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

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

🎧 Spotify and Netflix strike a deal to stream video podcasts exclusively starting in 2026.
🛍️ Walmart partners with OpenAI to enable direct ChatGPT shopping.
💰 DOJ seizes $15B in bitcoin from Cambodia-based crypto fraud operation.
💻 Microsoft officially ends Windows 10 support after nearly a decade.
🔥 UN estimates $70B needed to rebuild Gaza, with $20B pledged for initial recovery.

TECHNOLOGY

• Spotify's video podcasts are coming to Netflix next year (TechCrunch)

  _{^{More: CNBC, Variety, Bloomberg, Deadline}}

  • Netflix will stream Spotify's video podcasts starting early 2026, including shows from The Ringer.

  • Partnership brings sports, culture, lifestyle, and true crime content exclusively to both Netflix and Spotify platforms.

  • Content will be removed from YouTube as part of the exclusive distribution deal arrangement.

• Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon allow erotica for adult users (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Axios, Reuters, Engadget, The Register}}

  • OpenAI will allow verified adult users to generate erotic content in December with a new age-gating system.

  • The decision follows claims that mental health safeguards have been successfully mitigated with new protective tools.

  • Move positions OpenAI against competitors like Grok and Character.AI that already permit adult-oriented content interactions.

• Samsung Galaxy event: Project Moohan Android XR event date Worlds Worldwide Open (9to5Google) 
  _{^{More: Tom's Guide, Android Central, Engadget}}

  • Samsung confirmed an October 21 virtual event to unveil Project Moohan, its first Android XR headset.

  • Headset is reportedly priced upwards of $1,800, with reservations now open, offering a $100 credit incentive.

  • The device features a Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 processor and aims to compete with the Apple Vision Pro.

BUSINESS

• DOJ seizes $15 billion in bitcoin from massive 'pig butchering' scam based in Cambodia (CNBC) 
  _{^{More: Fox Business, The Hill, DL News}}

  • The Justice Department seized 127,271 bitcoin worth approximately fifteen billion dollars in the largest forfeiture action ever.

  • Chen Zhi operated forced labor compounds across Cambodia, where trafficked workers executed cryptocurrency investment fraud.

  • Prince Group generated up to thirty million dollars daily at its peak, defrauding victims worldwide through fraudulent schemes.

• Microsoft Officially Ends Windows 10 Support Today, October 14, 2025 (Guru3D) 
  _{^{More: Windows Central, Tom's Guide, Engadget}}

  • Microsoft ended Windows 10 support after almost ten years, leaving approximately five hundred million PCs vulnerable.

  • The extended Security Updates program offers a free additional year of protection through October 2026 for users.

  • Users must upgrade to Windows 11, enroll in the ESU program, or purchase new hardware to remain secure.

• Walmart Partners With OpenAI to Offer Shopping on ChatGPT (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: NBC News, CBS News, TechCrunch}}

  • Walmart partnered with OpenAI to enable direct purchases through ChatGPT using the new Instant Checkout feature.

  • Shoppers can browse Walmart and Sam's Club products, plan meals, and complete transactions entirely within ChatGPT.

  • Partnership represents ChatGPT's largest shopping integration, advancing agentic commerce where AI anticipates customer needs.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Military seizes power in Madagascar following anti-government protests (NPR) 
  _{^{More: Al Jazeera, Washington Post, CNN}}

  • The Madagascar military seized power after President Andry Rajoelina fled the country following weeks of youth-led protests.

  • Parliament voted to impeach Rajoelina with 130 votes after the elite CAPSAT military unit sided with demonstrators.

  • Gen Z protests began over water and electricity shortages, with the United Nations reporting over twenty deaths.

• UN says states willing to fund Gaza's $70 billion rebuild (Reuters/Investing.com) 
  _{^{More: Daily Post Nigeria, Oman Observer, The Canary}}

  • The United Nations estimates that seventy billion dollars are needed to rebuild Gaza, with twenty billion required over the next three years.

  • UNDP official reports promising early indications from the United States, Arab, and European states regarding funding commitments.

  • Israeli bombardment destroyed between eighty-four and ninety-two percent of Gaza, generating fifty-five million tons of rubble.

• Socialists throw French prime minister a temporary lifeline (CNN) 
  _{^{More: France 24, Al Jazeera, AP}}

  • French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu secured Socialist Party support by suspending Macron's reform, increasing the retirement age.

  • Suspension will cost four hundred million euros in 2026 and one point eight billion in 2027.

  • Lecornu still faces a Thursday no-confidence vote requiring just twenty votes to topple his fragile minority government.

FUTURISM

• Mozilla's Firefox adds Perplexity's AI answer engine as a new search option (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: 9to5Mac, The Keyword, Hackread}}

  • Firefox makes Perplexity AI available globally on desktop after positive user feedback from earlier tests.

  • Integration provides a conversational search experience with citations through the unified search button in the Firefox address bar.

  • Mobile rollout planned for the coming months as Mozilla considers adding more AI answer engines in the future.

