Dear colleagues,
May was the month boundaries blurred.
AI moved deeper into devices, robots got more capable, brands crossed categories, and every big innovation started creating an equally interesting counter-reaction.
A few things that stood out this month:
Key Trends in Consumer Tech
Trend Microsoft Introduced Interesting Concepts
Probably inspired by OpenAI’s screenless hardware project with Jony Ive, Microsoft is also trying to rethink what a personal computer should become.
At Build 2026, the company announced Project Solara, a new agent-first computing concept designed for a world where people interact less with apps and more with AI systems that understand context and act on their behalf.
Microsoft also announced the Surface Laptop Ultra, a laptop built specifically for the AI era. For years, “AI laptop” meant a slightly faster chip with better branding.
This feels different.
More like a portable workstation that happens to fit in a bag.
Every Trend Creates a Counter Trend. AI is not an Exception
The Anti-AI Trend
After Google overhauled search to put AI answers first, DuckDuckGo launched extensions for Chrome and Firefox that make its NO-AI page the default. No AI overviews, no chat prompts, fewer AI images.
Traffic to the No-AI page was up threefold the week of Google’s announcement. Visits are now averaging 84% above baseline.
The counter-movement arrived before AI search had even finished rolling out.
Something Fun
As I said, every major technology wave creates an equal and opposite reaction.
While AI rapidly finds its way into our phones, apps, search engines, and daily workflows, a growing group of people is looking for something surprisingly different: less technology, not more.
One example is the Dumb Phone, a modern device designed to do almost nothing. It pairs with your smartphone but strips away social media, endless notifications, algorithms, and AI assistants, giving you an experience that feels remarkably similar to carrying a Nokia phone in the early 2000s.
Who Wants a Magic Wand?
Jack Dorsey’s Block just solved the problem nobody knew payments had:
Not enough magic. 😅
The Twitter co-founder unveiled the Cash App Wand, a tiny NFC-powered payment accessory tied to a bank account.
It lets you pay in stores by tapping a miniature wand instead of a card or phone.
So now, instead of paying like a normal person, you can tap a tiny wand and pretend you’re financially casting a spell. 🪄
Who can send Jack the Prelaunch link?
He might need it.
Ridiculous? Maybe.
Honestly, in a world where every fintech app looks the same, a little absurdity might be the most strategic feature. 🤷♂️
Something More Crazy?
I first thought it was a joke… Then I checked. A Chinese startup says it built a device that translates what your pet is saying. 95% accuracy, they claim.
Hangzhou-based Meng Technology says their gadget interprets barks, meows, and other animal sounds into human-readable emotional states.
Now you can finally talk to your pet…
Either this is a breakthrough in interspecies communication. Or the most confident claim in consumer electronics history. 😄
Key Trends in Robotics
Two robots just made a bed. Neither one was told what the other was doing
Figure AI released a demo this month that I couldn't stop watching.
Two F.03 humanoids, tidying a bedroom and making a bed together. Under two minutes.
Each robot watched the other and inferred what to do next.
The hard part with a comforter is that it is never the same twice. Deformable objects have always been a wall for robotics.
Apparently not anymore. 🤯
Key Trends in Fashion
On and LA-based grocer cafe Erewhon announced a multi-year partnership.
On Running and Erewhon launched a multi-year partnership in May. Cloudsurfer Max colorways. Co-branded apparel. Recovery juices. A shared wellness club.
The campaign was shot inside an Erewhon store. Two brands that both sell to people who take their routines very seriously, who discovered they share the same customer.
Wellness isn't a category anymore. It's an identity.
And every brand adjacent to it wants in.
A Manchester City fan designed the official 2026/27 kit. It’s going on the pitch.
PUMA and Manchester City opened the brief for their 2026/27 Third Kit to anyone. 180,000 submissions. 1.6 million fan votes narrowed it down.
The winning design came from a supporter, built with PUMA AI Creator.
Without a design degree or a professional agency.Just an idea and AI that could execute it.
It goes on the pitch next season. 😎
Key Trends in CPG & Health
The plant-based meat brand just started selling drinks.
Yes. The plant-based meat company.
Beyond Meat launched Beyond Immerse in May: a sparkling protein drink with 20g of plant protein, fiber, antioxidants, and electrolytes. Now expanding into New York retail via Big Geyser.
The core market has been shrinking for years. So the brand went somewhere its audience was already shopping.
What you are known for is not necessarily where you grow next.
Something Interesting
GLP-1s May Reduce Metastatic Progression
A large real-world study found they were linked to lower metastatic progression in some obesity-related cancers.
It is still early, and it does not prove causation.
But it’s another reminder that metabolism and health are far more connected than we thought.
It Looks Like They Cracked the Protein Structure
Pancreatic cancer has a 13% five-year survival rate. Researchers called it undruggable for decades. The KRAS mutation had no surface for drugs to grab onto.
A new pill called daraxonrasib uses a molecular glue to bind to it. In a trial of 500 patients, survival was 13.2 months vs. 6.7 months on chemo. Published in NEJM. FDA is fast-tracking the review.
The oncologist presenting the data said he started crying when he first saw the results 🙏
🚀 What’s New at Prelaunch.com
One of the companies using Frank AI Researcher told us something I loved:
“It made me feel closer to my customers.”
That’s the opposite of what many people fear.
They worry that sending AI to interview customers will create distance.
But in this case, it did the reverse.
Frank helped the team hear more honest thoughts, feel the pain more clearly, and understand what customers were really struggling with.
AI didn’t replace the customer relationship.
It made the team more connected to it. Interesting.
That’s all for this month.
As always, curious to hear what signals you’re seeing from your side.
Until next time,
– Narek