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👋 Good Morning. Trump and Musk are throwing elbows. Apple just got smacked by the courts. Lululemon’s flexing abroad. And the Switch 2 might break the internet.

Also… The Morning Merge just crossed 10,000 subscribers 🎉 — massive thanks for being part of it. This started as an idea in my notes app and now reaches thousands of smart, curious people twice a week.

If you ever have feedback, spot a great story, or want something added in the newsletter — shoot me an email. I read and reply to every single one.

What’s Merging Today:
• ⚖️ Apple loses appeal to protect App Store fees
• 🥊 Elon and Trump are beefing
• 🌍 Lululemon shifts to global markets
• 🕹️ Nintendo Switch 2 already selling out pre-launch
• 🤖 Amazon testing humanoid delivery robots

MERGE MINDBLOWERS

🧬 Your DNA is 60% identical to a banana. 
Yes, really — life is weird and connected.

🧠 Octopuses have nine brains and three hearts. 
One brain for each tentacle, and two hearts just to pump blood to the gills.

🪐 If you could fold a piece of paper 42 times, it would reach the Moon. 
(Don’t try it — paper folds cap out around 7.)

⚡ A bolt of lightning contains enough energy to toast 100,000 slices of bread. Nature’s microwave.

📡 There’s a cloud of alcohol floating in space big enough to make 400 trillion pints of beer. Astronomers found it near the constellation Sagittarius.

TODAY IN AI

Apple loses round 2 in App Store showdown

A U.S. appeals court just smacked down Apple’s request to delay a ruling that would force it to allow developers to link to external payment methods — meaning Apple can’t stall much longer. This stems from the long-running Epic Games case and threatens to weaken Apple’s chokehold on in-app purchases, which currently nets the company billions annually.

💸 Apple’s current cut is 15–30% on most in-app payments. If this ruling sticks, developers could start redirecting users to pay outside Apple’s ecosystem — where Apple doesn’t get a dime.

🔍 Why it matters: This isn’t just a legal loss — it’s a potential structural shift in the mobile economy. If Apple’s walled garden cracks, Google could be next. For AI startups and digital services, this opens the door to better margins, less gatekeeping, and more control over user experience. The App Store as we know it might be in its final form.

TODAY IN TECH

Elon vs. Trump: The Billionaire Battle

Behind the scenes, Elon Musk and Donald Trump are reportedly clashing over political influence, social media dominance, and access to power. Trump’s camp is reportedly fuming over Elon’s growing ties to political leaders and his efforts to act as a policy kingmaker. Meanwhile, Musk has allegedly turned down Trump’s request for public support ahead of the 2024 election.

🔥 This follows months of Musk hosting presidential hopefuls on X (formerly Twitter), hanging with world leaders, and floating AI policy proposals like he’s in the West Wing.

🧠 Why it matters: We’re witnessing the collision of tech wealth and political ego. As AI, crypto, and social media reshape power structures, billionaires like Musk are no longer just “founders” — they’re geopolitical players. This beef isn’t about pride — it’s about who gets to shape the rules of the future.

TODAY IN BUSINESS

Lululemon’s still got stretch — just not in the U.S.

Lululemon beat Wall Street’s Q1 expectations with $2.2B in revenue, up 10% YoY. The catch? U.S. sales declined — their core North American market shrank by 3%. But don’t hit the panic button yet: international sales soared 35%, led by momentum in China and other global markets. Net income also rose 11% to $322M.

📉 North America slowdown: Check.
📈 Global dominance play: Also check.
Lulu is proving it can be more than just a North American athleisure darling.

💼 Why it matters: This is a textbook globalization hedge. Lululemon is strategically shifting its growth engine overseas as U.S. consumer spending softens. Brands that win the next decade won’t just dominate at home — they’ll scale culture, community, and commerce across continents. Lulu’s in motion, while others are standing still.

MERGE TOOLS

Top AI Tools This Week

✅ Todof 
Say goodbye to boring reminders. This AI tool adapts to how you procrastinate and nudges you with smarter, behavior-based prompts.

⚡ Korbit 
Write cleaner code, faster. Korbit acts as your AI code reviewer across GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

💬 MultipleChat 
Talk to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more — all from one sleek, unified AI dashboard built for productivity.

📅 Meetz.ai 
Automate outreach and fill your calendar with personalized AI-generated emails and built-in scheduling.

🧠 SecondBrain.fyi 
Instantly automate customer conversations on your site with an embedded AI chatbot trained to answer like you.

📰 The Sample
Discover your next favorite writer. The Sample curates articles from hundreds of blogs and newsletters, sending you personalized recommendations based on your interests.

🛠️ Want More? Check out our Top 50 AI Tools.

PRESENTED BY 1440 MEDIA

Stay In The Business Know with 1440

Are you looking for easy breakdowns and knowledge deep dives on the latest key concepts to help you understand business and finance topics? Finance news doesn’t have to be confusing. 1440’s weekly newsletter explains markets, policy, and investing in plain English—complete with charts, context, and links to learn more.

Knowledge Starts Here

WHAT ELSE IS MERGING

Everything else you need to know today

🌟 Gemini 2.5 Pro Raises the Bar: Google’s latest update to Gemini boosts coding, reasoning, and long-context performance — with the ability to handle 1 million tokens. Translation: this thing can summarize entire books and still have room for your group chat.

🧬 Anthropic CEO Calls for AI Transparency Rules: In a New York Times op-ed, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urges regulators to focus on AI transparency over model weights, arguing that keeping AI explainable is more critical than open-sourcing everything.

🚗 Volvo Debuts AI-Enhanced Seat Belts: Volvo’s new EX60 features an AI-assisted seat belt system that adjusts based on passenger type, movement, and crash predictions — continuing its legacy of safety-first innovation.

🎮 Nintendo Switch 2 Already Facing Shortages: The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 is expected to see massive demand and limited supply at launch. Retailers are even considering extended hours to handle the frenzy.

🤖 Amazon Testing Humanoid Delivery Robots: Amazon is piloting humanoid robots in warehouse-to-doorstep delivery trials, betting big on autonomous logistics that don’t just pack — they walk the packages out the door.

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Until next time,

Matt & The Morning Merge team.