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

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

🤖 OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI to advance AI agents
⚔️ Anthropic and the Pentagon reportedly clash over Claude’s permitted military use.
🎬 ByteDance will add safeguards to Seedance 2.0 after Hollywood backlash.
🕵️‍♂️ Homeland Security issued hundreds of subpoenas to unmask anti-ICE accounts.
🌏 Altman, Pichai among tech CEOs attending India’s major AI summit.

TECHNOLOGY

• OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI to advance AI agents (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Times}}

  • Peter Steinberger, creator of viral AI assistant OpenClaw, has officially joined OpenAI.

  • OpenClaw, formerly Clawdbot and Moltbot, gained attention for autonomously completing real-world tasks.

  • CEO Sam Altman said Steinberger will lead next-generation personal agents and that OpenClaw will become a foundation-supported open-source project.

• Anthropic and the Pentagon reportedly clash over Claude’s permitted military use (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!, TOI}}

  • Anthropic and the Pentagon dispute terms allowing military use of Claude for all lawful purposes.

  • The Pentagon pressures OpenAI, Google, and xAI, citing mixed compliance, with Anthropic being the most resistant.

  • Defense officials threaten to cancel a $200M contract amid Anthropic's enforcement of limits on weapons and surveillance.

• Peak XV Partners backs C2i Semiconductors to fix AI data center bottlenecks (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Economic Times}}

  • Power limits, not computing capacity, are emerging as the primary constraint on global AI data center expansion.

  • Peak XV Partners leads a $15M Series A investment in C2i Semiconductors, developing efficient power solutions.

  • Founded by former Texas Instruments executives, C2i targets grid-to-GPU power loss, which wastes up to 20%.

BUSINESS

• ByteDance will add safeguards to Seedance 2.0 after Hollywood backlash (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: AP, Tech in Asia, The Guardian}}

  • Hollywood studios accused ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 of widespread unauthorized use of copyrighted content.

  • Seedance 2.0 enables AI-generated videos from text, but raises intellectual property concerns over celebrity likenesses.

  • ByteDance vows to strengthen safeguards following stern warnings and legal threats from the Motion Picture Association.

• Homeland Security reportedly issued hundreds of subpoenas to unmask anti-ICE accounts (NY Times)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Engadget, TechCrunch}}

  • The Department of Homeland Security is pressuring tech companies to identify the owners of social media accounts that criticize ICE.

  • Hundreds of administrative subpoenas were sent to Google, Meta, Reddit, and Discord targeting anonymous anti-ICE accounts.

  • Tech companies comply selectively, informing users when possible and pushing back against overbroad subpoena requests.

• Alibaba leads Chinese tech decline after Pentagon briefly reveals then withdraws blacklist (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Business Times, AInvest}}

  • Alibaba stock dropped over 3%, while Baidu and BYD fell after the temporary Pentagon blacklist was disclosed.

  • Pentagon listed several Chinese tech giants as aiding the military, then withdrew the list without explanation.

  • The designation signals potential future trade restrictions that could limit US military contracts and research funding opportunities.

• Explore the essential startup reading database*

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  • As aspiring leaders and innovators, you can use this list as a bridge to absorb the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Japan’s economy avoids recession, but fourth-quarter growth falls short of expectations (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: MSN, NY Times}}

  • Japan’s GDP grew 0.1% in the fourth quarter, reversing the previous contraction but missing economists’ forecasts.

  • Growth was driven mainly by private consumption, offsetting weakness in exports and public spending, according to officials.

  • Annualized output rose 0.2%, narrowly avoiding a technical recession while financial markets reacted modestly to the data.

• Alleged Bondi Beach gunman makes first court appearance (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Japan Times, SBS, Yahoo!}}

  • Naveed Akram faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and attempted murder.

  • Police say he carried out the attack with his father, who was shot dead at the scene.

  • Akram appeared in court from prison; the lawyer says no plea yet, and the case has been adjourned.

• Altman, Pichai among tech CEOs attending India’s major AI summit (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: ABC, TOI}}

  • India hosts the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, attracting leading global tech executives this week.

  • Key attendees include OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.

  • India offers a young, tech-savvy market and talent pool that is critical to the growth of the AI industry.