• Google's Gemini can now help you schedule Google Calendar meetings (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: 9to5Google, Android Authority, Clockwise}}

  • Google launched the Gemini-powered Help me schedule feature in Gmail for one-on-one meeting coordination with Calendar.

  • The tool analyzes email context and calendar availability to suggest ideal meeting times automatically for both parties.

  • The feature automatically creates calendar invites for both participants after the recipient selects the preferred meeting time slot.

• DirecTV will start replacing screensavers with AI-generated ads next year (Engadget) 
  _{^{More: PRNewswire, The Desk, TV Tech}}

  • DirecTV is partnering with Glance to introduce AI-powered shoppable screensavers on Gemini devices starting early 2026.

  • The feature uses Google-developed on-device AI to display personalized content, weather, sports scores, and shopping experiences.

  • Users can upload photos to create AI-generated avatars wearing purchasable clothing and furniture during idle screens.

• Focus on winning deals, not updating CRM fields*

  • Building a company is hard enough, and your CRM shouldn’t feel like another job.

  • Clarify's AI updates your pipeline, preps you for meetings, and takes notes so nothing slips through the cracks.

  • Close more deals without the busywork. Up and running in minutes, free to start.

CONTENT

• From 150k Waitlist To $30 Million Series A (Open Source CEO)

  • Kevin Unkrich shares how Superpower built a 150k waitlist without ads, redirecting every dollar to brand-building and creative stunts instead.

  • The company started as a high-end service business before pivoting to a scalable product, using seven key strategies to launch.

  • The piece explores how AI will transform healthcare by giving consumers full autonomy.

• This 19th-century Century Theory Explains Why AI Won’t Kill Jobs (Y Combinator)

  • Garry Tan explores how historical economics predicts AI will create, not eliminate, new categories of work and opportunity.

  • The episode shows that automation amplifies creativity and human judgment rather than replacing it entirely.

  • Tan connects patterns from past revolutions—like the Industrial Age—to the modern AI economy’s redefinition of labor.

• Cathie Wood on How AI Can Double GDP, Bull Case for Bitcoin $1M, Elon’s Trillion-Dollar Pay Package (All-In)

  • Cathie Wood outlines how AI could double global GDP while driving deflation through rapid productivity growth.

  • She defends her bold Bitcoin $1M thesis and Ark Invest’s long-term innovation strategy amid market volatility.

  • The discussion highlights Elon Musk’s controversial pay package and the tension between ambition and regulation.

• Is AI Slowing Down? Nathan Labenz Says We’re Asking the Wrong Question (a16z)

  • Nathan Labenz questions whether AI’s pace is truly slowing or if public perception has shifted with normalization.

  • He analyzes GPT-5’s advances, reasoning capabilities, and the next wave of agents, automation, and robotics.

  • The talk reframes the debate around meaningful progress and what a ‘positive vision’ for AI’s future should look like.

EXTRAS

• OpenAI forms expert council to bolster safety measures after FTC inquiry (CNBC) 
  _{^{More: WinBuzzer, eWeek, Axios}}

  • OpenAI announced an eight-member Expert Council on Well-Being and AI to address mental health concerns with ChatGPT.

  • Council will guide the company on healthy AI interactions following the FTC inquiry into chatbot safety for minors.

  • The move follows mounting scrutiny, including a lawsuit alleging ChatGPT contributed to a teenager's suicide and parental control development.

• Oracle Cloud to deploy 50,000 AMD AI chips as an alternative to Nvidia (CNBC) 
  _{^{More: Stocktwits, Yahoo Finance, WinBuzzer}}

  • Oracle Cloud Infrastructure will deploy fifty thousand AMD Instinct MI450 processors starting second half of 2026.

  • Deal provides Oracle customers with an alternative to Nvidia's AI chip platform amid intensifying competition in the market.

  • Partnership follows AMD's recent multi-billion dollar agreement with OpenAI, boosting AMD's data center segment and stock.

• Masked fighters seen executing men in Gaza City as Hamas fights with rival groups (CNN) 
  _{^{More: WAFA}}

  • Video verified by CNN shows masked Hamas fighters publicly executing eight blindfolded men in Gaza City's al-Sabra neighborhood.

  • Violence erupted between Hamas and the Doghmush family clan after the ceasefire, with Hamas reasserting security control through force.

  • Palestinian Authority condemned killings as heinous crimes while Hamas-affiliated Radaa claimed the operation targeted wanted outlaws.

AND MORE

• Wall Street ends mixed as bank gains offset tech drag.

• Hamas hands over hostage remains after Israel threatens aid cuts.

• Trump to release list Friday of ‘Democrat programs’ he plans to close.

• 190k+ readers from Google, TikTok, OpenAI, and Deel love Open Source CEO deep dive business content.*

• Ukraine orders mass evacuations around devastated Kupiansk under attack.

• IMF raises 2025 global growth forecast, warns U.S.–China trade war risk.

• U.S. strike in Venezuela kills six alleged drug traffickers, Trump says.

• Trump admin says 4,108 federal employees laid off since shutdown began.

• Belgian police use tear gas against mass protesters opposing austerity.