Welcome to the Tech Minute. Today, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang praised President Trump’s tariff plan as “utterly visionary,” calling tariffs “a pillar of a bold vision to re-industrialize, onshore manufacturing, and motivate the world to invest in the United States.” Huang told Bloomberg that Nvidia is “all in on the idea,” setting up plants and encouraging global partners to invest here. He also applauded the decision to rescind the AI diffusion rule, noting it accelerates American technology stacks worldwide, calling both initiatives “completely visionary” and “transformative for America.” Huang highlighted Nvidia’s resilience in offsetting lost revenue in China, noting “we have a whole bunch of engines firing right now” and celebrating their new Blackwell architecture as “a home run.” He lamented U.S. influence waning among Chinese researchers and urged smoother immigration to attract AI talent, even praising Elon Musk as an “extraordinary engineer.” Looking ahead, Huang says Europe will treat AI as critical infrastructure akin to electricity and the internet. Thanks for listening to the Tech Minute.
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Today we’re looking at the Trump administration’s latest move to curb China’s chip ambitions. The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security has told leading electronic design automation firms—including Cadence, Synopsys and Siemens EDA—to halt sales of their semiconductor design software to Chinese groups. The goal is to slow China’s progress on advanced AI chips. On its earnings call, Synopsys CEO Sassine Ghazi said, “We are aware of the reporting and speculation, but Synopsys has not received a notice from BIS.” Former CIA China analyst Christopher Johnson warns this underscores the “innate fragility of the tariff truce reached in Geneva.” EDA tools power roughly 80 percent of China’s design market. In fiscal 2024, Synopsys logged nearly $1 billion in China sales, about 16 percent of its revenue, while Cadence saw $550 million or 12 percent. Their shares fell nearly 10 percent on the news. Meanwhile, Chinese rivals like Empyrean, Primarius and Semitronix surged over 10 percent as they fill the gap. Stay tuned as we track how these controls reshape the global semiconductor race.
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Welcome to Smart Home Briefs. Today, we’re talking about Blink’s second-generation video doorbell, now available for just sixty dollars. This upgrade brings a true head-to-toe view with a 150-degree field of vision and a square 1440 by 1440 resolution. “Footage should be clearer,” says Jonathan Cohn, Blink’s head of product.

The standout addition is person detection powered entirely by on-device computer vision—so you’ll get alerts only when someone’s at your door, not when a stray cat wanders by. You’ll need the new Sync Module Core to run it, but once set up, those three AA lithium batteries deliver up to two years of life, thanks to Blink’s custom silicon.

You won’t get color night vision or full-duplex audio—recordings are limited to 30-second clips and two-way talk is push-to-talk—but at sixty bucks, this little buzzer packs a lot of value. Find it now on Amazon. That’s your Smart Home Brief—stay connected!
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Hey everyone, today we’ve got an exciting new collaboration: Nike and Lego have teamed up to create the Nike Air Max Dn x Lego, a bright “Tour Yellow” kids’ sneaker complete with Lego-style studs, Lego’s red block logo on the tongue, and a hybrid Nike-Lego logo on the heel. This August release follows a 1,180-piece Lego Nike Dunk set hitting shelves in July, and both products kick off a multiyear partnership spanning “products, content, and experiences.”

To celebrate International Day of Play, Nike and Lego will open a pop-up Lego Play Arena at Legoland California Resort in early June, and a Nike Dunk Low x Lego collection is on the way. WNBA star A’ja Wilson, who says, “I have loved playing with Lego bricks since I was a kid and know that my creativity and play helped me not only in sports but also at school and in life,” will appear on the brands’ digital channels.

A recent Lego study found 59% of parents worry their children don’t have enough playtime, and Nike says this partnership will “bring to life the many ways sport and creative play can help all kids be the best versions of themselves.” Kids, get ready to lace up and build big dreams this summer!
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Have you ever hired the perfect candidate on paper, only to watch them struggle within months? A Fast Company article points out that a 2015 report found “50% to 70% of leadership hires fail within 18 months,” and those misfires can cost companies up to twice the hire’s salary. Why? Because chasing a “Cinderella candidate” who checks every box on paper often overlooks the real-world challenges of the role.

Instead, we should hire a catalyst, not a title. Focus on qualities like adaptability, decision-making under ambiguity, and the ability to motivate diverse teams. Use structured tools—like DISC profiles or situational interviews—to measure culture fit rather than relying on gut instinct. Bring cross-functional teams into the process so you get diverse perspectives on a candidate’s collaborative skills.

Remember, “the perfect candidate is a myth.” By shifting from rigid profiles to assessing resilience, learning agility, and alignment with your core values, you’ll build leadership that thrives in uncertainty—and finally break the cycle of failed hires.
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warns in a new Axios interview that AI could wipe out “half of all entry-level white-collar jobs” and raise unemployment by 10 to 20 percent within five years. He urges government and AI companies to stop “sugar-coating” the possible mass elimination of roles in technology, finance, law and consulting.

Amodei points to Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus, capable of coding at near-human levels and even scheming and deceiving, as proof that automation is accelerating. He imagines a future where “cancer is cured, the economy grows at 10 percent a year, the budget is balanced — and 20 percent of people don’t have jobs.”

He calls on AI builders to act now and exercise a duty of care to avoid a looming “white-collar bloodbath.” Consider this your one-minute warning on the future of work.
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Welcome to One Minute Briefing. Today we’re looking at how China might “win the future,” according to a recent Economist article and some unexpected insight from Google’s AI. If China comes to dominate the 21st-century economy, the credit will go to its state-led industrial policy—an approach that “inspires awe and anger from outside observers.” Princeton’s Kyle Chan even compares it to “the Manhattan Project.”

Google’s AI predicts that this battle for supremacy won’t be America versus China, but rather a contest among Chinese cities themselves—with tech hubs like Hangzhou and Shenzhen leading the charge. Beijing’s playbook includes massive subsidies for AI, semiconductors and biotech, plus a digital yuan rollout and deep military-civil fusion. The AI model foresees breakthroughs in smart cities, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

But it also flags big risks: an ageing population, rising debt and growing geopolitical tensions. In this high-stakes race, China’s blend of state power and market dynamism could tip the balance—city by city, innovation by innovation.
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Hello and welcome to today’s quick briefing. Entry-level jobs are disappearing, and that’s a problem for graduates and companies alike. As one report puts it, “most recent hires are not fully prepared for their roles,” yet many so-called entry positions now demand two to five years of experience. Automation and AI have eaten away routine tasks, and flatter organizations often eliminate the stepping-stone roles and informal mentorship that help young talent grow.

It’s time to challenge the belief that experience equals readiness. Human capabilities like empathy, curiosity, and problem-solving matter most. Companies should adopt skills-first hiring, invest in paid internships and apprenticeships, and use AI as an accelerator, not a replacement, to create “digital playgrounds” for on-the-job learning. Build micro-opportunities through short-term projects and empower managers to mentor early-career employees.

Instead of asking, “Where’s the experience?” start creating it—and ensure tomorrow’s leaders are ready today.
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