**Meta Platforms Inc.** is currently in discussions to inject a multibillion-dollar investment into **Scale AI**, a leading artificial intelligence startup. This potential deal could surpass **$10 billion in value**, positioning it among the most significant private company funding rounds ever recorded.

This strategic move underscores Meta's commitment to advancing its AI capabilities, leveraging Scale AI's expertise to potentially revolutionize how AI technologies are developed and deployed across industries.

Meta Platforms Inc. is in talks to make a multibillion-dollar investment into artificial intelligence startup Scale AI, according to people familiar with the matter.

Meta's Bold Move: Eyeing a $10B+ Investment in AI Pioneer Scale AI

## The PayPal Mafia's Influence on Politics and Business

First, **Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and David Sacks** revolutionized the financial-services industry with **PayPal**, a Silicon Valley startup that became a dominant force as the internet grew. Now, these conservative billionaires have leveraged their **wealth, power, and connections** from the "PayPal Mafia" into significant influence over the federal government, impacting their vast business empires.

### From Startup to Government Power

- **Elon Musk**, the world's wealthiest man, was appointed by **President Donald Trump** to overhaul federal government spending, showcasing his transition from a tech entrepreneur to a political influencer.
- **David Sacks** joined Trump’s administration as an adviser for **artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency**, leading the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
- **Peter Thiel**, a key backer of Trump’s 2016 campaign, played a pivotal role in political appointments and continues to influence through **Palantir**, a data giant with massive federal contracts.

### The PayPal Mafia's Legacy

The group, dubbed the **PayPal Mafia**, started as a scrappy team defying big banks and regulatory obstacles. After PayPal's sale to eBay for **$1.5 billion** in 2002, its members, especially Musk, Thiel, and Sacks, soared into successful careers in technology and venture capital, eventually wielding political power.

![President Donald Trump listens to White House adviser David Sacks](https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SJM-L-PAYPALMAFIA-0604-2.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)

### Collaborations and Conflicts

- **Thiel’s Founders Fund** has invested in Musk’s ventures like **SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company**, as well as Sacks’ social-networking startup **Yammer**.
- **Sacks’ Craft Ventures** has backed Musk’s **X.ai and Palantir**, highlighting their intertwined financial interests.
- Despite their collaborations, **potential conflicts of interest** have been raised, especially with their companies heavily reliant on **government contracts and regulations**.

![Elon Musk attends a news conference with President Donald Trump](https://i0.wp.com/www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SJM-L-PAYPALMAFIA-0604-4.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1)

### The Bigger Picture

Stanford’s **Steve Blank** notes that while PayPal initially didn’t affect the U.S. trajectory, the PayPal Mafia exemplifies **Silicon Valley’s expanding influence beyond tech**, into politics and national policy.

A look at how the conservative billionaires have leveraged their wealth and connections to positions of power that aid their businesses

The PayPal Mafia's Rise: How Musk, Thiel, and Sacks Transformed Silicon Valley into Political Powerhouses

**The debate over work culture intensifies as European startups resist adopting China's '996' model (9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week).** Here's what founders and VCs have to say about fostering productivity without sacrificing well-being.

### **Why European Startups Are Saying No to '996'**

- **Sarah Wernér, Co-founder of Husmus**, argues that **Europe needs aggressive funding, not hustle-porn**, to compete globally.
- The focus is on **sustainable growth**, where employee well-being is prioritized over excessive hours.

### **Key Insights from Founders & VCs**

1. **Quality Over Quantity**: Emphasizing **efficiency and innovation** during standard work hours leads to better outcomes.
2. **Mental Health Matters**: A healthy work-life balance is crucial for long-term success and employee retention.
3. **Funding as a Catalyst**: Access to capital is seen as a more significant barrier than work hours for startup growth.

### **The Global Perspective**

While '996' may offer short-term gains, the consensus among European entrepreneurs is clear: **sustainable practices win in the long run**. The discussion highlights a growing shift towards valuing **employee happiness and innovation** over relentless grind.

"What Europe really needs isn't more hustle-porn it's more aggressive funding," Husmus' co-founder Sarah Wernér told CNBC Make It on the work culture debate. 

European Startups Challenge China's '996' Work Culture: 7 Founders & VCs Speak Out

**Brad Menezes**, CEO of **Superblocks**, a startup specializing in enterprise vibe coding, has unveiled a unique strategy for uncovering the next wave of billion-dollar startup ideas. The secret? **Studying system prompts** used by leading AI startups. These prompts, often exceeding 5,000 words, instruct foundational AI models on how to operate within specific applications, serving as a goldmine for innovation.

