Tech Brew Ride Home

This flurry of M&A deals at the end of the year (I have another one to tell you about) are people getting out while the getting is good, or is this just the start of what’s going to be a big deal in 2026? And are half of the big VC raises we’re seeing just folks trying to build up cash reserves to hedge either way? Meta to Buy Manus, an AI Startup With Chinese Roots (Bloomberg) After a Year of Blistering Growth, AI Chip Makers Get Ready for Bigger 2026 (WSJ) AI start-ups amass record $150bn funding cushion as bubble fears mount (WSJ) Microsoft’s Nadella overhauls leadership as he plots AI strategy beyond OpenAI (FT) Waymo and Other Driverless Taxis Move Into a New Era (Bloomberg) Listen to This: Some Audiobooks Are Outselling Hardcovers (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia kindaquires Groq I’ll tell you what we think the strategy is here. A shot across my bow that CES is next week. Accountants shut down remote testing because of AI. And for all the recent bullishness, an honest look at the immediate limitations of today’s robotics. Nvidia Reaches Technology Licensing Deal With Startup Groq (Bloomberg) Why Nvidia Struck a $20 Billion Megadeal with Groq (The Information) Samsung brings Google Photos to the biggest screen in your home (AndroidPolice) Accounting body scraps remote exams to combat cheating (Financial Times) Even the Companies Making Humanoid Robots Think They’re Overhyped (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Well, turns out my spidey sense was right cause there definitely seems to be a new tech trade war brewing between the US and Europe. Seems like ads are definitely coming to ChatGPT. How bitcoin miners are pivoting to AI. And why Netflix wants to get into dayparting. US bars five Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online (AP) OpenAI’s Ads Push Starts Taking Shape (The Information) AST SpaceMobile Launches Biggest Satellite to Challenge SpaceX (Bloomberg) Bitcoin Miners Thrive Off a New Side Hustle: Retooling Their Data Centers for AI (WSJ) YouTube Has a Firm Grip on Daytime TV (NYTimes) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: The Hottest Toy of the Year Is Made by a Tech Startup You’ve Never Heard Of (WSJ) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I hope you weren’t expecting Santa to leave a drone under the tree this week. Europe is forcing Apple to pair nicely with others. More signs of the AI fueled debt explosion. And in the year of the stablecoin, the rise of stablecoin-based banks. U.S. Bans New China-Made Drones, Sparking Outrage Among Pilots (WSJ) Pentagon Adds Grok-Derived Products to Something Called the ‘AI Arsenal’ (Gizmodo) iOS 26.3 Brings AirPods-Like Pairing to Third-Party Devices in EU Under DMA (MacRumors) AI debt boom pushes US corporate bond sales close to record (Financial Times) A $309 Billion Bet Fuels 24/7 Dollar Banking Without Borders (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turns out when the lights go out, Waymo’s don’t handle that well. Larry Ellison actually puts his money on the line. Somebody is pirating music like it’s 1999. And two deep-dive looks at whether or not Google’s TPU’s really are a threat to Nvidia and OpenAI. Waymo resumes robotaxi service in San Francisco after blackout chaos — Musk says Tesla car service unaffected (CNBC) Paramount guarantees Larry Ellison backing in amended WBD bid (CNBC) Instacart Scraps All Price Tests After Customer Pushback (WSJ) Spotify Music Library Scraped by Pirate Activist Group (Billboard) ChatGPT will now let you pick how nice it is (The Verge) TPU Mania (The Chip Letter) Why Nvidia maintains its moat and Gemini won’t kill OpenAI (SiliconANGLE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has TikTok finally been sold, episode number 47… The Pennsylvania supreme court says police don’t need a warrant to read your search history. YouTube terminates some big accounts over AI usage. A new League of Legends is coming. And in the longreads, and in the show, a look at how Zuck’s big bet on AI is coming along. Scoop: TikTok signs deal for U.S. unit after yearslong saga (Axios) TikTok U.S. Deal to Close Next Month: Oracle and Silver Lake Confirmed in Buyer Consortium (The Hollywood Reporter) Pa. high court rules that police can access Google searches without a warrant (The Record) Meta Is Developing a New AI Image and Video Model Code-Named ‘Mango’ (WSJ) YouTube Shuts Down Channels Using AI To Create Fake Movie Trailers Watched By Millions (Deadline) Riot Has a Secret Plan to Remake Its ‘League of Legends’ Game (Bloomberg) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s turbulent bet on AI (FT) Economics of Orbital vs Terrestrial Data Centers (Andrew McCalip) Feeding the Machine (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has China cracked a major puzzle for chip parity? Trump Media merges with a… Fusion Energy startup? Coinbase continues its efforts to let you trade everything. OpenAI is turning on the fundraising afterburners. And how