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

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

🗺️ Silicon Valley bets big on 'environments' to train AI agents.
📱 Apple controls all core iPhone Air chips with a new AI-focused architecture.
📈 Samsung shares hit a yearly high after Nvidia approves advanced memory chips.
💼 Trump's H-1B visas discourage skilled workers seeking United States employment.
✈️ Cyberattack on Collins Aerospace disrupted major European airport check-in systems.

TECHNOLOGY

• Silicon Valley bets big on ‘environments’ to train AI agents

  • Current AI agents remain limited, prompting researchers to explore reinforcement learning environments for training on multi-step tasks.

  • Startups like Mechanize and Prime Intellect are emerging, while data-labeling giants expand into RL environments.

  • Major labs, including Anthropic, are weighing billion-dollar investments, betting RL environments fuel next AI breakthroughs.

• Apple controls all core iPhone Air chips with a new AI-focused architecture

  • iPhone Air features Apple's custom A19 Pro chip with neural accelerators in each GPU core for enhanced AI computing power.

  • Apple debuts its first wireless chip, N1, and second-generation modem C1X, giving complete control over all core iPhone components.

  • New chip architecture enables more efficient Wi-Fi location tracking without GPS, reducing power consumption and improving background processing.

• Samsung shares hit a yearly high after Nvidia approves advanced memory chips

  • Samsung Electronics shares surged over 5% reaching their highest levels since August 202,4, following the breakthrough Nvidia approval news.

  • Samsung's 12-layer HBM3E memory chips reportedly passed Nvidia's qualification tests, enabling use in AI accelerator systems worldwide.

  • Approval allows Samsung to finally compete with SK Hynix in the high-end memory market for AI training applications.

BUSINESS

• Trump’s costly H-1B visas discourage skilled workers from seeking United States employment

  • Indian graduate student Satish planned to secure an H-1B visa after completing his San Francisco business degree.

  • The Trump administration’s sudden plan to increase H-1B application fees to $100,000 created significant uncertainty.

  • Skilled immigrants now fear derailed career opportunities as visa costs skyrocket under proposed changes.

• Berkshire Hathaway fully exits profitable BYD stake, initially urged by Munger

  • Berkshire Hathaway confirmed it sold its entire stake in Chinese EV maker BYD this year.

  • The position began in 2008 with 225 million shares worth $230 million initially purchased.

  • BYD shares skyrocketed nearly 3890 percent during Berkshire’s ownership, making the investment extraordinarily profitable.

• Trump says Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch might invest in the TikTok deal

  • Trump suggested Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, plus executives Larry Ellison and Michael Dell, may join the TikTok deal.

  • Reports indicate Fox Corp is discussing investment in TikTok’s U.S. spinoff from Chinese owner ByteDance.

  • White House says agreement gives Americans six of seven board seats and control of TikTok algorithm.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Japan's LDP leadership race begins with five candidates competing for control

  • Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party formally launched a leadership contest on Monday following Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's decision to step down.

  • The winning candidate will become Japan's next prime minister and must urgently rebrand the struggling political party.

  • LDP faces a critical challenge of stopping supporter drift to populist rivals after losing parliamentary majorities in recent elections.

• Cyberattack on Collins Aerospace disrupted major European airport check-in systems

  • Collins Aerospace's check-in and boarding systems were hit by a cyberattack on Friday night, September 19, affecting multiple European airports.

  • Major airports, including London Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin, experienced flight delays and cancellations on Saturday due to system disruptions.

  • The cybersecurity incident affected electronic check-in and baggage handling systems, forcing airports to implement manual backup processes.

• Global funds reduced Chinese bond holdings to the lowest levels since 2021

  • Foreign institutions sold Chinese sovereign bonds for the third consecutive month, reducing holdings to 2.01 trillion yuan in August.

  • Overseas bond holdings dropped to the lowest level since January 2021, representing only 5.2% of total outstanding Chinese debt.

  • International investors shifted away from Chinese bonds toward stocks, putting additional pressure on already struggling debt markets.

FUTURISM

• Nvidia eyes $500M investment into self-driving tech startup Wayve

  • Nvidia pledged £2 billion to strengthen the U.K.’s AI startup ecosystem, including potential investment in Wayve.

  • Wayve confirmed Nvidia’s tentative $500 million commitment aligns with its broader AI startup investment pledge.

