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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

💼 SoftBank sells its $5.8B Nvidia stake to fund AI projects.
📱 Google’s Pixel update adds AI photo remixing and battery-saving Maps.
💣 Pakistan army foils militant attempt to seize cadets at military college.
🏨 Sonder collapses mid-stay after Marriott terminates its partnership.
🧠 Wonderful raises $100M to deploy AI agents in customer service.

TECHNOLOGY

• Google Pixel update adds battery-saving Maps mode, AI photo remixing, and smarter notifications (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, The Verge, Android Authority}}

  • Google's November Pixel update delivers battery-saving Maps navigation, AI-powered photo remixing, and notification summaries.

  • Maps’ Power Saving Mode extends battery life up to four hours by darkening screens and displaying essential information.

  • AI features include Gemini Nano notification summaries and Nano Banana photo remixing directly within Google Messages.

• Sony launches cheaper Japan-only PlayStation 5 console (Financial Times) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, The Japan Times, VGC}}

  • Sony introduced a region-locked PlayStation 5 Digital Edition exclusively for Japan, priced at ¥55,000, approximately $357 USD.

  • The console costs nearly 25% less than Japan's standard digital edition and significantly undercuts the $499 US price.

  • Japanese-language-only model launches November 21, following Nintendo's similar strategy with the region-locked Switch 2 console.

• Google's Private AI Compute protects your data by blocking access even from itself (The Verge) 
  _{^{More: Google Blog, WinBuzzer, Cyber Insider}}

  • Google unveiled Private AI Compute architecture, preventing the company from accessing user data during cloud processing operations.

  • The system uses Titanium Intelligence Enclaves and custom TPUs to isolate AI processing in hardware-secured cloud environments.

  • Privacy-focused approach enables powerful Gemini models to process sensitive data without exposure to Google engineers or infrastructure.

BUSINESS

• SoftBank's Nvidia sale rattles market, raises questions (TechCrunch) _{^{More: Bloomberg, CNBC}}

  • SoftBank sold its entire $5.8 billion Nvidia stake to fund AI investments, including OpenAI and data center projects.

  • Founder Masayoshi Son liquidated 32.1 million shares to bankroll $30 billion commitments across AI manufacturing initiatives.

  • Nvidia shares dropped nearly 3% following the disclosure, despite analysts noting the sale reflects capital needs, not concerns.

• Collapse of Sonder, a Marriott-backed hotel chain, leaves guests stranded mid-stay (CNN) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, CNBC, Fast Company}}

  • Sonder filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy after Marriott terminated their licensing agreement, citing prolonged integration challenges and default.

  • The once billion-dollar valued startup abruptly shuttered operations, leaving guests with 15 minutes to vacate hotel rooms.

  • Short-term rental company blamed severe financial constraints and unanticipated integration costs with Marriott's Bonvoy platform systems.

• Stock market today: Dow climbs 381 points, Nasdaq rebounds 2% with shutdown in sight (CNBC) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, WSJ}}

  • Dow Jones gained 381 points, closing at 47,368, while the S&P 500 rose 1.54% as the Senate advanced a shutdown resolution.

  • Nasdaq advanced 2.27% with AI stocks leading gains as a potential government funding deal boosted investor risk appetite.

  • Microsoft shares rose 1.9% snapping an eight-day losing streak, marking its longest daily slide since 2011, amid valuation concerns.

MARKETS

WORLD

• American air travelers face ongoing disruptions as Senate moves to end shutdown (Fox News) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, NBC News}}

  • FAA increased flight reductions to 6% Tuesday at 40 major airports amid controller staffing shortages from the government shutdown.

  • Over 1,200 flights were canceled and 2,000 were delayed on Tuesday as air traffic controllers missed their second consecutive paycheck without pay.

  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned disruptions could worsen through Thanksgiving if the House doesn't approve the Senate shutdown resolution.

• Pakistan foils militant attempt to seize cadets at army-run college (AP News) 
  _{^{More: Arab News, CNN, Express Tribune}}

  • Security forces foiled the Pakistani Taliban's attempt to take cadets hostage when six attackers targeted Wana Army College.

  • A suicide bomber and five militants attacked on Monday evening, with two killed immediately, while three were cornered in the administrative block.

  • All 650 students and staff were safely evacuated as forces conducted clearance against militants receiving instructions from Afghanistan.

• Thieves steal ancient Roman-era statues from the Syrian National Museum (New York Times) 
  _{^{More: AP, Washington Post, CBC}}

  • Thieves stole six marble Roman-era statues from the Damascus National Museum after breaking in on Sunday night through a damaged door.