### The Hidden Value in System Prompts

System prompts are not just instructions; they're a **masterclass in prompt engineering**. Menezes highlights that each company tailors its system prompt to the model's requirements for specific domains and tasks, making them invaluable for understanding how to leverage AI effectively.

### Sharing the Knowledge

In conjunction with the launch of their new enterprise coding AI agent, **Clark**, Superblocks has made a bold move by sharing a collection of **19 system prompts** from top AI coding products. This initiative has sparked significant interest, including from high-profile figures in the tech industry.

### The Anatomy of a System Prompt

Menezes breaks down the study of system prompts into three critical components:

1. **Role Prompting**: Assigns a specific role and personality to the AI, ensuring consistency in responses.
2. **Contextual Prompting**: Provides the AI with necessary background information to perform tasks accurately.
3. **Tool Use**: Instructs the AI on how to execute tasks beyond text generation, enabling more complex operations.

### The Bigger Picture

While the system prompt itself is crucial, Menezes emphasizes that **80% of the secret sauce** lies in the infrastructure built around it. This includes prompt enrichment and actions taken post-response, such as accuracy checks.

Superblocks' approach has already attracted notable customers, including **Instacart and Paypaya Global**, and is being used internally to streamline operations, demonstrating the practical application of these insights.

Brad Menezes, CEO of enterprise vibe coding startup Superblocks, is convinced that the next crop of billion-dollar startup ideas are hiding in almost plain sight: system prompts.

Unlocking Billion-Dollar Startup Ideas Through AI System Prompts: A CEO's Insight

**Slate Auto**, an emerging player in the electric vehicle (EV) sector, is making waves with its innovative approach to affordable EVs. Backed by none other than **Jeff Bezos**, the startup is focused on developing a **modular, stripped-down vehicle** designed to make electric mobility accessible to a broader audience.

### The Vision Behind Slate Auto
At the heart of Slate Auto's mission is the belief that **electric vehicles should be affordable without compromising on quality or performance**. The startup's modular design allows for easier manufacturing and maintenance, potentially lowering costs significantly.

### Stealth Production Facility
Slate Auto operates from a **stealth production facility**, keeping much of its operations under wraps. This secrecy has fueled speculation and excitement about what the startup is truly capable of delivering.

### Challenges Ahead
Despite the backing of high-profile investors like Jeff Bezos, Slate Auto faces a **long road ahead**. The EV market is highly competitive, with established players and new entrants vying for dominance. However, Slate Auto's unique approach could give it an edge in the race to make EVs more affordable.

### The Future of Affordable EVs
If successful, Slate Auto could **reshape the EV landscape**, making electric vehicles a viable option for millions more consumers. The startup's journey is one to watch closely as it navigates the challenges and opportunities of the EV market.

Slate Auto hopes its modular, stripped-down vehicle will be the future of affordable EVs, but it has a long road ahead.

Slate Auto: The Jeff Bezos-Backed EV Startup Revolutionizing Affordable Electric Vehicles

## Vizualized: 25 AI Startups on the Rise

**AI startups** are transforming industries, from **machine learning** to **creativity and art**. Among these, the customer service platform **Sierra** stands out, having raised **$110M**, the highest funding on Forbes’ list of rising startups. Notably, companies producing **AI productivity tools** have attracted the most funding, totaling **$704M**.

AI's ubiquity today is undeniable, yet its full potential remains uncertain, influenced by evolving policies. **Visual Capitalist** and **ACT | The App Association** have teamed up to demystify AI's economic impact in their **Decoding the AI Economy** series. This collaboration highlights the key players, diverse markets, and the history of AI investments in the **United States and Europe**.

### Companies on the Rise

Contrary to the belief that tech giants dominate the AI market, **small and medium-sized AI businesses** are making significant strides. Forbes has identified **25 promising AI startups**, showcasing the sector's dynamism and competitiveness. These startups are pioneering novel methods and applications, proving that innovation thrives beyond the big names.

### Unpacking the Key Players

The AI sector is a testament to the **brightest creative minds** building solutions to everyday problems. **ACT | The App Association** is set to release a comprehensive whitepaper on **June 12th, 2025**, exploring how premature antitrust actions could stifle AI innovation and proposing policies aligned with emerging technologies.

For those eager to learn more about the AI economy, additional insights are available [here](https://actonline.org/2024/08/01/competition-agencies-are-missing-key-evidence-with-efforts-to-prevent-ai-pre-crime/).

Visual Capitalist and The App Association have partnered to discover the 25 most promising startups in the field of AI.

