Today's menu features a delightful buffet of words, served with a side of chuckles and a sprinkle of giggles. Bon appétit!

Here's your weekly whirlwind of global shenanigans for July 2–8, 2025:

Ceasefire hopes in Gaza floated higher than the ISS, while Trump and Netanyahu met to "solve things" (read: talk a lot, solve little). The Russia-Ukraine drama continued with the U.S. hitting pause on weapons like it's a Netflix binge, while Ukraine loaded up on drones like they were on Black Friday sale.

Meanwhile, the U.S. stirred the global pot with new tariffs on Japan, South Korea and others, while Brazil’s Bolsonaro’s coup allegations went viral (again), and Kenya's pro democracy protests turned deadly. Oh, and in “Wait, what?” news: a gas station exploded in Rome, a lion went rogue in Pakistan, and an Indonesian volcano decided it was showtime. And yes the Chinese in China (being specific here) battled a record-breaking heatwave (we in Germany too btw. was it FOMO?)

In sports, Wimbledon and the Tour de France thrilled fans, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 kicked off in Switzerland, and the FIFA Club World Cup neared its final stages in the U.S.

Sports, heatwaves, and sudden U.S. aid cuts? Yep, just another totally normal week on Earth. 🌍🔥🎾

Real Money, Real Investment, No Advice

In a recent teams meeting, someone said something that hit hard:

“We’re doing everything we can… but we’re not growing.”

“We have ramped up marketing, tightened costs, increased RFQ responses, improved DSO.”

All textbook moves to help the organisation grow, or were they? The wheels were spinning. No traction!

And here’s the thing: It might sometimes feel productive — but it’s just familiar.

And familiar doesn’t equal forward.

When faced with the challenge of growth, most companies default to what they know. They double down on the operational.

They overmanage the present and starve the future. There’s a name for that: hygiene even over health.

David Maister said it well — short-term profitability is hygiene. Long-term capability is health.

One keeps the lights on. The other builds something that lasts.

So ask yourself — are you scaling forward? Or just stuck on the treadmill?

Read the whole story here written by Damian Barnett ….

Catherine the Great overthrew Peter III on this day in 1762 and began her reign as empress of Russia, leading her country into full participation in the political and cultural life of Europe and extending Russian territory.

Meet Soham Parekh, the software engineer from India who decided that one full-time job just wasn't enough excitement. Instead, he took on the Herculean task of juggling three to four startup gigs at once, because why not? Suhail Doshi, the mastermind behind Playground AI, spilled the beans on X, causing a collective "Wait, what?" among executives from Digger, Synthesia, Leaping AI, and Antimetal. Turns out, they all had Soham on their payrolls, and none of them had a clue!

On the podcast TBPN, Soham confessed to clocking in up to 140-hour workweeks, all by himself, without any help from juniors or AI. Talk about a one-man show! His skills were so top-notch that people started comparing him to the "top 0.1%," which is basically the software engineer equivalent of being a unicorn. But alas, even unicorns have their limits, and Soham's epic multitasking eventually caught up with him.

Parekh’s saga weaves together ambition, desperation, and opportunity in today’s tech ecosystem. He admitted juggling up to 140-hour weeks driven by severe financial need, not malice. Soham’s deception is at the center, but it was enabled by startups that prioritized speed over scrutiny, and a tech hiring culture that prizes output over integrity.

As we age, stiffness often feels inevitable, but CNN's health report suggests it's more about inactivity, poor hydration, and neglecting movement routines. Improving flexibility and joint comfort doesn't require extensive yoga or equipment; just a few minutes of daily mobility training, like dynamic stretches or foam rolling, can keep muscles supple and joints pain-free.

🌍 Why It Matters

This isn’t just a wellness tip, it’s a game-changer for healthy aging:

Prevention over cure: Small daily exercises can delay age-related decline, reduce pain, and preserve independence.

Accessibility for all: No expensive fitness gear or gym membership required—just a mat, maybe a little guidance, and consistency.

Broad impact: More supple, mobile seniors means fewer falls, less chronic pain, and reduced healthcare costs.

The lesson? Aging bodies aren’t broken, they’re unused. Stay fluid. Stay engaged. Stay mobile.

After its planned $20 billion acquisition by Adobe unraveled under EU and UK antitrust scrutiny, Figma has rebounded impressively. On July 1, it officially filed for an IPO on the NYSE under the ticker FIG, aiming to raise up to $1.5 billion

The numbers are compelling: in Q1 2025, Figma’s revenue surged 46% year-over-year to $228.2 million, with net income tripling to $44.9 million, a rare profitable streak for a high-growth tech firm. In 2024, annual revenue hit $749 million, serving 13 million monthly users

🌟 Why It Matters?

