Welcome back to your daily memorandum talking tech, business, AI, markets, and more. 🗞️

In today’s edition, we are tackling the following:

🚀 SpaceX seeks federal approval to launch 1M solar-powered data centers.
📱 Apple’s iPhone sales hit a record high despite early AI missteps.
🏛️ Speaker Johnson faces tough choices as shutdown and ICE debate intensifies.
🪙 Bitcoin nears its lowest price since Trump returned to the White House.
🤖 Indonesia conditionally lifts nationwide ban on xAI’s Grok.

TECHNOLOGY

• SpaceX seeks federal approval to launch 1M solar-powered satellite data centers (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Bloomberg, The Verge}}

  • SpaceX requested FCC approval to launch up to 1 million solar-powered satellites that would serve as AI data centers.

  • The company frames the plan as a step toward a Kardashev II-level civilization harnessing the Sun’s power.

  • Critics raise concerns about orbital debris and question the feasibility of approval, while Amazon seeks extensions on the satellite deadline.

• Apple’s iPhone sales hit a record high despite early missteps in artificial intelligence (AP)
  ^{_{More: Washington Times, Yahoo!}}

  • iPhone sales reached $85.3B, a 23% increase, marking the highest quarterly revenue since 2007.

  • AI failures prompted Apple to collaborate with Google, while new “liquid glass” designs boosted consumer demand.

  • Strong iPhone performance drove Apple’s quarterly profit to $42.1B, exceeding analyst expectations and total revenue projections.

• Why Tether’s CEO is suddenly everywhere right now (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Fortune, Bloomberg}}

  • Tether launched USAT, a U.S.-regulated stablecoin, prompting CEO Paolo Ardoino to launch an aggressive media blitz.

  • After years of avoiding U.S. scrutiny, Tether now courts regulators, law enforcement, and policymakers.

  • With massive global adoption, Tether aims to challenge Circle’s USDC and dominate regulated markets.

BUSINESS

• Speaker Johnson faces tough choices as shutdown continues and ICE debate intensifies (AP)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, SCMP, Boston Globe}}

  • House Speaker Johnson needs GOP support to pass federal funding amid a looming partial government shutdown.

  • The Senate temporarily funds DHS until February 13th, pressuring Congress to reach a consensus on ICE enforcement changes.

  • Johnson relies on Trump’s backing while Democrats refuse to vote, complicating efforts to secure full House approval.

• Bitcoin nears its lowest price since Trump returned to the White House (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Yahoo!}}

  • Bitcoin fell 2.5% to $74,541, nearly matching its lowest level since Trump’s return last year.

  • A 10% correction and ETF outflows caused traders to question the $81,000 support level.

  • Market sentiment remains fragile amid political uncertainty, Fed inaction, and broader cryptocurrency turbulence.

• Waymo is reportedly raising $16B in a massive new funding round (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: MSN, Yahoo!}}

  • Waymo is finalizing a $16B funding round valuing the robotaxi company at $110B

  • Alphabet will provide most of the funding, with Dragoneer, Sequoia, DST, and existing investors joining.

  • Waymo continues rapid expansion, despite operational hiccups, generating over $350M in annual recurring revenue.

• Explore the essential startup reading database*

  • Learning from the best is how you become the best. We've curated a list of top-notch articles, blogs, and readings that are pivotal for startup founders.

  • And here's the kicker: we've organized it all in a user-friendly Notion database for easy access and tracking. Double win!

  • As aspiring leaders and innovators, we use this list as a bridge to absorb the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Indonesia conditionally lifts its ban on xAI’s Grok nationwide (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: NY Times, Yahoo!, CNA}}

  • Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines lifted Grok bans after misuse generated massive nonconsensual sexual imagery.

  • Indonesian authorities said the ban lift is conditional and may be reinstated if further violations emerge.

  • xAI pledged safeguards and limited Grok's image generation, while governments worldwide investigate deepfake abuses.

• Examining Iran’s longest internet blackout amid shutdowns, smuggled Starlink, and AI propaganda (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: CNN, BBC}}

  • Iran imposed its longest internet blackout since the January protests, slowing information flows without stopping the unrest.

  • Despite border controls and signal jamming, state violence escalated, with deaths estimated between 3,000 and 30,000.

  • Experts say shifting technology, shutdowns, and propaganda both sustain repression and enable resistance inside Iran.

