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Good morning! This week’s focus starts with Meta's ambitious plan to build a $10 billion subsea cable that will span the globe.

But don't worry—there's plenty more to cover today. In this edition of Unfold Now:

1. 🧠 AI and Business: Former Google and Stripe Executives Raise $56 Million for AI Agent Startup

2. 🌍 Sustainable Innovations: Coca-Cola Issues Statement Amid Backlash Over 2024 Christmas Commercial

3. 🏛️ Regulatory Watch: Someone Made a Dataset of One Million Bluesky Posts for 'Machine Learning Research'

— Harman, Unfold Now

🔍 Spotlight: Meta Plans to Build a $10B Subsea Cable Spanning the World

Summary: Meta's ambitious plan to construct a massive, privately owned, global fiber-optic subsea cable, representing a $10 billion+ investment. This unprecedented move, driven by Meta's enormous internet traffic, aims to ensure reliable infrastructure for its services, particularly outside North America. The project addresses geopolitical concerns by avoiding high-risk areas and enhances Meta's capacity to deliver services efficiently to its massive user base, especially in burgeoning markets like India. While the role of AI infrastructure development remains speculative, the cable's potential to support this growing area is explicitly discussed.

Why it matters: This project marks a significant shift in the ownership of subsea cable infrastructure. Traditionally, these cables have been built and owned by telecommunications companies. However, tech giants like Google and now Meta are increasingly investing in owning these networks. This shift reflects the growing importance of subsea cables for content delivery and providing online services globally. By owning its cable, Meta can ensure enough capacity to support its platforms' traffic, especially outside North America, where it generates more revenue.

Meta’s cable is also significant for its emphasis on geopolitical stability when it comes to internet infrastructure. The proposed route avoids politically volatile areas like the Red Sea and South China Sea. This is a strategic decision, especially considering recent incidents where subsea cables were damaged or cut because of conflict or suspected sabotage.

Finally, the cable’s termination in India could signal Meta’s plans for AI development. India has a cost-effective computing bandwidth and is quickly developing its AI infrastructure. Meta already has a large user base in India, and building AI training facilities there would be a logical step. While sources close to the project say it’s too early to confirm AI as a driving factor, they admit it's a possibility for the future.

Source: TechCrunch

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🧠 AI and Business: Former Google and Stripe Executives Raise $56 Million for AI Agent Startup

Summary: A team of seasoned operating system developers, previously with Google and Stripe, launched /dev/agents, a company aiming to create an operating system specifically for AI agents. This $500 million startup, backed by significant funding and prominent investors, addresses the current lack of a unified framework for interacting with AI agents. The company seeks to build a cross-platform OS for various devices, enabling easier development and more natural user interaction with AI, essentially providing an "Android moment" for the AI agent landscape. The founders' extensive experience in building previous generations of operating systems is a key factor driving investor confidence and the company's ambitious vision.

Why it matters: The creation of a new operating system for AI agents by /dev/agents is significant for several reasons. As AI agents become more common, a standardized platform is necessary to ensure their seamless integration and communication. This is analogous to the role Android and iOS play in the mobile app ecosystem. Without such a framework, developers face challenges in building and deploying AI agents effectively.

This operating system has the potential to democratize access to AI agent technology, enabling a wider range of developers to contribute to the field. Additionally, it could lead to the emergence of a robust ecosystem of interconnected AI agents, similar to the thriving app markets we see today. This interconnectedness could significantly enhance productivity and user experience by allowing AI agents to collaborate and exchange information seamlessly.

Source: Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance

🌍 Sustainable Innovations: Coca-Cola Issues Statement Amid Backlash Over 2024 Christmas Commercial

Summary: Coca-Cola has faced widespread backlash over its 2024 Christmas commercial, prompting the company to issue a statement addressing the concerns. The controversy highlights the sensitivity and scrutiny that large brands face in their marketing efforts, especially during significant holidays. The statement aims to reassure consumers and maintain brand integrity.

Why it matters: This incident shows how crucial it is for brands to be mindful of their messaging and audience sentiment. In an era where social media amplifies consumer voices, companies must be prepared to respond swiftly and transparently to public feedback. Here’s what The Cool Down has to say about the backlash and Coca-Cola’s response.

Source: The Cooldown

🏛️ Regulatory Watch: Someone Made a Dataset of One Million Bluesky Posts for 'Machine Learning Research'

Summary: A dataset of one million Bluesky posts has been created for machine learning research, raising questions about data privacy and ethical use. Bluesky, a decentralized social network, has seen significant interest in its data due to its unique user base and content. This dataset could be invaluable for researchers but also sparks concerns about user data protection.

Why it matters: The creation of this dataset highlights the ongoing debate about data privacy and the ethical use of user-generated content. As machine learning research advances, it is crucial to ensure that data is handled responsibly and with transparency. Here’s what 404 Media has to say about the implications of this dataset.

Source: 404media

🚀 In Other News:

1. As Cohere and Writer mine the ‘Live AI’ arena, Pathway joins the pack with a $10M round (Source: TechCrunch)

2. Indoor climbing tracking startup Lizcore sharpens its focus on safety as it pulls in pre-seed (Source: TechCrunch)

Tech Memes 😂

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Thanks for reading today’s edition of Unfold Now! Stay curious, stay informed, and we’ll see you in the next one. — Harman

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