China has released its first set of rare earth mining quotas for 2025 quietly, marking a move to tighten state control over an industry vital to everything from electric cars to military hardware.
Reuters reported that Beijing issued the initial quotas just last month, without any formal announcement or public notice. Companies granted permission to mine and process these critical minerals were asked to keep the figures confidential, reportedly for security. Neither the volume nor the specific breakdown of mining versus smelting allowances has been disclosed.
For years, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has published its first quarterly quota on its website, usually in the opening months of the year. In contrast, this year’s decision came in silence, underlining Beijing’s growing caution about releasing data that reflects its grip on global supplies.
Analysts watch these quotas closely, as they signal how many rare earths, 17 metals essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, robots, and missiles, will enter the market. China alone accounts for the lion’s share of global production. Delays to the usual spring announcement had fuelled speculation that authorities were reassessing how tightly to hold the reins.
When asked why the figures were not shared publicly this time, the Industry Ministry didn’t respond to requests for comments. Observers say the decision fits a broader trend of Beijing using rare earths as leverage in trade talks, notably with the United States and the European Union.
China issued two rounds of mining quotas last year, totalling 270,000 metric tons. That output allowance represented a slowdown in annual growth to 5.9 percent, down from a 21.4 percent increase in 2023. Smelting and separation permits for 2024 were also set in two batches, amounting to 254,000 tons, up 4.2 percent on the previous year.
China’s rare earth shipments to the US rebounded in June
In a related development, China’s shipments of rare earths and magnets to America rebounded sharply in June. The General Administration of Customs data shows exports climbed to 353 metric tons, a 660 percent jump compared with May’s 46 tons.
That surge followed late‑June agreements aimed at clearing a backlog of export licences for magnets and rare earths bound for U.S. customers. As part of the same talks, chipmaker Nvidia said it plans to restart sales of its H20 artificial intelligence processors in China.
Earlier this year, Beijing had added several rare earth items and related magnets to its export restriction list in early April, a response to American tariffs. The move stalled shipments in April and May, disrupting supply chains. Some overseas automakers reportedly scaled back production amid the squeeze.
Globally, China exported 3,188 tons of permanent rare earth magnets in June, up 157.5 percent from May’s 1,238 tons. Despite the rebound, June’s total remained 38.1 percent below the 5,158 tons shipped in June 2024.
Market watchers expect exports to climb further in July as more firms secure the necessary licences. Still, for the first half of 2025, China’s magnet exports were down 18.9 percent year‑on‑year, at 22,319 tons.
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Hackers have launched a large-scale cyberattack exploiting a critical flaw in Microsoft’s widely used SharePoint Server software.
According to state officials, the breach has compromised US federal and state government agencies, universities, energy companies, and even telecommunications infrastructure in Asia.
The vulnerability lies in on-premises SharePoint servers—systems used internally to store and share documents—not in Microsoft’s cloud services like Microsoft 365, making them prime targets for attackers.
The flaw is being called a “zero-day” vulnerability, a new software vulnerability for which Microsoft has yet to produce a patch. Organizations had zero days to prepare and opened up thousands of institutions to attack.
According to security researchers, the hackers have penetrated systems in over 50 organizations, including multiple European government agencies, an energy company in a large US state, and a university in Brazil.
In one eastern United States state, attackers took control of a trove of documents designated for public disclosure, then held it in limbo so the agency could not pull them back and remove them.
Microsoft fails to issue a patch amid expanding breach
The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and cybersecurity authorities in Canada and Australia are actively investigating the breach. Microsoft has yet to release a patch for the SharePoint server vulnerability, forcing affected organizations to rely on temporary fixes—like adjusting server configurations or taking systems offline—to mitigate the risk.
Microsoft confirmed the breach and posted an alert but said nothing publicly. The company has urged users to apply lockdown settings and remove exposed servers from the internet to mitigate exposure.
The Center for Internet Security, which works with local governments around the US, said it sent warnings to about 100 possibly affected organizations, including public schools and universities. The reaction was also hampered by more recent cuts to funding, which have slashed threat intelligence and response operations personnel by at least 60%.
