🐺 Grok 4 Is Here. Worth $300/Month?

 📰 What’s Trending

🔗 Grok 4 drops—with a $300/month “Pro” plan
Elon’s xAI just launched Grok 4, boasting GPT-4–level performance and baked into X for power users. The kicker? A $300/month premium tier that includes early features, priority access, and (eventually) agent tools. For startups and creators, it’s a signal: elite AI access is going full-tiered and premium.

🔗 OpenAI is building a browser—and it could be the new Chrome
Word on the street is OpenAI’s launching a standalone AI browser within weeks. Not just a ChatGPT wrapper—this could integrate search, memory, and agents into a single UX. Big implications for SEO, content strategy, and how users discover anything online.

🔗 YouTube to crack down on AI junk content
YouTube is prepping new policies targeting “mass-produced” and repetitive AI videos. Creators flooding the feed with low-effort slop, beware. For marketers, it’s a reminder: quality and originality still win. Algorithm or not, people can smell the spam.

🔗 SaaS might be over—agents are in
Narada AI’s CEO says the old SaaS model is toast. Autonomous agents that handle workflows end-to-end are the future. Founders, take note: this shift could gut entire verticals—or open lanes for ultra-lean startups.

🔗 Perplexity launches Comet, its own AI browser
Following OpenAI’s footsteps, Perplexity just dropped Comet, a browser built around its search assistant. Think real-time answers and a UI made for speed over clicks. If you're building content or running ads, the distribution game might be about to shift... again.

🔗 Apple loses another key AI lead to Meta
Apple’s senior AI scientist has jumped ship to Meta, joining a growing list of talent exits. Not a great look for Cupertino’s AI ambitions. For product leaders, it’s a peek into where top minds think the action really is.

🔗 Tencent unveils benchmark for creative AI
Tencent just rolled out a new benchmark for evaluating creative AI—measuring image quality, originality, and human-likeness. Expect this to influence how tools are marketed and how brands vet AI-generated assets.

🔗 Replit ditches Google Cloud for Microsoft
In a surprising move, Replit is now partnering with Microsoft after snubbing Google Cloud. Big win for Azure’s developer play. For startups, it's a reminder to bet on infra partners that move fast and align with your AI roadmap.

🔗 Cluely hits $7M ARR in a week—but rivals are circling
Cluely, a viral AI productivity tool, doubled its ARR in 7 days. Great headline, but now the clones are coming. The takeaway? Velocity matters, but moats matter more. Build something people love and can't copy overnight.

BONUS: Grok 4 just dropped hours ago and yes, we’ve already got a thread breaking down its best real-world uses.
👉 Check the thread out here.

📊 Poll Results

You all showed up on Tuesday—Marketing & Advertising took the crown by a mile. Now it’s time to zoom in. I’ve pulled together a few standout tools in that space (some I’ve tested, others I’m eyeing). Cast your vote below, the top two will face off next Tuesday.

🧠 Custom GPT of the Week

Ever spent an hour Googling “best AI tools for X” only to end up buried in half-baked lists and outdated Reddit threads? Yeah—same.

Last week, I was trying to find the right AI video tool for a pitch deck and somehow ended up comparing eight tabs, five pricing pages, and one YouTube explainer with a robotic voiceover. Felt like digital archaeology.

That’s why this GPT is a gem. AI Tool Stack Curator helps you discover, compare, and vet AI tools for exactly what you need. Whether you're building a product, revamping your ops, or just curious what's out there, it trims the fat so you can move faster.

👉 Try AI Tool Stack Curator

💎 Data Gem

54% of U.S. SMBs say they’ve adopted at least one AI tool in 2024. (Forrester)

The top reasons? Automating customer support, speeding up content creation, and better decision-making. If your product doesn’t plug into that trifecta, you’re already behind.