Figma’s IPO isn’t just another listing, it’s a statement of independence, resilience, and strategic clarity:

Vindication through independence: Emerging stronger post-Adobe shows that Figma thrives on its own terms, from standalone competitor to public company.

AI-driven future: With AI-enhanced tools now central to products, Figma is signaling a next-gen creative platform, not just a design canvas.

Catalyst for the IPO market: Amid revitalized investor interest in tech listings, Figma could become the standout debut of 2025, driving momentum for other AI- and software-heavy startups.

Cancer vaccine Cracking the code on effective cancer vaccines could transform oncology, from reactive treatments to proactive prevention. offering long-lasting protection and dramatically altering patient outcomes worldwide.

No Microsoft operations in Pakistan after 25 years Removing a major global brand may deter other multinational investment and reinforce narratives of an unstable business environment

Can adults make new brain cells? If adult neurogenesis is real, it rewrites what we know about brain plasticity

Michele Ferrero, born in 1925, inherited a small bakery and café in Alba, Piedmont, from his father, Pietro Ferrero, who was known for his innovative approach to pastry. Michele built upon this foundation, transforming the company into a global confectionery empire. A significant personal loss for Michele was the death of his son, Pietro Ferrero Jr., in 2011, who had been co-CEO of the company alongside his brother Giovanni.

Throughout his career, Michele Ferrero was known for his desire for secrecy, guarding product recipes like Nutella and the overall operations of the company closely. This extended to his strong commitment to keeping the company privately owned, resisting public listing or acquisitions. His innovative spirit led to the creation of iconic products such as Nutella, Kinder Chocolate, and Ferrero Rocher, fundamentally changing confectionery consumption habits and demonstrating his keen foresight in the chocolate market

Columbia University’s fertility clinic used an AI-augmented system called “STAR” (Sperm Track and Recovery) to scan millions of microscopic images in under an hour and isolate viable sperm in men diagnosed with azoospermia, one couple, after nearly two decades of IVF failures, achieved pregnancy thanks to this innovation

🌟 Why It Matters

Fertility rates are plummeting across the globe, but there's thrilling news on the horizon! The sky-high costs of IVF treatments, which aren't always successful, have been a huge hurdle for many. But now, with the groundbreaking arrival of STAR and cutting-edge AI-driven systems, doctors are buzzing with excitement about providing more affordable options for those yearning to become parents!

Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block, has quietly released Bitchat, a peer-to-peer messaging app that works entirely over Bluetooth mesh networks, no internet, phone numbers, or central servers required. The app, currently in beta via TestFlight, forms local device clusters that pass encrypted, ephemeral messages peer-to-peer, designed to persist through blackouts, censorious regimes, or surveillance-heavy environments. Dorsey frames it as a “personal experiment” exploring mesh relays, encryption, and decentralized communication, sharing an open-source whitepaper on GitHub

🌟 Why It Matters

Resilient Communication: Bitchat could transform how people connect during internet outages or in regions with heavy censorship.

Privacy-First Design: Without cloud storage or identifiers, it sets a new standard for encrypted, ephemeral messaging.

Decentralization Takes Root: Dorsey’s project aligns with his broader mission to build protocols, not platforms, shifting power away from centralised tech giants.

This week, Ruoming Pang, who led Apple’s Foundation Models team behind big features like Genmoji, Priority Notifications, and Siri enhancements, has jumped ship to Meta's newly formed Superintelligence Labs, lured by a multi‑million dollar package. This high-profile defection follows internal tension at Apple over whether to build its own AI models or lean on partners like OpenAI, negatively impacting morale. At Meta, CEO Mark Zuckerberg is personally spearheading a massive recruitment drive, offering “tens of millions per year”, bringing in top talent from Apple, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Scale AI to fuel its AGI ambitions.

🌍 Why It Matters

Apple risks losing its AI edge as momentum and talent shift to Meta, where aggressive compensation and clear focus on “superintelligence” are reshaping the race. This has broader implications for AI leadership, signaling that the fight for top AI minds, and the next wave of breakthroughs, has become a high-stakes battlefield driven by deep pockets and bold ambition.

Amazon’s four-day Prime Day sales event is expected to boost online spending to an eye-watering $23.9B, a 28.4% increase from last year.

The Mayo Clinic created Vision Transformer, an AI tool that helps quickly and accurately find surgical-site infections using photos during outpatient check-ups.

Android will let Gemini access third-party apps unless you opt out.