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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🤖 Google’s Gemini now remembers preferences automatically.
⚖️ New York sues Zelle parent over $1 billion in alleged fraud losses.
💰 Perplexity’s valuation climbs to $20 billion after fresh funding.
📡 U.S. hides GPS trackers in AI chip shipments to block China diversions.
🧠 Sam Altman launches Merge Labs to rival Musk’s Neuralink in brain tech.

TECHNOLOGY

• Apple readies AI plan featuring robots, lifelike Siri, and smart security

  • Apple is developing AI products including a 2027 tabletop virtual companion robot and more expressive Siri avatars.

  • A smart display slated for mid-2026 will offer home control, video calling, and facial recognition customization.

  • Security camera hardware is also in development, signaling Apple’s deeper AI ecosystem push beyond phones.

• Google’s Gemini AI adds automatic memory recall

  • Gemini AI now remembers user preferences automatically, enabling more personalized conversations without repeated prompts.

  • New privacy options include ‘Temporary Chats’ that delete after 72 hours, protecting sensitive or ephemeral discussions.

  • Users can disable memory features through Personal Context settings and manage data under renamed ‘Keep Activity’ controls.

• Instagram develops feature to help users discover shared interests

  • Instagram is prototyping ‘Picks,’ letting users curate favorites like books, games, music to match with friends.

  • The feature remains internal and isn’t yet available to the public or external testers.

  • Picks aims to deepen social engagement by spotlighting shared passions instead of relying solely on content algorithms.

BUSINESS

• New York sues Zelle, citing $1 billion in fraud via security lapses

  • New York AG sues Zelle parent Early Warning Services for ignoring fraud vulnerabilities that enabled over $1 billion in scams.

  • Lawsuit alleges Zelle ignored user complaints and activated too quickly in 2017 without proper verification or safeguards.

  • Attorney General seeks restitution, damages, and court orders enforcing stronger fraud prevention for defrauded consumers.

• Perplexity valuation jumps to $20 billion in latest fundraise

  • AI search startup Perplexity’s valuation rose to $20 billion, up $2 billion from its July funding round.

  • Revenue now exceeds $150 million annually, up dramatically from $35 million a year prior.

  • Perplexity continues fundraising momentum while facing mounting competition from Big Tech’s AI search developments.

• Co-founder of Elon Musk’s xAI departs the company

  • Igor Babuschkin left xAI and announced plans for Babuschkin Ventures focusing exclusively on AI safety and future-shaping startups.

  • He co-founded xAI in 2023, led engineering, and helped establish it as a high-profile AI model development startup.

  • Departure follows controversies at xAI and aligns with Babuschkin’s long-term vision for safer, humanity-focused AI innovation.

MARKETS

WORLD

• U.S. embeds trackers in AI chip shipments to catch diversions to China

  • The U.S. is secretly placing GPS tracking devices in select AI chip shipments to prevent rerouting to China.

  • Trackers are hidden in packaging and servers from companies like Nvidia, Dell, and Super Micro, sources indicate.

  • Agencies like BIS, HSI, and FBI coordinate deployment, reflecting stepped-up enforcement of export controls and supply chain security.

• Economists agree higher tariffs likely to fuel inflation

  • Goldman Sachs expects tariff-related inflation to push prices higher, a view shared by many Wall Street economists.

  • Effective tariff rates around 18% could lift the Fed’s core inflation gauge into the low-to-mid 3% range.

  • Economists forecast modest monthly increases of 0.3%–0.5%, avoiding runaway inflation but sustaining upward pressure on prices.

• Europe’s leaders say they’ve agreed with Trump on a strategy for Russia talks

  • European leaders coordinated with Trump, agreeing any peace talks must start with a cease-fire and include Ukraine directly.

  • They aligned on rejecting legal recognition of Russia’s current territorial control and emphasized starting negotiations from front lines.

  • Europe insisted on strong security guarantees and maintained unified pressure while positioning for an inclusive, credible peace process.

