Apple Lawsuit, Neuralink Success, and the Beauty of Worker Ants

US Sues Apple

The US Department of Justice yesterday filed a suit against Apple, alleging the tech giant violated antitrust laws in the smartphone market by making it exceedingly challenging for third parties to integrate with iPhones. The company has argued the policies are needed to maintain a high-quality user experience for their software. 

The lawsuit is separate from a recent challenge against Apple's App Store, which requires up to 30% commission for any payment made via any downloaded app. Roughly 65% of US smartphone users own an iPhone. Shares of Apple dropped 4% on the news yesterday.

Among other issues, prosecutors noted the "green bubble issue," where texts from non-iPhone users appear as green bubbles while all others are blue. Such users suffer from poor video and photo transmission, as well as lacking end-to-end encryption.

The suit included a mention of a viral clip of Apple CEO Tim Cook urging a questioner to purchase his mother an iPhone to send high-quality videos. 

Neuralink Checkmate

Brain-computer interface company Neuralink released a video yesterday purporting to show a quadriplegic patient who had received one of its implants playing a game of online chess with his mind. The nine-minute video features 29-year-old Nolan Arbaugh, who was paralyzed from the shoulders down in 2015 after a diving accident. Arbaugh became the first human patient to undergo the implant trial with Neuralink in January.

Founded in 2016 by Elon Musk (see deep dive), Neuralink develops invisible, wireless brain implants designed to restore control and movement to people with limited mobility due to brain-related issues. The procedure involves the use of a proprietary robot surgically implanting a coin-sized transponder underneath the skull. The Food and Drug Administration authorized Neuralink to conduct human trials in May.

The company also plans to offer the implant to healthy people to allow bodily integration with computers. Neuralink has faced scrutiny for its trials on monkeys, which reportedly required many to be euthanized. 

Truth Social Merger

Shareholders are expected to vote today on whether to merge publicly traded shell company Digital World Acquisition with Trump Media and Technology Group, the owner of former President Donald Trump's Truth Social platform. If approved, Trump Media could go public as soon as next week, more than doubling Trump's $2.6B net worth.

Digital World Acquisition is a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, valued at $1.6B. It proposed merging with Trump Media in October 2021, four months before Truth Social launched. DWA's shares have climbed 145% to $43 this year, with Trump's supporters bolstering its status as a meme stock—an equity that gains popularity through social media.

The deal values Truth Social at $6B despite its financial performance. Truth Social generated about $5M in sales and lost roughly $32M since launching. Trump would own nearly 60% of the combined entity; his wealth is projected to rise by $3.5B at current share prices, though he's restricted from selling shares for six months post-merger per deal provisions.

Discovered, an “Infinite” Supply of Energy

NASA and SpaceX say we need renewable energy to get to Mars, and Infinity Fuel Cell & Hydrogen, Inc. is already making it happen. 

The company is set apart for generating power in hard-to-reach places – like underwater or outer space. In fact, they recently launched their fuel cell technology aboard a Blue Origin rocket. It was a milestone following Infinity’s decades of research and development through $50M+ in contracts with NASA, US Navy, Air Force, and more.

With so many potential applications (including a future moon colony), the best time to invest in Infinity is now. Become an Infinity shareholder while you can.

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