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What’s up Tech Squad? Apple is getting ready to disrupt your camera bag (again), national conservatives are beefing with Silicon Valley (and even Elon Musk isn’t safe), and AirPods Pro 3 might crash-land onto your shopping list way ahead of schedule. So whether you’re dodging AI heretics or just waiting for an 8x optical zoom selfie, we’ve got your digital drama covered.

How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

No wonder 10K+ everyday people are taking the chance on Pacaso.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

AirPods Pro 3 might drop way sooner than expected

Just when you thought you had Apple event bingo figured out, here comes Ming-Chi Kuo with the last-minute plot twist. Apple’s “Awe dropping” event on Tuesday could bring a surprise launch of AirPods Pro 3. (Sorry, wallet.)

• Kuo now says AirPods Pro 3 are set for a curtain call next week, tagging along with the iPhone 17.

• Expect next year’s version to get even spicier, with rumors swirling about AirPods equipped with actual cameras (because everything needs a camera now, apparently).

• This gen is rumored to pack heart rate monitoring, an all-new H3 chip for better sound and connectivity, and a slightly more compact charging case.

ICYMI: Bloomberg backs up the camera rumor, while Kuo claims the camera-laced AirPods will land in 2026. So, soon your earbuds might tell you if you’re alive and film the proof.

Tech vs. the New Right: AI, Heresy, and a Conference Full of Enemies

If you want to know how the “tech right” and MAGA populists are getting along, just peek into Breakout Room C at NatCon 5 - the annual summit where Trump’s brain trust argues about whether AI is a demonic force or just Silicon Valley being, well, Silicon Valley.

• National conservatives spent half the week blaming Big Tech for everything from melting kids’ brains to destroying Western civilization (and, in one wild quote, being “apostates to our faith”).

• The mood: Deep suspicion. Even AI’s China threat couldn’t win over this crowd, and “transhumanism” (read: tech turning us into cyborgs) is basically public enemy #1.

• Bridge-builders like Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar tried to defend tech’s honor, but even he was drowned out by panelists who’d rather “wage a holy war against AI developers.”

Who got the loudest applause? Steve Bannon, who compared Silicon Valley’s AI crowd to a “bottomless pit” of non-Americans who shouldn’t make decisions for the U.S.—the crowd went wild. The bottom line: On the right, tech is out. Crusading against AI? That’s the new ticket.

iPhone 17 Pro: The Content Creator’s New Power Tool?

Also set for Apple’s “Awe dropping” event on Tuesday is the new iPhones, and this year’s iPhone 17 Pro is shaping up to be a content creator’s fever dream. The rumors flying around? Apple’s going big on camera tech - think “goodbye, mirrorless,” hello, phone-in-your-pocket vlogging rig.

• 24MP front camera: Twice the megapixels and an extra lens element means selfies and video calls get a serious glow-up.

• 48MP telephoto lens: For the first time, all rear cameras on Pro models could be 48MP, optimized for Apple Vision Pro (but mum’s the word on what that actually means).

• 8x optical zoom: Get closer without sacrificing quality—Pro models might debut periscope-style moving lenses for continuous zoom.

• Dual video recording: Simultaneously shoot with front and rear cameras—a dream for vloggers.

• Variable aperture: Androids have done it, but iPhone’s turn could mean cinematic depth-of-field right from your pocket.

• Serious video upgrades: 8K video capture may be in play, and Apple is aiming to poach vloggers from their beloved dedicated cameras.

Apple wants to be the only camera in your bag. We’ll find out just how much on September 9 at Apple Park.

QUICK BITS

Australia to ban social media for under-16s.
Lawmakers down under will soon make it illegal for kids under 16 to open accounts on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Meta is lobbying hard to make sure everyone else has to play by the same rules.

Nepal blocks Facebook and WhatsApp (yes, really).
In a surprise crackdown, Nepal banned 26 social media platforms—including Facebook, WhatsApp, and X—citing “public order” concerns.

Apple’s robotics AI chief bolts for Meta.
Zian Jhang, Apple’s lead AI robotics researcher (and three other key AI scientists), just left Cupertino for Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic. The “AI brain drain” is real.

Meta rolls out AI-powered voice dubbing for Reels.
Facebook and Instagram creators can now use AI to auto-dub their Reels in English or Spanish. Expect your feed to get a lot more…multilingual.