Randy Rose, the vice president of the Center for Internet Security, said it took six hours on Saturday night to complete the notifications. He added that the process would have been much faster if their teams had not been cut.
CISA, currently led by its director nominee in an acting capacity while awaiting confirmation, has maintained that its staff have been working tirelessly. Marci McCarthy, a spokeswoman for the agency, said that no one had been asleep at the wheel.
Security failures spark rising scrutiny of Microsoft
The latest incident adds to a wave of concern about Microsoft’s ability to secure its software, when the company remains a primary technology supplier to governments in many parts of the world.
The Department of Homeland Security said the attackers may have pivoted from a previously patched SharePoint vulnerability. This underscores Microsoft’s repeated strategy of delivering narrowly focused fixes that fail to plug related holes yet to be exploited.
Information security professionals are concerned about the long-term implications of the breach. Once inside the internal SharePoint servers, attackers have a path into the sensitive systems you rely upon in the workplace, such as Outlook, Teams, and others. Certain hackers, it said, had stolen cryptographic keys that could be used to re-enter servers, even after patches have been installed.
One researcher involved in the response, who requested anonymity due to the ongoing federal investigation, cautioned that releasing a patch on Monday or Tuesday would not help anyone who had already been compromised in the past 72 hours.
Last year, a US government-designated panel criticized Microsoft for handling a targeted Chinese cyberattack of federal email systems, including messages generated by the then-Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. In that case, the company said its cloud platform was exploited to access sensitive communications illegally.
The company faced fresh criticism last week after ProPublica reported that Microsoft had hired engineers in China to work on cloud projects connected to the US military. On Friday, Microsoft announced it would no longer employ engineers on Pentagon-related systems in China.
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In a major leadership shake-up making waves across the tech industry, Blackstone has removed QTS Realty Trust founder and CEO Chad Williams, just as the company rises as a major force in the global AI boom.
Since Blackstone’s $10 billion acquisition last year, QTS has become North America’s largest data center landlord and a key infrastructure pillar powering artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and US. national security.
Under Blackstone’s ownership, QTS’s development pipeline has grown from $1 billion to $25 billion, and its commissioned power capacity has ballooned to over 3 gigawatts — or enough to meet the needs of more than 2 million homes.
But even as it grew massively, not all was well behind the scenes. QTS employees were surprised when Williams suddenly announced he was leaving. His departure capped a two-decade run during which he grew QTS from a small operator in Kansas into a $60 billion colossus.
Insiders say the move wasn’t entirely voluntary. At the time, board members had already discussed an incentive package to stay through 2031 with Williams. Instead, a leadership transition was shoved into place, and he was quietly bought out in a $3 billion deal.
Williams battles Blackstone over growth strategy
Chad Williams contributed a different vision to QTS. A proudly religious and principled man, he had grown the company brick by brick. Office meetings routinely began with prayer, and ministers blessed data centers. He prioritized hiring veterans and was known to say that QTS’s most valuable asset was its people.
He was an opportunist as well. At one point, Williams bought a bankrupt manufacturing plant in Northern Virginia for $12 million — a bet that the property is now a multi-billion-dollar data hub. His AI boom strategy — to bank land and establish power access early — paid off in spades.
But as QTS expanded, there was friction. Williams’ measured, relationship-based approach started to chafe against Blackstone’s size-driven, quick-turn model. That tension between the two men grew as Blackstone sought faster global expansion, especially in Europe. Williams pushed back, concerned about overextending and operational risk. The negotiations eventually reached a compromise, and QTS started building out in Europe, but the friction remained.
Another area of strife arose in 2023 when Blackstone unveiled a joint venture with Digital Realty Trust, a competitor of QTS.
He fought back, arguing that QTS was entitled to a bigger upside. Eventually, Blackstone did a deal in which its institutional platform bought the properties.
Those moments revealed a deep disconnect between how Williams founded QTS in long-term, human-centered values. Blackstone, which aimed to maximize returns for various constituencies, was playing a different game.
New chiefs guide QTS through changing AI landscape
Today, QTS is led by its co-CEOs, David Robey and Tag Greason, both long-time executives who came with Blackstone’s seal of approval. Robey, a former chief operating officer, had even considered retirement months before he was elevated.