CONTENT

• Give me 17 min to teach you my AI Startup Formula ($0 → $12.5K MRR)

  • Greg Isenberg shares a 3-phase framework starting with manual services, then automating via AI agents.

  • Emphasizes beginning with profitable, low-tech execution to deeply understand customer pain points before automation.

  • Suggests targeting repetitive, high-pain tasks and using public content to drive a recurring revenue flywheel.

  This week in AI: GPT-5 ships, 4o pulled back, Grok imagine goes social

  • a16z discusses Grok Imagine’s new social-first creative tools and GPT-5’s release compared to GPT-4.

  • Covers Google’s Genie 3, an interactive 3D world model, and AI music generation from ElevenLabs.

  • Explores vibecoding experiments and broader consumer AI adoption trends.

  From $4/hour to $4 billion net worth

  • My First Million interviews Hayes Barnard on building multi-billion-dollar companies and philanthropy through GivePower.

  • Shares lessons from Larry Ellison, surviving crises, and differentiating between rejection and results.

  • Highlights Barnard’s current $40M clean water fundraising effort impacting 2M people globally.

FUTURISM

• How the unraveling of two Pentagon projects may result in a costly do-over

  • Two nearly finished Pentagon HR software programs worth $800 million are being paused or scrapped altogether.

  • Officials plan replacements using Salesforce, Palantir, and Workday, risking duplication and higher taxpayer costs.

  • Critics warn politicized procurement and deregulation could waste billions in public funds over time.

• Waymo finally has a music experience worthy of its robotaxi

  • Waymo now offers Spotify integration for passengers, enabling playlist and podcast streaming during autonomous rides.

  • This update addresses customer feedback, aiming to make robotaxi trips more comfortable and engaging.

  • Enhanced in-car entertainment could improve user loyalty and attract more frequent riders.

• Sam Altman forms Merge Labs to rival Musk’s Neuralink in brain-computer interfaces

  • Sam Altman is launching Merge Labs, targeting high-bandwidth brain-computer interface technology.

  • The company’s implants aim to accelerate human-AI integration and communication speed.

  • Competition with Musk’s Neuralink underscores growing interest in merging technology with human cognition.

EXTRAS

• Google CEO adds new calendar feature at Stripe co-founder’s request

  • Stripe co-founder John Collison requested via social post a shortcut to duplicate Google Calendar events.

  • Google responded quickly: now users can Ctrl+click to duplicate calendar entries, improving scheduling workflows.

  • This change highlights how tech leaders can influence product updates through direct communication and feedback.

• Iran offended Lebanon’s president over Hezbollah disarmament plan

  • President Aoun told Iran’s Ali Larijani Lebanon rejects external interference amid its newly approved Hezbollah disarmament plan.

  • The U.S.-backed roadmap asks state control over arms by year-end, which Hezbollah opposes and Iran supports.

  • Aoun emphasized sovereignty and warned relations must include all Lebanese, not favoring one sect or foreign influence.

• Anthropic ups Claude’s context window fivefold amid intensifying AI coding wars

  • Anthropic increased Claude Sonnet 4’s context window to one million tokens—over 2,500 pages in a single request.

  • This upgrade enables analysis of entire codebases or long documents without splitting work into smaller segments.

  • The enhancement positions Anthropic more competitively in AI-assisted coding, directly challenging OpenAI’s GPT benchmarks.

AND MORE

• Oil prices fall to two-month low as U.S. and IEA signal oversupply.

• Wildfires spread across Europe, fueled by record heat and strong winds.

• S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit new closing highs on rate-cut optimism.

• In this white paper, find out how investors are unlocking greater performance by implementing a "credit data strategy."*

• Typhoon Podul slams southern Taiwan, winds top 190 kph, one person missing.

• Trafigura withdraws zinc from LME warehouses, some shipments bound for U.S.

• Poland signs a $3.8 billion deal to upgrade its F-16 fighter jets.

• Air Canada announces flight cancellations as cabin crew strike looms.

• Need to scale an AI team quickly? Athyna delivers vetted talent globally in under a week.*