  • Wayve develops self-learning autonomous driving technology without high-definition maps, planning to license it globally.

• CNBC tests Meta's new Ray-Ban Display glasses with built-in screens

  • Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses cost $799 and were unveiled by Mark Zuckerberg at the company's annual Connect event.

  • Built-in display enables users to read messages, view photo previews, and see live captions during conversations with others.

  • The neural wristband controller provides an interactive experience, allowing users to control the smart glasses through hand gesture inputs.

• Nissan upgrades ProPilot driver assistance system to compete with Tesla technology

  • Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa leads business rebuilding efforts focusing on refreshing the vehicle lineup and advanced technology features.

  • Company partners with UK AI startup Wayve Technologies, backed by SoftBank, to develop next-generation driver assistance capabilities.

  • New ProPilot system launch scheduled for fiscal year ending March 2028 aims to win back customers demanding cutting-edge technology.

CONTENT

• Julie Zhuo discusses essential leadership skills everyone needs in the AI era

  • Former Facebook VP Julie Zhuo explains how three core management skills directly translate to effectively managing AI agents.

  • Her team leverages artificial intelligence tools to accelerate skill learning ten times faster than traditional methods.

  • Zhuo shares practical feedback frameworks and scripts for difficult conversations while preparing children for AI-powered future careers.

• Meta's new Ray-Ban glasses were discussed with Lovable CEO Anton Osika

  • Hosts Jason and Alex review Meta's $799 smart Ray-Ban glasses that record in 3K resolution, raising privacy concerns.

  • Lovable CEO Anton Osika discusses Stockholm's tech hub status, balancing user engagement with revenue generation strategies.

  • The episode covers Google integrating Gemini into the Chrome browser and Beehiiv's new Discord partnership, among other things, in weekly tech news.

• Solana's Anatoly Yakovenko discusses crypto's future with quantum and AI

  • Solana co-founder explores crypto policy differences between the Trump and Biden administrations, plus the stablecoin growth impact on treasuries.

  • Discussion covers traditional exchanges adopting blockchain technology versus crypto-native platforms and achieving mainstream market adoption strategies.

  • Yakovenko examines quantum computing threats, AI integration, Bitcoin resilience, and emerging crypto applications beyond financial services.

• AppSumo is where you save big on the software you need*

  • Since 2010, they have helped entrepreneurs ditch the endless subscriptions. Never pay full price on software again.

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EXTRAS

• SingTel's Optus faces a crisis after a fatal emergency call network outage

  • Singapore Telecommunications subsidiary Optus faces a government investigation after an emergency call outage resulted in multiple fatalities last week.

  • The latest network failure follows the November 2023 Australia-wide outage that affected millions, including customers unable to make emergency calls.

  • Previous network crisis cost former Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin her job, highlighting recurring telecommunications infrastructure problems.

• Here are the two robotaxi battlegrounds that really matter

  • Autonomous vehicles are less a race and more a fragmented contest for survival and profitability.

  • Airports are crucial battlegrounds as Waymo gains permits in San Francisco and San Jose facilities.

  • Waymo partners with Via to integrate robotaxis into city transit, beginning with Chandler’s on-demand fleet.

• SoftBank's growing market weight forces skeptical Japanese stock investors to buy

  • SoftBank Group's stock surged 146% since April, driven by founder Masayoshi Son's artificial intelligence investment bets.

  • The company's weight in Japan's Topix benchmark doubled to 2% ranking behind only Toyota Motor and Sony Group.

  • Even skeptical investors must buy SoftBank shares due to its growing influence in Japan's main equity index.

AND MORE

• PlayStation and Xbox now focus on services beyond physical gaming consoles.

• A woman tripled her income to $220,000 yearly by switching to fractional work.

• The best smart glasses received minor improvements in the latest updates.

• Memo readers don’t just scroll—they act. They forward, they buy, they share. Let’s put your brand in that flow.*

• YouTube announces Studio updates, live streaming improvements, and new AI tools.

• Anker's new sleep buds block snoring but drain battery quickly.

• Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni raised $8M using Generation Z fundraising methods.

• Vodafone selects Ericsson and Nokia for £2 billion network infrastructure expansion.

• Haribo-licensed gummy bear power banks appeal to outdoor adventure enthusiasts everywhere.

• Bank of Japan removes stock pressure through a gradual ETF portfolio reduction.