While US tech giants are still dreaming up the future of humanoid robots, China’s Unitree Robotics has already dropped a $5,900 robot named R1—and it’s shockingly capable. From doing cartwheels to running downhill, this four-foot robot is no gimmick. It’s lightweight, AI-powered, and even cheaper than many electric scooters. Compared to Tesla’s Optimus, which could cost up to $20,000, the R1 feels like a serious attempt to bring robots into our daily lives. With built-in Wi-Fi 6, voice/image recognition, and a strong spec sheet, Unitree seems determined to make humanoid robots mainstream before anyone else does.
Bill Gates might be one of the richest people on the planet, but his connection with his massive home near Lake Washington isn’t about luxury. For him, Xanadu 2.0 is something much more personal.
Built over seven years and spread across 66,000 square feet, this high-tech mansion is worth more than $130 million today. But Gates isn’t thinking of selling it or even downsizing. Despite no longer living there with family, he says the house still holds deep emotional value.
In past interviews, Gates shared that the mansion is filled with memories and moments that shaped his life. It’s not just a house, but a symbol of how far he’s come — both as a tech visionary and as a father. The home has seen family milestones, long brainstorming sessions, and the rise of Microsoft.
Even though Gates is now divorced and his kids are grown up, they still visit the estate often. This makes Xanadu 2.0 a continued meeting point for family, something he clearly treasures.
Interestingly, Gates also refuses to renovate or change much inside. For him, the place is perfect the way it is — a blend of old tech innovations, personal memories, and peaceful surroundings.
While he’s known for living simply and giving most of his wealth away, this mansion is one part of his life he’s not willing to let go. And honestly, it makes sense. Some places are just too full of life to ever feel like real estate.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), the biggest name in Indian IT, is letting go of around 12,000 employees in the coming year. That’s a serious move. And while it’s being described as part of a tech transition, it also shows how much the industry is changing beneath the surface.
TCS is trying to reinvent itself by investing more in AI, automation, and newer work models. But it seems not every role fits into that picture anymore. Especially for those in middle and senior positions, the message is clear—the company is shifting gears, and not everyone will be on that ride.
They’ve also introduced new rules for employees who are between projects. Now, you need to be actively billed for most of the year. If you’re not contributing to a live project within a short time, your future at the company could be uncertain. That’s a big cultural shift from the way IT firms used to function.
What’s also interesting is that some insiders say the exit process is not as smooth as it sounds. While severance packages and benefits are being offered, there are reports of quiet pressure being put on employees to resign instead of waiting for a formal termination.
This isn’t just a TCS story. It reflects what’s happening across the tech space. Skills are evolving fast, and companies want talent that can keep up with that pace. If anything, this move is a reminder that staying relevant is now more important than ever.
In July 2025, Meta Platforms made a bold move by hiring Shengjia Zhao, one of the key minds behind ChatGPT and GPT‑4, as the Chief Scientist of its newly launched Superintelligence Labs. This marks a major step in Meta’s race toward artificial general intelligence (AGI), putting it in direct competition with OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
Who Is Shengjia Zhao?
Zhao did a bachelor’s degree at Tsinghua University and a PhD in computer science at Stanford University.
Shengjia Zhao is a renowned AI researcher best known for his work at OpenAI, where he co-authored the research paper behind ChatGPT. He also contributed significantly to the development of GPT‑4, compact models like GPT-4.1 and o3, and OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model, which sparked the “chain-of-thought” revolution in AI.
One of his most important ideas was a “new scaling method”, used in OpenAI’s o1 model—a system designed to solve complex problems using reasoning, much like a human brain.
What Is Meta Superintelligence Labs?
Launched in June 2025, Meta’s Superintelligence Labs is a new research division dedicated to creating superintelligent AI systems. Unlike Meta’s existing FAIR unit, this lab is entirely focused on Artificial General Intelligence AGI—scaling up models, building novel architectures, and pushing the frontier of AI research.
Meta has invested billions of dollars into this initiative, including infrastructure, AI talent acquisition, and open-source research.
We are excited to announce that @shengjia_zhao will be the Chief Scientist of Meta Superintelligence Labs!
Shengjia is a brilliant scientist who most recently pioneered a new scaling paradigm in his research. He will lead our scientific direction for our team.
