Microsoft cuts 9,000 as OpenAI locks $30B cloud deal
- Shivirta C.
- Jul 5
- 3 min read
5 July 2025
👋 Welcome to the A2D Weekly Wrap!
Southeast Asia’s momentum is building, and the global AI race is getting messier.
This week, we’re tracking sharp funding moves across fintech, enterprise AI, and edtech in SEA — alongside bold bets, shutdowns, and talent wars in global tech.
As capital reshuffles and platforms consolidate, one thing’s becoming clear: what worked last year won’t cut it now.
Let’s get into it.
HOT NEWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
🇸🇬 fileAI (Bluesheets) – Raised USD 8M led by Illuminate Financial with participation from Krungsri Finnovate, Antler Elevate, Insignia, and others. The AI automation startup serves 250+ clients in 18 countries, expanding across APAC in sectors like finance, insurance, and logistics.
🇸🇬 Transcelestial – Laser communications startup raised new funding, bringing total to USD 30.7M. Co-led by NTT Finance and Paspalis Capital, with participation from In-Q-Tel, Golden Egg, and others to scale across telecom, defense, and space in Australia and Japan.
🇮🇩 Monit – Indonesian spend management platform secured USD 2.5M in a round led by Cento Ventures, with participation from Sansan, 1982 Ventures, and Init 6.
🇸🇬 Rebee – Healthtech startup focused on home-based body pain solutions raised USD 1.18M seed from Paragon Ventures I, SEEDS Capital, 1337 Capital 1, The LAB9, and C-shark SG.
🇸🇬 Shieldbase AI – Enterprise AI OS startup secured undisclosed funding led by GenAI Fund and First Move, with Tenity and notable angel investors also joining.
🇻🇳 AI Hay – Knowledge discovery platform for students and professionals raised USD 10M Series A led by Argor Capital, with Square Peg, Northstar Ventures, AppWorks, and Phoenix Holdings.
🇸🇬 GreenTeams – Climate tech firm operating in Indonesia closed undisclosed Series A led by Oriza Greenwillow Technology Fund.
GLOBAL PULSE: AI MONETIZATION, SHUTDOWNS & WHAT'S NEXT
AI is no longer just disrupting — it’s reshaping the ecosystem itself.
Microsoft is trimming teams. Meta is poaching talent. OpenAI is locking in cloud dominance. And smaller players are either pivoting hard or shutting down. The stack is solidifying.
Microsoft to cut 9,000 jobs globally, pushing 2025 layoffs past 15,000 as it accelerates its AI-first transition.
OpenAI confirmed behind a $30B-per-year Oracle cloud deal, planning 4.5 GW of compute capacity under its Stargate JV.
OpenAI clarifies that Robinhood’s “OpenAI tokens” are unofficial and not tied to equity or approval from the company.
Former OpenAI CTO’s Thinking Machines Lab now offering salaries up to $500K to lure top AI talent.
Higgsfield makes Soul AI free, letting users generate stylized images with daily credits — boosting access in the AI content race.
Cloudflare debuts “Pay per Crawl”, a new marketplace allowing websites to charge AI bots for scraping — potentially reshaping data licensing models for LLMs.
Hugging Face shuts down HuggingChat, shifting focus toward more integrated infrastructure and ecosystem offerings.
Apple’s Vision Pro roadmap includes an M5 upgrade, the more affordable “Vision Air,” and a second-gen headset by 2028 — signaling long-term commitment to spatial computing.
Meta accelerates AI hiring, adding at least four OpenAI researchers (including Zurich team) to its Superintelligence Labs—offering up to $100M+ in compensation to key talent
💭 What felt experimental a year ago is now strategic infrastructure. The AI space is maturing — and the winners are already making their moves.
FOUNDER'S CORNER
Here are 4 Social Media Management Tools that every founder should know to build brand recognition and manage social media effectively.
Buffer – Easy-to-use tool for scheduling posts, tracking performance, and managing multiple accounts efficiently.
Hootsuite – Comprehensive platform to schedule posts, monitor engagement, and manage all social channels in one place.
Sprout Social – Powerful tool offering scheduling, in-depth analytics, and seamless team collaboration for social management.
Later - Visual-first scheduler ideal for planning, previewing, and auto-posting Instagram and other social media content.
Quick hits of knowledge—because learning should never stop.
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💬 That’s a wrap for this week!
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