TLDR 2025-07-30

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is becoming a standard for connecting tools to LLMs. But how do you securely authorize MCP servers?

OAuth now provides the answer, with five complementary specs for delegation, token exchange, and scoped access.

The WorkOS advantage:

• Packages all 5 OAuth specs into one simple API.
• Pre-built infrastructure that saves engineering time.
• Enterprise ready security out of the box.

Implement MCP Auth with WorkOS →

A new iteration of SpaceX's Starship, V2, has been moved to Starbase in Texas for preflight testing. V3 is expected to launch by the end of this year. The Starship project is the only privately owned, fully reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle under active development. If successful, the spacecraft could drastically reduce the cost of launching payloads to orbit and enable ambitious missions such as NASA's Artemis lunar program and the eventual establishment of a human colony on Mars.

Microsoft and OpenAI are in advanced talks over an agreement that would remove a major obstacle to OpenAI's efforts to become a for-profit enterprise. The new terms would let Microsoft use OpenAI's latest technology even if the startup decides it has reached its goal of building artificial general intelligence. The deal has still not been finalized and could change.

Startup Taara has a simple alternative to fiber-optic cables for crossing cities and tough terrain: free-space optical lasers. Its technology can reliably deliver 20-gigabit-per-second bandwidth across distances up to 20 kilometers. The company is planning to create a smaller version that can point, track, send, and receive signals at tens of gigabits per second indoors at 60 meters, as well as outdoors at 1 kilometer. Its biggest challenge is weather, but the technology will usually work as long as the other side is visible.

Apnimed achieved positive results for its first oral pill for treating sleep apnea in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The pill is taken just before bedtime to help keep a person's airway open. It could be a game-changer for those with sleep apnea - the current treatment involves putting on a face mask connected to a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine, which keeps airways open by forcing air into them. The machines are effective, but they are noisy and can be uncomfortable, so many end up abandoning them, leaving them feeling exhausted, irritable, and unfocused during the day.

A good architecture diagram is worth a thousand docs. This best practices guide, co-authored by two AWS solution architects, covers:

• General principles for diagramming cloud resources.
• Keeping cloud diagrams up-to-date.
• Tips, tutorials, and examples.

Download free from Datadog

Stack Overflow's 2025 Developer Survey received over 49,000 responses from 177 countries across 62 questions focused on 314 different technologies. The survey provides a snapshot into the needs of the global developer community with a focus on the tools and technologies they use or want to learn more about. Topics covered include cloud platforms, AI agents, large language models, AI tools, and job satisfaction.

Context engineering is the art and science of providing agents with just the right amount of information at each step of a task. It involves providing the right instructions, knowledge, and tools to optimize output while reducing token use. There are four common approaches to context engineering: writing context (saving it outside the context window to help an agent perform a task), selecting context (pulling it into the context window to help an agent perform a task), compressing context (retaining only the tokens required to perform a task), and isolating context (splitting it up to help an agent perform a task). Understanding and using these patterns is a central part of building effective agents.

A growing number of employers think that AI can do the work of a 22-year-old college graduate - some companies have stopped requesting entry-level staff. As companies hire and train fewer young people, they may also be shrinking the pool of workers that will be ready to take on more responsibility in five to 10 years. Companies will have to rethink how to develop the next generation of talent.

OpenAI is looking for a hardware systems product designer, a hardware system design electrical engineer, and a wireless/inductive charging electrical engineer. It appears that the company is hiring for the io device, which probably has a camera, a small screen, and a mic. The company has reportedly denied that it will design anything that can be worn. Links to the job descriptions are available in the article.

Immersed has 1.4M users with power users spending 40-60 hours weekly in VR. $71M projected revenue, Google/Qualcomm backing. 8% investor discount ends today (July 30)! Invest in Immersed

The AirPods beta firmware includes early access to features like automatic pausing when users fall asleep, studio-quality audio recording, camera remote, automatic switching for CarPlay, and enhanced voice quality on calls.

The company is currently in the experimentation phase and is looking for volunteers to participate in mock interviews to further shape and refine the interview experience.

Creating a clear circle of competence - the zone where you know you are fluent - allows you to make faster and smarter decisions, avoid overconfidence traps, grow in ways that truly matter to your organization, and scale your impact through teaching and collaboration.

Elon Musk will personally walk the lines of Samsung's upcoming facility to ensure that the production of AI6 chips goes according to Tesla's requirements.

Baidu and Pony.ai can now operate their fully autonomous ride-hailing services and charge for robotaxi rides in about 300 square miles of downtown Shanghai.

OpenAI's Study Mode is designed to ask guiding questions, pause for periodic knowledge checks, and personalize feedback to make sure the user understands before moving on.