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Here's what we're serving up today:

• USA et al VS Google 🧑‍⚖️

• YC Summer Graduation 👨‍🎓

• Wednesday Wires 💰

• Asteroids ☄️

USA et al VS Google 🧑‍⚖️

Yesterday marked a very important day in Modern Tech history.

No, we’re not talking about the release of the latest titanium iPhone.

The DOJ started its case against Google, USA et al VS Google, in what is the first antitrust trial against modern Big Tech in 20 years.

The Plaintiff

1/ What’s the first place you go to when you want to search something?
Google, obviously.

2/ What’s the default website on your laptop or mobile browser?
Google, most likely.

3/ What’s your first search if you land on Bing or Yahoo search?
Google, definitely.

The reason that the answer to the above questions is Google is the entire premise of the DOJ’s case against Big G.

Google’s rivals have argued that the company’s sharp-elbowed tactics have helped it have a monopoly on search, so much so that Googling is a verb even recognized by The Oxford English Dictionary.

The complaint details how Google has abused its monopolization power to edge out rivals such as inking deals with Apple, Samsung and the likes to cement their search engine as the default.

These deals are reportedly worth billions of dollars.

The Defendant

Google obviously has its fighting gloves on and says that it's at the top of the biz because it's simply the best in the biz.

One spokesperson from Google even said that it’s not their fault that the top search on Bing is Google. Burn.

Google also maintains that their contracts with various manufacturers are not exclusive and people are free to switch their search engines if they want to.

The Big Picture

Though the case focuses narrowly on Google’s monolithic search engine, the trial has expansive implications for the Internet giant’s business ambitions.

The last time the DOJ took on Big Tech was when it successfully took Microsoft to court in 1998 for antitrust violations.

And it seems like the DOJ is on a roll. They’ve filed lawsuits against Meta and Amazon as well and are ready to crackdown on Big Tech.

Any ruling from the trial could have broader consequences for these internet giants after decades of unbridled growth.

YC Summer Graduation 👨‍🎓

Last week was the graduation week for the summer cohort of the MIT for Tech Startups - Y Combinator.

And unsurprisingly, more than 65% of the startups were building tools on or around AI.

All Aboard the AI Express

Investors are literally racing like they’re about to catch the last AI hype train. AI Startups are like those cool kids whose cafeteria table everyone wants to sit at.

There’s so much competition going around that investing rounds are filling up too quickly.

The name of the game is “If you snooze, you lose” when it comes to putting up capital in these starry eyed AI startups.

Rajiv Bhatt, a senior partner at Pioneer Fund told Pitchbook that keeping up with the sheer number of startups is like keeping up with the latest blockbusters on Netflix.

There’s just so many of them.

Defending the Kingdom

One of the issues of this lightning speed progress in the field is the ability of moat creation.

Big public players such as Google, Microsoft and Salesforce and heavily cash endowed private players like OpenAI, Anthropic are constantly looming over the genAI world.

One announcement from them can literally obliterate entire startups.

• A lot of apps were rendered useless when OpenAI released their own ChatGPT app.

• Startups focused on the enterprise sector took a huge hit when OpenAI released GPT for enterprise.

Seed stage investing becomes much more difficult due to this as it becomes very difficult to determine a startups defensibility.

Which YC startup do you have your eye on?

☄️ Asteroids ☄️

Bluesky hit 1 million actual users, while Threads, Meta's app, reached 100 million signups super quickly thanks to an Instagram boost. Bluesky's community loves their quirky memes! 🎉😆 

Apple's ditching the ring/silent switch for a haptic "action button" on the new iPhone. While some might miss the old switch, the new button offers fresh customizable possibilities.📱🔇

Ford, BMW, and Honda are teaming up for ChargeScape, a new venture to help EV owners send energy back to the grid and save money. Electric cars, getting even cooler! 🚗⚡

⚒️ Trending Tools ⚒️

🤑 Lykdat - Make Data-Driven Decisions with AI-Powered Insights

💺 Armchair - Copilot to help you launch the right side hustle

🦸 Cmdkay - Give your browser superpowers, using GPT

🤑 Swaap - Revolutionizing DeFi with Advanced Market-Making Strategies

💰 Wednesday Wires 💰

CertifID raised $20M to combat wire fraud in real estate with its tech tools. After a big loss, they're making transactions safer for everyone. Homebuying without the fraud worries! 🏠💸

Mighty Buildings, using 3D printing to create affordable prefab homes, raised $52M for expansion. These unique homes combat the housing shortage and cost issues. 🏠🖨️

📰 Recommended Reading 📰

1/ Learn how to maximize your credit cards and travel in style. Click here to subscribe.

2/ Join 2500+ professionals and entrepreneurs learning how to automate their business, and their life, using AI. AI Guy keeps you updated on the latest AI tools that save you time and make you more productive. Check them out here.

3/ The Bay Area Times is the visual daily newsletter on business and tech. Click here to subscribe.

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