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

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

💼 Verizon prepares major layoffs as new CEO accelerates sweeping cost cuts.
🪧 Starbucks workers strike nationwide, demanding higher pay and better conditions.
📱 Apple launches lower-commission program aimed at attracting mini app developers.
🧭 UN Gaza stabilization plan stalls amid pushback from Russia and China.
🛒 Meta adds collaborative shopping tools and AI features to Marketplace.

TECHNOLOGY

• Apple halves commissions for mini app makers (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, MacRumors, 9to5Mac}}

  • Apple launched the Mini Apps Partner Program, offering 15% commission on in-app purchases versus the standard rate.

  • The program targets mini apps built with web technologies like HTML5 and JavaScript within larger apps.

  • WeChat owner Tencent joined after a year-long negotiation, potentially generating billions in Apple revenue annually.

• Google augments AI shopping with conversational search (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: 9to5Google, Engadget, Search Engine Journal}}

  • Google introduces agentic checkout, allowing AI to track prices and automatically purchase items via Google Pay.

  • New AI Mode enables conversational shopping queries powered by Gemini models and the Shopping Graph database.

  • Duplex-powered calling feature contacts local stores to check product availability, pricing, and promotions on behalf.

• Piloting group chats in ChatGPT (OpenAI) 
  _{^{More: TechCrunch, Digit, Testing Catalog}}

  • OpenAI pilots group chats, allowing multiple users to collaborate with each other and ChatGPT simultaneously.

  • Feature launches in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan for Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans.

  • Personal ChatGPT memory remains private and separate from shared group conversations for privacy protection.

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BUSINESS

• The AI Coding Startup Favored by Tech CEOs Is Now Worth $29.3 Billion (WSJ) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, CNBC, TechCrunch}}

  • Cursor raises $2.3 billion at $29.3 billion valuation, nearly tripling value since June's funding round.

  • The AI coding tool has crossed $1 billion annualized revenue, with strategic investors Google and Nvidia joining.

  • Accel and Coatue co-led the round with participation from Thrive Capital and DST Global investors.

• Verizon Layoffs Could Come Next Week as New CEO Takes Charge (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: Aljareeza, Fox Business, Newsweek}}

  • Verizon plans to cut 15,000 to 20,000 jobs, representing up to 20% of the workforce, next week.

  • New CEO Dan Schulman implements aggressive cost-cutting amid subscriber losses and intensifying market competition from rivals.

  • The company will transition 180 corporate-owned retail stores to franchised operations under the largest restructuring in history.

• Starbucks Strike Red Cup Day (NYT) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, CNBC, CBS News}}

  • Over 1,000 unionized baristas strike at 65 stores across 45 cities during Red Cup Day promotion.

  • Workers United demands better wages, increased hours, and resolution of hundreds of unfair labor practice charges.

  • Open-ended strike threatens to expand if Starbucks fails to reach a contract agreement with unionized workers.

MARKETS

WORLD

• A decade after the Bataclan attacks, France is still grappling with how to remember (NPR) 
  _{^{More: AP News, Al Jazeera, Washington Post}}

  • France commemorates the 10th anniversary of the Paris attacks that killed 130 people across multiple sites, including the Bataclan.

  • Research reveals collective memory already fading for cafes and stadium attacks, while the Bataclan remains vivid.

  • Neuroscience study shows memory suppression can aid PTSD recovery, with a third of survivors remaining chronic cases.

• Germany decides against conscription to replenish post-Cold War military (The Guardian) 
  _{^{More: Euronews, European Conservative}}

  • Germany maintains a voluntary military service while requiring all 18-year-old men to register starting January 2026.

  • Conscription by lottery will be introduced only if voluntary recruitment fails to meet the targets set.

  • The government aims to expand the Bundeswehr from 182,000 to 260,000 troops by the early 2030s amid security concerns.

• Gaza ceasefire stabilization force United Nations (AP News) 
  _{^{More: CNN, UN News}}

  • U.S. proposal for UN-mandated Gaza stabilization force faces opposition from Russia, China, and Arab nations.

  • Russia and China demand the removal of Trump's Board of Peace from the resolution, seeking a gutted version.

  • Draft resolution would authorize force through 2027 to demilitarize Gaza and train the Palestinian police force.

FUTURISM

• Tesla might finally bring CarPlay to its EVs (TechCrunch) 
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, MacRumors, 9to5Mac}}

  • Tesla is internally testing Apple CarPlay support for vehicles, marking a major reversal after years of resistance.

  • CarPlay will display in windowed mode within Tesla's interface rather than replacing the entire operating system.

  • The company is testing the standard CarPlay version, not CarPlay Ultra, with potential rollout in the coming months unconfirmed.

