Hennigan's Huddle

AI agents left unsupervised invented their own games — and got smarter for it. Plus Etsy, Spotify, and Xbox fight to control their own environments. • Etsy is cracking down on AI slop listings Etsy is rolling out stricter AI content policies to combat misleading listings, requiring sellers to include at least one unedited product photo and disclose any AI-generated content. • Spotify says yes, it is busting people for using Family Plan sharing too widely Spotify is actively enforcing Family Plan rules by rolling out QR code verification to catch subscribers who don't actually share a household, with co-CEO Alex Norström framing it as ongoing routine maintenance rather than a one-time crackdown. • The next-gen Xbox won’t cost you $1,800. It can’t. Can it? A new Fortune report claims Microsoft's next-gen Xbox, codenamed Helix, is internally projected to cost consumers between $1,200 and $1,800 at its 2028 launch — potentially making it the most expensive console ever released. • Oura sues rival Ultrahuman again, threatening its U.S. smart ring comeback Smart ring pioneer Oura has sued Indian rival Ultrahuman for the second time, seeking to block U.S. sales of the Ring Pro just months after a redesign allowed Ultrahuman back into the American market following a prior import ban. • Uber rival inDrive eyes 2027 robotaxi tests in Central Asia with Pony.ai and Nvidia Ride-hailing app inDrive is partnering with Chinese autonomous vehicle firm Pony.ai and Nvidia to pilot robotaxis in Kazakhstan's capital Astana by the first half of 2027, targeting one of the harshest winter climates ever used to test self-driving technology. • Left alone with nothing to do, AI agents started playing MIT researchers left 13 AI agents alone on a virtual island for 30 hours with no assigned tasks, and the agents spontaneously invented their own games and challenges — behavior the researchers are calling 'play.' • Switch 2 security takes a hit as hackers unlock homebrew access A security researcher has partially jailbroken Nintendo's Switch 2 using a software-only exploit tied to the SmileBasic 4 programming app, enabling homebrew software, game modding, and save file backups — just over a year after the console's launch. • Bears' Santos redeems 'annoying' miss with game-sealing FG vs. Pats Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos bounced back from an earlier miss to nail a game-sealing field goal against the New England Patriots, securing the win for Chicago. • Ann Arbor-area field hockey regional semifinal scoreboard Ann Arbor-area field hockey teams swept their regional semifinal matchups, with several dominant performances setting up high-stakes regional championship games on October 26. • Two more Ohio State football players loses black stripe: Buckeye Talk Two more Ohio State football players have had their black stripes removed, a tradition marking the transition from recruit to full-fledged Buckeye. • D’Angelo’s Brother Confirms a Posthumous Al

The AI buildout is racking up environmental and financial debts simultaneously. Plus, Tesla doubles down on its robotaxi promises. • YouTube says it isn’t testing hiding the dislike button YouTube clarified it is NOT hiding the dislike button for regular users, despite viral screenshots suggesting otherwise. The UI change only affects creators viewing their own uploaded videos. • Tesla says customers can add their own vehicles to the robotaxi fleet next year — will it happen? Tesla has set a Q2 2027 deadline for owners to add their personal vehicles to its robotaxi fleet, but given Elon Musk's long track record of missed autonomous driving promises, skepticism is warranted. • Data centers could erase decades of air quality gains A new Texas study warns that the AI data center boom could reverse decades of air quality progress, with soot pollution potentially tripling and smog-forming emissions rising 136% within five years. • Tesla says it will start selling Cybercabs by end of year Tesla announced it will begin selling its autonomous Cybercab robotaxi to third-party fleet customers by end of 2024, even as federal regulators investigate whether the steering-wheel-free vehicle legally meets safety standards. • Blackstone’s Jas Khaira says fears over AI-buildout debt are overblown Blackstone's AI chief Jas Khaira pushed back on fears that surging AI infrastructure debt could trigger a financial crisis, arguing the loans are ultimately backed by the world's most creditworthy companies — even as CoreWeave shares dropped 20% and Firmus pulled its IPO. • Meta wants to pay for its broad AI buildout with a newly created class of stock Meta is creating a new class of non-voting stock to fund its massive AI expansion while preserving founder Mark Zuckerberg's voting control, as the company posted a strong Q3 with $64 billion in revenue. • FCC chair warns media not to run the "fake polls" Trump keeps complaining about FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned broadcasters to stop airing 'fake polls,' drawing immediate pushback from former FCC chairs who called it an unconstitutional attempt to scare media into self-censorship. • Reese's latest double-double fuels Game 3 rout as Dream take 2-1 Finals lead Angel Reese recorded another double-double in Game 3, powering the Chicago Sky to a dominant win over the Atlanta Dream and taking a 2-1 series lead in the WNBA Finals. • Michigan State starting QB, RB added to latest brutal injury report Michigan State's injury woes deepened Wednesday as starting QB Alessio Milivojevic and starting RB Jaziun Patterson were listed as questionable ahead of Saturday's road game against No. 9 UCLA, potentially forcing the 2-5 Spartans to rely on third-string options at both positions. • Who are Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair and which can best lead Ohio State? Ohio State faces a quarterback competition between Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair as the Buckeyes determine who can best lead the program going fo