A former West Point grad and Virginia lawmaker, Greason already had a reputation for keen strategic thinking and strong client relationships, particularly with powerhouses such as Microsoft.
QTS is now under new management and reoriented towards hacking away bureaucratic red tape, speeding the pace of project rollouts, and addressing an increasingly uncertain AI market. Demand for AI infrastructure is through the roof. Still, hyperscalers like Microsoft and Amazon are pumping the brakes on new deployments due to concerns around the power grid and escalating construction costs in some geographies.
The new two-person team at the top has a point: QTS will not just be chasing growth, but solid strategic growth. Internally, QTS has reevaluated mergers and acquisitions, and at one point, considered moves to help consolidate the company’s market position via acquiring rivals.
Figuratively, QTS has also outgrown its founder’s time. It has started retiring the eagle-emblazoned branding all over its campuses that Williams personally trademarked.
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US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has warned starkly against the newly introduced GENIUS Act, which she fears will push a forced agenda in the US for a state-backed Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
Greene says that despite being pitched as a stablecoin regulatory framework, the bill includes features and control features you would find in a CBDC.
“This bill regulates stablecoins and provides for the backdoor Centralized Bank Digital Currency.” Greene wrote on X.
The GENIUS Act sought legal clarity around issuing stablecoins and operating them in the US. Yet Greene and others fear that under the hood, it effectively enables sweeping financial surveillance and control like state-run digital currency.
Industry voices alarm over privacy risks
There has been fierce support in the broader cryptonetworks community for Greene’s criticism. Her concerns have not gone unheard, with several other leaders and industry experts voicing similar fears, citing that the proposed GENIUS Act threatens to impact the underlying ethos of decentralization in digital currency negatively.
Economist and Bitcoin maximalist Saifedean Ammous, author of The Bitcoin Standard, said in a recent podcast that the US dollar is already, in many ways, a digital currency. He argued that whether in physical form or through an app, the dollar functions as a digital token of the state, monitored and tracked by the government.
Jean Rausis, co-founder of Smardex, said governments understand that controlling stablecoins means controlling financial transactions. He added that with centralized systems, authorities can freeze assets, reverse payments, and track spending, making stablecoins nearly identical to CBDCs.
This sentiment represents a shared skepticism in crypto about any regulatory framework that would put stablecoins under centralized control. Privacy and financial autonomy are the beginnings of a bridge too far. For many of these people, the concepts of privacy and financial autonomy are simply non-negotiable, and any bill that threatens to interfere with these principles is met with outright defiance.
GENIUS Act spurs concerns over financial surveillance
The GENIUS Act has undergone several revisions since its initial release, with the latest major revision being in March 2025. These developments have introduced more stringent AML obligations, “KYC” requirements, and sanctions compliance requirements. And though they have been justified as necessary shields against criminal abuse, critics say they amount to invasive financial surveillance.
Stablecoin issuers would be required to collect and share customer information and track all transactions; they would sometimes need to suspend payments if regulators tell them to, without passing information on why the transactions are occurring. For many in crypto land, this is not one inch closer to authoritarian repression, but a horrifying mile.
This is all fine and good until 10 years later, issuers are required to keep some of that money in regulated banks and go through draconian AML checks, and the government freezes or confiscates the funds like they would any other bank account.
The problem isn’t limited to the United States. The CBDCs are actively being rolled out in other countries, such as China and the EU.
US crypto proponents fear the GENIUS Act, in pretending to support innovation, could take America down that same road, only low-key.
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With its presale already surpassing $14 million and a growing community rallying behind it, XYZVerse ($XYZ) is quickly attracting the attention of investors and crypto lovers.
But does it have the fundamentals to sustain the hype? In this guide, we’ll explore what XYZVerse is, how its ecosystem creates real utility, and whether it stands out in a crowded meme coin market.
Is XYZVerse.io the next breakout token? Let’s dive in and find out.
What Is XYZVerse?
