Innovation Insider - January 7th, 2025

New year, new world and new opportunities. What are you going to get done in 2025?

What are your goals? What do you want to do better than last year?

Most importantly, how badly do you want it and what are you willing to change to make it happen?

A name that may be familiar to many, Enron, is back in a big new way. Or is it? The famously disgraced company posted a cryptic tweet to their account on December 2, 2024 stating “We’re back, can we talk?. Then followed it up with an announcement of the Enron Power Summit (EPS) to take place on January 6th, 2025.

For those unfamiliar, before it’s bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 20,600 staff and was a major electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper company, with claimed revenues of nearly $101 billion during 2000.

At the end of 2001, it was revealed that Enron's reported financial condition was sustained by an institutionalized, systematic, and creatively planned accounting fraud, known since as the Enron scandal.

So what did Enron have to announce at the EPS event on January 6th? The Egg - The world’s first micro-nuclear reactor made to power your home for 10 years. You can see the full video reveal here.

Does it sound pretty unbelievable? That’s likely because it is. It turns out the Enron’s reboot is part of a satirical bit by the same guys who created Birds Aren’t Real. Birds Aren't Real is a satirical conspiracy theory and social movement that humorously claims all birds were replaced by surveillance drones operated by the government.

So while a nuclear egg powering your home for 10 years will likely exist at some point, it sadly is not today. As further confirmation, the terms of service on Enron’s website state: “The information on the website about Enron is First Amendment protected parody, represents performance art, and is for entertainment purposes only.”

Hope you enjoyed a bit of satire to start the year. Now, it is time to build. It is time to work. It is time to achieve.

We’re back and planning a big year for you, our subscribers. So stay tuned.

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Let’s jump into this week’s highlights.

News

In 2024, the robotics sector experienced significant investment, particularly in startups developing humanoid robots and AI-driven robotic systems. Notably, Figure AI, founded in 2022, secured $675 million in funding from prominent investors including Jeff Bezos, Microsoft, Nvidia, Intel, and the venture arms of Amazon and OpenAI, elevating its valuation to $2.6 billion.

Osmo, a startup founded by a former Google researcher and backed by Google Ventures, is developing AI technology to enable computers to detect and identify scents. By training AI models on datasets of scent molecules from fragrance catalogs, Osmo aims to create an "odor map" that categorizes scents. The company's long-term goal is to detect diseases through scent, potentially transforming smartphones into devices capable of identifying and saving scents, akin to a "Shazam for smell."

Researchers at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) have developed bio-inspired robotic feet modeled after moose hooves, enhancing robot mobility on challenging terrains like mud and wet snow. These "moose shoes" reduce sinkage and suction forces, improving energy efficiency by up to 70%. This innovation could expand robot applications in environmental monitoring, agriculture, and disaster response.

A look back on the biggest non-AI related funding rounds from 2024 and the largest AI startup funding deals. These substantial investments underscore the diverse sectors attracting significant venture capital in 2024.

Prisons in England and Wales have experienced a significant increase in drone incidents, with 1,296 cases reported in the first ten months of 2024—a tenfold rise since 2020. These drones are primarily used to smuggle drugs into correctional facilities, posing substantial security challenges.

Sierra Space is developing the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE), an inflatable space habitat designed to replace the International Space Station (ISS) upon its planned retirement in 2030. LIFE is engineered to launch compactly within a rocket and expand once in orbit, providing a spacious and durable environment for astronauts. This innovative habitat aims to support various missions, including scientific research and potential commercial endeavors, by offering a versatile and cost-effective alternative to traditional rigid structures.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has resigned from the board of Aurora Innovation, a self-driving truck startup, to concentrate on his responsibilities at Uber and reduce external board commitments.

In 2025, advancements in technology will drive change across several sectors. AI agents will automate tasks, personalized education will cater to individual learning needs, and businesses will enhance customer satisfaction through AI-driven customization. Quantum computing will solve complex problems, while robotics and automation will increase efficiency in industries. Sustainable technologies will address environmental challenges, and healthcare innovations will improve disease prevention and treatment.

Developer Profiles of the Week

Roberto is a fullstack JavaScript engineer who primarily works with NodeJS and React. He has database experience with MySQL, SQL Server, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL. Roberto is based in Honduras and is ready to join a team in need.

Andres is a frontend engineer who has strong experience with React and some legacy systems. Andres’ CSS skills are excellent and he’s familiar with all of the CSS libraries and frameworks. Andres is based in Colombia and available to get started with ~ 2 weeks notice.

Please email us at hiring@donestreet.com to learn more about these talented developers and how you can bring them onto your team.

Engineering and Security

As we move into 2025, several key trends are shaping the software development landscape. Key trends in developer tools include the rise of generative AI for automating tasks, low-code/no-code platforms empowering non-developers, advancements in quantum computing, enhanced cybersecurity practices, and the growth of cloud-native and edge computing for improved performance.

