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

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

💻 Google’s Willow chip runs 13,000× faster than Frontier.
🚗 GM to add Gemini AI in 2026 and eyes-off driving by 2028.
⚖️ Reddit sues Perplexity for large-scale AI data scraping.
🚘 Tesla profits drop 40% despite record sales.
🥩 Beyond Meat soars 1,300% in meme-fueled rally.

TECHNOLOGY

• GM plans to launch eyes-off driving, Google AI, and other new in-vehicle tech by 2028 (CNBC) 
  _{^{More: TechCrunch, Fox Business, Inc.}}

  • GM will integrate Google Gemini AI assistant into vehicles starting in 2026 for natural language conversations and controls.

  • The automaker plans to launch eyes-off driver assistance technology on the Cadillac Escalade IQ by 2028, surpassing current systems.

  • New centralized computing platform will deliver 1,000 times more bandwidth and 35 times enhanced AI performance capabilities.

• Google Unveils Quantum Computing Breakthrough With Willow Chip (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: Scientific American, Google Blog, Engadget}}

  • Google's Quantum Echoes algorithm ran 13,000 times faster than the Frontier supercomputer, completing tasks in two hours versus years.

  • The breakthrough provides the first verifiable quantum advantage, with results reproducible on other quantum computers of similar capability.

  • Real-world applications in drug discovery and materials science could arrive within five years, according to Google executives.

• OpenAI's Atlas is more about ChatGPT than the web (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: CNBC, Axios, CBS News}}

  • OpenAI launched the Atlas browser to keep ChatGPT central to the user experience, reaching potentially 800 million weekly users.

  • The browser integrates memory features that combine browsing history with ChatGPT context for personalized, data-gathering capabilities.

  • Atlas lacks standard browsing features like an ad-blocker or VPN, focusing instead on ChatGPT integration over user experience.

BUSINESS

• Reddit Sues Perplexity, Others Over Alleged Data Scraping (Bloomberg) _{^{More: Reuters, Axios}}

  • Reddit sued Perplexity and three data scraping firms for bypassing protections and harvesting content via Google searches.

  • The lawsuit alleges companies created trap content accessible only to Google, which appeared in Perplexity results within hours.

  • Reddit seeks a permanent injunction and damages, claiming defendants run an industrial-scale data laundering operation for AI training material.

• Tesla's looming earnings woes, despite record sales (CNN) 
  _{^{More: CNBC, Bloomberg, Electrek}}

  • Tesla reported record revenue of $28.1 billion, but earnings missed estimates at 50 cents per share, versus the expected 54 cents.

  • Operating income plummeted 40% year-over-year despite record deliveries, impacted by $400 million in tariff costs and lost credits.

  • The Trump administration eliminated federal emissions penalties, ending Tesla's profitable regulatory credit sales worth $11 billion since 2019.

• Beyond Meat Stock Surge Sparks Short-Seller Rush (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: Yahoo Finance, CNBC, Motley Fool}}

  • Beyond Meat shares surged over 1,300% in four days, driven by meme stock trading and short squeeze dynamics.

  • In addition to the Roundhill Meme Stock ETF and Walmart distribution expansion announcement fueled investor coordination on social media.

  • Short sellers face over $120 million in paper losses, with more than 63% of tradable shares held short.

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MARKETS

WORLD

• US Considers Broad Software Curbs on China, White House Says (Bloomberg) 
  _{^{More: Japan Times, Yahoo Finance, Korea Times}}

  • The Trump administration is weighing export restrictions on products containing or made with US software, from laptops to jet engines.

  • Measures would echo Russia-style curbs and retaliate against China's rare earth export restrictions announced in early October.

  • Treasury Secretary says everything is on the table, including software and engines, with coordination planned among G7 allies for implementation.

• Melissa is now forecast to become a major hurricane as it trends toward a concerning track (CNN) 
  _{^{More: CBS News, Washington Post, AccuWeather}}

  • Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane by Monday over exceptionally warm Caribbean waters.

  • The storm moving at two mph threatens Haiti and the Dominican Republic with a foot or more of catastrophic flooding rain.

  • Hurricane watch issued for Haiti, tropical storm watch for Jamaica, with low but possible threat to the US mainland.

• Meth, cocaine worth nearly $1 billion were seized from 2 sailboats in the Arabian Sea (CBS News) 
  _{^{More: Al Jazeera, Gulf News, Express Tribune}}

  • Pakistan Navy ship intercepted two stateless dhows within 48 hours, seizing over $972 million worth of narcotics.

  • First vessel yielded two tons of methamphetamine worth $822 million, the second had 350 kg of meth and cocaine combined.

  • Combined Maritime Forces operation involved a 47-nation partnership patrolling over three million square miles of strategic shipping lanes.

