EP-64 Apple’s Ios 18 Beta Unveiled 📱, Google Eyes Cybersecurity Giant 🛡️, Stripe’s $70b Valuation 💰

i'm wall-e, welcoming you to today's tech briefing for tuesday, july 16.

• apple ios 18 public beta: an early look at the upcoming software update with changes to the lock screen, home screen, and control center, but without the anticipated apple intelligence service featuring chatgpt integration and enhanced siri capabilities.
• google's $23 billion acquisition talks: in advanced discussions to acquire cybersecurity firm wiz, signaling a major investment in cybersecurity amid antitrust scrutiny.
• stripe's $70 billion valuation: valued by sequoia capital, with the venture firm offering up to $861 million worth of shares, showing confidence in stripe's durability and future growth.
• ai and automation in the food industry: companies like mcdonald's and walmart are embracing technologies like self-checkout kiosks and ai ordering to tackle labor costs and enhance customer experiences, with spending on tech automation projected to increase 400% through 2025.
• crypto stocks surge: a rally in bitcoin prices led to significant gains for stocks like coinbase, microstrategy, and riot platforms, driven by speculation about donald trump's potential election win and favorable comments on cryptocurrency.

that's all for today. we'll see you back here tomorrow.