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

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

🎧 TikTok adds badges and affirmations to reduce doomscrolling.
📱 WhatsApp supports multiple accounts on the same iPhone.
⚖️ Meta wins FTC case over Instagram and WhatsApp.
💸 Blue Owl cancels merger after redemption freeze backlash.
🧠 DeepMind’s AI solves Olympiad problems with formal proofs.

TECHNOLOGY

• TikTok will now give you badges for limiting your doomscrolling (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Euronews, Engadget}}

  • TikTok introduces wellbeing features, including affirmation journal, calming sounds, and breathing exercises for mental health.

  • Users earn badges for completing missions like avoiding nighttime usage, setting screen time limits, and checking weekly reports.

  • Early testing shows increased engagement with the new wellbeing hub, with the affirmation journal being the most popular.

• DeepMind's latest: an AI for handling mathematical proofs (Ars Technica) 
  _{^{More: Nature, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review}}

  • AlphaProof achieved a silver medal performance at the International Mathematical Olympiad, solving three of six problems.

  • The system uses formal Lean language for automatically verifiable proofs, eliminating hallucinations common in language models.

  • Research published in Nature demonstrates AI trained on millions of problems using reinforcement learning for mathematical reasoning.

• WhatsApp will finally support multiple accounts on the same iPhone (9to5Mac)
   _{^{More: MacRumors}}

  • WhatsApp beta on TestFlight enables multiple account support, allowing users to manage two accounts on the same device.

  • Each account maintains a separate chat history, backup configuration, notification tones, and privacy preferences without interference.

  • Feature eliminates need for WhatsApp Business workaround, with accounts accessible through new Account List settings section.

BUSINESS

• Meta wins historic FTC antitrust case over Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions (New York Times) 
  _{^{More: NPR, CNN}}

  • A federal judge ruled Meta does not hold a social networking monopoly, rejecting FTC claims over Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions.

  • Judge cited rapid industry changes and competition from TikTok and YouTube as evidence that Meta lacks monopoly power today.

  • Ruling contrasts with Google's recent antitrust losses in search and advertising, marking a major victory for Big Tech.

• Blue Owl scraps merger of two private credit funds after selloff (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: CNBC, Financial Times}}

  • Blue Owl terminated the merger between publicly traded OBDC and non-traded OBDC II, citing current market conditions following backlash.

  • Merger would have resulted in approximately 20% paper losses for investors stuck in the restricted redemption period.

  • The company's shares fell 6% on Monday after restricting withdrawals, highlighting liquidity concerns in the private credit market.

• OpenAI board member Larry Summers steps down amid Epstein file revelations (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: CNN, NBC News}}

  • Former Treasury Secretary resigned from the OpenAI board following the release of extensive emails with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

  • House committee documents revealed that Summers sought romantic advice from Epstein regarding a mentee relationship while married.

  • Harvard University is launching an investigation into Summers' Epstein connections as a senator urges the university to sever ties with the economist.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Trump's tariffs curtail U.S. trade as imports drop sharply (New York Times) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, Washington Times}}

  • August imports dropped 5% to $340B following the implementation of sweeping tariff measures.

  • The trade deficit shrank nearly 24% as exports remained flat, showing the first tangible effects of policies.

  • The Supreme Court is weighing whether Trump exceeded legal authority, potentially undermining many recently imposed trade restrictions.

• China suspends Japanese seafood imports amid diplomatic dispute over Taiwan (Reuters) 
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, CNN, Al Jazeera}}

  • China suspended Japanese seafood imports months after lifting the ban, citing the need for continued Fukushima wastewater monitoring.

  • The move escalates the crisis following Prime Minister Takaichi's comments linking potential Taiwan conflict to Japanese military response.

  • Beijing warned that no market exists for Japanese seafood and threatened further countermeasures if Japan refuses to make remarks.

• European Union proposes major changes to GDPR and AI Act (The Verge)

• _{^{More: The Record, SiliconANGLE, CMSWire}}

  • The Commission unveiled the Digital Omnibus package, revising the GDPR and AI Act to save businesses 5B€ annually.

  • Proposals narrow sensitive data definitions, allow AI training without consent, and delay high-risk system enforcement timelines.

  • Privacy advocates warn changes weaken protections benefiting tech giants, while the Commission frames reforms as a competitiveness measure.

FUTURISM

• AI is about to face an enormous test as Nvidia reports earnings (CNN) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, CNBC}}

  • Nvidia earnings face intense scrutiny as the market questions whether AI hype will translate into reality amid bubble concerns.

  • Chipmaker accounts for eight percent of the S&P 500, making investors heavily exposed to the company's performance and stock movements.