Coin
XYZVerse ($XYZ)
Contract Address
0xD75Ab4b69F2eDfb072fDFD7e2D15a875f95Ae5ae
Current Presale Raise
$14M+
Type
Meme token
Launch Date
Q4 2025 (Listing target: $0.10)
Price Increase (At Time of Writing)
>3200% (from $0.0001 to current stage price of $0.003333)
XYZVerse is a community-driven meme coin that merges sports culture, gamified staking, and crypto. At its core, the project aims to do more than ride the meme wave—it integrates with bookmaker.XYZ, giving token holders exclusive betting perks, rewards, and access to crypto-based play-to-earn experiences.
Unlike many meme coins that live and die by social media trends, XYZVerse is building a complete ecosystem featuring:
Telegram-based crypto games
Airdrop programs
Upcoming dApps for staking and rewards
Real-world sportsbook integration
How XYZVerse Reached $15M+ and Why Its Presale Strategy Works
XYZVerse launched its presale with a clear, methodical structure designed to reward early adopters and build long-term momentum. XYZVerse introduced a 15-stage pricing model where the token price gradually increases as each round sells out.
This tiered structure serves two key purposes:
It incentivizes early participation by offering substantial discounts at the earliest stages
It helps the project build sustainable traction, with each stage reflecting real demand and community growth
Starting at just $0.0001 in Stage 1, the price has climbed steadily with strong participation across every round. As of today, the presale has already raised over $14 million, reflecting confidence in both the token’s mechanics and its broader vision of merging sports, meme culture, and crypto rewards.
While XYZVerse is still in its presale phase, several signals suggest it is a legitimate and carefully structured project. However, as with any presale token, true validation will come post-launch—when real market performance and ecosystem utility are put to the test.
The audit results were highly positive, confirming that XYZVerse’s smart contract is secure, well-structured, and gas-efficient. No critical or high-severity vulnerabilities were found. This level of scrutiny and openness reflects a commitment to best practices in an industry where unaudited and hastily deployed meme coins are common. The audit report is publicly available and serves as a key foundation for investor confidence.
Liquidity & Token Control
XYZVerse operates with a fixed total supply of 100 billion tokens, introducing scarcity as a foundational principle. To further support long-term value, the project employs a deflationary burn mechanism—where a portion of tokens is systematically removed from circulation through buybacks and burns. This structure not only discourages inflation but also rewards long-term holders by reducing overall supply over time.
XYZVerse Tokenomics Breakdown
Total Supply: 100,000,000,000 XYZ
Category
Allocation
Quantity
Presale
17.87%
17,870,000,000 XYZ
Marketing
15%
15,000,000,000 XYZ
Liquidity
15%
15,000,000,000 XYZ
Deflationary Burn
17.13%
17,130,000,000 XYZ
Incentives, Bonuses & Airdrops
10%
10,000,000,000 XYZ
Development & Ecosystem
10%
10,000,000,000 XYZ
Team
10%
10,000,000,000 XYZ
KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders)
5%
5,000,000,000 XYZ
Tokenomics reveal a project’s economic structure and are a crucial factor in evaluating its long-term sustainability. XYZVerse adopts a clear and balanced tokenomics model, with a fixed total supply of 100 billion tokens—ensuring the project is non-inflationary and scarcity-driven by design.
The structure reflects a well-thought-out strategy focused on liquidity, growth, and community engagement. Key allocations include:
Marketing (15%) and Liquidity (15%), which ensure both visibility and exchange readiness
A generous 17.13% burn allocation, making XYZVerse one of the few meme coins with a built-in, large-scale deflationary mechanism
10% set aside for development and ecosystem growth, providing fuel for product innovation and long-term expansion
10% for incentives, airdrops, and bonuses, fostering early engagement and decentralized community participation
Unlike many meme tokens that overallocate to teams or rely on hype alone, XYZVerse limits team allocation to a responsible 10%, aligning with industry best practices. Meanwhile, community-focused distributions—presale, airdrops, and KOLs—make up over 40% of total supply, reinforcing the project’s grassroots-first approach.
If executed with discipline, this allocation model supports both market momentum and ecosystem utility, setting a foundation not just for hype, but for sustained relevance through 2025 and beyond.
Community: What’s the Sentiment?
Community sentiment around XYZVerse is strongly bullish, reflecting both growing excitement and trust in the project’s direction. On CoinMarketCap, over 96% of user votes indicate a positive outlook for XYZ, placing it among the most favorably viewed tokens in its category.