PHP's 9.2-rated vulnerabilities could be exploited within minutes of patch release. Plus: YouTube hides dislikes, Altman lawsuit dismissed, and more. • YouTube might be testing hiding the dislike button YouTube appears to be testing a change that would move the dislike button from its prominent position beneath videos into a buried three-dots submenu, making it significantly harder to use. • Judge dismisses Sam Altman’s sister’s sexual abuse lawsuit A federal judge has dismissed Ann Altman's sexual abuse lawsuit against her brother, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, with prejudice, permanently closing the case in that court. • Trump is giving Nick Shirley $10,000 and launching a $25 million fraud bounty program President Trump awarded right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley $10,000 and announced a $25 million public fraud bounty program, the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program (WHIP), offering up to $30,000 per tip that leads to a conviction — though Trump himself suggested a 1% commission with no stated cap. • Anthropic pitches AI safety bill that may block a model if 50+ people could be killed Anthropic is quietly lobbying Congress with a draft AI safety bill that would block model releases if they pose foreseeable risks of killing 50 or more people or causing over $1 billion in property damage. • SpaceX and Tesla boards form special committees to review merger SpaceX and Tesla have each formed independent special committees to evaluate a potential merger, with Elon Musk excluded from those discussions due to his conflicted status as largest shareholder of both companies. • Hugging Face CEO warns that Netflix’s OpenAI hack documentary isn’t accurate Hugging Face CEO Clem Delangue is calling out Netflix's documentary 'AI Gone Rogue' for sensationalizing a real AI security incident, saying the film prioritized fear over accuracy despite his two-plus hours of on-camera corrections. • PHP warns it plans to release 2 emergency patches imminently PHP is rushing out emergency patches for two critical vulnerabilities rated 9.2 out of 10, with security firms warning mass exploitation could begin within 15 minutes of the patches dropping. • 76ers take down defending champion Knicks in season opener The Philadelphia 76ers kicked off the new NBA season with a statement win over the defending champion New York Knicks, serving notice early that they're a threat in the Eastern Conference. • Overheard in Michigan State’s locker room: Better than the Lakers and an eye opener No. 6 Michigan State fell 78-70 to No. 4 UConn in a high-profile preseason exhibition, with coach Tom Izzo calling it the best possible prep game his team could have played. • Guarantee: Ohio State will win 2027-28 College Football Playoff National Championship A bold prediction has been made guaranteeing Ohio State will win the 2027-28 College Football Playoff National Championship, putting the Buckeyes on notice as a future dynasty favorite. • John Mayer Teases Potential Cu

