Grok Goes to Work

Grok's spreadsheet ambitions and LinkedIn's AI authenticity crisis…

In this edition we’ll be covering…

• xAI's leaked file editor plans to challenge productivity giants

• A tutorial on how to master Mistral's new reasoning model Magistral

• A breakdown of LinkedIn’s new AI writing tools (and why most avoid them)

• 6 trending AI signals from funding to acquisitions

• 3 more AI tools to check out

• And much more…

The Latest in AI

Grok is Getting Office-Ready

Elon's AI sidekick is about to become your next cubicle mate.

Leaked code suggests xAI is working on an advanced file editor for Grok that includes spreadsheet support, potentially letting you chat with it while editing files simultaneously.

This just might be xAI's strategic play to challenge the Big Tech trinity of OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft in the workplace productivity arena.

Key developments pushing Grok into the office:

• The leaked code reveals support for spreadsheets with real-time AI assistance, letting users talk to Grok while editing documents directly in the interface.

• While Google's Gemini Workspace only works within Google's ecosystem, Grok's editor appears to be designed for broader file compatibility, potentially supporting various formats beyond just spreadsheets.

• This move speaks to Musk's vision to transform X into a comprehensive platform that includes docs, chat, payments, and social media all in one place.

So What?

xAI is positioning Grok as the workplace AI that doesn't live in silos. While competitors force you into their specific ecosystems, Grok might just become the universal AI assistant that works wherever your files live.

If this leak proves accurate, we're looking at a world where your AI doesn't just help you write, but instead becomes your collaborative editing partner across all your productivity flows.

Get Your Hands Dirty!

How to Use Mistral’s New Magistral for Advanced Reasoning

Mistral recently released Magistral, their first reasoning model that thinks things through like humans do. Remember folks, this model scored an impressive 73.6% on AIME 2024 math problems, a competition where top high school students typically score around 50%…

Here's how to put this thinking AI to work on Le Chat:

1. Head to Le Chat and log in to your Mistral account.

2. Enable "Think Mode" for the full reasoning experience, this shows you the AI's step-by-step thought process.

Getting the Best Results

The key to Magistral is giving it complex, multi-step problems where reasoning matters. Instead of simple questions, try these prompts:

Business Strategy

I'm launching a SaaS product in the competitive project management space. My budget is $500K, target market is remote teams of 10-50 people, and I need to decide between freemium vs paid-only models. Walk me through a complete go-to-market strategy considering pricing, customer acquisition costs, churn rates, and competitive positioning against Asana and Monday.com.

Technical Architecture

I need to design a real-time chat system that handles 100K concurrent users, integrates with existing OAuth systems, supports file sharing up to 100MB, and needs 99.9% uptime. Compare microservices vs monolithic architecture, recommend specific technologies for message queuing, database design, and scaling strategies with estimated costs.

🔥 Pro Tip: Magistral works in 29+ languages natively, so you can get reasoning responses in your preferred language while maintaining the same logical depth!

Industry Intel

LinkedIn’s Professional AI Identity Crisis

LinkedIn's AI writing assistant has a professional reputation problem. CEO Ryan Roslansky recently admitted their AI post-writing tool isn't as popular as expected, and the reason reveals something fascinating about how we view AI authenticity in different social contexts.

The platform discovered users are hesitant to share obviously AI-generated content on LinkedIn, viewing it as a threat to their professional credibility and personal brand.

Why LinkedIn users are avoiding AI writing assistance:

• Users see LinkedIn as "your online resume” where the barrier to posting is much higher than casual social platforms, making authentic personal voice crucial for career advancement.

• The professional network culture actively calls out obviously AI-generated content, creating social pressure to maintain human authenticity in posts and comments.

• While users may readily share AI content on TikTok or X without reputation concerns, LinkedIn's career-focused environment demands a more genuine personal touch.

So What?

LinkedIn's AI struggle highlights a critical insight about context-dependent AI adoption.

Professional environments require a different approach to AI assistance, one that enhances rather than replaces authentic human voice. This suggests the future of workplace AI isn't about complete automation, but about tools that help professionals maintain their genuine persona while improving efficiency.

Companies building AI for professional contexts should focus on amplification, not replacement.

Quick Bites

Stay updated with our favorite highlights, dive in for a full flavor of the coverage!

Databricks and Perplexity co-founder Andy Konwinski pledged $100 million of his own money for the new Laude Institute to fund AI researchers, with the first $3 million annually going to UC Berkeley's new AI Systems Lab.

OpenAI pulled promotional materials around the Jony Ive deal due to a court order following a trademark dispute with iyO over the "io" name, though the $6.5 billion acquisition remains on track.

A16z backed controversial startup Cluely with $15 million at a $120 million valuation, despite the company's mission to help users "cheat on everything" from job interviews to exams.

Meta launched new $399 Oakley smart glasses that capture 3K video, offer 8-hour battery life and IPX4 water resistance, doubling the performance of Ray-Ban Meta glasses in almost every metric.

6-month-old startup Base44 sold to Wix for $80 million for their AI-powered no-code platform that lets users build production-ready web applications using natural language prompts.

"Vibe coding" with LLMs is becoming mainstream as developers embrace building software through natural language prompts rather than traditional coding, following Andrej Karpathy's definition of the trend toward "Software 3.0" powered by AI assistance.

Trending Tools

🌐 Instaweb - Transform business ideas into live websites in under 60 seconds with AI-generated designs, content, and hosting all included.

🎯 PitchMonster - AI-powered sales training platform that simulates cold calls, discovery meetings, and demos with real-time feedback and coaching.

🎬 Synthesia - Create studio-quality videos with AI avatars and voiceovers in 140+ languages.

The Neural Network

Our last poll revealed that most of you guys haven’t tried Manus yet!! Take this as your sign to start diving in…

But in other news, wake us up when this is a real thing…

Until we Type Again…

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