Samwise Tech/AI/Robotics Newsletter
Monday, June 8, 2026
Apple to Unveil Gemini-Powered Siri Revamp at WWDC 2026 Keynote
Siri is getting a major AI overhaul at Apple\’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2026, with Monday\’s 10 a.m. PT keynote expected to unveil a redesigned assistant powered by Google\’s Gemini. The update includes a standalone Siri app intended to compete directly with ChatGPT and Claude, AI agent capabilities for App Store integration, and Visual Intelligence in the Camera app using Google Image Search. Apple Intelligence features are also set for updates. The partnership represents a shift for Apple, which is licensing Google\’s foundation models to power Siri. WWDC 2026 kicks off Monday, June 8, at 10 a.m. PT.
Sources: TechCrunch
Anthropic Nears $1 Trillion Valuation as Co-Founder Defends AI Economic Returns
Anthropic co-founder and President Daniela Amodei defended AI\’s economic prospects at the Bloomberg Tech conference on June 4, days after the company filed confidentially for an IPO and closed a $65 billion funding round at a $965 billion valuation. The round was described as greatly oversubscribed by multiple investors. Anthropic\’s annualized revenue reached $47 billion in May, up from roughly $9 billion at year-end 2025. Amodei attributed the capital need to the high upfront cost of training and serving models. She dismissed concerns about corporate AI budget pullbacks, saying businesses are still early in figuring out how to deploy AI effectively.
Sources: TechCrunch
Bipartisan Great American AI Act Proposes Federal AI Governance Framework
A bipartisan pair of House members released a 269-page draft legislation Thursday proposing a new federal AI governance framework. Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) introduced the Great American AI Act, which would codify CAISI within the Commerce Department and authorize $100 million per year from fiscal years 2027 through 2029. The bill would also preempt state-level frontier AI regulations to establish a unified national standard and require critical safety incident reporting by developers. The proposal came two days after a White House executive order on AI governance.
Sources: FedScoop
Ramp Raises $750 Million at $44 Billion Valuation on AI-Driven Finance Platform
Corporate finance platform Ramp raised $750 million in a funding round led by ICONIQ, with participation from Singapore\’s GIC and Ontario Teachers\’ Pension Plan, bringing its valuation to $44 billion. The company reports more than $1 billion in annualized revenue, with Bloomberg citing a $1.5 billion run rate, and serves more than 70,000 customers. Ramp uses AI agents across procurement, expense management, and accounting workflows, and recently introduced a corporate credit card designed specifically for AI agents to spend on behalf of companies. The company is cash-flow positive and has raised more than $3 billion in total.
Sources: TechCrunch
Google to Pay SpaceX $920 Million Per Month for GPU Compute Capacity
Google has agreed to pay SpaceX $920 million per month for access to approximately 110,000 NVIDIA GPUs as bridge capacity to meet surging demand for Gemini Enterprise AI services. The deal runs from October 2026 through June 2029 but allows either party to terminate with 90 days\’ notice after December 31, 2026. The arrangement mirrors Anthropic\’s previously disclosed $1.25 billion per month SpaceX compute deal. Alphabet has committed more than $180 billion in capital expenditures for AI infrastructure. SpaceX disclosed the arrangements in its S-1 filing ahead of an IPO targeting a $1.75 trillion valuation.
Sources: TechCrunch
Mira Murati Surfaces Thinking Machines Lab, Warns on AI Governance Gaps
Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati made her first major public appearance in 18 months at a Bloomberg interview, previewing Thinking Machines Lab\’s interaction models — AI systems that process continuous audio, text, and video in 200-millisecond intervals. The company\’s first commercial product, Tinker, provides an API for fine-tuning open-source models. Murati warned about the concentration of AI power in the hands of a small number of companies and identified structural governance gaps at major labs. She acknowledged researcher departures from Thinking Machines but defended the company\’s trajectory. On her 2023 departure from OpenAI during the board crisis, she said the company would have imploded without her intervention.
Sources: TechCrunch
Hello Robot Ships Fourth-Generation Stretch, Targeting Home Assistance Market
Hello Robot, based in Martinez, California, has released the fourth generation of its Stretch robot, a wheeled platform with a telescoping arm priced at $30,000. CEO Aaron Edsinger, formerly director of robotics at Google, designed the Stretch to assist people with disabilities in their homes. Quadriplegic user Keith Platt operates the robot through a voice-controlled iPhone app. The first production run of 200 to 300 units sold out and can be shipped via UPS or DHL in standard cardboard packaging. Competitor 1X Neo has orders for 10,000 units but has not delivered any. A Bullhound Capital report notes that robots deployed first accumulate site-specific recovery loops that create lasting advantages.
Sources: TechCrunch
Tech Pulse
Top Frontier Models (SWE-bench Verified): Claude Mythos Preview (93.9%) | Claude Opus 4.8 (88.6%) | Claude Opus 4.7 Adaptive (87.6%)
Top Open Source Models (SWE-bench Verified): DeepSeek V4 Pro Max (80.6%) | MiniMax M3 (80.5%) | Kimi K2.6 (80.2%)
Top Small Models (15–50B, SWE-bench Verified): Qwen3.6-27B (77.2%) | Qwen3.6-35B-A3B (73.4%) | Qwen3.5-27B (72.4%)
Top Edge Models (0–15B): Claude Haiku 4.5 (73.3%, SWE-bench) | Laguna XS.2 (69.9%, SWE-bench) | Phi-4 14B (80.4%, MATH)
AI Leaders: NVIDIA $4.97T | Alphabet $4.63T | Microsoft $3.11T
Robotics Leaders: Intuitive Surgical $175.2B | ABB $165B | Fanuc $47.5B
Curated by JD · samwise.agency