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

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

🍎 Setapp Mobile shuts its EU iOS marketplace after four months
🧑‍⚖️ Court filing alleges DOGE staff accessed Social Security data improperly
🧠 Anthropic CEO calls selling advanced AI chips to China crazy
🌍 Davos braces for Trump’s return and transatlantic tensions
💸 NVIDIA invests $150M in Baseten to speed inference

TECHNOLOGY

• Netflix is Rolling Out a Live Voting Feature (TechCrunch)
  _{^{More: PCWorld, Media Play News, TechRadar}}

  • Subscribers vote via remote or mobile app during Star Search premiere, rating performances 1 to 5 stars.

  • Real-time tallying combines audience votes with judges' scores; results will be revealed live during tonight's broadcast.

  • Feature tested on Dinner Time Live; unavailable on web browsers or for delayed viewing sessions.

• MacPaw Pulls Plug on Setapp Mobile iOS Store, Citing 'Still-Evolving and Complex Business Terms' for Alternative EU Marketplaces (MacRumors)
  _{^{More: Apple Insider, Cult of Mac, Daring Fireball}}

  • Alternative iOS app store shuts down on February 16th after 4 months, citing unprofitable economics under Apple's rules.

  • Closure marks first major casualty among EU alternative marketplaces created under Digital Markets Act regulations.

  • Epic CEO previously called Apple's Core Technology Fee ruinous for competing stores gaining a foothold.

• Most of Instagram's Ads Ran on Reels in 2025, Data Shows (CNBC)
  _{^{More: Vidico, Limelight Digital}}

  • Over half of Instagram ads appeared on Reels in 2025, up from 35% the previous year.

  • US users spent 46% of their time on Instagram Reels; Facebook Reels reached 29%.

  • Meta reported Reels hit a $50B annual revenue run rate; results due January 28th.

BUSINESS

• Court filing alleges DOGE staff improperly accessed Social Security data (Axios)
  ^{_{More: Common Dreams, MSNBC}}

  • DOJ court filing reveals two DOGE employees may have improperly accessed Social Security data for an advocacy group.

  • The group's stated goal was to find evidence of voter fraud to overturn election results in certain states.

  • SSA referred both employees to the Office of Special Counsel for possible Hatch Act violations last December.

• Anthropic CEO Says Selling Advanced AI Chips to China is Crazy (Bloomberg)

  • Dario Amodei calls exporting cutting-edge AI chips to China "crazy" amid global national security concerns.

  • Comments come as the US considers tightening export controls on advanced semiconductor technology to Beijing.

  • Anthropic's CEO emphasizes that maintaining a technological advantage is crucial to Western AI safety and long-term competitiveness.

• Humans of AI (The New York Times)

  • AI companies face intense talent wars as skilled researchers command unprecedented compensation packages and equity stakes.

  • Anthropic and xAI compete aggressively for top minds; retention challenges mount as startups poach from established labs.

  • The shortage of AI safety researchers is particularly acute, as demand dramatically outpaces supply across the industry.

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MARKETS

WORLD

• Ukraine to Share Wartime Combat Data With Allies to Help Train AI (Reuters)
  _{^{More: WebProNews, Yahoo News, DevDiscourse}}

  • Defense Minister Fedorov announces a system that allows allies to train AI models using Ukraine's valuable wartime data.

  • Over 2M hours of drone footage gathered since the Russian invasion provides an unprecedented real-world dataset.

  • Ukraine views battlefield intelligence as a strategic bargaining chip for significantly strengthening partnerships with Western nations.

• Palantir CEO Says AI to Make Large-Scale Immigration Obsolete (Bloomberg)
  _{^{More: Bloomberg Law, Fox Business, AOL}}

  • Alex Karp tells the Davos panel that AI will displace enough jobs to eliminate the need for mass immigration.

  • The CEO argues that citizens with vocational training will find adequate employment as AI automation expands rapidly.

  • Comments spark controversy amid debates about technology's labor impact and future immigration policy worldwide.

• Trump's Return Dominates Davos (The New York Times)
  _{^{More: CNBC, PBS NewsHour, Al Jazeera}}

  • President Trump leads the largest-ever US delegation to the World Economic Forum amid significantly strained transatlantic relations.

  • European leaders express concerns about threats to Greenland, tariff policies, and the erosion of longstanding alliance commitments.