• Palantir CEO slams critics, calling tech surveillance tool (Fortune) 
  ^{_{More: Yahoo Finance, CNBC}}

  • Palantir CEO Alex Karp attacks analysts and critics, calling the company's overvalued surveillance tool parasitic.

  • Karp argues critics cost retail investors money while the company's stock surged, making everyday Americans rich.

  • CEO defends military tech as a national security asset, claiming patriotism and technological dominance create wealth.

• Facebook Marketplace gets new collaborative and social features, Meta AI integrations (TechCrunch) 
  ^{_{More: Meta, The Verge, Engadget}}

  • Meta overhauls Facebook Marketplace with a collections feature, allowing users to create collaborative shopping groups with friends.

  • Meta AI generates suggested questions for buyers and provides vehicle insights, including safety ratings and pricing.

  • Platform adds reactions, comments on listings, and integrates eBay and Poshmark inventory for expanded selection.

CONTENT

• Building Data Centers Beyond Earth (Y Combinator)

  • Starcloud explains launching an orbital satellite with an H100, demonstrating early progress toward scalable space-based compute.

  • The team details the advantages of in-orbit data centers, including constant solar power, efficient cooling, and minimal emissions.

  • They discuss rapid prototyping, skeptical reactions, and why major tech companies increasingly consider space essential for AI.

• The AI Corrigibility Debate: Max Harms vs. Jeremy Gillen (Doom Debates)

  • Researchers debate whether corrigibility can realistically keep superintelligent systems aligned while preventing catastrophic loss.

  • Max Harms argues corrigibility offers humanity’s strongest pathway, while Jeremy Gillen challenges its feasibility and conceptual stability.

  • They examine alignment strategies, competing frameworks, and philosophical disagreements shaping long-term safety approaches.

• Inside the Rise of Gamma to $100M ARR (Lenny’s Podcast)

  • Grant Lee explains Gamma’s rapid growth, profitable model, and successful execution despite early skepticism from investors.

  • He details their onboarding breakthroughs, micro-influencer strategy, and disciplined product focus, driving strong word-of-mouth adoption.

  • Insights include pricing decisions, workflow innovation, and building durable value within competitive markets dominated by large AIs.

EXTRAS

• Anthropic Claude Political Evenhandedness (The Verge) 
  _{^{More: Axios, Anthropic, WinBuzzer}}

  • Anthropic releases open-source tool measuring AI political bias, claims Claude achieves 95% evenhandedness score, beating GPT-5.

  • Claude Sonnet outperforms OpenAI's GPT-5 at 89% and Meta's Llama 4 at 66% in neutrality tests.

  • The tool evaluates how models engage with opposing perspectives and handle politically contentious topics with balanced responses.

• Zelenskiy vows justice in Ukraine graft probe tied to ex-partner (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: ABC News, CNN, Euronews}}

  • Zelenskiy supports investigation into $100 million embezzlement scheme involving former business partner Timur Mindich.

  • Corruption scandal centers on kickbacks from contractors building defenses for Ukraine's energy infrastructure amid Russian attacks.

  • Justice and energy ministers resign as probe targets alleged corruption at state nuclear company Energoatom.

• China, Japan, Takaichi Taiwan (NYT) 
  _{^{More: CNN, Bloomberg, NBC News}}

  • Japan PM Takaichi says a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute an existential threat justifying a military response.

  • Chinese consul in Osaka posts deleted threat about cutting off "dirty neck," sparking diplomatic crisis.

  • China demands a retraction of remarks warning Japan must bear consequences for interference in internal affairs.

AND MORE

• Xi Jinping welcomes King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand, marking the first monarchial visit in 50 years and highlighting China as a dependable economic partner.

• A massive drone and missile attack by Russian forces on Kyiv hits residential districts, injuring 11, including a pregnant woman, during a wave of strikes.

• Global stock markets plunge as hopes for a December rate cut fade, with U.S. Treasury yields rising amid sharp market losses.

• Asia’s AI-driven tech markets face heavy foreign investor outflows amid lofty valuations and growing risk aversion.

• China reports its weakest factory output and retail sales growth in over a year, underscoring domestic demand weakness.

• The dollar weakens as markets flag a potential weak U.S. economy and a reduced chance of a Fed rate cut.

• The U.S. and South Korea finalize a deal on trade, security, and nuclear-powered submarine cooperation under a new bilateral framework.

• Oil prices rise about 2% after a Ukrainian drone attack damages an oil depot in Russia’s Black Sea port, intensifying supply concerns.

• Our new report shows how top U.S. firms are escaping the H-1B chaos through smarter, faster, borderless hiring.*