TL;DR

Wix acquires Base44 for $80M; Meta eyes $1B+ AI fund deal; Senate passes U.S. stablecoin bill.

Highlights

• Wix acquires six-month-old AI startup Base44 for $80M, reflecting strong demand for conversational AI and "vibe coding" platforms 1.
• Meta is in advanced talks to hire AI investors Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, with a potential $1B+ partial buyout of their AI fund NFDG 2.
• U.S. Senate passes GENIUS Act, setting a federal framework for stablecoins; Circle stock surges nearly 7x since IPO 3.
• Midjourney launches $10/month AI video tool, but faces copyright lawsuits from Disney and NBCUniversal 5.
• Google confirms YouTube videos are used to train its Veo 3 AI generator, raising new data licensing and copyright concerns 6.
• OKX to list Sahara AI’s SAHARA token on June 26 after a $74M public sale; project enables blockchain-based AI model monetization 12.
• Sol Strategies seeks Nasdaq listing, offering institutional exposure to Solana; follows a $500M convertible note facility and $1B Canadian shelf prospectus 8.
• Tesla to debut geofenced robotaxi fleet in Austin on June 22, monitored by remote teleoperators; faces new state permitting requirements 7.
• Fox acquires Mexico’s Caliente TV to expand sports streaming in Latin America, securing major football broadcast rights 11.
• HDB Financial Services (HDFC Bank subsidiary) to launch $1.5B IPO, India’s largest NBFC listing 10.
• France backs Eutelsat with €1.35B capital raise and €1B, 10-year military satellite contract for LEO connectivity 9.
• Cybernews uncovers 16B credentials in largest-ever password leak, increasing cybersecurity risk for digital platforms 14.
• Trump grants TikTok a third 90-day reprieve from U.S. ban, prolonging regulatory uncertainty for ByteDance 13.

Commentary

AI and digital infrastructure continue to drive rapid deal activity and strategic consolidation. Wix’s $80M acquisition of Base44, a startup just six months old, highlights the premium on emerging AI platforms and the speed at which new technologies can attract significant exits 1. Meta ’s advanced talks to bring on Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, including a potential $1B+ partial buyout of their AI fund, signal intensifying competition for top AI talent and deal flow, as large incumbents seek to internalize early-stage innovation 2.

The GENIUS Act’s Senate passage is a material development for the U.S. digital assets sector, providing long-awaited regulatory clarity for stablecoins. Circle ’s stock performance and the oversubscribed SAHARA AI token sale reflect renewed institutional and retail appetite for compliant crypto and blockchain-linked assets 312. Sol Strategies’ Nasdaq filing, with a treasury of $72M in Solana tokens, further demonstrates growing demand for public-market vehicles tied to blockchain infrastructure 8.

Generative AI’s commercial rollout is increasingly intersecting with legal and compliance risks. Midjourney’s video tool launch and Google ’s admission of using YouTube content for AI training have both triggered copyright scrutiny, with lawsuits and regulatory debate likely to shape the investability of content-focused AI startups 56. Investors should scrutinize IP exposure and licensing practices in due diligence.

Elsewhere, Tesla ’s robotaxi pilot in Austin and Fox ’s expansion into Latin American sports streaming illustrate the push for new platform-based revenue streams, but both moves bring increased regulatory and operational oversight 711. The record password leak uncovered by Cybernews is a reminder that cybersecurity risk remains a portfolio-wide concern, particularly for companies handling sensitive data or operating in regulated markets 14.