25 Rising AI Startups Revolutionizing Industries: Who's Leading the Charge?

## The Harsh Reality of Transitioning from Founder to Employee

In a candid revelation, a former Indian startup founder shared the **challenges of job hunting** after shutting down his food and beverage startup. Despite his extensive experience in managing every aspect of his business, from marketing to finance, he found himself struggling to secure a job. Employers deemed his background **"too founder-y"** for structured roles, leaving him in a professional limbo.

![Representational image of a startup founder](https://www.hindustantimes.com/ht-img/img/2025/06/07/550x309/ricky-7JdL8HsOa2g-unsplash_1749288438655_1749288458622.jpg)

### The Struggle to Fit In

The founder, who chose to remain anonymous, detailed how he and his co-founders bootstrapped their healthy food startup, learning everything on the fly. However, without external funding, the venture couldn't sustain, leading to its closure. His attempts to re-enter the job market were met with feedback that he was **overqualified** or not niche enough for specific roles.

### Social Media Echoes the Sentiment

The post resonated with many online, sparking a wave of support and shared experiences. Suggestions ranged from reaching out directly to company founders to exploring new ventures while job hunting. The discussion highlighted a **less-talked-about aspect of entrepreneurship**—the quiet end of a founder's journey and the struggle to reintegrate into traditional employment.

A former Indian startup founder shared his struggles transitioning to job hunting after shutting down his food startup. | Trending

From Founder to Job Seeker: The Untold Struggle of a Failed Startup Entrepreneur

**Indian grocery delivery startup KiranaPro** faces a puzzling situation after a significant data loss incident. The company's servers and GitHub repositories were wiped clean, raising questions about whether this was an **internal breach or an external hack**.

### The Incident Unfolds
Last week, KiranaPro discovered it could no longer access its back-end servers, and all its data, including app code, had been deleted from GitHub. Initially, the startup pointed fingers at a **former employee**, alleging intentional deletion of critical data. However, co-founder and CEO Deepak Ravindran admitted that the company hadn't deactivated the employee's account post-departure, leaving room for potential **malicious misuse**.

### Investigation and Allegations
Ravindran shared a GitHub response linking the deletion to the former employee's username but conceded that a **full forensic investigation** hasn't been conducted. "We have to do a complete forensic check on the company," he stated, highlighting the need for an in-depth review of devices and systems.

### Security Lapses Revealed
KiranaPro's CTO, Saurav Kumar, confirmed that **employee offboarding was mishandled**, lacking proper HR protocols to revoke access. This oversight left the company vulnerable, with no certainty if the former employee's account was compromised by a third party.

### Data Restoration Efforts
Despite the chaos, KiranaPro managed to **restore its GitHub data** from a backup and regained access to its AWS account, which houses customer and transaction details. The company claims the AWS account was protected by **multi-factor authentication**, yet the breach's exact method remains unclear.

### Ongoing Concerns
With **customer data reportedly intact**, the startup is considering legal action but continues its investigation. Meanwhile, employees await full payment, as a recently raised seed round of **$1.2 million** hasn't been fully disbursed.

KiranaPro, backed by notable investors like Blume Ventures and Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, operates in 50 Indian cities, serving over 55,000 customers with its voice-based grocery shopping app.

Exclusive: The company's co-founder and CTO blame a former employee for a breach, but cannot rule out that it wasn't.

Meta's Bold Move: Eyeing a $10B+ Investment in AI Pioneer Scale AI

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Other Latest News

The PayPal Mafia's Rise: How Musk, Thiel, and Sacks Transformed Silicon Valley into Political Powerhouses

European Startups Challenge China's '996' Work Culture: 7 Founders & VCs Speak Out

Unlocking Billion-Dollar Startup Ideas Through AI System Prompts: A CEO's Insight

Slate Auto: The Jeff Bezos-Backed EV Startup Revolutionizing Affordable Electric Vehicles

25 Rising AI Startups Revolutionizing Industries: Who's Leading the Charge?

From Founder to Job Seeker: The Untold Struggle of a Failed Startup Entrepreneur

KiranaPro's Data Wipe Mystery: Internal Breach or External Hack?

Other Latest News

The PayPal Mafia's Rise: How Musk, Thiel, and Sacks Transformed Silicon Valley into Political Powerhouses

European Startups Challenge China's '996' Work Culture: 7 Founders & VCs Speak Out

Unlocking Billion-Dollar Startup Ideas Through AI System Prompts: A CEO's Insight

Slate Auto: The Jeff Bezos-Backed EV Startup Revolutionizing Affordable Electric Vehicles

25 Rising AI Startups Revolutionizing Industries: Who's Leading the Charge?

From Founder to Job Seeker: The Untold Struggle of a Failed Startup Entrepreneur

KiranaPro's Data Wipe Mystery: Internal Breach or External Hack?