Financials Have Been 'Less Loved,' Hermann Says
THE SO WHAT
If financials are “less loved” but still flush with capital, they’re positioned to be disciplined acquirers of fintech and AI tooling rather than growth stories themselves. Vendors selling into banks should expect longer cycles but potentially larger, more consolidation-driven deals.
READ THE SOURCE
MORE FROM THE WIRE
NATO is building an AI 'Kill Web' to stop Russian attackers in their tracks
AI-driven targeting is being wired into a real-time ‘kill web’ at alliance scale—defense AI is shifting from isolated pilots to integrated command infrastructure. Dual-use vendors should expect tighter export controls, more classified requirements, and longer but larger procurement cycles.
Tech & InnovationTrump Threatens More Iran Strikes | Open Interest 7/8/2026
Rising tension around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz is a reminder that the AI trade is now tightly coupled to geopolitics—energy prices, shipping lanes, and chip supply are all in play. If your roadmap assumes cheap power and stable logistics for data centers or hardware, stress-test those assumptions against a prolonged regional shock.
Tech & InnovationMeta just fixed a privacy vulnerability with its Ray-Ban smart glasses, but could cameraless designs be the better future?
Meta patching a privacy hole in Ray-Ban glasses while doubling down on data-hungry AI features shows the core tension in wearables—social acceptability versus data appetite. If you’re building ambient AI hardware, design for visible cues, explicit consent, and data minimization from day one or risk regulatory and consumer pushback.
Tech & InnovationMicrosoft’s Xbox to Shift Obsidian Studio to New ‘Fallout’ Video Game
Reallocating Obsidian from an Avowed sequel to a new Fallout is a classic IP-consolidation move—fewer bets, more on proven franchises. For studios and tooling vendors, that means more demand for pipelines that can reuse assets and systems across long-lived universes rather than one-off titles.