FUTURISM

• Is safety truly dead inside xAI under Elon Musk’s leadership? (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, TOI, MEXC}}

  • Former employees say Elon Musk is deliberately pushing Grok toward fewer safety restrictions.

  • Following the SpaceX acquisition, at least thirteen engineers and co-founders announced departures from xAI.

  • Sources cite neglect of safety, deepfake abuse scandals, and poor strategic direction as hurting xAI internally.

• People and robots prepare together to celebrate the Lunar New Year in China (AP)
  ^{_{More: The Independent, NY Post, Yahoo!}}

  • In Beijing malls, humanoid robots dressed as lions rehearse dances for upcoming Lunar New Year festivities.

  • Robots will showcase diverse talents, including martial arts, poetry, Peking Opera, soccer, and block-stacking games.

  • Technology fairs highlight robots alongside humans, emphasizing growing integration into traditional Lunar New Year celebrations.

• SpaceX’s Starlink approved to provide satellite internet services in Vietnam (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Tech in Asia, Business Times, Yahoo!}}

  • Vietnam granted SpaceX licenses for fixed and mobile Starlink satellite internet services, including radio-frequency usage.

  • The approval follows a prior trial allowance and precedes Vietnam’s leader's visit to the United States.

  • Launch timing remains unclear as Vietnam and the U.S. continue negotiating trade agreements and tariffs.

CONTENT

• Sequoia CEO coach explains why starting a company is easier than scaling (Lenny's Podcast)

  • Brian Halligan, HubSpot co-founder, now advises Sequoia’s fastest-growing founders as their in-house CEO coach.

  • His LOCKS framework guides founder evaluation, while team building mirrors the 2004 Red Sox strategy.

  • Halligan favors “spicy” hires over consensus picks, predicting enterprise sales as AI’s last white-collar domain.

• Carles Reina explains ElevenLabs’ ruthless sales culture driving rapid company growth (20VC)

  • ElevenLabs scaled growth using strict quotas, monthly reviews, and public accountability for underperforming team members.

  • Honesty, high standards, and relentless outbound efforts form the backbone of their sales culture.

  • Discipline, precision, and transparency enable ElevenLabs to consistently and aggressively achieve world-class results.

• Suraya Shivji addresses vibe coding’s biggest problem: apps all look identical (Greg Isenberg)

  • Vibe-coded apps are easy to create, but branding remains essential for user adoption and engagement.

  • Weavy AI enables visual generation of color palettes, buttons, assets, and logos from reference images.

  • Claude supports brainstorming brand guidelines, refining prompts, and guiding creative direction within a full workflow.

EXTRAS

• Wall Street steadies following steep AI-driven sell-off and inflation update (AP)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • U.S. stocks stabilized after a sharp AI-related sell-off, calming investor concerns over business disruption.

  • Dow Jones rose 48 points while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq remained nearly flat after market turmoil.

  • Slower-than-expected inflation eased Treasury yields, helping moderate fears about rising consumer costs and economic pressure.

• Iran says energy, mining, and aircraft deals possible in talks with U.S. (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, Bloomberg}}

  • Iran and the U.S. will hold further talks in Geneva to advance a nuclear agreement.

  • Tehran signals flexibility on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and economic gains.

  • Potential deals discussed include joint energy and mining projects and aircraft purchases that would benefit both countries economically.

• New astronauts launch to the International Space Station after the previous crew evacuated (AP)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN, NY Post}}

  • SpaceX launched a U.S., French, and Russian crew to replace astronauts evacuated for medical reasons.

  • The four astronauts are expected to arrive Saturday, restoring full staffing aboard the International Space Station.

  • NASA paused spacewalks and other duties while awaiting the arrival of the replacement crew for an eight- to nine-month mission.

AND MORE

• Many computer science graduates are leaving; here’s where they are heading instead.

• I despise my AI pet; Casio’s $429 Moflin disappointed me completely.

• Epstein files expose hidden links between EV startups and Silicon Valley power.

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

• Veteran NPR host David Greene files lawsuit against Google over NotebookLM voice.

• AI still struggles to create engaging video game worlds and may never be able to.

• In a changed VC landscape, this exec is doubling down on overlooked founders.

• Logitech’s SuperStrike delivers a faster, highly customizable gaming experience.