🐺 AI > Hiring? Shopify’s CEO Thinks So

Happy Thursday friends,

The AI scene is moving like it’s double-tapping espresso shots. What’s new? This week we’ve got smarter models that toggle between logic and lightning speed, Shopify’s CEO doubling down on AI over hiring, and Amazon testing a shopping agent that might out-cart you.

Whether you're building lean, prototyping fast, or just trying to keep up with the bots, there’s something in here for you. Let’s get into it.

📰 What’s Trending?

Deep Cogito’s Hybrid Models Are Built to Think Fast (and Smart)
Deep Cogito just dropped a new family of AI models that toggle between “reasoning” and “non-reasoning” modes. The result? Smarter decisions and lightning-fast replies.
💡 Why it matters: Build apps that can handle nuance without slowing down—ideal for smarter chatbots, dynamic content tools, or user-personalized experiences.

IBM’s z17 Mainframe Handles 450 Billion AI Inferences a Day
Yep, IBM’s back in the chat. The z17 mainframe is enterprise-grade compute for AI at scale—built for use cases like fraud detection, predictive analytics, and real-time personalization.
💡 Startup edge: Building a data-heavy SaaS? Partnering with this kind of infrastructure could save your backend (and budget).

Meta’s Llama 4 Hits with Open-Source Power—But Not Without Drama
Meta’s open-source Llama 4 just launched, giving devs more access to build freely. But now they’re being accused of benchmark gaming—researchers found the tested version of “Maverick” wasn’t the same as what got released.
💡 Takeaway: Great tool for founders, but stay sharp—performance claims don’t always match what hits the repo.

Shopify’s CEO: Use AI Before You Hire
Tobi Lütke is telling teams to lean into AI tools before expanding headcount—a signal that automation-first ops are the new default.
💡 For lean teams: If Shopify’s scaling this way, your startup probably should too. Use AI to own your backend before you hire for it.

Amazon’s “Buy for Me” AI Agent Is Shopping the Whole Internet
Amazon is quietly testing an AI agent that browses and buys across third-party sites—not just Amazon.
💡 Why marketers should care: Your ecommerce site might be optimized for humans. Now optimize for bots.

Actively AI Raises $22.5M to Build a Sales Super-Rep
This startup’s building an AI sales tool that doesn’t just write emails—it thinks, qualifies, and closes like a real rep. Backed by $22.5M in funding.
💡 Why this matters: If you’re spending half your day in outreach hell, this could be your future SDR.

Google’s AI Mode Can Analyze Images Like a Smart Shopper
Google's new feature lets users ask multi-step questions about images—like product comparisons, feature analysis, and reviews in one go.
💡 For ecommerce founders: Visual SEO and product photography just got way more important.

Microsoft Is Building a Personalized AI Companion for Everyone
Microsoft’s AI lead Mustafa Suleyman revealed they’re working on personal AI companions that adapt to each user—going beyond tools like Copilot to something more intuitive and embedded.
💡 Startup lens: Think AI that knows your workflow, not just answers your questions. Huge implications for productivity, creativity, and solo founders.

Mira Murati’s New Startup Is Stacking Talent
Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, just brought on heavy-hitting advisers Bob McGrew and Alec Radford—two other OpenAI vets.
💡 Why it matters: This crew helped shape modern AI. Whatever they’re building could be the next major platform layer.

📖 Marketer’s Playbook

AI App Prototyping Just Got a Glow-Up
Google quietly launched Firebase Studio, and if you’re a marketer thinking “I’m not a dev, why should I care?”—this one’s for you. Firebase Studio lets you build and deploy AI-powered web apps fast. Think: launching a working demo in a day, not weeks.

💡 Start With the Idea, Not the Code
Got a lead gen tool idea? A campaign mini-site? A GPT-style quiz? Plug it into Firebase Studio’s prototyping agent. Describe what you want—UI layout, backend schema, desired AI behavior—and it spins up a working app structure. You don’t need to touch VS Code. It’s ChatGPT meets Webflow… but with deployment power.

🎛️ Drag. Drop. Deploy.
You can tweak everything in a clean visual editor: nav bars, copy blocks, AI agents. When it’s ready, deploy directly to Firebase Hosting. Real backend, live endpoints, no fake buttons. Perfect for MVPs, marketing experiments, or client-facing demos that look way more expensive than they are.

🧠 Build With AI Agents
Want a custom chatbot for your site? Or a smart recommendation engine? Firebase Studio supports multi-agent AI workflows—meaning you can stitch together intelligent features like "Chat with our Product Specialist" or “Find the Right Plan” in minutes. It’s like giving your landing page a brain.

🔁 Test, Rinse, Repeat
Marketing is iteration. Firebase Studio’s built-in testing and rollback features make it safe to run A/B tests across microsites or tweak your funnel pages without breaking production. Make a bold version, watch metrics, pivot if needed—without annoying your dev team.

🎯 Takeaway
Firebase Studio turns marketers into makers. Use it to prototype smarter, launch faster, and test ideas without waiting on sprints. The era of static landing pages is over—this is how you build intelligent, shippable brand experiences on demand.

🧵 Full thread here.

😂 Byte-Sized Laughs

💡 Smart Moves

Supernormal: Meetings That Write Themselves

If you’re juggling clients, calls, or even internal check-ins, Supernormal might quietly become your favorite tab. It’s a free AI tool that auto-records, transcribes, and summarizes your meetings—without you typing a word.

Here’s what it brings to the table:

Autopilot Notes
Join a Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams call and Supernormal jumps in as your silent scribe. It captures what’s said, pulls out key points, and delivers a neat summary plus action items. No more frantic post-call note cleanups.

Clean, Clickable Recaps
It doesn’t just dump a transcript. You get highlights, decisions, next steps—formatted and ready to copy into an email, deck, or task manager. Saves time and spares your memory.

Team-Ready, Solo-Friendly
Works great if you’re flying solo, but it really shines in small teams. You can share summaries with collaborators, tag folks, and keep everyone aligned without scheduling a whole follow-up meeting.

I’ve been using it on autopilot for client calls—it’s eerie how good it is at catching what matters. And the best part? It’s free to start, with plenty of minutes to cover your weekly calls.

If your calendar is crowded and your notes are chaos, Supernormal is the quiet fix you didn’t know you needed.

🔗 Try Supernormal.

💎 Data Gem

It’s a shift echoed at the top: Shopify’s CEO recently said he’s leaning into learning AI himself rather than just hiring more people. The message? Smarter teams aren’t always bigger—they’re more automated.

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