  • The global business community navigates uncertainty as Trump's actions fundamentally challenge sovereignty and the traditional international order.

FUTURISM

• Microsoft CEO Nervous About AI (Futurism)
  _{^{More: Financial Times, CNBC, The Verge}}

  • Satya Nadella warns the AI boom could become a bubble if the benefits don't spread evenly across industries.

  • Microsoft CEO emphasizes practical applications over spectacular results; predicts a longer timeline for overall productivity gains.

  • Comments reflect growing anxiety among tech leaders about justifying tens of billions in AI infrastructure.

• Experts Concerned AI Progress Wall (Futurism)
  _{^{More: MIT Technology Review, CNBC, University of California}}

  • AI companies are facing a potential data wall as high-quality training datasets become increasingly scarce.

  • Recent models show smaller quality improvements than previous generations, suggesting diminishing returns from scaling.

  • Industry debate intensifies over whether current approaches can achieve long-term goals for artificial general intelligence.

• Tech Bros Celibacy Startup (Futurism)

  • Silicon Valley entrepreneurs launch a startup promoting voluntary celibacy for productivity gains and mental clarity benefits.

  • The company markets abstinence as a biohacking tool, claiming improved focus, energy levels, and professional performance dramatically.

  • Critics question the ethics of commercializing personal lifestyle choices, while supporters cite purported legitimate wellness applications.

CONTENT

• Agency Over Hype: Christina Cacioppo on Building Vanta (The Social Radars)

  • Christina Cacioppo explains how she taught herself to code and chose security compliance as Vanta’s practical wedge.

  • She prioritized continuous customer conversations over investor meetings to validate demand, pricing, and product urgency early.

  • She delayed a Series A until $10M ARR, strengthening leverage, discipline, and long-term execution focus.

• Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon on the AI Device Future (Big Technology)

  • Cristiano Amon outlines a post-smartphone era led by AI glasses, wearables, and more ambient computing experiences.

  • He explains what makes agents useful, as well as the adoption drivers for AI PCs and on-device intelligence.

  • The discussion covers data-center inference, robotics momentum, chip constraints, and where China may be pulling ahead.

• Creating on Principle: David Senra and Patrick O’Shaughnessy (Colossus)

  • David Senra and Patrick O’Shaughnessy discuss purpose, principles, and the mentors most shaping Patrick’s thinking.

  • They share the behind-the-scenes story of launching Colossus magazine and building an enduring media platform.

  • The takeaway emphasizes taste, consistency, and compounding output as advantages for creators, investors, and leaders.

EXTRAS

• Zynga VIP Video Games (The New York Times)

  • A mobile game developer creates exclusive VIP programs that offer wealthy players significant advantages through expensive tiers.

  • High-spending users receive special perks, early access, and gameplay benefits, creating controversial pay-to-win dynamics.

  • Practice raises ethical questions about gaming fairness and potential exploitation of addictive mechanics for revenue.

• xAI Co-Founder Yang Leaves Musk's Startup After Lyme Diagnosis (Bloomberg)

  • Greg Yang departs Elon Musk's AI company following a Lyme disease diagnosis requiring extended medical treatment.

  • The co-founder's exit represents a significant loss for xAI, as the company competes aggressively with OpenAI and Anthropic.

  • Yang plans to focus on health while remaining an advisor; departure highlights challenges in retaining top AI talent.

• NVIDIA Invests $150M in AI Inference Startup Baseten (WSJ)

  • Chip giant backs infrastructure company enabling faster, cheaper deployment of AI models for enterprise customers.

  • Investment reflects Nvidia's strategy of expanding beyond hardware into software and services across the AI stack.

  • Baseten specializes in optimizing inference workloads, which are critical to making AI applications commercially viable at scale.

AND MORE

• U.S. stocks slide after new tariff threats tied to Greenland dispute.

• Walmart joins the Nasdaq 100 as AstraZeneca exits the index reshuffle.

• Meta signs nuclear-power deals totaling over six gigawatts for data centers.

• AI cloud startup Runpod hits $120M ARR after grassroots launch.

• Startup claims prebiotic additives can boost copper output amid shortages.

• xAI says it raised $20B in a Series E funding round.

• Explore all the tools and more here to outperform the competition.*

• CES 2026 roundup spotlights standout gadgets and trends shaping the year.

• TechCrunch lists top media and entertainment startups from the Disrupt Battlefield.