In mid-2024, Meta took a big leap by launching its SuperintelligenceLabs, a new unit focused on building advanced AI systems. Right from the start, they brought in Shengjia Zhao as the Chief Scientist. He will now work with Mark Zuckerberg and Alexandr Wang, Meta’s Chief AI Officer. Interestingly, Zuckerberg didn’t just welcome him—he referred to Zhao as a “co-founder” of the lab, showing how central he is to this mission.
Zhao’s main job is to guide the lab’s research, help improve Meta’s Llama AI models, and lead the push toward developing smarter, more human-like AI tools.
Why This Matters
Zhao brings credibility and clarity: With a track record of actual breakthroughs, his presence makes Meta’s AGI mission more credible.
Meta is back in the AGI race: After mixed results with LLaMA 4, Meta is repositioning itself as a serious player.
Talent wars are heating up: By pulling top talent from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, Meta is signaling its aggressive intent.
Final Thoughts
With Zhao leading the charge, Meta is not just building another AI lab—it’s crafting a bold new future. His deep research background, combined with Meta’s scale and vision, could unlock the next era of intelligent systems. Whether you’re a developer, entrepreneur, or just an AI enthusiast, this is one story you’ll want to keep an eye on.
Google’s diving into the no-code AI wave with Opal, a new tool that lets anyone build mini web apps just by typing what they want. Now testing in the U.S. via Google Labs, Opal turns your text prompts into working apps and even shows you a visual workflow you can tweak. It’s Google’s answer to tools like Cursor and Canva, aiming to make app-building accessible—even if you don’t code.
Tesla just confirmed that its long-rumored cheap EV is real—and yes, production actually started in June. But don’t get too excited just yet. Full-scale rollout won’t happen until late 2025. The company’s focusing on pushing out pricier models first, before the $7,500 EV tax credit ends in September. Elon Musk hinted it’s not a totally new car, but a stripped-down Model Y. If true, it could shake up the EV market—assuming it doesn’t eat into Tesla’s own sales. After years of promises, the pressure’s on to finally deliver an affordable Tesla that actually reaches the masses.
Intel just confirmed it’ll trim its workforce down to 75,000 by end of 2025—a steep drop from nearly 109,000 last year. As part of its restructuring to cut costs, the chip giant is also cancelling big construction plans in Germany and Poland, while slowing expansion in the U.S. and shifting focus to existing sites in Vietnam and Malaysia. New CEO Lip-Bu Tan seems serious about rebooting Intel’s finances, even if it means tough choices. After years of sliding performance, this aggressive downsizing may be painful—but it might be the reset Intel needs.
Starlink just faced one of its worst hiccups of 2025—a global outage that knocked out internet access for users, including Ukrainian military forces. The downtime lasted about 2.5 hours, caused by internal software service failures, according to Starlink’s engineering VP. Connectivity dropped to just 16% worldwide, with Ukraine’s frontline hit especially hard. Now that service is mostly back, it does make you wonder—can Starlink really handle the pressure as it rolls out new features like T-Mobile’s T-Satellite messaging? Outages this big are rare, but this one shows just how critical—and fragile—our reliance on satellite internet has become in both war zones and daily life.
The iOS 26 public beta is here, and it’s Apple’s biggest iPhone software update in a decade. The centerpiece is “Liquid Glass,” a vibrant, animated redesign that rethinks the entire UI. iOS 26 also introduces smarter Messages, a revamped Phone app with call screening, redesigned Camera and Photos apps, Live Translation, and a new Apple Games app. Apple Intelligence adds real-time translation, visual search from screenshots, and deeper ChatGPT integration. CarPlay gets widgets and multitasking boosts, while Music adds AutoMix transitions. The update is bold, playful—and not without controversy. Apple’s aiming to set the tone for iOS’s next decade.
Mumbai-based startup Enlite has raised ₹46 crore in Series A funding led by Avaana Capital to take its AI-powered building automation systems global. Founded in 2017, Enlite makes plug-and-play solutions combining hardware, cloud, and edge AI—no rewiring needed. After bootstrapping for 7 years, the company now plans to expand into the Middle East and Southeast Asia while growing its presence across Indian sectors like hospitality, pharma, and real estate. Already deployed across 25 million sq. ft., Enlite’s tech aims to replace outdated, fragmented systems with smart, efficient automation. The team is also piloting an LLM directly on its hardware.
