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

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

🧠 Meta spends billions pursuing closed AI models under a new monetization strategy
🚫 Australia bans under-sixteens from major platforms with new verification rules.
⚙️ DeepSeek uses banned Nvidia chips to accelerate its next-generation AI model.
💼 Amazon plans $35 billion India investment to expand AI infrastructure and jobs.
📱 Apple speeds Android-to-iOS transfers in iOS 26, reducing switching friction.

TECHNOLOGY

• Inside Meta's Pivot From Open Source to Money-Making AI Model (Bloomberg) 

  ^{_{More: CNBC}}

  • Zuckerberg personally directs the Avocado closed AI model expected in spring 2026, marking a departure from the open-source Llama strategy.

  • New Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang advocates monetization after Llama 4's failure led to Cox losing AI oversight.

  • Meta spent $14B hiring the Scale AI team while Reality Labs accumulated seventy billion in losses.

• Australia Under-16 Social Media Ban Begins (The Guardian) 

  ^{_{More: NPR, CNN, NBC News}}

  • World-first ban prevents under-sixteens accessing Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, Threads, Twitch, and X on December 10th.

  • Platforms face $49M fines for failing reasonable prevention steps, while users face no consequences.

  • Other companies that use facial recognition government IDs for verification, while Roblox, Discord, WhatsApp, Pinterest, and YouTube Kids remain exempt.

• DeepSeek Using Banned Nvidia Chips in Race to Build Next Model (The Information) 

  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, CNBC}}

  • The Chinese startup developed the next model using thousands of smuggled Blackwell chips initially shipped to approved countries, then dismantled.

  • Nvidia denies seeing evidence of phantom datacenters constructed, deceived partners, then deconstructed, smuggled reconstructed elsewhere for DeepSeek.

  • Access to banned chips gives DeepSeek a competitive advantage despite Beijing pushing companies to rely on domestic equipment.

BUSINESS

• Amazon Pledges $35 Billion Investments in India's AI Space Through 2030, Million Jobs (CNBC) 

  ^{_{More: About Amazon, Business Standard, The Federal}}

  • Amazon commits $35B by 2030, building a $40B investment focusing on AI digitization and exporting jobs.

  • Investment expected to generate 1 million additional jobs, quadruple exports to $80B, and deliver AI benefits to 15 million businesses.

  • India is the fastest-growing region in AI spending Asia Pacific, with a major gap in suitable compute infrastructure creating a significant opportunity.

• RSL Licensing AI Spec Launch (The Verge) 

  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, The Register, Manila Times}}

  • RSS co-creator launches Really Simple Licensing standard enabling publishers to define machine-readable AI training data compensation transparency requirements.

  • Over 1500 organizations, including Associated Press, Vox Media, USA Today, Guardian, BuzzFeed, and Stack Overflow, endorse the RSL framework.

  • Cloudflare, Akamai, Creative Commons, and IAB Tech Lab support a standard providing collective licensing similar ASCAP music royalties model.

• iPhone Android Switching iOS 26 (9to5Mac) 

  • iOS 26 introduces streamlined Android data transfer, supporting contacts, photos, videos messages, reducing friction when switching between platforms.

  • The move to the iOS app redesigned with a simplified interface, completing transfers 30% faster, supporting larger file sizes.

  • Apple quietly addresses EU Digital Markets Act requirements, making its ecosystem less locked-in while maintaining security and privacy standards.

• Great AI agents start with great prompts*

  • New ElevenLabs guide walks devs through the frameworks, structure, and evaluation methods that make conversational agents reliable, secure, and context-aware.

  • Learn how to build and iterate on prompts that deliver real-world results, fast.

  • Download The Prompt Engineering Guide and start building smarter voice AI systems today.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Social Media Tourists Visa Border Patrol (New York Times) 

  • US Customs Border Protection is increasingly scrutinizing travelers’ social media, denying entry based on controversial opinions, political views religious content.

  • Officers demanding unlock phones reviewing Instagram TikTok messages flagging content deemed inconsistent with visa purposes or threatening security.

  • Civil liberties groups warn chilling effect on free speech as tourists delete accounts and scrub posts before US travel, fearing denial.

• Trump, Nvidia AI Chips China (New York Times) 

  • The Trump administration authorized Nvidia to export H200 AI accelerators to China with a 25% tariff while maintaining the Blackwell ban.

  • The decision reverses previous export controls, creating a confusing policy where hardware seized in May is legally exportable in December 2025.

  • The move comes amid the prosecution’s two-tier enforcement challenge, where older chips become commodities, and newer ones remain contraband.

• Syria Marks One Year Since Assad Fell (Financial Times) 

  ^{_{More: NBC News, Al Jazeera, The National}}

  • President Ahmed al-Sharaa promises a four-year transition, establishing institutions, laws, and a constitution after one year, and replacing the Assad regime in December 2024.

  • Western sanctions were largely lifted while 1.2 million refugees returned home, but sectarian violence killed hundreds, fueling minority mistrust.