This optimism is echoed across the project’s social channels:
21K+ followers on X (formerly Twitter)
12K+ active Telegram members
High engagement across airdrop announcements, presale updates, and interactive campaigns
Influential voices in the crypto space are already buzzing about XYZVerse, with several prominent analysts and content creators calling it a “moonshot opportunity” for the 2025 cycle. Their enthusiasm is fueled by the project’s transparency, unique blend of meme culture and sports utility, and growing credibility.
Combined with recognition from CryptoNews as the “Best New Meme Project”, and a partnership with bookmaker.XYZ, XYZVerse is not only attracting investors—it’s building a passionate, conviction-led community.
As broader crypto sentiment turns optimistic, XYZVerse appears well-positioned to become a breakout name in the upcoming bull run, supported by both grassroots enthusiasm and early influencer endorsement.
The future for XYZVerse looks increasingly promising as it positions itself at the intersection of community-driven meme culture, gamified crypto engagement, and real-world sports integration.
With a clear post-launch roadmap and strong early traction, the project is preparing for a high-profile debut on both centralized and decentralized exchanges. This move is expected to significantly boost visibility and liquidity, allowing XYZ to reach a broader investor base beyond presale participants.
Several key developments lie ahead:
Launch of staking and reward-based dApps, allowing holders to earn passively while engaging with the ecosystem
Expansion of its play-to-earn games on Telegram and other platforms, turning casual engagement into real crypto value
Influencer and athlete partnerships, bridging Web3 and global sports audiences
Aggressive marketing and sports sponsorships, giving the project exposure beyond the crypto-native crowd
Token burns and liquidity programs, reinforcing price sustainability over time
Importantly, the combination of a fixed supply, burning mechanics, and a loyal, growing community gives XYZVerse the ingredients needed for long-term relevance—not just a short-term meme cycle.
If execution stays aligned with its roadmap and community energy continues to build, XYZVerse could evolve from a speculative token into one of the standout crossover stories of the 2025 bull run—where utility, culture, and Web3 entertainment collide.
Visit the official XYZVerse website to learn more about the project: https://xyzverse.io/
Apple has launched a major lawsuit against popular YouTuber Jon Prosser and California man Michael Ramacciotti, claiming the pair stole and then leaked confidential information about the company’s latest iPhone software update – iOS 26.
The complaint, filed in US District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses Ramacciotti of using unauthorized access to an Apple employee’s phone to leak sensitive details of iOS 26. He reportedly sent it to Prosser, who ran with it on his YouTube channel Front Page Tech.
The leaked information included details on as-yet-unreleased features and designs for iOS 26, which Apple intends to release publicly in the fall of 2025, according to the court documents.
The company claims the leak caused “irreparable harm” by disclosing unfinished and secret product plans before they were ready. It is also seeking damages, but did not specify an amount.
Apple has emphasized that it places a high priority on confidentiality and protecting its trade secrets. The company typically did not comment publicly beyond what is stated in its official legal filings.
YouTuber denies wrongdoing
In a statement to Reuters, Jon Prosser, an online personality who has gained prominence by disseminating news and scoops related to tech, said the lawsuit is another attempt by a large organization to silence those who speak the Truth.
“I certainly did not plot to steal information, nor did I even know how it was originally obtained,” he said.
Prosser said he believed the information he received was accurate and that publishing it fell within the legal boundaries of journalism. He added that he was eager to have the opportunity to present his side of the case in court.
This far, neither Ramacciotti nor a representative from Front Page Tech has returned requests for comment.
The video, uploaded to Prosser’s channel for the first time in January 2025, is called iOS 26. Inside, he detailed features and settings that Apple had not yet released. The video had people talking in the tech community and ranting online about Apple’s internal monitors and how they keep a tighter lid on leaks.
Whistleblower exposes iPhone software breach
Apple said that it became aware of the leak in April 2025, after it was alerted by an anonymous whistleblower. According to court documents, the whistleblower told Apple that Ramacciotti had accessed the data by hiding behind a close friend’s work phone. That friend happened to be an Apple employee at the time.
