Today’s headlines
- Medicare’s new ACCESS payment model creates a mechanism to pay for AI agents that monitor and coordinate care between visits. (TechCrunch)
- Sam Altman testified in Musk’s OpenAI trial after weeks of witness testimony; reporting highlights his testimony and comments about Musk’s impact on OpenAI. (The Verge, TechCrunch)
- Google’s Gemini updates focus on controlling phones and integration across Android and Chrome. (The Verge)
- Apple may add deep Camera app customization in iOS 27, per Bloomberg reporting cited by The Verge. (The Verge)
- Meta is testing a Threads AI account that users cannot block and is adding parental visibility into teens’ interests on Instagram. (The Verge)
- Kevin Hartz’s A* closed a $450M fund; Anthropic warned investors about secondary share platforms; Drew Baglino founded a heat-pump startup. (TechCrunch)
- Samsara is using an AI model and trucks to detect and prioritize pothole repairs. (TechCrunch)
Policy & healthcare
Medicare’s ACCESS payment model explicitly creates a way to reimburse AI-driven services that monitor patients between visits — tasks such as automated check-ins, care coordination, and medication follow-ups can now be funded under the new model. This is a concrete policy change that aligns reimbursement with continuous, agent-driven care workflows. (TechCrunch)
Product & platform updates
- Gemini: Google showcased Gemini features aimed at letting the assistant act on the phone for users, including deeper integration across Android and Chrome and new autofill-like behaviors. (The Verge)
- iOS 27: Bloomberg reporting (via The Verge) says Apple may allow far more customization of the Camera app, offering more control to phone photographers. (The Verge)
- Meta: Threads is testing a Meta AI account that users can invoke for context or answers but reportedly cannot be blocked; Instagram Teen Accounts will now surface “general topics” teens engage with to parents. (The Verge)
Legal & leadership
Coverage of the Musk v. OpenAI-related testimony continued as Sam Altman took the stand after two weeks of witnesses; separate reporting notes Altman’s claim that Musk did “huge damage” to OpenAI’s culture and that Musk at one point considered unusual succession plans. Reporting captures courtroom developments but many details remain part of the ongoing trial record. (The Verge, TechCrunch)
Funding & startups
- A* (Kevin Hartz) closed its third fund at $450M, with average check sizes reported around $3–5M, continuing a generalist investment approach that includes AI and healthcare. (TechCrunch)
- Anthropic publicly warned investors that secondary platforms offering access to its shares are not recognized on the company’s books. (TechCrunch)
- Drew Baglino launched Sadi Thermal Machines, a heat-pump startup; it is his second company since leaving Tesla in 2024. (TechCrunch)
Practical workflows & developer notes
- Samsara developed an AI model to detect potholes and estimate deterioration, applying models directly to fleet operations to prioritize repairs — a clear example of edge AI improving municipal workflows. (TechCrunch)
- Developers and product teams should watch the Medicare ACCESS change if building clinical or continuous-care agents, and watch platform product updates (Gemini, iOS 27, Threads) for new integration and UX constraints. (TechCrunch, The Verge)
Key takeaways
- Policy is catching up: Medicare’s ACCESS explicitly enables reimbursement for AI-driven, between-visit care. (TechCrunch)
- Platform control matters: Google and Apple are pushing deeper assistant and camera control on phones; Meta is centralizing AI assists on social platforms. (The Verge)
- Funding and startups keep flowing into AI-adjacent areas, from healthcare to infrastructure to climate tech. (TechCrunch)
- Legal and governance remain high-impact: OpenAI-related testimony and corporate controls continue to shape the narrative around AI leadership. (The Verge, TechCrunch)
Sources
- Medicare’s new payment model is built for AI, and most of the tech world has no idea
- Sam Altman was winning on the stand, but it might not be enough
- iOS 27 might add a lot more customization to the Camera app
- Meta won’t let you block its AI account on Threads
- Meta will tell parents when their teens add new interests to their Instagram algorithm
- Kevin Hartz’s A* just closed its third fund with $450M
- Former Tesla exec and Heron Power CEO Drew Baglino has founded a heat pump startup
- Gemini’s latest updates are all about controlling your phone
- Sam Altman says Elon Musk’s mind games were damaging OpenAI
- Musk mulled handing OpenAI to his children, Altman testifies
- Anthropic warns investors against secondary platforms offering access to its shares
- Potholes cost cities millions: This company is using AI and trucks to fix them
Not financial/professional advice