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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

📈 OpenAI reaches 400M users as DeepSeek faces Nvidia chip scrutiny.
💬 Musk vows to fix X’s Community Notes after it contradicted him.
📦 Amazon shuts down Chime, shifting to third-party tools.
🚨 Hamas returns hostage bodies as Israel vows retaliation.
🌍 China repatriates victims trafficked into Myanmar scam centers.

TECH

• OpenAI Tops 400 Million Users Despite DeepSeek's Emergence

  • OpenAI’s weekly active users hit 400 million, up from 300 million in December, with over 2 million paying business users.

  • Despite DeepSeek’s rapid rise, OpenAI remains dominant, benefiting from outages and scrutiny around DeepSeek’s Nvidia chip use.

  • Developer traffic for OpenAI’s reasoning models doubled, while its o3 model saw a fivefold usage increase since January.

• Elon Musk Says He'll Fix Community Notes on X After It Disagreed with Him

  • Musk vowed to ‘fix’ X’s Community Notes after it contradicted his post, raising concerns about platform moderation.

  • Community Notes, designed to combat misinformation, allows users to add context to tweets via crowdsourced fact-checking.

  • Critics argue Musk’s interference could erode trust in the feature and compromise X’s content moderation efforts.

• Amazon Shuts Down Chime, Its Zoom Alternative

  • Amazon will discontinue Chime by February 2026, halting new customer sign-ups immediately due to low external adoption.

  • The company is shifting to third-party platforms like Zoom and integrating Microsoft 365 tools for workplace collaboration.

  • Employees will transition to Outlook, Word, and Excel as Amazon moves away from in-house communication services.

BUSINESS

• Delta Offers $30,000 to Passengers on Plane That Crashed in Toronto

  • Delta is offering $30,000 in compensation to each of the 76 passengers aboard the flight that crash-landed in Toronto.

  • The airline stated that the payments come with ‘no strings attached’ and do not require waiving legal claims.

  • The crash, which caused the plane to flip over on landing, led to 21 injuries but no fatalities among passengers.

• Walmart Warns of a Slower 2025

  • Walmart forecasts weaker sales and profit growth in 2025, causing its stock to drop 8% and alarming investors.

  • Despite strong quarterly earnings, shifts toward lower-margin goods and cautious spending trends raise concerns.

  • Analysts warn that Walmart’s outlook reflects broader economic uncertainty and potential consumer slowdowns.

• Trump Warns Elon Musk Building a Tesla Factory in India Would Be 'Very Unfair' to His Administration

  • Trump criticized Musk’s Tesla expansion in India, arguing it is unfair due to India’s steep import tariffs on U.S. cars.

  • He warned of potential reciprocal tariffs unless India lowers its restrictions on American-manufactured goods.

  • The remarks highlight tensions between Musk’s global business ambitions and evolving U.S. trade policies.

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CONTENT

• Is $LIBRA the End of Memecoins? with Coffeezilla

  • This Week in Startups unpacks the $LIBRA memecoin scandal involving Argentina’s President Javier Milei.

  • Coffeezilla breaks down insider trading allegations, meme coin manipulation, and the broader crypto fallout.

  • The hosts debate whether crypto can recover or if fraud is too deeply embedded in the industry.

• Silicon Valley OG Shares Crazy Stories from Zynga

  • My First Million features Siqi Chen, Zynga early employee and founder of Runway.com, discussing startup insights.

  • Chen shares behind-the-scenes stories from Zynga’s rapid rise and lessons from the company’s early days.

  • The episode also explores three unique business ideas and strategies for startup success in 2025.

• Who Will Own the Internet? a16z’s Chris Dixon on AI and Crypto

  • Chris Dixon of a16z discusses how AI and crypto could reshape the internet and decentralize digital infrastructure.

  • He explores the breakdown of traditional internet economics and new business models for creators.

  • The conversation examines whether the next era of the internet will be controlled by Big Tech or decentralized networks.

WORLD

• Hamas Releases Bodies of Israeli Hostages, Including Bibas Toddlers

  • Hamas returned the bodies of four Israeli hostages, including Kfir and Ariel Bibas, their mother, and 84-year-old Oded Lifshitz.

  • The bodies were paraded through Gaza in locked coffins before being transferred to Israel for forensic identification.

  • The incident has sparked international condemnation, with Israel vowing retaliation and potential impact on cease-fire talks.

• Britain and France Plan 'Reassurance Force' to Protect Ukraine

  • The UK and France are discussing a military force of fewer than 30,000 troops to provide air and maritime defense for Ukraine.

  • The proposal comes as the U.S. shifts its policy, engaging in separate peace talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.

  • European leaders met in Paris to assess security strategies as Ukraine faces ongoing Russian aggression.

• China Repatriates Nationals Rescued from Myanmar Scam Centers

  • Over 200 Chinese nationals rescued from Myanmar scam centers have been repatriated via Thailand in a multinational effort.

  • Many victims were trafficked into criminal-run scam operations, coerced into online fraud schemes under abusive conditions.

  • The UN reports thousands remain trapped in similar centers, prompting continued international anti-trafficking efforts.

AND MORE…

• Spotify Partners with ElevenLabs to Expand AI-Narrated Audiobooks

  • Spotify is teaming up with ElevenLabs to introduce AI-narrated audiobooks, making production cheaper and more accessible.

  • ElevenLabs’ AI voices support narration in 29 languages, offering diverse synthetic voice options for authors.

  • AI-narrated books will be clearly labeled on Spotify to ensure transparency for listeners.

• YouTube Plans Lower-Priced, Ad-Free Version of Paid Video Tier

  • YouTube is testing a budget-friendly Premium Lite tier that removes ads but excludes some Premium features.

  • The plan, expected in the U.S., Australia, Germany, and Thailand, offers a cheaper alternative to full YouTube Premium.

  • Unlike Premium, this version may not include offline downloads or background playback.

• American Airlines Supports Apple's AirTag Location Sharing for Lost Luggage

  • American Airlines now supports Apple’s Share Item Location feature, aiding lost baggage recovery.

  • Passengers can generate a Find My app link to share an AirTag’s last known location with airline staff.

  • The link expires after seven days or can be disabled once the luggage is found.