el producto #453 🚀
Claude files and memory, Replit's AI agent, Apple launches, Uber to launch robotaxis in Germany, Measuring retention in AI products, Vibe experimentation & more
Hi friends 👋
Happy weekend, and welcome to a new edition of el producto
🎰 The week in figures
$2B: Mistral AI raised ~$2B at a ~$13B valuation
$1.38B: Bending Spoons, an Italian Internet holding company, will purchase online video service Vimeo for $1.38B
$1.37B: Klarna went public on the NYSE, raised $1.37B, priced its IPO at $40 /share, and achieved a valuation of $15.1B while its stock surged in early
$1B: Databricks reached a $100B valuation after a $1B round. With a focus on enhancing AI databases, it boasts a $4B ARR
$425M: Crypto exchange Gemini raised $425M on IPO, with a non‑diluted valuation of about $3.33B
$400M: AI coding startup Cognition (parent company of Devin and Windsurf) is now valued at a massive $10.2B after raising another $400M in funding
$350M: Sierra, the AI agent startup co-founded by former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and longtime Google executive Clay Bavor, has raised a massive $350M round that values the company at $10B just 18 months after launch
$200M: Perplexity has raised $200M at a $20B valuation, just 2 months after securing $100M at an $18B mark, underscoring investor confidence in its challenge to Google’s dominance in search
$110M: Aven raised $110 M in a Series E round at a $2.2 B valuation to build a “machine banking” platform for homeowners, offering home‑equity‑backed credit cards and entering mortgage refinancing
52%: OpenAI’s new research paper, Why Models Hallucinate, explains that GPT-5 has a 52% abstention rate (meaning it chooses not to answer when it doesn’t know something) vs just a 1% abstention rate on its previous models
📰 What’s going on
Claude can now create and edit Excel spreadsheets, Google Docs, ppts, slides and PDFs. Instead of receiving only text responses or Artifacts, you can ask Claude to create the files you need. Anthropic says some of the most powerful ways to use the new feature include creating polished charts, spreadsheets, and presentations
Claude, can now "remember" past conversations without any prompting, meaning it will start applying details, like preferences, from past conversations into its responses, automatically. Claude’s “Memory” is optional (and only for Team and Enterprise users), and comes a month after Anthropic rolled out a feature that saw Claude able to remember past conversations, but only when it was asked to
Microsoft has partnered with Anthropic to use its AI models to power features within its Office 365 suite. Microsoft already uses Anthropc’s Claude and xAI’s Grok to power GitHub Copilot, and it recently released its first, in-house models (MAI-Voice-1 and MAI-1-preview), to diversify and reduce reliance on providers
NotebookLM has updated its reports feature to include new formats. If you’ve not used reports before, it’s essentially a way to generate documentation from the sources you upload onto NotebookLM. NotebookLM will now dynamically suggest the relevant reports based on the sources you upload. For PMs, some of the suggested reports that may be of interest include Market analysis docs and strategy paper. Easily of on my most used AI tools at work
Replit has unveiled a new AI agent called Agent 3 that could transform the product development process. According to Replit, Agent 3 runs on its own for up to 200 minutes, handling full tasks autonomously, and it uses a proprietary new testing kit, which means Agent 3 will periodically test the app using a browser and generate a report on all the issues it finds before fixing them. Replit’s CEO says their proprietary testing system is 3x faster and 10x more cost-effective than state-of-the-art Computer Use Models. It also has the ability to create sub-agents who can pick up specific tasks that are delegated to it
An official MCP Registry is live as a preview. It’s an open catalog and API for publicly available MCP servers to improve discoverability and implementation. By standardizing how servers are distributed and discovered, the MCP Registry helps expanding their reach while making it easier for clients to get connected
Amazon Music launched Weekly Vibe AI playlists that auto‑refreshes every Monday
Apple announced a bunch of new products:
iPhone 17 lineup, including ultra-thin iPhone Air, iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max—all with the innovative Center Stage front camera and 48MP Fusion system
iPhone Air debuts as the thinnest iPhone ever, with a titanium frame and breakthrough design
New Apple Watches: Series 11, Ultra 3, and Watch SE 3, featuring improved health and fitness tracking
