Squawk Pod: Betting on Cursor & Collaborating in AI - 06/18/26 | Audio Only

Summary

The episode covers new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh’s first meeting where rates were held but a hawkish shift rattled bonds and stocks. It follows the US-Iran ceasefire deal with disputes over Strait of Hormuz tolls, and AI leaders at the G7 discussing guardrails and innovation. Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli argues the US will lead in frontier AI models while Europe should focus on applications. Venture capitalist Michael Fertik, the earliest Cursor investor, explains why SpaceX’s $60bn acquisition of the AI coding startup fits Elon Musk’s ambition to dominate AI and could justify a trillion-dollar valuation. Intel shares rose on news of an Apple partnership for US chip design, and Apple warned of price hikes due to surging memory costs.

• Fed Chair Kevin Warsh held rates but shifted hawkish; market prices >1 hike in 2026 and bonds sold off.
• US-Iran war ends via MoU, but Iran insists on charging Strait of Hormuz tolls, raising oil supply-chain risk.
• G7 AI working lunch: leaders push for collaborative guardrails without slowing innovation.
• Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli sees US leading frontier AI models; Europe should pivot to application layer.
• VC Michael Fertik details SpaceX’s $60bn Cursor acquisition as a bet to dominate AI coding and unseat Anthropic.
• Intel shares popped on President Trump’s post that Apple will partner on US-based chip design.
• Apple may raise Mac/iPad/iPhone prices significantly due to AI-driven memory cost surges.