  • Stock fell over ten percent this month despite being up 35% annually as AI fatigue worries spread.

• Amazon's Prime Video is getting AI-generated Video Recaps for TV shows (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Variety, Engadget}}

  • Prime Video launches AI-generated theatrical-quality season recaps with synchronized narration, dialogue, and music for select shows.

  • Feature rolls out in beta for Prime Originals, including Fallout, Jack Ryan, and Upload, on connected TV devices.

  • Builds on last year's text-based X-Ray Recaps as streaming services integrate AI into viewer experiences nationwide.

• Trump nominates Stuart Levenbach to lead CFPB amid dismantling effort (Politico) 
  _{^{More: Bloomberg, Roll Call}}

  • Trump nominated OMB associate director Stuart Levenbach to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in a technical maneuver.

  • Nomination allows acting director Russell Vought to remain indefinitely under the Vacancies Act while agency dismantling continues.

  • Critics, including Senator Warren, call the move a front for Vought to complete the plan to shut down the consumer watchdog.

CONTENT

• Ben Horowitz & Marc Andreessen: Why Silicon Valley Turned Against Defense (a16z)

  • Ben and Marc explain Silicon Valley’s break from defense and how shifting cultural attitudes reshaped the industry.

  • They discuss COVID and Ukraine, exposing production weaknesses, accelerating interest in space, defense, energy, and modern hardware.

  • The episode argues America must embrace decentralized innovation instead of adopting centralized state models dominating competition.

• How Fortnite Made Me a Millionaire (My First Million)

  • Shaan Puri recounts early failed ventures, showing how persistence and repeated experimentation shaped his entrepreneurial instincts.

  • Sam Parr guides discussions through Shaan’s biotech attempts, app ideas, Stripe applications, and lessons learned from constant iteration.

  • They highlight how improved project selection and compounding skills ultimately generated momentum behind Shaan’s first major success.

• How to Make Your Writing More Visual — Atul Gawande (David Perell)

  • Atul Gawande explains writing’s value for surgeons, emphasizing storytelling as a tool for clearer thought and stronger decisions.

  • He breaks down methods for producing compelling work while busy, focusing on discipline, openings, timeless themes, and narrative detail.

  • The conversation shows writing as a learnable skill, linking structure, revision, and imagery to better nonfiction communication.

EXTRAS

• Sudan war driven by existential battle of competing interests (The Guardian) 

• _{^{More: CNN}}

  • Sudan's brutal civil war between armed forces and RSF paramilitary has killed over one hundred fifty thousand people.

  • Regional powers, including the UAE, Egypt, and Russia, back rival factions according to complex geostrategic interests in the resource-rich country.

  • Conflict transformed from political rivalry into an existential struggle between identity groups, fueled by hate speech and foreign involvement.

• Indonesia's Semeru volcano erupts, alert level raised to highest (Al Jazeera) 
  _{^{More: Washington Post, Nikkei Asia, The Star}} 

  • Mount Semeru erupted, spewing ash clouds 5.6 kilometers high with pyroclastic flows reaching 7 kilometers.

  • Authorities raised the alert to the highest level for Java's tallest mountain, ordering residents to stay 2.5 kilometers away.

  • Volcano killed 62 people in a deadly 2021 eruption and sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.

• TikTok introduces AI-generated content controls for user feeds (The Verge) 
  _{^{More: TechCrunch, Engadget}}

  • TikTok is launching a slider control in Manage Topics, letting users adjust how much AI-generated content appears in feeds.

  • Platform testing invisible watermarking technology to better label AI content and prevent tampering with metadata during reuploads.

  • The company announces $2M AI literacy fund partnering with organizations like Girls Who Code for educational content.

• Stop overpaying on taxes in 2025*

  • Your biggest expense every year isn’t your team or your tools. It’s your taxes, and most high earners pay more than they should.

  • The No BS Guide to Paying Less in Taxes breaks down the exact strategies wealthy business owners actually use.

  • Now’s the time to act. Get a 28-page guide to keep more of what you earn.

AND MORE

• Global funds fear over-investment in AI build-out amid unclear returns.

• Asian markets falter ahead of Nvidia earnings amid stretched AI-linked valuations.

• UK inflation falls to 3.6% in October despite food-price pressure.

• Africa hosts G20, urging wealthy nations to boost climate-disaster financing.

• COP30 negotiators struggle over fossil-fuel phase-out, finance, trade, and transparency.

• Global markets steady as tech-selloff pauses ahead of major earnings.

• UAE prepares orders at Dubai Airshow as China debuts new jet competitor.

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

• Google unveils Gemini 3 Pro model with improved accuracy and immersive visuals.