Welcome to Tech Beat, your daily look at the stories shaping the tech landscape.
Over the weekend, President Trump hosted his top meme coin holders at a private Mar-a-Lago dinner, where conversation reportedly ranged from technology to foreign policy to musings about war with Iran. The event is drawing scrutiny over what access to a sitting president looks like when it comes bundled with a speculative digital asset.
In decentralized finance, a coalition called DeFi United has released a technical rescue plan following this month's Kelp DAO hack, which rattled lending markets built around the rsETH token. The proposal aims to restore the token's backing and limit losses for Aave users, a reminder that in crypto, the gap between innovation and vulnerability can close very fast.
And in a story that mixes startup dreams with corporate reality, Chris Gray — founder of Scholly, the scholarship app made famous on Shark Tank — is now suing his acquirer Sallie Mae. Gray alleges wrongful termination and claims the company is monetizing student data through a subsidiary. Sallie Mae denies everything and says it will fight the claims in court.
Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.