  • The economy remains devastated, with 90% living in poverty despite a 30% salary increase and a 200% pension boost.

FUTURISM

• Sam Altman Says Caring for a Baby Is Now Impossible Without ChatGPT (Futurism) 

  ^{_{More: DNYUZ, Tom's Guide, Dexerto}}

  • OpenAI CEO told Fallon he cannot imagine raising a newborn without a ChatGPT consulting chatbot constantly for parenting advice.

  • Altman hid in a bathroom party, asking ChatGPT whether a six-month-old's inability to walk normally sparked widespread internet backlash and criticism.

  • Researchers warn that over-reliance on large language models is dangerous to child healthcare decisions, citing a critical need for expert oversight to safeguard information.

• Startup Human Remains (Futurism) 

  • Controversial startup offers human composting services, converting deceased bodies into nutrient-rich soil gardens, raising ethical, legal regulatory questions.

  • The company markets service environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional burial or cremation, reducing carbon footprint while preserving memories of loved ones.

  • Opponents argue that commercializing human remains is disrespectful and undignified, while proponents claim the service offers a meaningful, eco-friendly end-of-life option.

• AI Product Placement Movies (Futurism) 

  • Studios are experimenting with generative AI, inserting product placements post-production, allowing brands to advertise films without disrupting original filming schedules.

  • Technology enables seamless digital replacement of billboard logos and products within scenes, creating new revenue streams, raising authenticity and transparency concerns.

  • Directors and cinematographers express frustration with losing creative control as studios prioritize monetization over artistic integrity through AI-generated integrations.

CONTENT

• Channels with Peter Kafka (Vox Media)

  • Peter Kafka interviews leaders shaping media and technology, examining how their decisions influence platforms, audiences, and business models today.

  • Each episode breaks down shifting industry power dynamics, uncovering candid insights on corporate strategies, regulatory pressures, and market disruption.

  • The series highlights emerging trends defining modern media ecosystems, offering listeners clear takeaways about innovation, influence, and digital transformation.

• TP15: Ben Black on Secondaries Secrets and Vercel’s $9B Moment (Trading Places)

  • Ben Black discusses Akkadian Ventures’ approach to secondary investing, focusing on disciplined underwriting, liquidity strategy, and long-term portfolio construction.

  • He explains market conditions shaping secondaries demand, sharing frameworks for evaluating private companies amid compressed valuations and shifting LP expectations.

  • The episode explores RAISE Conference insights, Vercel’s $9B valuation milestone, and broader implications for venture capital performance cycles.

• The Most Interesting Tech of 2025: Verge Staff Picks (The Verge)

  • Verge reviewers highlight standout 2025 innovations across smart homes, smartphones, transportation, and wearables, emphasizing practical improvements and emerging capabilities.

  • Segment hosts outline surprising product breakthroughs, detailing hardware refinements, AI-driven features, and consumer experience shifts across multiple categories.

  • The roundup reflects broader trends shaping tech adoption in 2025, revealing how design, mobility, and intelligence are converging across devices.

EXTRAS

• Blacklisted foreign companies persist in app stores, defying U.S. sanctions (The Washington Post)

  • Dozens of apps tied to U.S.-sanctioned companies remain available on Apple and Google app stores despite legal restrictions.

  • Some apps conceal ownership through minor name changes, complicating enforcement efforts by platform operators and regulators.

  • Security experts warn that the persistently available apps pose national security and financial risk concerns via potential sanctions evasion.

• Meta built its AI reputation on openness — that may be changing (TechCrunch)

  • The company’s new superintelligence unit paused the release of its open-source flagship AI model after internal tests disappointed senior leadership.

  • Executives are reportedly discussing shifting toward closed-source models, marking a possible philosophical break with earlier transparency.

  • The potential shift could weaken open-source AI ecosystems and reshape the competitive balance among global AI developers.

• Meta’s Alexandr Wang reorgs superintelligence lab, cutting hundreds of jobs (Axios)

  • Meta eliminated roughly 600 roles across its AI division while expanding a smaller, elite “TBD Lab” under new leadership.

  • The reorganization aims to replace bloated bureaucracy with agile, talent-dense teams focused on next-gen foundation models.

  • Analysts warn that such frequent structural upheaval could unsettle research culture and deter long-term AI innovation.

AND MORE

• Global central banks signal renewed rate-hike risks as the easing cycle ends.

• Germany’s 10-year bond yield climbs to a nine-month high amid shifting rate expectations.

• Coalition leaders supporting Ukraine plan a videoconference on Thursday to coordinate ongoing assistance.

• European stocks slip as investors await the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest policy decision.

• Global markets wobble as the yen weakens sharply before a potential Bank of Japan rate hike.

• China urges partners to reject tariffs after reporting a record $1 trillion annual trade surplus.

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

• Hong Kong grieves after a massive residential fire kills at least 159, prompting major investigations.

• Silver prices surge to record highs as markets brace for the Federal Reserve’s rate decision.