Ethereum Foundation Launches Clear Signing Standard
The initiative, anchored by ERC-7730 and a new attestation framework, aims to make human-readable transactions the default across wallets and protocols.
Musk warns Sam Altman will be one of America’s ‘most hated’ men as the OpenAI trial continues
In a trial featuring a clash between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, neither of the tech titans has emerged as an overly sympathetic character. But nobody has more to lose than Altman, who is expected to take the stand this week to defend himself.
Already, testimony about Altman’s turbulent tenure at the ChatGPT maker has become prime fodder for internet jokes. One piece of evidence that has inspired countless memes was a text exchange between Altman and a company officer, Mira Murati, in 2023 during his short-lived ouster as CEO, when Altman asked if things were moving “directionally good or bad” and she wrote back: “Sam this is very bad.”
Musk, the world’s richest man, is seeking Altman’s second ouster from the company leadership as part of a civil lawsuit accusing him of betraying their shared vision for OpenAI. Since its start as a nonprofit funded primarily by Musk, Open AI has evolved into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.
Even if Musk loses, the trial has invited further scrutiny of Altman’s leadership at a pivotal time for the company and its competition with Musk’s own AI firm and another rival, Anthropic, formed by a group of seven ex-OpenAI leaders. All three firms are moving toward planned initial public offerings that are expected to be some of the largest ever.
A jury that’s already heard about Altman’s character from a parade of his former allies and adversaries will ultimately decide the verdict. But the repercussions could reverberate widely.
“This is not looking good for any of them and I think that that’s a little bit unfortunate for the AI industry at a time when the public perception of AI is quite negative and seems to be getting worse,” said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute.
Musk warned Altman would be one of America’s ‘most hated’ men
The lawsuit accuses Altman and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind his back.
Shortly before the trial began, Musk abandoned a bid for damages for himself and instead is seeking an unspecified amount of money to be paid to fund the altruistic efforts of OpenAI’s charitable arm. In a text exchange with Brockman proposing a possible settlement, Musk warned that Brockman and Altman “will be the most hated men in America” as a result of the trial.
While Musk, the head of SpaceX, Tesla and a slew of other companies, was well known by the San Francisco Bay Area jury pool, fewer knew who Altman was before the start of the trial, even if they were familiar with ChatGPT.
As the trial has played out in a federal courtroom in Oakland, California over the last two weeks, jurors have heard from witnesses including OpenAI ex-board members Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, who spoke about the decision to fire Altman in 2023 before they were themselves ousted from the board of directors when Altman returned to his role.
In video testimony last week, Toner said a starting point for the decision to oust Altman was when OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, a respected AI scientist, reached out to confide some of his own concerns.
“A phrase we used was ‘a pattern of behavior,’ so no one single cause,” Toner said. “The pattern of behavior related to his honesty and candor, his resistance of board oversight.”
Sutskever was instrumental in the unsuccessful attempt to oust Altman but later said he regretted his role in the shakeup. In his own testimony Monday, Sutskever confirmed that he wrote a 2023 memo to OpenAI’s board that characterized Altman as pitting his executives against one another and exhibiting a “consistent pattern of lying” that was causing a loss of trust and productivity.
Sutskever said Altman’s behavior contributed to an environment that was “not conducive” to the company’s goals, including its mission to safely build artificial general intelligence. He said he later backtracked and supported Altman’s reinstatement because he was concerned about what would happen to a company he worked hard to create and “cared very much about.”
“I felt that, had I not done this, the company would have been destroyed, and I felt that this was a Hail Mary,” he testified.
OpenAI begins presenting its side
The trial has carried risks also for Musk, who is pursuing an initial public offering this summer for his rocket ship maker, SpaceX, which could make him the world’s first trillionaire. Among the witnesses has been Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member who served as a conduit between Musk and OpenAI’s leaders and also didn’t disclose that Musk was the father of her two young twins, according to trial testimony.
Not until midday Monday, on the third week of the trial, did OpenAI begin calling its own witnesses, starting with Bret Taylor, the current chair of OpenAI’s board who painted a more positive portrait of Altman’s leadership.
“I think Sam has done a great job as CEO,” Taylor said. “He’s been forthright with me and the other board members.”
Syracuse University professor Shubha Ghosh, an expert in business and technology law, said regardless of the outcome of the case, he has doubts about Altman staying on as CEO of OpenAI in the long run.
“A lot this of might depend upon a testimony,” he said. “And I don’t know what he’s going to say or how he’s gonna say it. But even like the best case, movie theater type performance, with all the music playing and the angels descending or whatnot, I don’t see him coming off as a fairly strong leader, especially (since) this case has gone this far.”
—Barbara Ortutay and Matt O’Brien, AP Technology Writers
Top Cardano (ADA) Price Predictions as of Late: 10x Explosion on the Way?
