Substack | LinkedIn | Instagram | X: @kevcirilli
THE FUTURE STARTS NOW.
BOMBSHELL WSJ SCOOP: APPLE AND META HAVE DISCUSSED A.I. PARTNERSHIPS… “longtime rivals have held talks about potentially integrating Meta’s generative AI model into Apple Intelligence…”
“Meta and other companies developing generative AI are hoping to take advantage of Apple’s massive distribution through its iPhones—similar to what Apple offers with its App Store on the iPhone.”
WELCOME TO THE FUTURE… WHERE A.I. IS CREATING UNLIKELY ALLIANCES AMONGST TECH’S HEAVY HITTERS and re-writing the rules for big tech shareholders. Must read here via WSJ’s Salvador Rodriguez, Aaron Tilley, and Miles Kruppe.
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier — your survival guide for tomorrow, today. The day is number 174 of the year 2024… the planet is Earth… and my name is kevin n. cirilli.
some of you know me from politics / business news coverage. welcome to my hobby… all the things i’m curious about for the future and where we are headed in america and the world. this newsletter was born out of that curiosity… we’ll recap everything from biz tech, space tech, natsec tech, + more while we continue to develop and build out our website mtf.tv. and i’ll tell you about some of the names you’ll be hearing about for years to come… like , who we predict will have a long-lasting washington d.c. career. keep reading for more on him… but first…
back to the future…
SHOT, via WSJ: Europe’s Response to China Shock 2.0: Hold China Closer.
CHASER, via Wired: This Is What Would Happen if China Invaded Taiwan.
market futures
nobody knows nvidia still, via CNBC:
“Chipmaker Nvidia became the most valuable publicly traded U.S. company for a period this week, topping Apple and Microsoft. However, Nvidia is nowhere to be found on the list of best-known brands, while tech peers Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google are at the top. Nvidia’s rapid ascent has been powered by demand for artificial intelligence chips largely from a handful of very big corporate buyers.”
big q: can team USA beat china’s output?
Special Competitive Studies Project’s new report out this week:
The United States boasts competitive advantages in AI and software-enabled innovation which, if married with large-scale investments in production capacity, can offset PRC advantages and position the nation for leadership across technology battlegrounds.
Full report here.
substacks (on stacks) (on stacks)
what i’m reading on substack this week:
: Is the West falling behind in science? China is now the leader in applied physical sciences.
Not Substack, but still important, via USAT: Hacked CDK auto dealer system restoration to take 'several days'.
launch pad
who’s blasting off into space this week:
June 24 | China and France are launching the Variable Objects Monitor spacecraft that is “dedicated to the study of the most distant explosions of stars, the gamma-ray bursts.” LOC: Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China.
June 25 | U.S.-based SpaceX will launch its final geostationary weather satellites for NASA and NOAA. The satellites will do many things, including track hurricanes much better. LOC: Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
on-air
time now for your weekly air forecast. Note: The air quality index is scaled from 0 to 500, with 0 being fresh air and 500 being toxic. Source: airnow.gov.
…and the award for WORST AIR IN THE WORLD this week goes to… drum roll please… for the second consecutive week… and 16 points higher than last week…
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo — at 186aqi.
Sharepolitical futures
Israel Tech Leaders, Irked by Netanyahu, Eye Moves Into Politics, via Bloomberg’s Marissa Newman and Galit Altstein.
Trump Catching Biden on Campaign Cash But Not on Spending It, via Bloomberg’s Bill Allison.
2028-WATCH: Governor Wes Moore makes history with marijuana pardons, invites Trump to tour Baltimore, via NBC News… Parents disagree with California governor's proposed plan to ban cell phones in school, via ABC WBMA… Gretchen Whitmer Wants a Gen X President — in 2028, via NYT.
mtf.tv’s meet the future stars: Gabe Fleisher, Gen Z journalist VPOTUS wakes up to
mtf.tv is soft launching another product (we can’t help it) this week: meet the future stars, where we bring you the names you’ll be hearing about tomorrow…. today.
Meet , the 22-year-old Gen Z journalism wiz kid who started his first political newsletter at age 9, now has the hottest political Substack in the nation. Substack’s head of politics tells us that Gabe was her first call when she took her gig.
“A lot of old-guard people couldn’t understand why I was even considering Substack, since they were doubtful it was possible to make a living there. The reality, of course, is many of those same outlets are going through repeated rounds of layoffs and struggling to find revenue models that work, while Substack has clearly found one. It’s no longer the case that a career in mainstream media is necessarily more stable than a career as an independent journalist.” — , 22, Wake Up To Politics Substack.
Full interview here.
space weather: sun storm zaps the red planet
here’s what’s happening in our neck of the galaxy…
NASA + astronomers are still reeling from the massive SUN STORM AR3712 that caused radio blackouts earlier this month. but now we’re getting new reports about what happened on the fourth rock from the sun, via Nature World News:
NASA's vigilant eyes on Mars have captured a spectacle that has both illuminated the Martian atmosphere and provided a wealth of data for future human exploration.
The solar storm, which peaked with an X12-class flare, has been the most significant in recent memory, bathing the Red Planet in energetic light and prompting a surge in radiation levels that could have implications for future astronauts.
Full report here.
Have a good tomorrow, today :)
the future is what you make it… and we want to grow… we want to grow with you only if you believe in our mission: embrace democracy to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities. follow along: Substack | Instagram: @mtfnow | Youtube: @mtfnow | X: @mtfnow | LinkedIn.
about kev:
Kevin N. Cirilli is based in d.c. among other stuff, he’s a media fellow at the Atlantic Council and previously was chief Washington correspondent at Bloomberg News. He launched and anchored a daily, geopolitical affairs program. His work has appeared on CBS News, NBC News, Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, Yahoo Finance, SiriusXM, Scripps News, POLITICO, The Hill, and more.
With more than 10+ yrs. in Washington, Kevin has been part of teams that launched successful new verticals, shows, and newsletters for some of world’s leading media brands.
Kevin is <NOW> launching mtf.tv’s meet the future
