Welcome back to your daily dossier talking AI, robotics, crypto and the future of tech. 👾

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

📚 OpenAI surpasses 400M users, staying ahead despite DeepSeek’s struggles.
🎙️ Spotify partners with ElevenLabs to expand AI-narrated audiobooks.
🤖 Figure’s humanoid robot now follows voice commands for home tasks.
💰 AI coding startup Codeium nears a $3B valuation in new funding talks.
🏦 ECB explores digital ledgers to modernize central bank transactions.

AI

• OpenAI's Weekly Active Users Surpass 400 Million

  • OpenAI’s active user base jumped from 300 million in December to over 400 million in February, with 2 million business users.

  • Despite rising competition from China’s DeepSeek, OpenAI maintains dominance as its rival faces outages and chip supply scrutiny.

  • Developer traffic for OpenAI’s reasoning models doubled, while its o3 model saw a fivefold increase since its January launch.

• Spotify Partners with ElevenLabs to Expand AI-Narrated Audiobooks

  • Spotify is teaming up with ElevenLabs to add AI-narrated audiobooks, making production cheaper and more accessible.

  • ElevenLabs' AI voice technology supports narration in 29 languages, providing diverse synthetic voice options for authors.

  • AI-narrated books will be clearly labeled on Spotify to ensure transparency for listeners.

• AI Coding Startup Codeium in Talks to Raise at an Almost $3B Valuation

  • AI-powered coding platform Codeium is in talks to raise a new funding round at a valuation of approximately $2.85 billion.

  • The company previously raised $150 million in August 2024 at a $1.25 billion valuation, led by General Catalyst.

  • The surge in valuation highlights investor interest in AI-driven coding tools and Codeium’s competitive market position.

ROBOTICS

• Figure's Humanoid Robot Takes Voice Orders to Help Around the House

  • Figure has unveiled a humanoid robot that understands and executes voice commands for home tasks.

  • Users can direct it with phrases like ‘Hand the bag of cookies to the robot on your right,’ improving automation.

  • The development marks a step forward in integrating robotics into daily household activities.

• World's First Humanoid Robot with Lifelike Muscles and Bones Twitches to Life

  • Clone Robotics debuted Protoclone V1, a musculoskeletal android mimicking human anatomy.

  • The robot has over 1,000 synthetic muscles, 500 sensors, and 200 degrees of movement freedom.

  • A demonstration showcased its controlled muscle contractions, bringing human-like motion to robotics.

• New AI Framework Helps Robots Learn Skills Like Humans

  • Researchers introduced the LEGION framework, allowing robots to learn new tasks while retaining past knowledge.

  • The system structures learning dynamically without predefined clusters, improving adaptability.

  • The approach mimics human lifelong learning, enhancing robotic flexibility in real-world environments.

CRYPTO

• Bitcoin Hashrate Growth Slows Amid Tough Market Conditions for Smaller Miners

  • Bitcoin's hashrate growth decelerated in January 2025, indicating challenges for smaller mining operators.

  • Despite stable mining revenue of $1.4 billion, public mining companies now contribute approximately 30% of the network's hashrate.

  • Increased competition among top mining firms intensifies the operational landscape.

• Woman Who Defrauded Bybit Out of $4.2 Million Gets 10-Year Jail Sentence

  • Ho Kai Xin, a Singaporean, was sentenced to nearly 10 years for embezzling over $4 million from crypto exchange Bybit.

  • She manipulated payroll spreadsheets to divert funds into personal accounts, spending lavishly on luxury items.

  • The fraud spanned three months in 2022 before detection.

• European Central Bank Explores Using Digital Ledgers to Settle Transactions in Central Bank Money

  • The European Central Bank is considering implementing digital ledger technology to enhance transactions in central bank money.

  • This initiative aims to modernize payment systems and improve efficiency within the eurozone's financial infrastructure.

  • The exploration reflects the ECB's commitment to adopting innovative technologies in response to the evolving financial landscape.

CONTENT

• Is $LIBRA the End of Memecoins? with Coffeezilla

  • Jason and Alex discuss a $100M meme coin meltdown involving insider trading and Argentina’s president.

  • Guest Coffeezilla explains how meme coins are manipulated and details the LIBRA token incident.

  • The conversation explores whether the crypto industry can be reformed or if it's inherently flawed.

• Who Will Own the Internet? a16z’s Chris Dixon on AI and Crypto

  • Chris Dixon discusses how crypto, AI, and new hardware could shape a pro-innovation internet.

  • He explores using crypto to decentralize AI infrastructure and create new business models for creators.

  • The talk addresses the potential for an open ecosystem versus control by a few centralized entities.

• AI Bosses on What Keeps Them Up at Night

  • Demis Hassabis of Google DeepMind and Dario Amodei of Anthropic discuss AI safety and timelines for artificial general intelligence.

  • They delve into the ethical implications and potential risks associated with advanced AI development.

  • The conversation highlights the responsibilities of AI leaders in ensuring safe and beneficial AI progress.

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• Ross Ulbricht, Silk Road Founder Pardoned by Trump, Calls to 'Free' Bitcoin Evangelist Roger Ver

  • Ross Ulbricht, recently pardoned by Trump, is now advocating for the release of Bitcoin advocate Roger Ver.

  • Ver, known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus,’ is facing tax-related legal issues and is currently fighting U.S. extradition.

  • Ulbricht’s statement has intensified libertarian and crypto community efforts to support Ver’s case.

• Microsoft Prepares for OpenAI's GPT-5 Model

  • Microsoft is preparing to integrate OpenAI’s upcoming GPT-4.5 codenamed Orion and GPT-5 into its AI services.

  • GPT-5 is expected to feature OpenAI’s advanced reasoning model, pushing toward artificial general intelligence AGI.

  • The release of GPT-5 is likely to coincide with Microsoft’s Build conference in May, featuring major AI updates.

• AI Coding Software Transforming Software Engineering

  • AI-powered coding tools are automating routine programming tasks, reshaping how software engineers work.

  • While boosting productivity, these tools raise concerns about job displacement and the role of human programmers.

  • Companies are increasingly investing in AI-driven development, signaling a fundamental shift in software engineering.