Top stories today:

1. Neuralink implants 1st human patient, says Elon
2. Amazon abandons iRobot purchase given "no path" to approval
3. Vision Pro sells 200K units
4. U.S. VCs have record $311B in unspent cash
5. ChatGPT remains #1 most used chatbot

0. Data and calendar

1. Neuralink implants 1st human patient, says Elon

• “Promising neuron spike detection,” meaning computers have detected neuron activity.

• $5B: Neuralink’s last valuation in June 2023.

Elon said Neuralink's goal is to enable users to control “almost any device, just by thinking”

2. Amazon abandons iRobot purchase given "no path" to regulatory approval

• $1.7B: original value of deal.

• $0.5B: current market cap.

• iRobot to lay off 31% of employees, terminating 350 people.

• iRobot stock -9%.

Our view: the current anti-M&A regulatory environment threatens startups and innovation

• Having IPOs as the only exit option is too limiting for most startups, especially those with <$100M in revenue, for whom being independent may not make sense.

3. Vision Pro sells 200K units, with in-store pickups still available for Fri

• Home delivery still only for March. It looks like Apple is encouraging people to go to its stores.

Zoom announced its Vision Pro app, supporting Apple's Persona (digital representation) feature

Meanwhile, competitor Xreal just raised $60M at a $1B valuation

• Xreal's Air 2 Ultra costs $700, vs $3,500 for the Vision Pro.

• $300M raised in total, since 2017 inception.

• 100K units sold over the past 3 months.

• 350K units sold since 2017 inception.

5. U.S. VCs have record $311B in unspent cash