Meta and Anduril Teamup, Everest Hackers, DeepSeek Update, NK Hackers

Jun 02, 2025

 

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Jun 02, 2025

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Welcome back, Tech Insiders!

Today’s updates? Let’s just say tech isn’t sitting on the sidelines. AI and XR are charging into military ops, Elon is still beefing with OpenAI, and hackers have picked a fizzy new target.

Oh, and DeepSeek? It’s coming for the crown. 

Here's What You Need to Know Today:

  • Meta and Anduril collaborate to develop XR-AI tech for US military
  • Report: Musk tried to stop OpenAI’s giant data center deal with UAE
  • ‘Everest’ hackers extort Coca-Cola and others
  • North Korean operatives pose as US remote tech workers
  • DeepSeek’s latest update puts OpenAI and Google on notice
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AI on the Battlefield? Meta Partners with Anduril to Deliver Military AI, XR Tech

Silicon Valley just got drafted.

Meta is joining forces with defense firm Anduril Industries to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to US troops through AI-powered extended reality (XR) technology. 

AI on the Battlefield?

 

The partnership combines Meta’s AI and AR/VR expertise with Anduril’s Lattice command and control system platform, equipping warfighters with the power of AI and advanced analytics to gain a “decision advantage” on the battlefield.

“Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a joint statement with Anduril. “We’re proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.”

Why it matters: If this gains traction, it could kickstart a wave of AI-military collaborations, blurring the lines between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon. But it also raises tough questions: Will AI drive battlefield decisions? And how secure are these systems from cyberattacks?

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Insider Intel

Elon Reportedly Tried to Block OpenAI’s UAE Deal… Unless xAI Got a Seat at the Table

Elon Musk reportedly tried to derail a mammoth AI data center deal between OpenAI and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—unless his company xAI was included in the pipeline.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Musk was allegedly furious upon hearing about the deal. He warned G42 officials that the US administration would not approve the plan if xAI were omitted. Despite Musk’s pushback, the deal moved forward.

This clash is just the latest in a long and bitter breakup between Musk and OpenAI…

Elon Reportedly Tried to Block OpenAI

Image source: YouTube/CNBC Television

This saga’s got origin stories, lawsuits, and now a global turf war. Stay tuned.

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Security Alerts

Hackers Crack Open Coca-Cola’s HR Files

Hacker group “Everest” is currently extorting several global companies, most notably Coca-Cola, over sensitive employee records stolen from their HR systems.

Hackers Crack Open Coca-Cola’s HR Files

Image source: Unsplash / Krisztian Matyas

According to Dark Reading, the group carried out nine cyberattacks, stealing data such as employee names, addresses, salary details, birth certificates, and passport information. Victims include Coca-Cola, Mediclinic Group, and the Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi.

Unfortunately, Everest’s extortion efforts are still ongoing, and Coca-Cola’s HR data has recently been leaked to the dark web. There has been no word on whether the beverage company paid or refused the ransom.

Coca-Cola can survive a New Coke… but maybe not a new breach.

North Korean Hackers Faked Their Way Into Remote US Tech Jobs

Cybersecurity experts uncovered a “laptop farm” scheme in which North Korean hackers posed as US citizens to secure remote tech jobs, siphoning off more than $17 million in total wages that should have gone to legitimate employees.

They pulled it off by:

  • Remotely controlling US-based laptops using stolen identities
  • Posing as US citizens and applying for remote jobs in the tech industry
  • Transferring “their” paychecks back to North Korea via proxy accounts or intermediaries

Sadly, the North Korean operatives also targeted sensitive corporate data. According to The Wall Street Journal, one work laptop was found to have had software that spied on employee Zoom calls and unknowingly extracted data.

This might be a good time to ask your co-worker to turn on their camera…

 

Industry Shakeups

DeepSeek R1 Gets Performance Upgrade, Closing Gap on OpenAI and Google

China’s golden AI model, DeepSeek R1, has just received its first update—R1-0528—that provides significant improvements to R1’s reasoning and inference capabilities. 

According to Reuters, the updatefeatures improved performance in executing complex tasks and a reduction in overall hallucinations. 

DeepSeek R1 Gets Performance Upgrade, Closing Gap on OpenAI and Google

Image source: Unsplash / Solen Feyissa

It also enhanced R1’s writing ability, proficiency in math and programming, and general logical reasoning.

While DeepSeek has described it as a “minor version upgrade,” the update has reportedly brought it close to the performance of OpenAI’s o3 and Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, further tightening the race among the world’s top AI innovators.

Meet Our Author

Leon Yen

Leon Yen

Tech Journalist

Leon Yen is a leading tech journalist with over a decade of experience unpacking the latest innovations, delivering sharp insights through deep research and hands-on exploration.

Meet Our Author

Leon Yen

Leon Yen

Tech Journalist

Leon Yen is a leading tech journalist with over a decade of experience unpacking the latest innovations, delivering sharp insights through deep research and hands-on exploration.

 

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