😎 Cleared for takeoff

Abu Dhabi has successfully completed a public test flight of a driverless air taxi. The flight was conducted with the support of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, in collaboration with Chinese company EHang and Multi Level Group (MLG).

Taking to the skies was the EHang EH216-S — a two-seater eVTOL equipped with 16 propellers and 32 electric motors. It's the world’s first certified pilotless passenger aircraft.

The test covered real-world conditions — including Abu Dhabi’s hot climate, airspace coordination, route planning, and vertiport infrastructure. The flight was monitored by the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority, which confirmed the vehicle met all regulatory and operational standards for future rollout.

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🧠 Mind over motorsport

A patient in China who lost all limbs in a car crash 13 years ago received a brain implant → and can now control devices, even play racing games, using only his thoughts.

The Shanghai-developed chip marks a major milestone, making China the second country after the U.S. to achieve this level of BCI progress.

@durovs_code

😘 Finally, free coins that aren’t a scam

Apple will let developers issue promo codes for all in-app purchases → not just subscriptions. Starting late 2025, apps and games can gift users free features, items, or consumables with a single-use code.

@durovs_code

🤔 Americans just invented a Chinese smartphone

Donald Trump’s team unveiled the T1 Android phone and a new virtual carrier, Trump Mobile.

The “Made in USA” device → looks suspiciously like a generic Chinese OEM phone.

@durovs_code

🛸 Flash, but make it Lite

Google has released the stable versions → of Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash — and introduced Flash-Lite, the "fastest and most efficient" model in the Gemini family.

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🤐 With partners like these…

OpenAI’s biggest partner might soon become its biggest problem. The company is reportedly considering filing an antitrust complaint → against Microsoft — accusing the tech giant of tightening its grip and blocking OpenAI’s plans to go fully commercial.

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🦴 $100M can’t buy vibes

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, speaking on the Uncapped podcast, accused Meta of poaching employees. According to him, Zuckerberg’s company has been offering staff bonuses of up to $100 million and high salaries.

However, Altman noted that “so far none of our best people have decided to take them up on that.” He believes employees are turning down the offers due to differing philosophies around AI.

Altman suggested that Meta is more focused on money and commercial success, rather than mission and purpose.

“There’s many things I respect about Meta as a company, but I don’t think they’re a company that’s great at innovation,” he concluded.

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⛔️ Messaging, but make it illegal

Telegram has been temporarily banned → in Malaysia after authorities accused it of “systematic inaction” and failing to remove harmful content.

According to the country’s media regulator, this is the first legal case against a social media platform in Malaysia.

@durovs_code

😽 Starship explodes during ground test in Texas

SpaceX has confirmed that its Starship prototype, Ship 36, suffered a “serious anomaly” during a static fire test at the company’s Starbase facility. The rocket was anchored to the launch pad and undergoing its second engine ignition test when it burst into flames around 11:00 p.m. local time.

The blast was powerful enough to shake nearby homes, with secondary fires reported at the site. Fortunately, no injuries or public safety risks were reported.

Starship was being prepped for its tenth test flight. SpaceX has not yet disclosed the cause of the failure.

@durovs_code

😂 A small win

A Paris appeals court has granted Pavel Durov permission to leave France and travel to Dubai, where his family resides and where Telegram's offices are based, according to French newspaper Le Monde.

The authorization takes effect on July 10 and allows the Telegram founder to remain in Dubai for no more than 14 consecutive days. Before departure, Durov must notify the investigating judge. All other conditions of the court order remain unchanged.

His lawyer, Christophe Ingrain, criticized law enforcement for “amateurism” and “multiple errors,” saying they had failed to use the proper procedures or communication channels.

This is the second time the court has approved Durov’s trip to Dubai — the first was in March this year.

@durovs_code

😆 More passwords than people

Researchers have discovered the biggest credential leak ever: over 16 billion records → including logins, passwords, tokens, and cookies — are now floating in the open.

@durovs_code

💻 Work in progress

A new to-do list feature is being tested in the beta version of Telegram for iOS.

💘 It lets users track tasks directly in chat — whether in private messages or group chats.

💘 Each list can include up to 30 items, which can be edited at any time.

💘 Depending on settings, new tasks can be added either by the list creator only or by all chat members. Two separate toggles will control who can add tasks and who can mark them as complete.

💘 A small avatar will appear next to the checkbox showing who completed the task.

@durovs_code

🤔 Make TikTok Great Again

Trump has delayed the TikTok ban again → this time by 90 days — saying the app is just too useful for talking to young voters during an election year.

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🐈 Telegram profiles on Android are getting a makeover

Telegram has launched a design contest inviting developers to redesign user profiles in the Android app.

💘 Prize pool — $50,000.

💘 The winner will be offered a job in Dubai with a salary of up to $1M.

💘 Deadline — July 11, 2025.

Participants are tasked with rethinking the current interface for all profile types: users, channels, and groups (including topic-based tabbed groups).

The redesign must support both light and dark themes, as well as related tabs and UI elements — including gift displays.

Full details are available on Telegram’s official contest channel.

@durovs_code

❤️ This weekend in #TECH

💘 Neuralink plans to test its vision-restoring eye implant in 2026.

💘 Apple reportedly considered acquiring AI search startup Perplexity.

💘 Meta and Oakley unveiled AI-powered smart glasses for athletes.

@durovs_code