Over the past week, Cardano’s ADA has surged 6%, making it one of the best-performing top-15 cryptocurrencies.
Numerous analysts have recently spotted that the asset has been following a similar pattern witnessed during previous bull cycles, suggesting this could be just the beginning of a major rally.
‘Printing by the Plan’
Earlier this month, ADA came close to reclaiming the $0.30 mark, reaching its highest level since mid-March. It currently trades around $0.27, while its market capitalization remains above $10 billion.
The asset is often among the most talked-about cryptocurrencies and becomes the subject of price predictions. One popular analyst who recently touched upon the matter is JAVON MARKS. The X user claimed that ADA continues to maintain a similar structure to that observed in 2021 and shows “signs of strength.” They set a target of $2.91, meaning that the price could be gearing up for a whopping 10x pump.
Prior to that, Sssebi opined that ADA had been consolidating over the past few months, as it did towards the end of 2024, which was later followed by a price increase above $1.30. That said, the analyst believes a surge above $1 is still in play this year.
For their part, Vuori Trading argued that ADA is still “printing by the plan” and sits in a “strong buy level.” The analyst envisioned a staggering jump to as high as $14, occurring sometime between Q3 2027 and Q1 2028.
Ali Martinez has also given his two cents lately. He emphasized the importance of the $0.25 support zone, noting that it has repeatedly acted as a major inflection point for the token.
For instance, in January 2023, ADA bounced off $0.25, resulting in an 88.27% jump over the following weeks. In September that year, this level again served as firm support, sparking a 243% surge.
More Bullish Signals
ADA’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) also supports the bullish case for further price increases. The ratio of the technical analysis tool has plunged to 22, indicating the asset has entered oversold territory and could be gearing up for a move north.
The RSI measures the speed and magnitude of recent price changes and provides traders with vital information about potential price reversal points. It runs from 0 to 100, and conversely, anything above 70 is interpreted as a warning for an impending pullback.
The post Top Cardano (ADA) Price Predictions as of Late: 10x Explosion on the Way? appeared first on CryptoPotato.
Barca striker Yamal waves Palestinian flag during La Liga celebrations
FC Barcelona striker Lamine Yamal held a Palestinian flag during the club’s La Liga title parade, after the team secured their 29th Spanish league title by beating Real Madrid 2-0 in the Clasico.
Android 17 will make it easier to stop apps from quietly tracking your location in the background
Google announced a new set of privacy and theft protection updates for Android 17 at the Android Show I/O Edition today, including a new location button that automatically revokes an app’s access to your precise location once you close it.
XRP: Assessing if $1.48B ETF milestone can spark move to $2?
XRP reclaimed breakout support as ETF inflows and bullish derivatives positioning accelerated together.
Upfront 2026: Amazon is doubling down on YA content with a ‘Fourth Wing’ series. Advertisers are preparing to feast
Amazon can deliver anything—including, increasingly, eyeballs to advertisers. And now, its upcoming slate of content, including an adaptation of the best-selling novel Fourth Wing and a list of young adult content, is sure to have advertisers excited.
The e-commerce giant held its annual Upfront event at the Beacon Theater in New York City on Monday night, showcasing new TV shows, movies, sports, and podcasting content destined for its Prime Video streaming platform and podcasting platforms.
While there were big names in attendance—the event included appearances by Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pratt, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Michael B. Jordan, among others—what stole the show was the immensity of Amazon’s advertising apparatus.
Alan Moss, vice president of global advertising sales at Amazon Ads, said users watched 17% more content on its streaming platforms over the past year than during the preceding year.
Tanner Elton, VP of advertising sales at Amazon, noted that the company had penetrated 90% of U.S. households in one form or another, and as a result, had reams of data and customer insights to draw on for advertisers.
One Amazon exec even noted that it actively “works backwards from the customer” to create content, analyzing their consumption habits, and then working to create content that’s likely to resonate. That content is in theory more likely to convert for advertisers.
And in an ongoing expansion of its entertainment offerings, Amazon is continuing to up the ante on sports content, for instance, and expanding its exclusive podcast offerings, producing more TV shows and movies.
Amazon said that the NFL Wild Card playoff game, streamed exclusively on Prime earlier this year, drew a record 31.6 million viewers. Not only that, but those who watched it were on average seven years younger than viewers of NFL playoff games broadcast on linear TV, and 41% more likely to engage with advertiser content in some shape or form.
What new programming is coming to Prime?
As for the new and upcoming content?
Here’s a brief rundown of some of the projects announced at the event:
- The Oprah Podcast will be distributed exclusively on Wondery starting in July, and produce two new episodes per week.
- Duke University basketball signed an exclusive streaming deal with Prime, and next season, three high-profile games will be shown via the platform: matchups against UConn, Michigan and Gonzaga.
