MUSK’S AI POWER GRAB—BID TO TAKE OVER OPENAI. Elon Musk just made a $97.4 billion offer to buy out OpenAI’s nonprofit board, according to a bombshell WSJ report that just dropped moments ago. It’s escalating his long-running feud with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman. The move threatens to derail Altman’s plans to convert OpenAI into a for-profit powerhouse and build a $500 billion AI infrastructure project called Stargate. 🚀
—> WHY THIS MATTERS: If Musk wins, he could wrestle OpenAI back to its original open-source, safety-first mission—or reshape it to serve his own AI vision. If Altman resists, expect a high-stakes legal and financial war over the future of AI dominance. ⚔️
—> AI’S CIVIL WAR: Musk’s xAI, backed by investors like Palantir’s Joe Lonsdale and Hollywood mogul Ari Emanuel, could merge with OpenAI if the deal goes through—pitting Musk’s AI ambitions directly against Microsoft. 🤖🔥
Source: WSJ.
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 41. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth. My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. Spotify. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
LET’S GO EAGLES!!! AMERICA’S TEAM WINS THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!
Back to the future...
FUTURES
MARKETS—TECH LEADS AS STOCKS RALLY, TRUMP TARIFFS LOOM. Wall Street shrugged off Trump’s latest tariff threats as major tech stocks fueled a rally. The Dow jumped 167 points (0.38%), the S&P 500 gained 0.67%, and the Nasdaq surged 0.98% to close near 19,714. 🚀
—> TARIFF JITTERS? WHAT JITTERS? Despite Trump’s plan for a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, investors piled into tech and industrials instead of selling off.
—> STEEL SURGES: U.S. Steel (+4.8%), Nucor (+5.6%), Cleveland-Cliffs (+18%), and Alcoa (+2.2%) all soared as traders bet on higher demand for U.S. metals.
—> CHIPMAKERS BOUNCE BACK: Nvidia (+2.9%), Broadcom (+4.5%), and Micron (+3.9%) rallied as fears eased over China’s AI ambitions. Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft also closed higher. 🔥
—> BIG PICTURE: Inflation fears remain, but for now, Wall Street is choosing to ride the AI and tech wave over worrying about trade wars. 📈
Source: CNBC.
TRUMP VS. POWELL—FED CHAIR ON THE HOT SEAT. Jerome Powell testifies before Congress this week, facing pressure from both parties over Trump’s trade war, tax policies, and DEI rollbacks at the Federal Reserve. ⚡
—> WHAT TO WATCH: Powell is expected to dodge partisan traps, but lawmakers will press him on whether Trump’s economic plans could derail inflation progress. 💰
—> BIGGER PICTURE: Trump blasted the Fed for keeping interest rates steady—but recently backed off, calling it the “right thing to do.” Will Powell push back, or keep the Fed out of Trump’s crosshairs? 🎯
Source: Bloomberg.
TRUMP KILLS THE PENNY—NO MORE 1-CENT COINS. President Trump has ordered the Treasury to stop minting pennies, citing the rising cost of production and the need to cut government waste. 💰❌
—> WHY IT MATTERS: Every penny costs nearly 4 cents to make, and the U.S. Mint lost $85.3 million last year producing them. Other countries, like Canada, ditched their pennies years ago.
—> BUT CAN HE DO IT? Congress controls currency specs, meaning Trump may not have the legal power to kill the penny alone. Still, he’s betting that his newly Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency can find a way to make it happen. 🚀
—> ROUNDING UP OR DOWN? If pennies disappear, expect stores to round prices to the nearest nickel—which means your coffee could cost 5 cents more… or less. ☕
—> BIG PICTURE: The Trump administration is targeting $2 trillion in savings, and Musk’s government-cutting agenda is just getting started. Next on the chopping block? Nickels cost 14 cents to make… 👀
Source: AP.
CRYPTO
TRUMP TARIFFS RATTLE CRYPTO—ETHEREUM TAKES A HIT. Trump’s new 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports are shaking markets—and crypto is no exception. 📉
—> WHY IT MATTERS: Tariffs create economic uncertainty, which can spook risk assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Traders are bracing for more crypto volatility as inflation expectations shift.
—> ETH IN TROUBLE? Ethereum has already been struggling this year, down 23% YTD, while Bitcoin remains up 2.5%. Some analysts warn ETH could fall further as traders flee altcoins for BTC’s relative stability. ⚠️
Source: CoinDesk.
SPACE
🌌 SPACE IS GETTING CROWDED—& ASTRONOMERS ARE FREAKING OUT
Satellites are taking over the night sky. Astronomers say we’re on the verge of a low-orbit traffic jam, with thousands of new satellites turning our once-pristine starscape into a blinking, metallic mess.
—> WHAT’S HAPPENING? Companies like SpaceX, Amazon, and China’s telecom giants are flooding orbit with satellites for global internet, GPS, and AI-powered surveillance. 🚀📡
—> WHY IT MATTERS: These space billboards are messing with telescopes, making it harder to study deep space and detect killer asteroids. ☄️🔭
—> THE BIGGER PICTURE: The night sky you know? It’s about to change forever. Some scientists are calling for new rules to keep space… well, spacey.
WELCOME TO THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL CONSTELLATIONS. 🌍✨
Source: SciMag.com.
QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
NVIDIA CHIP CHAOS—U.S. VS. CHINA TECH WAR HITS GAMERS. A Tokyo gaming store was overrun by 400 Chinese buyers trying to get their hands on Nvidia’s new RTX 50 graphics cards, fueling tensions in the U.S.-China chip war. 🕹️💾
—> WHY GAMERS CARE: Nvidia’s most powerful chips are banned in China due to U.S. export restrictions. The result? A black market frenzy for unrestricted gaming GPUs in Japan.
—> U.S. TECH EDGE: Washington is blocking Beijing’s access to cutting-edge chips to prevent AI military advancements. Meanwhile, Chinese companies are scrambling to build inferior, “watered-down” AI hardware. 🔥
Source: CNN.
STUPID TAKE: CHINA’S DEEPSEEK AI IS A "SIGN OF TALENT"? The South China Morning Post claims DeepSeek AI proves China’s strength in AI innovation. Reality check: It only proves the CCP will steal and replicate American tech while controlling outputs to align with Communist Party propaganda. 🚨
—> POLICY FAILURE: U.S. lawmakers were flat-footed on TikTok—now they’re sleepwalking through DeepSeek. If Washington doesn’t wake up, America’s lead in AI could be handed to a government that censors, surveils, and suppresses. ⚠️
Source: SCMP.
ONE MORE THING
ROBOT DJ TAKES OVER SAN FRANCISCO. A military-grade humanoid robot just dropped beats at Temple Nightclub in SF, marking the first-ever AI-powered DJ set. The machine, built for combat missions, swapped battlefields for bass drops at a Silicon Valley networking event. 🎛️🔊
—> FROM WAR ZONES TO NIGHTLIFE: The Phantom robot was built by Foundation Robotics Lab, a startup designing humanoids for national defense.
—> BIG PICTURE: First, robots took over factories. Now, they’re spinning house music. What’s next—AI comedians? Robot politicians? (Oh wait, we already have those.) 😂
Source: Futurism.
With gratitude,
Kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums.
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