The suit claims Prosser drove Ramacciotti, whom the vice principal supposedly “owed money,” to secure and relay the information. According to Apple, Ramacciotti is accused of numerous crimes and breaking company regulations. Falsehoods can lead to consequences; for Mike Prosser, that means a net gain. Prosser deliberately profited from the law-breaking, sharing secret information on his platforms to build an online audience and personal brand.
Apple claims that protecting its IP is essential to its innovation and market position. It said both defendants had acted “maliciously and unlawfully.” The company also argued in the lawsuit that its trade secrets would harm its competitiveness and confidence between employees and business partners if revealed to the public.
In 2021, Apple accused one of its former employees, Simon Lancaster, of leaking confidential company information to a reporter. In court documents, the company said Lancaster had abused his position and the trust in him to share sensitive trade secrets for his gain.
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Japan’s core inflation rate fell to 3.3% in June, offering some relief after hitting a 29-month high.
The core inflation figure excludes fresh food, which fluctuates more due to weather and supply conditions.
The most recent figures, published on Friday by Japan’s Internal Affairs Ministry, were generally in line with theforecasts of economists polled by Reuters.
The headline inflation rate covers all categories and was down to 3.3% in June from 3.5% in May. Nonetheless, it is the 39th straight month that inflation has exceeded the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) 2% goal.
A broader measure, the so-called “core-core” rate of inflation, which excludes not only fresh food but also energy prices, rose to 3.4% from 3.3% the previous month. It’s regarded as the benchmark for underlying inflation trends and is closely monitored by the BOJ.
While inflation has slowed, prices are still high compared with previous years, and the public continues to bear an increasing cost of living.
Rice prices begin to stabilize
A key driver of recentJapanese inflation has been rice, a staple in virtually every household. In May, rice prices had surged more than 101.7% year-on-year, the steepest jump in over 50 years.
But that rate slowed a bit in June. The 100.2% year-on-year jump in the price of rice was the first indication of a let-up in months.
The relaxation came after the government released rice stockpiles earlier this year to cool prices. The intervention helped shore up supply and dampen speculation in the market.
However, prices are still high, and officials warn that the ripples of that bad harvest in 2023 are still being felt. The 2023 harvest season was affected by abnormal weather, including typhoons and record heat that cut output in the main rice regions.
Although the current trend is promising, according to experts, a return to stable rice prices will depend on the 2025 harvest, which is still unknown.
The confidence data comes from Japan’s economy, which is increasingly clouded by external economic uncertainties. A big one is US trade policy.
US President Donald Trump says he is not ready to strike a trade deal with Japan. That has stoked fears of additional tariffs that would damage Japanese exports, particularly of cars, the largest product that Japan ships to the United States.
A 25% tariff on a broad swath of Japanese goods will go into effect on August 1, while a 25% levy on cars will remain in place.
The introduction of these tariffs would come at a particularly challenging time for the Japanese economy. Japan has announced its GDP fell 0.2% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the previous quarter. It was the first contraction in a year, driven primarily by a steep export fall.
The financial pressure is shaping up to be a significant issue ahead of next summer’s upper house elections, in which voters remain angered by the creeping prices but stagnant wages.
The persisting inflation growth has some market participants speculating about the need for interest rate increases by the Bank of Japan. After all, the headline inflation rate has been above the 2% target for over three years.
But the central bank remains wary. Bank of America analysts have said the BOJ will unlikely raise rates before January 2026.
They say BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda targets inflation expectations, which remain below 2%. These expectations — what businesses and households expect as future inflation — are an important signal of whether inflation is genuinely embedded in the economy.
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Meta, the American tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, has hired two former Apple AI specialists, Mark Lee and Tom Gunter, shortly after recruiting their former supervisors.
According to sources familiar with the matter, both experts will join Meta’s Superintelligence Labs team. Lee has already started his new role, while Gunter is set to begin in the coming days.
The tech giant’s action demonstrates a growing trend in the tech ecosystem involving stiff competition for AI talent. Additionally, it has been very proactive in its staff recruitment.
Meta increases its workforce with AI experts from Apple
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has demonstrated a strong commitment to artificial intelligence, motivated by its surging global demand. His dedication is evident in the company’s heavy investments in AI, the recruitment of top AI talent, and a substantial boost in spending on data centers.