- Amazon is leaning hard into young adult (YA) content, with new seasons or content for Off-Campus, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and others.
- The hit show The Terminal List, starring Chris Pratt, is getting a second season.
- An adaptation of the 1980s series Voltron is in the works, as is an adaptation of the video game series God of War.
- A new series based on Blade Runner is also in the works, called Blade Runner 2099.
- Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan announced a trio of projects: The Greatest, a series focused on Muhammad Ali; Delphi, a series set in the Creed and Rocky universe; and an adaptation of the best-selling novel Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros.
Israeli report says Hamas used 'systematic, widespread' sexual violence in October 7 attack
A report released on Tuesday by an independent Israeli investigative commission found that sexual violence was a “central component” of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and of the captivity of the hostages that the militant group took back to Gaza.
Circle’s New Arc Network Strategy Could Change Its Valuation
Circle’s Q1 2026 results were a mixed bag as revenue reached $694M and USDC circulation hit $77B, but net income fell to $55M and revenue came in below expectations.
Arc gives Circle a path to monetize network infrastructure, validator activity, and token ownership, which could reduce dependence on interest income.
The Circle Payments Network is scaling too, with annualized transaction volume rising to $8.3B and other revenue jumping 101% year over year.
Circle Internet Financial released its Q1 2026 earnings report. At first glance, the data suggests a company grappling with the gravity of a shifting macro environment. However, beneath the surface of a top-line revenue miss lies a strategic pivot that is fundamentally rebranding Circle from a simple stablecoin issuer into a global on-chain financial network.
The report, released on May 11, reveals a “mixed bag” performance that initially saw market analysts scratching their heads. While the core USDC business remains a powerhouse of liquidity, the emerging “Arc” ecosystem has suddenly become the most significant variable in Circle’s valuation. As interest rates begin their slow descent, putting pressure on the stablecoin issuers’ traditional “interest-on-reserves” model, the company is leaning into a future of AI agents, institutional settlement, and a sovereign blockchain infrastructure.
The Core Numbers
Circle’s Q1 results were a classic case of “good, but not quite good enough” for the high expectations of 2026. Total revenue for the quarter came in at $694 million, representing a solid 20% year-over-year increase. However, this fell short of the market consensus of $720 million, sparking immediate debate about the durability of the current stablecoin revenue model.
The bottom line told an even more nuanced story. GAAP net income for the quarter was $55 million, a sharp 59% decline from the previous quarter. Adjusted EBITDA also felt the pinch, landing at $151 million, down about 10% quarter-over-quarter despite a 24% increase from the same period last year. Interestingly, Circle managed to beat on Earnings Per Share (EPS), posting $0.21 against a consensus of $0.17, though this still sat below the more optimistic bull-case projections of $0.25.
The primary culprit for the profit squeeze appears to be the interest rate cycle. As we move through the second quarter of 2026, the“Warsh Transition” at the Federal Reserve has created a more volatile rate environment. Circle’s Reserve Return Rate fell to 3.5%, down 30 basis points from Q4 2025. This decline mirrors the broader drop in the secured overnight financing rate, proving that while USDC circulation is growing—reaching a record $77 billion this quarter—it is currently a race against time to offset the shrinking yields on those reserves.
The $3 Billion Ecosystem That Changed the Narrative
If the earnings report had only focused on USDC reserves, the market reaction might have been significantly more bearish. Instead, the focus has shifted entirely to the Arc ecosystem, a newly unveiled stablecoin financial network. In a move that caught many by surprise, Circle recently completed a $222 million institutional presale of its ARC Token, reaching a fully diluted valuation of $3 billion.
The list of investors reads like a “who’s who” of global finance, including a16z, BlackRock, ARK Invest, Apollo, and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). This high-tier institutional backing provides Circle with a new “valuation narrative” that is independent of interest rate fluctuations. Arc is designed to be the foundational plumbing for on-chain finance, where USDC serves as the native gas and settlement asset.
According to the Arc White Paper, the network features an initial supply of 10 billion tokens. Circle has strategically retained a 25% allocation of these tokens on its balance sheet at zero cost. For investors, this creates an “earnings elasticity” that hasn’t been seen before: as the Arc network gains traction, Circle can monetize its token holdings directly into pure profit, effectively decoupling its EBITDA from the Fed’s rate-hike-or-cut whims.
Diversification in Action
While the Arc ecosystem is the long-term play, Circle’s “Other Revenue” segment provided a significant highlight for the first quarter. This revenue stream, which includes payments and network services, jumped 101% year-over-year to reach $41.63 million. While it still only accounts for roughly 6% of total revenue, it suggests that Circle is successfully monetizing its infrastructure.
A major driver of this growth is the Circle Payments Network (CPN), which saw its annualized transaction volume surge to $8.3 billion—a 75% increase since the last report. Furthermore, the newly launched Managed Payments service is allowing traditional banks to access stablecoin settlement without the regulatory headache of directly holding digital assets on their books.