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned Beijing-based Integrity Technology Group for orchestrating cyberattacks against U.S. entities. These attacks, attributed to the Chinese state-sponsored group Flax Typhoon, involved exploiting known vulnerabilities and utilizing legitimate remote access software to maintain persistent access.

PLAYFULGHOST is a sophisticated malware that emulates the functionalities of the Gh0st RAT, offering features such as keylogging, screen and audio capture, remote shell access, and file transfer/execution. It primarily infiltrates systems through phishing emails and SEO poisoning, often disguised as legitimate VPN applications like LetsVPN. Once installed, it establishes persistence via multiple methods, including registry keys, scheduled tasks, and Windows services.

The importance of international collaboration in open-source software development. Open-source projects thrive on diverse, global contributions, which enhance innovation and address a broader range of challenges. The piece cautions against the trend of localizing open-source efforts, suggesting that such an approach could limit the potential benefits and advancements that come from a worldwide cooperative model

Agentic AI is transforming enterprise operations by enhancing data accessibility, automating complex tasks, ensuring scalable data security, and improving context retention. These advancements streamline data management, boost operational efficiency, and foster innovation, making AI systems more powerful and aligned with the complex needs of modern enterprises.

Developers often face challenges that can hinder their productivity and job satisfaction. Key issues include limited access to necessary resources or systems, which can impede development progress. Effective communication is crucial for collaboration and understanding user needs. Ensuring code security is vital to protect against vulnerabilities and potential breaches. Implementing effective debugging strategies is essential for identifying and resolving errors efficiently.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned two entities—one affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and another with Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU)—for attempting to interfere in the November 2024 U.S. presidential election. These entities engaged in disinformation campaigns aimed at sowing socio-political divisions and influencing the electorate.

Cross-domain attacks have emerged as a significant cybersecurity threat, with adversaries exploiting vulnerabilities across multiple domains—including endpoints, identity systems, and cloud environments—to infiltrate organizations, move laterally, and evade detection. These attacks often involve the use of compromised credentials and legitimate tools, making them difficult to detect.

HR Notice

Twill, a referral platform founded in 2024, connects tech recruiters with pre-vetted candidates through an invite-only community of tech professionals. Members earn fees for successful placements, and the platform focuses on diversity and fast hiring. Backed by $1.4M in funding, Twill plans a public launch in early 2025.

According to McLean & Company, organizations with a documented talent management (TM) strategy are 1.5 times more likely to achieve high organizational performance. A TM framework integrates various talent programs, aligning them with the broader HR strategy to support employee evaluation, performance, growth, and mobility.

Gallup identifies a trend termed "The Great Detachment," where employees feel stuck due to low satisfaction levels and limited job opportunities in a cooling labor market. Contributing factors include rapid workplace changes, challenges in communication within hybrid and remote setups, increased customer demands, and heightened employee expectations for work-life balance and compensation

Funding

Odd.Bot, a Dutch startup specializing in autonomous agricultural robots, has secured €2 million in pre-Series A funding to advance its chemical-free weeding solutions. This funding will support the development and market introduction of Odd.Bot's flagship product, the Maverick weeding robot, which autonomously identifies and removes weeds in high-density crops without the use of harmful chemicals, promoting cleaner crops, healthier soil, and biodiversity preservation.

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, has secured an additional $6 billion in funding, bringing its total capital raised to $12 billion. This new investment aims to accelerate xAI's development of advanced AI technologies and infrastructure.

Jentic, an Irish startup founded in 2024, has secured €4 million in pre-seed funding to develop an integration layer for AI agents. The company aims to provide a communication middleware layer that enables developers and organizations to connect their AI agents to various systems, facilitating the management and control of AI communications.

Oura, the Finnish health technology company renowned for its smart rings, has secured $200 million in funding, elevating its valuation to $5.2 billion. This investment round was led by Dexcom, a leader in continuous glucose monitoring, which also invested $75 million.

Resource of the week

Simple Opt Out is a website that provides users with direct links to opt out of data sharing and marketing practices by over 100 companies. It highlights how certain companies may share or sell personal information, such as account balances, transaction history, and browsing data, to third parties for marketing purposes. The site offers a comprehensive list of companies along with specific opt-out instructions, enabling users to manage their data privacy preferences more effectively

Book Recommendation of the Week

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler offers practical strategies for navigating difficult conversations effectively. The authors define crucial conversations as discussions where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. The book provides tools to foster open dialogue and resolve conflicts, making it a valuable resource for both personal and professional interactions.

This Day in History

The First U.S. Presidential Election. Congress sets January 7, 1789 as the date by which states are required to choose electors for the country's first-ever presidential election. A month later, on February 4, George Washington was elected president by state electors and sworn into office on April 30, 1789.

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