlegrounds in the geopolitical arena. Also, a billionaire founder playing chess with intelligence agencies isn’t your usual Tuesday night.

What Happened: President Trump publicly urged Microsoft to terminate Lisa Monaco, its president of global affairs, due to her prior roles in the Biden administration. Trump called her a ā€œmenace to U.S. National Security,ā€ spotlighting the heated intersection of politics and Big Tech leadership.

Why It Matters: This reflects how corporate execs with government backgrounds are under growing scrutiny, and how political theater increasingly merges with tech diplomacy. Expect tech CEOs to tread carefully when hiring former government officials.

What Happened: Optus, Australia’s No.2 telco, experienced a fresh outage affecting emergency calls in New South Wales, triggered by a faulty mobile tower. About 4,500 customers faced disruptions, marking the second such incident in 10 days amid government demands for accountability after previous outages linked to fatalities.

Why It Matters: When your phone can’t call for help, trust in telecom infrastructure collapses. Optus now faces a crucial moment—fix the tech, or fix the reputation. Expect regulators to tighten the leash across global telcos after this.

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šŸ’° The Finance Overview

Invest Stock Market GIF by MOODMAN

Giphy

Markets are ticking up cautiously amid mixed signals: FAANG stocks are showing resilience, especially AI-driven segments outpacing more traditional tech. Startups continue to hustle for funding but face a pickier crowd demanding sharper pitches and clearer paths to profitability.

Infrastructure-wise, semiconductor shortages are easing, giving cloud and AI hardware some breathing room. Meanwhile, energy tech and green computing emerge as wild cards—investors are sniffing potential but wary of regulatory hurdles ahead. Keep an eye on chipmakers and AI startups; they’re the heartbeat of tomorrow’s tech ecosystem.

Money Bitcoin GIF by AmberApp

Gif by darkbean on Giphy

What Happened: Greg Cipolaro, NYDIG’s research chief, slammed the market cap to net asset value (mNAV) metric, calling it ā€œmisleadingā€ and ā€œdisingenuous.ā€ He argued that it inadequately reflects crypto treasury companies’ full operational scope and potential convertible debt, misleading investors about company valuations.

Why It Matters: With crypto companies morphing beyond just hodling coins, valuation methods must evolve. Ditching outdated metrics could save investors from costly missteps and help mature the crypto ecosystem’s financial signals.

What Happened: New data ranks Singapore as the world’s most crypto-curious nation, with 24.4% of locals owning digital assets and leading in online search interest. UAE isn’t far behind, boasting the highest ownership rate at 25.3% fueled by friendly regulations and tax policies.

Why It Matters: This signals crypto’s mainstream momentum, especially in Asia and the Middle East, where governments are balancing innovation with regulatory frameworks. These nations may set standards for global crypto adoption strategies in the next decade.

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šŸ Tomorrow’s Forecast

Expect more tussles between tech giants and governments—fasten your seatbelt šŸ›”ļø

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