Tuesday 25 August 2026
Top stories today:
H-1B workers already in U.S. face proposed $103K Trump admin fee
Apple to launch first new Mac mini in 2 years
Meta to launch OpenClaw rival Hatch by Sep.
Lambda to raise up to $3B at $12B+ valuation
Oura seeks up to $3B in Sep. IPO at $16B+ valuation
0. Data & Calendar
All values as of 6 AM ET / 3 AM PT, other than S&P500 and NASDAQ close (4 PM ET / 1 PM PT).
All times are ET.
Listen to our AI-generated podcast summarizing todayās newsletter (beware of hallucinations):
1. H-1B workers already in U.S. face proposed $103K Trump admin fee
The fee would apply to all petitions for H-1B workers subject to the annual statutory cap, including those with masterās degrees.
Universities, hospitals, and research institutions would be exempt.
The fee would fund benefits adjudication, fraud detection, national security vetting, and systems modernization, per the proposal.
It would generate $8.8B annually, with 67% going to USCIS and immigration courts.
Jul.: the First Circuit declined to block a Boston judgeās ruling vacating the earlier H-1B entry fee proclamation.
Separately, the U.S. is reportedly preparing to revoke B1/B2 visas for up to 200K asylum seekers.
Multimodal models are only as good as the data behind them. Our trainers work across text, audio, and image pipelinesāhandling transcription, labeling, and annotation tasks with speed and consistency.
Audio transcription and speech data labeling
Image and video annotation for vision model pipelines
Multilingual coverage across Portuguese, Spanish, and English
Part of our vetted LATAM talent network, working in U.S.-aligned time zones.
*Sponsored.
3. Apple said to launch first new Mac mini in 2 years, potentially before Sep. iPhone launch
M5 and M6 processors have reportedly been tested for the new Mac mini.
The AI boom has driven a surge in Mac mini demand.
Sep. 9: new iPhones, including a foldable model, Apple Watch Series 12 and new AirPods are expected.
Get the chance to peek inside founders and leadersā brains and see how they think about going from zero to 1 and beyond.
Join thousands of weekly readers at Google, OpenAI, Stripe, TikTok, Sequoia, and more.
Check all the tools and more here, and outperform the competition.
*Sponsored.
5. Meta said to launch OpenClaw rival Hatch by Sep., āWatermelonā AI model in Oct.
Hatch has reportedly been trained to access websites including DoorDash, Etsy, Reddit, Yelp and Outlook.
It would feature a customizable dashboard with tools and skills created by AI agents.
WhatsApp would also get a platform for integrating and chatting with other AI agents.
The releases are part of Metaās accelerated push to monetize its AI investments and diversify revenue.
Most fraud programs are built around decision points, but fraud moves across accounts, channels, and organizations long before it reaches your systems.
In 2025, those blind spots contributed to $38 billion in identity fraud and scam losses. Staying ahead means catching risk earlier with more connected data.
In this report, Javelin breaks down the four fraud trends you should keep an eye onāand how to spot risk before it hits your bottom line.
*Sponsored.
7. Lambda, NVIDIA-backed neocloud, said to raise up to $3B at $12B+ valuation
$1.5B+ in 2026 revenue is expected for Lambda.
Deal terms havenāt been finalized, though the company has received multiple term sheets for the round.
2027: Lambda reportedly plans to go public.
