Colossal 'resurrects' the dire wolf

Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Colossal Biosciences has done the unthinkable: it has brought back dire wolves—extinct for over 12,000 years—using advanced gene editing.

While the breakthrough is a testament to biotech’s power, it’s also stirring deep ethical questions—are we jumpstarting nature’s ancestral heartbeat or playing with fire?

In today’s tech rundown:

• Colossal’s ‘de-extinction’ of the dire wolf

• Apple takes a $638B dive as tariffs ramp up

• Waymo faces backlash over in-car cameras

• SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA win secret launch deal

• Quick hits on other major news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES

🐺 Colossal’s ‘de-extinction’ of the dire wolf

The Rundown: Colossal Biosciences, a Dallas-based biotech firm, just announced its successful "de-extinction" of the dire wolf, a species that has been extinct for ~12,500 years, using advanced genetic engineering and cloning techniques.

The details:

• Colossal extracted DNA from a 13,000-year-old dire wolf tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull, sequenced, and compared it to modern-day gray wolves.

• Then, through CRISPR editing, scientists made 15 ancient gene edits and 5 modern edits to gray wolf cells—including adaptations for size and musculature.

• The edited cells were cloned via somatic cell nuclear transfer and implanted into dog surrogates, resulting in dire wolf pups: Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi.

• The three pups (or genetically modified gray wolves) currently live on a private preserve in the northern U.S. and are being monitored for health and behavior.

Why it matters: While these dire wolves are not perfect replicas, they represent a leap in gene editing and interspecies cloning, with the startup next targeting to bring back the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger. But “de-extinction” also raises ethical debate, with skeptics arguing that this money could be better spent preserving at-risk species.

APPLE

🍏 Apple takes a $638B dive as tariffs ramp up

The Rundown: With Trump’s tariffs set to take full effect on Wednesday, April 9, Apple has endured one of its worst weeks ever—with shares plummeting 20% in just three days and wiping out $638B from its market value.

The details:

• Under the new reciprocal tariffs, the U.S. will heavily tax products coming in from different countries, including Indian goods at 26% and Chinese at 54%.

• Apple, which assembles iPhones in both these countries, is said to have flown plane-loads of products to stockpile in the U.S. and beat the tariff deadline.

• Foxconn, Apple’s key supplier, is also shifting its iPhone production from China to India to produce 25-30M iPhones this year, compared to 12–13M last year.

• Further, the iPhone maker is also reportedly considering expanding its manufacturing capacity in Brazil to pay lower import duties.

Why it matters: While companies like Tesla and Dell are also feeling the pressure, Apple is particularly vulnerable as 90% of its iPhones are made in China. Analysts warn that absorbing these costs could slash earnings per share by 15%. Or consumers may end up footing the bill—paying up to $2,300 for flagship models.

WAYMO

🚘 Waymo faces backlash over in-car cameras

The Rundown: Waymo has been trying to quell concerns about the use of videos taken by in-vehicle cameras after a leaked draft policy said that the Alphabet-owned robotaxi business would use the data to sell ads and train its AI models.

The details:

• Reliable software researcher Jane Manchun Wong uncovered the draft, which stated that Wamyo could share personal rider data to tailor ads and services.

• The draft included provisions allowing California users to opt out under the state’s privacy law, including blocking the use of data sharing.

• The policy has since sparked backlash over privacy concerns, as critics flag risks of surveillance and data exploitation in shared autonomous vehicles.

• Waymo denied the policy’s accuracy, calling it just a "placeholder text" and clarifying that no changes to its privacy practices were planned.

Why it matters: The draft lacked clarity on what specific data (e.g., facial expressions, body language) would be collected or how it would be shared with Alphabet subsidiaries. Waymo has been trying to calm the storm, but the issue surely raises flags about privacy and security as AI companies try to feed their models with as much data as possible.

SPACE TECH

🚀 SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA win secret launch deal

The Rundown: Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and the United Launch Alliance from Boeing and Lockheed Martin just won a $13.5B launch contract from the U.S. Space Force to send the Pentagon's newest wave of spy satellites into space.

The details:

• SpaceX secured the largest share of the contract, bagging $5.9B for 28 launches (60% of missions) using its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets.

• Blue Origin grabbed $2.4B for seven missions with its New Glenn rocket, despite the vehicle having only completed a single test flight in January 2025. 

• ULA’s Vulcan rocket, certified in March 2025 after its 2024 debut, will handle 19 missions, including the launch of GPS satellites and classified payloads.

• In all, the contracts will support 54 high-priority launches for satellites and classified payloads, with missions projected to occur between 2027 and 2032.

Why it matters: The contract, which nearly doubles the prior launch rate, signals America’s push to counter China’s growing spy satellite fleet. Plus, the move breaks SpaceX and ULA’s duopoly, bringing Blue Origin into the fold. However, the company still needs to prove its mettle with a second successful mission.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in tech today

Meta is reportedly planning to build a $1B data center in central Wisconsin as part of its planned $65B investment to expand AI infrastructure.

Google DeepMind’s 145-page AI safety paper warns that human-level AGI could arrive by 2030 and lead to threats that can “permanently destroy humanity.”

Nintendo delayed pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the U.S., originally scheduled to begin April 9, citing concerns over new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

The TikTok saga in the U.S. continues with President Donald Trump granting a second 75-day extension to delay enforcement of the ban until June 18.

OpenAI is reportedly in talks to acquire io Products, the AI hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive and backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Major U.S. and UK publishers are running an ad urging lawmakers to implement protections against AI companies using copyrighted content without attribution or pay.

Honda is testing a system that combines solar energy and lunar water resources to generate oxygen, hydrogen, and electricity aboard the International Space Station.

Meta is launching Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger, a new feature that automatically enrolls young users into a version of the app with built-in protections.

Apple is reportedly planning a redesign for the iPhone to mark its 20th anniversary in 2027 — with a new Pro model that will make more extensive use of glass.

Meta ended its third-party fact-checking program across its U.S. platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, on April 7, shifting to a user-driven Community Notes system.

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Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team