With this, the company aims to cement its position as the leader in AI, beating up its rivals such as OpenAI and Google.
Following the tech firm’s hiring move, the company recruited Ruoming Pang, former head of Apple’s Foundation Models team, early in the month. The tech company offered him a significant salary package of $200 million to win Pang, effective for several years. Coincidentally, Pang teamed up with Gunter and Lee at Apple, who have also left the company for Zuckerberg’s company.
In addition, the two were the longest-serving members in Pang’s team. Lee was his first worker at Apple. On the other hand, Gunter was a reputable engineer in the firm. After departing from Apple, Gunter accepted a job offer from another AI company but stepped down from that role following Meta’s offer.
Meta’s recent hires demonstrate an ongoing disorder in the Apple Foundation Models (AFM) team. The team is responsible for creating an effective technology useful in generative AI.
The AFM team is also facing uncertainties due to the company’s AI executives’ decision to initiate external models into their operations as a solution to improve its Siri voice assistant, among other Apple Intelligence features.
AI Senior Vice President John Giannandrea is among the AI executives at Apple. Under the research leader Daphne Luong, the team is weighing some strategic changes with Mike Rockwell and Craig Federighi, software leaders currently overseeing Siri.
Neither Meta’s spokesperson nor Apple replied to a request for comment.
Meta offers Apple’s employees significant salary packages
Apple is developing parallel versions of its voice assistant using in-house AI models and third-party technologies to deliver long-promised enhancements to Siri, such as leveraging personal data to fulfill user queries. However, before its launch next spring, the company must decide which software backbone will power the revamped assistant.
Meta has seized on Apple’s internal indecision by aggressively recruiting its AI talent with highly lucrative job offers. In many instances, Meta offers several times higher salaries than Apple’s compensation for engineers in its Apple Foundation Models group.
In response, Apple has begun issuing raises to select members of the roughly 100-person team to retain the talent.
Yet, those counteroffers pale compared to what Meta compared to the table. One high-profile defector, Gunter, is among several AI specialists receiving multiyear compensation packages exceeding $100 million.
Mark Zuckerberg underscored Meta’s ambitions earlier this week, posting on Threads that the company plans to “invest hundreds of billions of dollars into computers to build superintelligence”—a nod to AI that surpasses human capabilities. At Meta’s Menlo Park headquarters, some of its top AI recruits have been strategically seated near Zuckerberg to enable close collaboration on the company’s most critical AI initiatives.
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While Cardano (ADA) continues to hold investor attention with a cautiously optimistic price outlook heading into 2025, all eyes are quietly shifting to a fast-emerging DeFi disruptor, Mutuum Finance (MUTM). At its current price of $0.03 MUTM is flying fast during presale stage. Mutuum Finance is in presale stage 5 of which 75% has been sold out as investors pile in. The token is at its lowest possible price of $0.03. A 16.7% jump will follow as phase 6 sets in.
Over $12.5 million has been raised to date, and over 13500 investors have entered the presale. As Cardano navigates regulatory and technical headwinds, Mutuum’s lending-first protocol is making noise across crypto circles for its unique blend of real-world asset integration, non-custodial architecture, and capital-efficient design.
Cardano (ADA) recently rallied approximately 30% from mid‑June lows, climbing above its 200‑day EMA and testing resistance near $0.75–$0.77, key indicators of renewed technical momentum. Institutional activity has notably ramped up, with around $73 million in inflows so far this year and Grayscale allocating nearly 18.5% of its smart contract fund to ADA.
Meanwhile, the on‑chain ecosystem remains steady. Roughly 60% of circulating ADA is staked, supporting network decentralization, and Catalyst funding rounds continue to drive community innovation. However, active daily addresses remain relatively modest, suggesting room for broader user adoption. With critical resistance holding, medium‑term price forecasts hover toward $0.90–$1.00, though macro sentiment and user growth may cap upside. In this context, emerging DeFi names like Mutuum Finance are quietly gaining attention on the horizon.
Mutuum Finance (MUTM) has emerged as one of the most promising DeFi tokens in 2025. With over $12.5 million raised and over 13500 investors already in, the presale is gaining real traction. During phase five, the token is priced at $0.03.