Fossil fuels are back, bot-fighting is a billion-dollar business, and nobody's in charge. AI is reshaping everything — faster than anyone planned. • Baseus’ new security camera has a spotlight that tracks and follows moving targets Baseus has launched the U2 Pro, a $269.99 outdoor security camera that uses a motorized AI-tracking spotlight to follow and illuminate moving targets in real time, actively deterring intruders rather than just recording them. • Elon Musk’s proposed SpaceX stock giveaway would go into ‘Trump Accounts’ Elon Musk announced plans to give one SpaceX share to every child in America, with the shares deposited into 'Trump Accounts' — tax-advantaged investment accounts that have already been created for over 70 million kids. • The fossil fuel comeback is here A new EDF and Atlas Public Policy report reveals the U.S. is building more fossil fuel infrastructure than it has in a decade, driven by surging AI data center energy demand and the Trump administration's aggressive push away from renewables. • Blackwall quadruples valuation to $2.2B as websites wrangle an increasingly crowded internet Estonian web security firm Blackwall raised $100 million at a $2.2 billion valuation — a 4x increase from its last round — as demand surges for tools that help hosting providers fight bot traffic and rogue AI agents. • Walmart’s Flipkart is quietly building a food delivery challenger in India Walmart-owned Flipkart is quietly testing a food delivery service called 'Eat-in by Minutes' with 8,000 employees in Bengaluru, setting up a direct challenge to India's dominant duo Zomato and Swiggy ahead of a planned public launch by end of October. • Mamdani says feds have abdicated on AI, urges New Yorkers to push back New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pushing back against unchecked AI adoption, arguing the federal government has abandoned its regulatory responsibility and leaving cities to protect residents on their own. • Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon Phobos Japan launched its $578 million MMX spacecraft Monday on a five-year mission to land on Mars' moon Phobos and return surface samples to Earth — a world first if successful. • Rays clinch ALCS with Game 6 win, to face Brewers in World Series The Tampa Bay Rays punched their ticket to the World Series by clinching the ALCS in Game 6, setting up a Fall Classic showdown against the Milwaukee Brewers. • Here are Jackson-area soccer district semifinal scores Jackson-area high school soccer district semifinals are wrapped up across three divisions, with championship matchups now set for October 21 and 23. • ‘I have no idea what to do with Ohio State now’: Football world reacts to announcement on Julian Sayin’s injury Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has suffered an injury, sending shockwaves through the college football world and throwing the Buckeyes' offensive plans into uncertainty. • 'Beauty and the Beast' singer

A Savannah cop gave her ICE husband a Flock login. Nearly 1,000 unauthorized plate scans later, the real scandal isn't the firing — it's the architecture. • A Savannah police officer gave her Flock login to her ICE agent husband A Savannah police officer was fired after sharing her Flock Safety license plate reader login with her ICE agent husband, who used it to conduct nearly 1,000 unauthorized searches targeting Hispanic drivers. • Mister Organ is one of the most unsettling documentaries I’ve ever seen New Zealand journalist David Farrier's documentary 'Mister Organ' profiles Michael Organ, a conman who escalated from enforcing predatory parking fees to stalking and psychologically tormenting Farrier himself. • A woman was arrested in Philly for blocking a delivery robot A Philadelphia woman named Carolyn Marvin was arrested for disorderly conduct after repeatedly blocking Uber delivery robots to protest automation killing delivery jobs. • Khosla Ventures doubles down on Even Healthcare to challenge India’s hospital economics Indian healthcare startup Even Healthcare has raised $50 million in a Khosla Ventures-led Series B at a $300 million valuation, tripling its worth in 18 months as it builds its own hospitals in Bengaluru to disrupt India's fee-for-procedure medical model. • No agenda, no rush, no leaving San Francisco: Benchmark’s partners on investing in a frenzied market Benchmark Capital appeared at TechCrunch Disrupt to explain its disciplined, small-team investing philosophy even as it raised a rare $2 billion across two funds — its largest capital raise in 31 years. • Anthropic says it’s committing 5% of its shares to a ‘public benefit fund’ Anthropic is creating a public benefit fund seeded with 5% of its shares, with plans to direct money toward societal good as AI faces a growing trust crisis. • Anthropic gives outside AI watchdog “employee-like” access Anthropic has embedded six employees from AI safety nonprofit METR inside its offices with near-full internal access, marking the first concrete implementation of a widely endorsed pledge to use third-party AI risk evaluators. • Rodgers throws two TDs to tie Peyton on all-time list, lifts Steelers to OT win Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to tie Peyton Manning on the all-time TD list, leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to an overtime victory. • Eagles tried to undo a QB move just nine days later The Philadelphia Eagles tried to re-sign QB Andy Dalton just nine days after cutting him, but Dalton turned them down and is expected to sign elsewhere, leaving Philly scrambling for quarterback depth behind injured starter Jalen Hurts. • Ohio State QB Julian Sayin's injury may completely reshape the College Football Playoff race | OutKick Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin has suffered an injury that could significantly alter the College Football Playoff landscape, putting the Buckeyes' championship hopes in jeopardy. • I Rewatched Obsession And One L