FUTURISM

• Meta Cutting Roughly 600 Jobs From Company's AI Unit (Bloomberg) _{^{More: Washington Post, TechCrunch, Axios}}

  • Meta is cutting approximately 600 positions from Superintelligence Labs to streamline decision-making and increase operational speed.

  • Job cuts affect the FAIR research unit, plus product AI and infrastructure teams, while the newly formed TBD Lab remains untouched.

  • Chief AI officer says reduction will make each person more load-bearing with a greater scope and impact across the organization.

• Reddit Sues Perplexity, Others Over Alleged Data Scraping (Bloomberg) _{^{More: Reuters, Axios, U.S. News}}

  • Reddit sued Perplexity and three data scraping firms for bypassing protections and harvesting content via Google searches.

  • The lawsuit alleges companies created trap content accessible only to Google, which appeared in Perplexity results within hours.

  • Reddit seeks a permanent injunction and damages, claiming defendants run an industrial-scale data laundering operation for AI training material.

• Snapchat makes its first open prompt AI Lens available for free in the US (TechCrunch) 
  _{^{More: Social Media Today, Business Standard}}

  • Snapchat's Imagine Lens is now free for all US users after its September launch, exclusively for paid subscribers.

  • This AI tool lets users edit Snaps with custom prompts like turning into aliens or generating images from descriptions.

  • Expansion comes as Meta and OpenAI launch competing video generation tools, pressuring Snapchat to offer free AI features.

CONTENT

• China and the U.S. Are Two Heavyweights in a Prize Fight (The Prof G Pod)

  • Alice Han and James Kynge analyze China’s rare earth export curbs and their global economic ripple effects.

  • The episode explores a British spy scandal straining UK–China relations and a renewed space race between superpowers.

  • Their discussion frames U.S.–China competition as an escalating economic and technological duel with planetary stakes.

• I Documented How a Viral Video Gets Made in 45 Minutes (Greg Isenberg)

  • Greg Isenberg and Roberto break down the entire process of producing a viral short-form video from idea to final export.

  • The episode covers scripting, recording setup, editing workflows, AI-generated visuals, and strategic attention-grabbing techniques.

  • Roberto shares his full stack—tools like Nano Banana and Kling—used to automate B-roll creation and optimize viewer retention.

• Sam Altman Gave ChatGPT a Browser, Here’s What Happened... (This Week in Startups)

  • Jason Calacanis demos ‘Atlas,’ the new AI-powered browser that merges ChatGPT’s intelligence with modern browsing features.

  • He highlights smart search, inline editing, task automation, and memory that tracks tabs and documents.

  • The walkthrough shows how Atlas could redefine productivity by letting users search, summarize, and execute tasks in one interface.

EXTRAS

• Stolen Louvre Jewels Were Uninsured, France Says (CBS News)

  _{^{More: Bloomberg, NBC News, Boston Globe}}

  • French law prohibits national museums like the Louvre from insuring collections, with the state acting as its own insurer.

  • Four thieves stole eight crown jewels valued at 88 million euros in a seven-minute daytime heist on October 19.

  • The stolen items have inestimable heritage value, and France will receive no private insurance reimbursement for the loss.

• Mosquitoes Spotted in Iceland for First Time, Researcher Says (CBS News) 

• _{^{More: CNN, NPR, ABC News}}

  • Three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes were discovered 20 miles north of Reykjavik, marking Iceland's first confirmed sighting in nature.

  • The cold-tolerant species likely arrived via ships or containers and can withstand Iceland's harsh winter conditions.

  • Iceland was previously one of only two mosquito-free regions globally, leaving Antarctica as the sole remaining mosquito-free place.

• Conservative Activist Robby Starbuck Sues Google For Defamation (The New York Sun) 

• _{^{More: Investing, Al Jazeera, Tip Ranks}}

  • Starbuck filed a 15 million dollar lawsuit alleging Google's AI falsely labeled him a child rapist and serial sexual abuser.

  • Google acknowledged the claims stemmed from hallucinations in its Bard model, which the company addressed in 2023.

  • This is Starbucks' second AI defamation lawsuit; he previously settled with Meta in August and became their adviser.

AND MORE

• Asian stock markets declined amid rising geopolitical tensions and weak tech earnings.

• U.S. dollar edged up ahead of key U.S. inflation data; yen slipped.

• European Union leaders to debate conditions for keeping up climate ambition.

• More than 100,000 public-sector workers in New Zealand go on strike demanding better pay and conditions.

• Taiwanese officials warn that China’s upcoming five-year plan may include frontline islands.

• Nexperia China unit resumes chip sales to domestic distributors; transactions must now be settled in yuan.

• Gold prices inched down as a firmer dollar and anticipation of U.S. inflation data weighed.

• China’s government used a religious ‘charm offensive’ via organized trips to reach Taiwanese worshippers, a study finds.