  • The museum temporarily closed following a heist discovered Monday morning at the classical department housing Hellenistic and Byzantine artifacts.

  • Theft occurred months after the museum reopened in January, following the fall of the Assad regime, ending Syria's 14-year civil war.

FUTURISM

• Immortality startup Eternos pivots to a personal AI that sounds like you (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Business Wire, Yahoo Finance, Pulse 2.0}}

  • Eternos rebranded as Uare.ai and raised $10.3 million in seed funding, pivoting from legacy preservation to professional AI assistants.

  • LivePerson founder Robert LoCascio developed the Human Life Model using only an individual's data rather than general LLM training information.

  • Platform targets creators and professionals to create digital replicas for content generation, customer interactions, and project execution.

• Wonderful raised $100M Series A to put AI agents on the front lines of customer service (TechCrunch) 

  _{^{More: CTech, Yahoo Finance, Editorial GE}}

  • Israeli AI startup Wonderful raised $100 million Series A led by Index Ventures, bringing total funding to $134 million.

  • The company deploys customer-facing AI agents across voice, chat, and email with an 80% resolution rate, managing thousands of daily requests.

  • Startup expanded to 10 countries in four months and plans launches in Germany, Austria, the Nordics, and the Asia-Pacific regions.

• AI chatbots are helping hide eating disorders and making deepfake ‘thinspiration’ (The Verge)

  More: Wired

  • Researchers found that popular chatbots advised users how to hide rapid weight loss and encouraged eating disorder behavior.

  • AI-generated ‘thinspiration’ images were used to pressure body ideals and reinforce harmful dieting and self-image standards.

  • The report calls for stronger safeguards as current AI systems fail to detect subtle cues of disordered eating.

CONTENT

• Inside Harvey AI’s $8B Lawyer App (This Week in Startups)

  • Hosts analyze how Harvey AI is transforming legal work by automating research, brief writing, and contract generation at scale.

  • They discuss how traditional billable-hour models may collapse as AI delivers faster, cheaper, and higher-quality output.

  • The conversation concludes that automation could redefine legal pricing, risk management, and the structure of law firms.

• Gamma’s Founder Grant Lee: From Worst Idea Ever to 100M Users Build-Up (This Week in Startups)

  • Grant Lee recounts Gamma’s journey from rejected pitch to global AI presentation platform with viral user-driven growth.

  • He shares lessons on product simplicity, retention loops, and designing software that scales through genuine usefulness.

  • The takeaway: conviction, timing, and iterative design matter more than hype in the AI startup landscape.

• Inside Elon Musk’s $1 Trillion Tesla Payday — And Why It’s a Governance Nightmare (Prof G Markets)

  • Scott Galloway and Ed Elson break down Elon Musk’s massive Tesla pay package and its impact on corporate governance.

  • They analyze shareholder oversight, board independence, and the tension between innovation and accountability in megacaps.

  • The episode warns that unchecked incentives could destabilize even the most visionary tech companies over time.

EXTRAS

• ‘Lucifer’ bee with horns discovered in Western Australia (The Washington Post)
  _{^{More: People, Curtin University}}

  • Entomologists in Western Australia identified a new bee species named M. lucifer with prominent horn-like antennae on females.

  • The bee was found near a critically endangered wildflower and may be extremely range-limited and vulnerable.

  • Researchers warn that mining, habitat clearance, and lack of protection pose urgent threats to this newly described species.

• Ukraine’s top commander says situation has worsened in Zaporizhzhia region (Reuters)
  _{^{More: Al Jazeera}}

  • Ukrainian Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Russian forces advanced in the Oleksandrivka and Huliapole directions.

  • He cited enemy numerical superiority in personnel and materiel as enabling the capture of three settlements.

  • The deterioration signals increased pressure on Ukrainian defenses and growing humanitarian risk in southern regions.

AND MORE

• Australia’s spy chief warns Chinese-state hackers have probed critical infrastructure.

• AMD projects data center chip revenue will reach US$100 billion by 2030.

• A bridge collapses in southwest China months after opening, with no casualties reported.

• Your brand deserves to be in front of people who actually make decisions. That’s Memo’s audience.*

• Eli Lilly drops its CVS Health plan after Novo Nordisk’s obesity-drug deal.

• Global aluminium prices rise for a fourth straight day amid supply concerns.

• The dollar weakens as U.S. jobs data boosts rate-cut bets.

• Treasury yields and equities climb as markets anticipate the Federal Reserve easing.