We talked recently about how Nvidia wasn’t home free in China just yet, and low and behold, they’re stopping H20 chip production over Chinese concerns. Did Elon Musk talk to Mark Zuckerberg about buying OpenAI together? And of course, the Weekend Longreads Suggestions.
Links:
Nvidia Orders Halt to H20 Production After China Directive Against Purchases (The Information)
Meta Signs $10 Billion-Plus Cloud Deal With Google (The Information)
Elon Musk tried to enlist Mark Zuckerberg in $100bn bid for OpenAI (Financial Times)
OpenAI Is Challenging Google—While Using Its Search Data (The Information)
Weekend Longreads Suggestions:
He Sold His Likeness. Now His Avatar Is Shilling Supplements on TikTok. (NYTimes)
Bill Gates meets Willy Wonka: How Epic’s 82-year-old billionaire CEO, Judy Faulkner, built her software factory (CNBC)
Mutant Podcast Army Fantasy Football League Link
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19:01
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19:01
Now Meta Has Frozen AI Hiring
What is going on at Meta AI story number 77. A deeper look at that new chip that Google unveiled with the Pixel phones yesterday and what that could suggest for Google’s hardware strategy. And an interesting startup that is making AI smartglasses happen now.
Links:
Meta Freezes AI Hiring After Blockbuster Spending Spree (WSJ)
Suddenly, Silicon Valley Is Lowering AI Expectations (NYMag)
Google did more than just switch to TSMC for Tensor G5 — This is what’s new (9to5Google)
DeepSeek Touts Model That Outdoes Flagship in Agentic AI Step (Bloomberg)
Sony is raising PS5 prices, starting tomorrow (The Verge)
Harvard dropouts to launch ‘always on’ AI smart glasses that listen and record every conversation (TechCrunch)
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21:20
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21:20
The Pixel 10 Smartphone Unveiling
All the headlines from the Made By Google event where we saw the new Pixel 10 lineup and the 4th gen Pixel Watch. We have a release date for those new Xbox handhelds. More seeming chaos at Meta’s AI headquarters. And a report back from the first ever AI film festival.
Links:
The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first fully dust-resistant foldable (The Verge)
Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL are all about upgrades you can’t see, still starting at $999 [Hands-on] (9to5Google)
Google debuts Pixel Watch 4 with domed display, emergency Satellite Communication (TechCrunch)
Microsoft and Asus’ new Xbox Ally handhelds launch on October 16th (The Verge)
Mark Zuckerberg Shakes Up Meta’s A.I. Efforts, Again (NYTimes)
US tech stocks hit by concerns over future of AI boom (FT)
I Saw the Future of AI Film and It Was Empty (Wired)
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21:00
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21:00
Chamath Is Back In The Arena
Masa Son is investing $2B into Intel, and the Uncle Sam might join in as well. Small AI models continue to have a moment. Chamath is reentering the arena with a new SPAC. The Texas AG is investigating AI chatbots. And does GPT-5 prove that we’ve hit an AI ceiling, even if only temporarily?
Links:
Intel is getting a $2 billion investment from SoftBank (CNBC)
Nvidia releases a new small, open model Nemotron-Nano-9B-v2 with toggle on/off reasoning (VentureBeat)
‘SPAC King’ Chamath Palihapitiya is back with a new one (Pitchbook)
Texas attorney general accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims (TechCrunch)
Is AI hitting a wall? (FT)
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20:33
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20:33
Meta’s Smart Headware Push
Meta is readying smartglasses with a display, but also, a look at their theoretical and prototype roadmap for the future of headware hardware generally. Is all the money in the world not actually going to get Zuck what he wants in AI? And is the acquihire in all but name trend of recent months breaking Silicon Valley’s fundamental business model?
Links:
Apple’s Vision Pro Is Suffering From a Lack of Immersive Video (Bloomberg)
Meta Tiramisu "Hyperrealistic VR" Hands-On: A Stunning Window Into Another World (UploadVR)
Meta Boba 3 Prototype Hands-On: Ultra-Wide Field Of View Without Compromise (UploadVR)
Startup down rounds are at a 10 year high, according to PitchBook data (Fortune)
Meta Plans Fourth Restructuring of AI Efforts in Six Months (The Information)
Zuckerberg Squandered His AI Talent. Now He’s Spending Billions To Replace It. (Forbes)
Big Tech Is Eating Itself in Talent War (WSJ)
Enough is enough—I dumped Google’s worsening search for Kagi (ArsTechnica)
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