• India offers long-term tax breaks to attract AI and cloud investment (Tech in Asia)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MEXC, TechCrunch}}

  • India announced tax exemptions until 2047 for foreign cloud services that run workloads in Indian data centers.

  • Cloud services sold domestically must use local resellers, while data center operators receive a 15% safe-harbor rate.

  • The policy aims to position India as a regional AI hub amid massive investments.

FUTURISM

• Are layoffs truly driven by AI, or is AI-washing the excuse? (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: NY Times, Yahoo!}}

  • A New York Times report questions whether companies cite AI to mask pandemic overhiring and financial troubles.

  • Companies blamed AI for more than 50,000 layoffs in 2025, including those at Amazon and Pinterest.

  • Forrester and Brookings warn that many firms lack mature AI, making AI-linked layoffs investor-friendly narratives.

• OpenClaw AI assistants now interact through their own social network platform (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Fortune, TechCrunch, FindArticles}}

  • OpenClaw, formerly Clawdbot, rebranded after legal issues and trademark checks to avoid copyright conflicts.

  • The AI community created Moltbook, a social network where OpenClaw assistants self-organize and interact with each other.

  • Over 100,000 GitHub stars highlight popularity, attracting researchers and developers interested in AI collaboration and automation.

• Inside Physical Intelligence, the startup creating Silicon Valley’s most advanced robot brains (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MEXC}}

  • Physical Intelligence’s San Francisco headquarters is unassuming, with robots and parts scattered across large, functional tables.

  • Robots are trained to perform everyday tasks, from folding clothes to peeling vegetables efficiently.

  • Co-founder Sergey Levine describes the technology as “ChatGPT for robots,” blending AI with physical automation.

CONTENT

• Dr. Becky explains how parenting principles can transform leadership effectiveness and resilience (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Dr. Becky argues that families and organizations follow the same psychological systems and relational dynamics.

  • She emphasizes repair, connection, and generous interpretation as foundations for trust and cooperation.

  • Effective leaders set clear boundaries while projecting belief, emotional steadiness, and long-term resilience.

• Chris Best discusses how Substack differentiated itself and why video matters more (The Prof G Pod)

  • Chris Best explains how Substack stood out by prioritizing creators amid declining trust in media.

  • Video, live streaming, and community features are becoming central to Substack’s evolving audience needs.

  • The discussion explores Substack’s growth, platform identity, and whether it could rival social media.

• OpenClaw shows how AI automation is transforming team workflows with Rahul Sood (This Week in Startups)

  • The LAUNCH team demonstrates Clawdbot automating research and administrative tasks for podcasts and venture operations.

  • Rahul Sood warns about serious security risks, including injection attacks, when deploying fully authorized AI agents.

  • Discussion explores the future of work, predicting more creative roles alongside potential job displacement.

EXTRAS

• India hands Apple a boost by easing tax risks for equipment funding (Economic Times)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Yahoo!}}

  • Apple lobbied the Indian government to revise tax rules affecting the funding of iPhone manufacturing equipment.

  • The company feared that supplying iPhone production machines could trigger unexpected income tax liabilities.

  • India amended laws to attract electronics manufacturing as Apple rapidly expands iPhone production locally.

• Alibaba to spend $431M boosting AI chatbot during Lunar New Year (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Investing.com, AOL, Yahoo!}}

  • Alibaba plans to spend 3 billion yuan promoting its Qwen AI app during the Lunar New Year.

  • Spending triples rival commitments, offering dining and entertainment incentives and continuous digital red envelope rewards.

  • AI competition in China intensifies as tech giants battle for users during the extended holiday period.

• Oracle plans to raise up to $50B via debt and equity (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, MSN, The Information}}

  • Oracle expects to raise $45–50B in 2026 to expand cloud infrastructure capacity.

  • Funding will be split between equity issuances and senior unsecured bond sales.

  • Investors remain cautious as Oracle’s AI build-out increases debt and exposure to OpenAI.

AND MORE

• Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar missions.

• UK house prices rebound at start of the year, Nationwide says.

• Instagram may soon let users remove themselves from others’ Close Friends lists.

• Roko’s Basilisk skips the buzz words and cuts straight to what moves markets, products, and careers.*

• An informant told the FBI that Jeffrey Epstein allegedly employed a personal hacker.

• A millennial anti-gang hardliner was elected president of Costa Rica.

• OnlyFans is reportedly considering selling a majority stake to Architect Capital.

• Bad Bunny makes history at politically charged Grammy Awards ceremony.