BIG NEWS -Future of Disruptive Tech is being rebranded. We are changing our name to “Next Wave.” So if you see an email in your income from “Next Wave” please don’t be alarmed "(or hit spam).

_{Read Time: 10 Minutes}

Today’s Menu

• OpenAI Just Bought the Team Behind Apple Shortcuts

• Trump Pardons Binance Founder CZ in Stunning Reversal

Markets

TODAY IN AI

OpenAI Just Bought the Team Behind Apple Shortcuts

OpenAI acquired Software Applications Incorporated, the startup behind unreleased Mac automation tool Sky - bringing on the team that created the iOS app Workflow that eventually became Apple Shortcuts after a 2017 acquisition.

Sky operates as a floating AI interface on Mac desktops, analyzing screen content and executing tasks across applications. OpenAI plans to integrate Sky's macOS capabilities into ChatGPT, potentially enabling the assistant to control desktop apps and automate workflows natively.

The acquisition comes immediately after OpenAI's Atlas browser release this week, which is currently Mac-only. This adds to OpenAI's recent acqui-hire list including startups Statsig, Context AI, Roi, Multi, Crossing Minds, and Alex.

While initial Atlas reception has been mixed, OpenAI is clearly positioning itself as the AI layer for Mac users - all before Apple even gets its own strategy together. The move follows the acqui-hire trend where AI labs bring on full specialized teams to raise talent in specific product areas.

When OpenAI buys the team that built Apple Shortcuts, that's a direct shot at becoming the automation layer for every Mac user before Apple can respond.

TODAY IN CRYPTO

Trump Pardons Binance Founder CZ in Stunning Reversal

President Donald Trump officially pardoned Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, ending what Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called "the Biden Administration's war on crypto."

Zhao served four months in California minimum-security prison last year for violating the Bank Secrecy Act. He's now free to return to business in the U.S. Leavitt stated: "The Biden Administration's war on crypto is over."

Trump explained his reasoning: "I don't know him, I don't believe I've ever met him, but I've been told he had a lot of support and they say that what he did is not even a crime... so I gave him a pardon at the request of a lot of very good people."

Betting markets had already priced in rising odds after CZ quietly dropped the "ex-@binance" tag from his social profiles last month. This follows Trump-era crypto pardons including Ross Ulbricht and BitMEX founders, signaling full policy reversal from Biden years.

Market reaction was instant: BNB surged 5%, and Trump-linked World Liberty Financial's WLFI token jumped over 15%.

Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized: "First, Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to criminal money laundering. Then he boosted Trump's crypto ventures and lobbied for a pardon. Today, Trump did his part."

Love it or hate it, the message is clear: Crypto is officially back in the political spotlight with presidential backing.

Want to share The Future of Disruptive Tech with a friend, family member, or coworker? Pass this link along to them.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Damon James