The next stage will see the price increase to $0.035, and with an already set official launch price of $0.06, early investors are already on a 100% profit. MUTM could skyrocket 9900% to $3 before 2025 ends.
Reshaping Finance Through Decentralized Lending
Mutuum Finance offers a non-custodial liquidity protocol where users own complete control of assets throughout decentralized lending. The project follows a double-model approach that incorporates Peer-to-Contract and Peer-to-Peer lending in an attempt to achieve greater flexibility and efficiency.
Peer-to-Contract system utilizes smart contracts to establish automatic lending with no human interference and rather, the smart contracts respond to the market by giving dynamic interest rates. Peer-to-Peer model eliminates middlemen and gives direct access between the borrowers and the lenders. The model is highly preferred by users for volatile assets like meme coins.
Mutuum Finance Strengthens Security with $50K Bounty & Giveaway
Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is hosting a $100,000 giveaway. 10 people will each receive $10,000 MUTM tokens. The project has also launched a new leaderboard where top 50 token holders will be rewarded with bonus tokens for maintaining their ranks.
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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has pushed back against sharp criticism from the White House over the central bank’s $2.5 billion renovation of its historic Washington, D.C., headquarters.
On Thursday, Powell formally responded to a letter from Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who accused Powell of wasteful spending and mismanagement of the project.
Vought had issued Powell a deadline of seven days to answer a series of questions about the renovation, which had exceeded its original budget. The letter was highly unusual and personal, underscoring increasing tensions between the Federal Reserve and allies of President Donald J. Trump.
But instead of piling on in kind, Powell’s response was measured. He also pointed Vought to a new section of the Federal Reserve’s website, which offers an expanded description of the project, its budgets, schedules, and design choices.
“The Board believes it is of the utmost importance to provide transparency for our decisions and to be accountable to the public,” Powell wrote.
He did not respond to Vought’s political jabs, including accusing Powell of “grossly mismanaging the Fed” or having misled Congress in testimony last month.
Fed denies ‘luxury upgrades’ claims
Among the more sensational claims in Vought’s complaint was the accusation that the renovation had decked out the building with such luxury amenities as private elevators, exclusive dining rooms, and a rooftop garden. Powell strongly denied these claims.
A Federal Reserve official stated that the renovation plans do not include private elevators or VIP lunchrooms. The official also clarified that the roof space would not be used as a garden or for outdoor entertainment, but would house essential mechanical equipment.
Powell said the renovation responds to aging infrastructure and bona fide safety issues. Some buildings from the early 20th century need seismic reinforcements, modern electrical and plumbing systems, and augmented cybersecurity defenses.
He added that the renovation is intended to conform to federal environmental standards and enhance accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Powell’s necessary and fiscally prudent spending would guarantee that the headquarters will remain safe, functional, and operational for many years.
He also said that the Federal Reserve is not usually beholden to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) – the entity that reviews major public developments in D.C. However, Powell said the Fed willingly worked with the NCPC to ensure the renovation complied with high design and planning standards.
Trump allies question Powell’s leadership
Even with Powell’s modulated response, the blowback from Trump allies will likely escalate. Vought said Thursday that he plans to visit the office in person to review the project. The building is several blocks from the White House.
That same day, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) said she planned to urge the US Department of Justice to investigate whether Powell had provided false or misleading information to a congressional committee regarding the scope and status of the renovation project.
The criticism is part of a larger bid to undercut Powell’s leadership. Trump, who nominated Powell only to lash out at him later, has often hammered the Fed Chair for monetary policy. Trump has criticized Powell for the US central bank’s refusal to cut rates despite inflation having remained tame.
In his letter, Vought stated that the President had grown increasingly concerned that Powell was unwilling to support his public statements with concrete actions. He also accused Powell of moving forward with an expensive renovation project rather than focusing on the nation’s economic challenges.
On the other hand, Powell made it plain that the renovation is not a luxury but a long-deferred investment in infrastructure that underpins the Fed’s core operations, including monetary policy, financial oversight, and payment systems.
Powell’s reply, however, won’t settle the controversy. It could signal the start of a broader effort to pressure him and steer the Fed in a different direction in the coming months.
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