to catch a North Korean IT infiltrator. China may have reverse engineered EUV lithography tool in covert lab, report claims — employees given fake IDs to avoid secret project being detected, prototypes expected in 2028 (Tom's Hardware) Trump media group agrees $6bn merger with Google-backed fusion energy company (FT) Coinbase adds prediction markets and stock trading in push to be one-stop trading app (CNBC) OpenAI Has Discussed Raising Tens of Billions at Valuation Around $750 Billion (The Information) Amazon Caught North Korean IT Worker By Tracing Keystroke Data (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ChatGPT ups its image generation game. Now it’s Amazon’s turn to invest in OpenAI. WBD says it still wants to go with the Netflix offer. Waymo’s raising money again. And the new AI sort of newsletter Google wants to put in your inbox every morning. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Updated to Make Images Better and Faster (Bloomberg) ChatGPT Images just got a major upgrade — and it could change how we all create (TechRadar) OpenAI in Talks to Raise At Least $10 Billion From Amazon and Use Its AI Chips (The Information) Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training (Reuters) Warner Rejects Paramount’s Hostile Bid, Saying Netflix Deal Still Superior (WSJ) Waymo Seeking Over $15 Billion Near $100 Billion Valuation (Bloomberg) Waymo in talks to raise funds at $100bn valuation (FT) U.S. Threatens Penalties Against European Tech Firms Amid Regulatory Fight (NYTimes) Google wants its AI assistant CC to replace your morning scroll (The Verge) Betting on prediction markets has exploded over past two years (FT) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tech continues to be a major geopolitical stumbling block, this time with the UK. Are we currently in the midst of the second mini-tech recession of the year? If Ford can pivot from EV’s to servicing datacenters, maybe you can too. And the civil war lining up in Hollywood, over AI. U.S.-U.K. Trade Deal Hits Stumbling Block (NYTimes) AI infrastructure selloff continues on Wall Street as Broadcom, Oracle shares slide (CNBC) CoreWeave’s Staggering Fall From Market Grace Highlights AI Bubble Fears (WSJ) Ford is starting a battery storage business to power data centers and the grid (TechCrunch) AI has the entertainment industry torn between keeping up and keeping talent happy. (BloombergBusinessweek) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Roomba is circling the drain with iRobot filing for bankruptcy. Remember credit default swaps? Turns out they’re not just for hedging housing anymore. Nano Banana looks so realistic because it’s mimicking your sub-par smartphone camera output. And why can’t everybody participate in early stage startup investing? Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy and Will Go Private (Bloomberg) How iRobot lost its way home (TechCrunch) Investors seek protection from risk of AI debt bust (FT) Kindle’s New AI Feature Can Answer Questions About Your Books (Whether Authors Want It or Not) (PCMag) AI image generators are getting better by getting worse (The Verge) Inside the Invitation-Only Stock Market for the Wealthy (WSJ) 🎧 The Ride Home - 2025 Wrapped Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ok, fine, says Sam, here’s a new GPT model so you’ll hopefully stop saying we’re behind. Broadcom as another AI bellwether. Now that Disney is in bed with OpenAI, they’re ceasing and desisting Google. And, of course, The Weekend Longreads Suggestions. OpenAI Launches GPT-5.2 as It Navigates ‘Code Red’ (Wired) GPT-5.2 is OpenAI’s latest move in the agentic AI battle (The Verge) Trump threatens funding for states over AI regulations (Reuters) Broadcom beats on earnings and revenue, says AI chip sales will double in current quarter (CNBC) Disney Accuses Google of Using AI to Engage in Copyright Infringement on ‘Massive Scale’ (Variety) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: Want This Hearing Aid? Well, Who Do You Know? (Wired) Tech bros head to etiquette camp as Silicon Valley levels up its style (The Washington Post) Why AGI Will Not Happen (Tim Dettmer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Disney signs a blockbuster deal to license characters to OpenAI AND invest $1 billion dollars in the company. Oracle as the new bellwether for thinking about OpenAI’s prospects. More on the whole Data Centers In Space phenomenon. And let me introduce you to the Model Context Protocol to make the web safe for AI agents. Disney Inks Blockbuster OpenAI Deal to Bring More Than 200 Characters to Sora Video Platform, Will Invest $1 Billion in AI Company (Variety) Disney to Invest $1 Billion in OpenAI, License Suite of Characters for Sora in Landmark Deal (The Wrap) Oracle Can’t Escape OpenAI’s Shadow (WSJ) Spotify tests more personalized, AI-powered ‘Prompted Playlists’ (TechCrunch) Bezos and Musk Race to Bring Data Centers to Space (WSJ) MCP has already taken the industry by storm, and now Anthropic is