Circle is also leaning heavily into the AI narrative. On May 11, the company announced the launch of the Circle Agent Stack, featuring developer tools like the Circle CLI and “Agent Wallets.” The goal is to make USDC the primary settlement currency for AI Agents—software entities that require high-frequency, low-friction, machine-to-machine payments. By positioning USDC as the “currency of the AI economy,” Circle is building a moat that traditional banking rails simply cannot replicate.
All Eyes on the Clarity Act
Beyond the balance sheet, the single biggest tailwind for Circle remains the legislative progress in Washington D.C. Market expectations for the Clarity Act to pass as soon as this month have become a major catalyst for investor sentiment. The recent compromise on Section 404 of the CLARITY Act, which bans passive interest but protects active on-chain rewards, is seen as a net positive for the stablecoin issuer.
The passage of the Clarity Act would provide the federal framework Circle needs to fully integrate with the U.S. banking system. It would effectively grant USDC the “official” status of payment stablecoin, potentially triggering a massive wave of institutional adoption. For Circle, this isn’t just about regulation; it’s about distribution rights. With a clear federal license, Circle can legally offer its products to every corporate treasury and retail brokerage in the country, significantly expanding its addressable market.
Also Read: Ethereum Price Faces a Major Test as BitMine Nears 5% ETH Ownership
Five Guys store closures: See a list of doomed locations in several states for 2026 so far
As operating costs rise and consumers curb spending in the wake of an affordability crisis, restaurants of all stripes are feeling the pinch from multiple directions.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries is not immune to such industry-wide headwinds. Even as it has seen its overall U.S. footprint grow in recent years, it has also closed multiple restaurants, including locations in several states so far in 2026.
The recent closures have mostly impacted California, but Five Guys restaurants in Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Georgia, and Nebraska have also shuttered this year, according to a review of local media reports, online review platforms, and the Five Guys store locator tool.
In all, at least 14 locations have closed or will close at some point in the first half of 2026, although that figure may not be a complete count.
It’s also unclear if the closures will amount to a net decline in the chain’s footprint this year. As a privately held company, Five Guys closely guards its financials and does not routinely report store counts.
According to a franchise disclosure document filed last year, as reported by QSR Magazine, Five Guys ended 2024 with a net gain of 37 locations over the previous year, but it also closed 14 corporate-owned and 14 franchised restaurants that year. According to its website, Five Guys has over 1,900 locations worldwide.
Fast Company reached out to Five Guys for comment.
Which Five Guys stores have closed?
According to our analysis, the following Five Guys stores have already closed this year:
California
- 2970 W Grant Line Rd, Tracy, CA 95304
- 2701 Ming Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93304
- 71-800 Hwy 111 Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
- 24201 Valencia Blvd #3672, Valencia, CA 91355
Florida
- 6431 E County Line Rd, Tampa, FL 33647
Illinois
- 2856 S Rte 59, Naperville, IL 60564
Iowa
- 3450 Dodge St Suite B, Dubuque, IA 52003
Louisiana
- 2950 Ryan St, Lake Charles, LA 70601
Georgia
- 3393 Peachtree Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30326
Nebraska
- 2525 Pine Lake Rd, Lincoln, NE 68512
Which Five Guys stores will close later in 2026?
Reports of Five Guys closures in California began to surface last month after local media outlets learned of a handful of state-level Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings, or WARN notices, which had indicated that dozens of jobs would be lost as a result of the closings.
As first reported last week by local media outlets, the following Five Guys locations in California are expected to close later this month and into July:
- 10140 Carmenita Rd, Whittier, CA 90605 (closing May 25)
- 1552 S Azusa Ave, City of Industry, CA 91748 (closing May 26)
- 3572 G St, Merced, CA 95340 (closing June 26)
- 1693 W Lacey Blvd Suite A, Hanford, CA 93230 (closing July 2)
It’s unclear if additional store closures are expected. We’ve asked Five Guys for more information and will update this story if we hear back.
Why are Five Guys closing?
Restaurants can close for any number of reasons, and it’s not unusual for a large chain or individual franchisee to shutter locations for underperformance or other issues specific to a marketplace. Even chains that may be otherwise growing often optimize their footprint during any given year.
Broadly speaking, the quick service restaurant (QSR) segment continues to face challenges from rising costs and diners being more price conscious.
According to a recent report from Revenue Management Solutions, which tracks spending trends, traffic to fast food restaurants remained negative during the first quarter of this year, down 1.2% for the quarter compared to the same period last year. But net sales were up 2.1%, which represents a rebound of sorts from the fourth quarter.
Five Guys consistently ranks among the top fast food brands in terms of food quality, but the chain is also known for being among the priciest in its competitive set.
