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This Week's Tech Stories That Actually Matter

OpenAI Just Declared War on Zapier, Make, N8N and Every Automation Tool

OpenAI Dev Day dropped the bomb: ChatGPT now searches Zillow directly, pulls data from Figma, and integrates with dozens of apps without leaving the chat. No more copying and pasting. No more switching tabs.

Most people think this killed automation tools like Zapier and Make overnight. Here's what I think about it: [LinkedIn post]

The integration wars just got real. When ChatGPT becomes your workflow, standalone automation tools need a new strategy.

Texas-Based Base Power Landed $1 Billion for Home Battery Revolution

Texas-based Base Power, led by Zach Dell (Michael Dell's son), secured a colossal $1 billion Series C at over $3 billion valuation. The company leases home battery systems that provide backup power and feed energy to the grid during peak demand.

The funding came from Addition, Lightspeed, Andreessen Horowitz, and even Trump Jr.'s venture firm. Base Power is addressing surging electricity needs as AI data centers strain local utilities.

Your house just became a mini power plant. And it's profitable.

Routefusion Raised $26.5M and Set Up Shop in Houston

Fintech startup Routefusion announced a $26.5M raise and expansion into Houston, partnering with local banks to launch embedded payments solutions for oil and gas companies. The cross-border payment platform is bringing fintech infrastructure to Texas energy giants.

Houston's making moves. When fintech startups choose Texas over Silicon Valley and go straight after Big Energy's payment flows, you know the power balance is shifting.

Reflection AI Raised $2 Billion for Open-Source Superintelligence

Brooklyn's Reflection AI secured a massive $2 billion Series B at an $8 billion valuation. The company, founded by former Google DeepMind researchers, is building open-source superintelligent AI models.

The funding came from heavyweights including Nvidia, B Capital, DST Global, Eric Schmidt's family office, and Sequoia. Barely a year old, Reflection AI is positioning itself as a major OpenAI competitor by keeping its models open for community oversight.

When ex-DeepMind folks raise $2 billion to build open-source AI, the closed-model crowd starts sweating.

HavocAI Secured $85M to Build Autonomous Military Boats

Rhode Island defense tech startup HavocAI raised $85 million to scale production of AI-driven military boats. Co-founded by former Navy officers, the company retrofits commercial vessels with proprietary autonomy software.

HavocAI has already deployed over 20 robotic vessels for the U.S. Army and Navy, from 14-foot speedboats to 100-foot patrol ships. Investors include the CIA's In-Q-Tel, Lockheed Martin, and B Capital Group.

When ex-Navy guys start building robot warships with CIA money, the future of naval warfare just changed.

TL;DR: That's your week. OpenAI attacked workflows, Texas dominated energy and fintech, AI raised billions, Elon reached half a trillion, and autonomous warships hit the water. The future keeps accelerating.

Cheers,
Oleg👊

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