AirPods Pro 3, including live translation and heart-rate sensing
iOS 26 with a Liquid Glass design and new Apple Intelligence features
All new devices now available for pre-order, launching in stores September 19
Uber and China's Momenta will test robotaxis in Munich in 2026 as their first EU venture. Initially, cars will have human safety operators, with plans to expand. Regulatory approval is pending, following testing since 2018
Snap’s “crucible moment”: new bets, AI, and specs for 2026. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel lays out the company’s big push for 2026: reigniting ad growth, scaling direct revenue, and launching Specs, their AI-powered glasses. Snap’s strategy leans into startup-style squads, smarter AI, and making the platform more personal and social
X payments product “X Money” is stalled due to regulatory hurdles and staff turnover
Revolut introduced a “Pay by Bank” option that allows payments to be made directly from consumers’ bank accounts without using card networks
Robinhood launched a social platform designed for users to post trades, commentary and market takes, positioning itself against communities like Reddit’s WallStreetBets
easyGroup (the EasyJet founder) launched easyBitcoin, a new Bitcoin-trading app developed in partnership with Uphold, targeting everyday users with lower fees and rewards
📚 Good reads
Sam Altman’s AI roadmap: deflation, disruption, and a $1B 10-person startup. OpenAI’s Sam Altman predicts AI will make essentials nearly free, upend software, and spark a wave of tiny, billion-dollar companies. He urges investors to stop funding AI labs and instead back creative apps built on ever-smarter models
How to measure the retention of AI products, by a16z. AI products face a unique retention challenge, with early churn from “tourist” users skewing the numbers. By measuring retention after month 3, PMs get a clearer view of real product-market fit and long-term value. The best AI companies could see net dollar retention rates that outpace SaaS, hinting at huge growth potential
Granola’s invisible AI sets new standards for product design. Granola’s 70% retention shows the power of AI that enhances—rather than replaces—human workflows. By prioritizing user agency, iterative design, and trust, Granola quietly transforms note-taking into a “second brain” for teams. Often the best AI products are the ones users barely notice
9 ways growth is different in AI companies. Elena Verna explains how growing an AI-native company means constantly re-earning PMF, prioritizing big bets over optimizations, and embracing founder-led social channels over traditional marketing. Product teams now own activation and brand, while growth teams are building features alongside core. It’s a fast-moving, unpredictable landscape—so forget the old playbook and get ready to adapt every month
AI and cognitive debt: should you create or review with AI? AI makes us faster, but it can nudge us into “review mode” where we’re less engaged and more anchored to drafts. Luca Rossi argues that, while AI is great for grunt work, we should protect our reasoning skills by creating first and letting AI review, not the other way around
Managing AI means fewer managers, but more management skills. AI is shrinking teams and blurring the line between manager and IC, making “middle manager” roles less common. But the need for management skills—like setting purpose, building trust, and designing processes—is only growing, even for IC. Julie Zhuo also explains how managing AI is a lot like managing humans, except your new “reports” never get tired, offended, or need empathy. Btw, if you haven’t read Julie’s book, The Making of a Manager, she has just published a revised edition. It’s a must
How AI-powered vibe experimentation is collapsing product timelines. AI prototyping tools are letting teams test and learn at lightning speed, turning weeks-long development cycles into hours. Fossil Group’s case shows how running 10x more experiments surfaces better ideas and faster user feedback
15x real product strategy examples you can actually use. Hustle Badger shares real product strategy docs, frameworks, and write-ups from top companies like Tiktok, Stripe, Tesla, and more. Each example includes lessons, pros and cons, and links to templates you can replicate for your teams
That’s a wrap for this week! 🌟
I’d love to hear your thoughts—what stood out to you, and how are you thinking about integrating these insights into your Product strategy? Reply to the email or drop a comment on Substack to share your take. And if you found this valuable, forward it to a fellow PM, Product enthusiast, startup founder or entrepreneur who’d enjoy the read
More next week! 👋
Angel