Twitter co-founder launches Mozi

Good morning, tech enthusiasts. Twitter co-founder Evan Williams launched a new social media app for people who don’t want another social media app.

Meet Mozi, a new app with no profile photos or follower counts, aimed at helping people foster in-person connections with their existing social circle. Is this the *missing piece* in your personal life?

In today’s tech rundown:

• Twitter co-founder’s new ‘Mozi’ app

• SpaceX’s Starship spiraling out of control

• Apple’s wave of super-fast ‘Air’ products

• Startup bringing back the woolly mammoth

• Quick hits on other major news

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

MOZI

📱 Twitter co-founder’s new ‘Mozi’ app

The Rundown: Twitter co-founder Evan “Ev” Williams just launched Mozi, a new social app designed to get people off their phones to meet in person and to reduce the disconnect between online personas and real-world relationships.

The details:

• Unlike Instagram and Snapchat, Mozi doesn’t display public profiles or follower counts—rather, it notifies users when their contacts are in the same area.

• The service soft-launched last year to a “relatively small community” and is launching officially at the SXSW 2025 in Austin, kicking off today.

• Williams and his co-founder, CEO Molly DeWolf Swenson, also raised $6M in seed funding for the venture in November 2024.

• It is available on iOS, with an Android version in development, and has attracted 20,000 users so far through a freemium model.

Why it matters: Williams says that social media has lost its "social" aspect, becoming more about "media." This is why, instead of competing with Twitter and others, his service promises a distinct experience. However, it’s worth noting that these platforms are still the bigwigs and can debut similar features—pushing Mozi to stand out further.

SPACEX

🚀 SpaceX’s Starship spiraling out of control

The Rundown: SpaceX's Starship, the world's largest and most powerful rocket, spiraled out of control yesterday during a test flight, marking the second launch in a row where it exploded on its way to orbit.

The details:

• SpaceX launched Starship atop its Super Heavy booster, which returned to its Texas launchpad and was successfully secured by the launch tower.

• Approximately 8 minutes into the flight, telemetry showed that four of the six Raptor engines powering Starship’s upper stage had prematurely shut down.

• Onboard footage showed the ship spiraling out of control over the ocean, and contact was lost shortly after—with the cause of failure unknown.

• SpaceX said it “immediately began coordination with safety officials to implement pre-planned contingencies” and is looking into the cause.

Why it matters: These explosions come amid SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ongoing interactions with the U.S. federal government, including assigning employees to the FAA, which oversees SpaceX launches. The repeated failures can also pose challenges for NASA as the Starship is critical for manned missions to the Moon and Mars.

APPLE

🍎 Apple’s wave of super-fast ‘Air’ products

The Rundown: It’s been a busy week for Apple. Following the launch of new iPads, the Tim Cook-led tech giant also introduced two new computers: a more powerful (and affordable) MacBook Air and an upgraded Mac Studio.

The details:

• The MacBook Air, available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes, now has a new sky blue color, the M4 chip from the Pro lineup, and an enhanced Neural Engine.

• This power and performance boost comes at a $100 lower price—the 13-inch model now starts at $999, while the 15-inch version begins at $1,199.

• Apple also upgraded the Mac Studio, its compact yet powerful desktop, with two processor options: the M4 Max chip or the all-new M3 Ultra.

• Before this, it refreshed the iPad Air with an M3 chip and a new Magic keyboard, while the entry-level iPad got more base storage and an A16 chip.

Why it matters: While the biggest news is the fancy MacBook Air, the Mac Studio, now dubbed by Apple as “the most powerful Mac ever,” will be the go-to choice for power users due to its M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips and advanced Neural Engine bandwidth. The upgrades also make these devices (except the base iPad) Apple Intelligence-ready.

COLOSSAL BIOSCIENCES

🐘 Startup bringing back the woolly mammoth

The Rundown: Colossal Biosciences, a Texas-based startup, announced a significant breakthrough toward its ambitious goal of resurrecting the woolly mammoth by creating "woolly mice" through genetic engineering.

The details:

• The genetically engineered mice sport an orangey, thick, and heavily textured coat, which Colossal says is the core phenotype of the woolly mammoth.

• The startup modified seven genes using RNP-mediated knockout, multiplex precision genome editing, and precision homology-directed repair.

• By 2028, it plans to de-extinct mammoths, which have been gone for some 4,000 years, by genetically modifying existing Asian elephants.

• By implanting genetically engineered embryos into female elephants, the company hopes they will give birth to calves with woolly mammoth traits.

Why it matters: Colossal says that the hairy mice are a “massive validating point” in the company’s plan to bring back extinct species like the woolly mammoth, the thylacine, and the dodo. While this is a major achievement for genetic engineering, skeptics argue that the money could be better spent preserving existing species.

QUICK HITS

📰 Everything else in tech today

Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, is teaming up with Kevin Rose to acquire and revive the latter’s once-popular news aggregator, Digg.

DuckDuckGo expanded its AI capabilities, integrating AI into both its search engine and chatbot features while maintaining a strict commitment to user privacy.

Gaming-focused chat platform Discord is reportedly exploring plans for an IPO this year—the company was last valued at $15B in 2021.

Chinese scientists successfully performed a minimally invasive “brain-spine interface” surgery, restoring​ a paralyzed patient's ability to walk in just 24 hours.

Reddit added several new tools across its platform, including a “post check” to help users determine if their post breaks subreddit rules before posting.

Tech companies, including Apple, Meta, Open AI, and TSMC, have racked up a total of $1T in U.S. investments so far, with announcements timed in recent months.

Canoo CEO Anthony Aquila has made an offer to buy nearly all of the defunct EV startup’s assets, totaling $4M in cash.

Armis, a $4.2B specialist in cyber-exposure management, is acquiring Otorio, a specialist in IoT and operational technology cybersecurity, for $120M.

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See you soon,

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