giving it away. (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instagram is giving you some control over your algorithm. Is Instacart using algorithmic pricing? SpaceX thinks it will be worth $1.5 trillion. Has DeepSeek been smuggling chips? And what if your startup’s side-hustle can plug into the AI CAPEX bonanza? Instagram Will Start Letting You Pick What Shows Up in Your Reels (Wired) Same Product, Same Store, but on Instacart, Prices Might Differ (NYTimes) SpaceX to Pursue 2026 IPO Raising Far Above $30 Billion (Bloomberg) DeepSeek is Using Banned Nvidia Chips in Race to Build Next Model (The Information) Boom Supersonic raises $300M to build natural gas turbines for Crusoe data centers (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump says Nvidia and others can ship chips to China, but the question is, will China take delivery. OpenAI is ending the code red in about a month, after getting a new model out the door. Meta wants a new Llama model, maybe in a month. And a new smart ring that is pretty intriguing… Trump greenlights Nvidia H200 AI chip sales to China if U.S. gets 25% cut, says Xi responded positively (CNBC) China set to limit access to Nvidia’s H200 chips despite Trump export approval (FT) Sam Altman’s Sprint to Correct OpenAI’s Direction and Fend Off Google (WSJ) From Llamas to Avocados: Meta’s shifting AI strategy is causing internal confusion (CNBC) Pebble Is Making a $75 Smart Ring (Wired) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looks like that big Netflix bid for Warner Brothers isn’t gonna go smoothly as Paramount launching a hostile counter-bid. We’ve got a full-on executive suite crisis at Apple. SpaceX could IPO next year. And more data on how AI usage is evolving. Paramount Skydance launches hostile bid for WBD ‘to finish what we started,’ CEO Ellison tells CNBC (CNBC) Trump Warns Netflix-Warner Deal May Pose Antitrust ‘Problem’ (Bloomberg) Netflix and the Hollywood End Game (Stratechery) Apple Rocked by Executive Departures, With Chip Chief at Risk of Leaving Next (Bloomberg) Meta acquires AI-wearables startup Limitless (Reuters) SpaceX in Talks for $800 Billion Valuation Ahead of Potential 2026 IPO (WSJ) An Empirical 100 Trillion Token Study with OpenRouter (OpenRouter) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turns out the Albanian army was triumphant as Netflix is buying HBO (and WBD’s studios). The NYT is suing Perplexity. Man, everybody is heading for the exits at Apple at the same time. And get ready for a slew of insider trading controversies in our prediction market world. Netflix agrees $83bn takeover of Warner Bros Discovery (FT) New York Times Sues A.I. Start-Up Perplexity Over Use of Copyrighted Work (NYTimes) X hit with $140 million EU fine for breaching content rules, TikTok settles (Reuters) Apple Departures Point to Challenges for iPhone’s Dominance (WSJ) Chatbots are now rivaling social networks as a core layer of internet infrastructure (The Decoder) Alleged Insider Nets $1 Million On Polymarket In 24 Hours (Forbes) Weekend Longreads Suggestions: 18,000 Reasons It’s So Hard to Build a Chip Factory in America (NYTimes) In Arizona Desert, Taiwanese Families Create Community and Build a Factor (NYTimes) A Growing U.S. Tech Hub Needs Workers. Colleges Try to Keep Up. (NYTimes) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the one hand, Meta poached Apple’s design head in a major coup to make hardware and software for AI, but there are signs Zuck is souring on the Metaverse could even abandon it entirely. Is Amazon about to abandon your mailman? And why Dario Amodei is playing a blinder right now. Apple Design Executive Alan Dye Poached by Meta in Major Coup (Bloomberg) Meta’s Zuckerberg Plans Deep Cuts for Metaverse Efforts (Bloomberg) Amazon explores building its own delivery network to replace USPS deal (Washington Post) Anthropic CEO Says Some Tech Firms Too Risky With AI Spending (Bloomberg) Harvey, a Maker of A.I. Legal Software, Raises New Funds (NYTimes) Reddit’s CEO says r/popular ‘sucks,’ and it’s going away (The Verge) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We might soon have the first big IPO of the AI era, and it doesn’t look like it will be OpenAI. Amazon takes another few swings at Nvidia’s dominance. Proof positive that self driving cars really are significantly safer. And the disastrous 4k upscaling of Mad Men. Anthropic taps IPO lawyers as it races OpenAI to go public (FT) Amazon’s Custom Chips Pose Another Threat to Nvidia (WSJ) Amazon Has New Frontier AI Models—and a Way for Customers to Build Their Own (Wired) AWS puts Kiro and other AI agents to work on truly autonomous software development (SiliconANGLE) The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course. (NYTimes) Microsoft Lowers AI Software Growth Targets as Customers Resist Newer Products (The Information) The ‘Mad Men’ 4K Stream on HBO Max Had So Many Problems (Not All of Which Involved a Barf Machine) (THR) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices