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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

💻 Nvidia licenses Groq AI chip technology and hires its CEO.
📱 Italy watchdog orders Meta to halt WhatsApp terms barring rival AI chatbots.
✝️ Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christian.
💸 Wall Street wrote off Palantir as too expensive, retail investors can’t get enough.
🤝 Zelenskyy says talks with Witkoff and Kushner were very productive.

TECHNOLOGY

• Nvidia licenses Groq AI chip technology and hires its CEO (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, NY Post, Business Insider}}

  • Nvidia signed a non-exclusive licensing deal and hired Groq’s founder and key executives.

  • CNBC reports Nvidia bought Groq assets for $20 billion, potentially its largest deal ever.

  • Groq’s LPU chips promise faster, more energy-efficient AI, strengthening Nvidia’s dominance amid rising demand.

• Italy watchdog orders Meta to halt WhatsApp terms barring rival AI chatbots (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, TechCrunch}}

  • Italy’s competition authority ordered Meta to suspend its ban on third-party AI chatbots using WhatsApp’s API.

  • AGCM ruled Meta’s policy may abuse market dominance, limiting competition and harming consumers in AI chatbot services.

  • The suspension affects general-purpose chatbots, while customer-service AI bots on WhatsApp remain allowed under the policy.

• A Spanish computer virus unexpectedly led Google to establish roots in Málaga (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, FindArticles}}

  • A harmless 1992 virus inspired Bernardo Quintero’s cybersecurity passion, shaping his future career and ambitions.

  • Quintero later founded VirusTotal, acquired by Google in 2012, bringing its European cybersecurity hub to Málaga.

  • Decades later, Quintero identified the virus’s creator, closing a personal chapter that began his tech journey.

BUSINESS

• Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians (AP)
  ^{_{More: Bloomberg, LA Times, Washington Post}}

  • Trump said US launched deadly strikes against Islamic State forces in Nigeria on Christmas.

  • Pentagon official said strikes were coordinated with Nigeria and approved by its government.

  • Nigeria said cooperation followed international law, though analysts note violence affects Christians and Muslims.

• Wall Street wrote off Palantir as too expensive, retail investors can’t get enough (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: AOL, MSN}}

  • Retail investors poured billions into Palantir this year, despite Wall Street concerns over valuation multiples.

  • Since its 2020 debut, Palantir has become a standout favorite among retail investors.

  • Palantir shares jumped over 150% in 2025 and nearly 3,000% over three years.

• Tim Cook nearly doubles Nike stake, boosting shares on Christmas Eve (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, MSN, Forbes}}

  • Nike shares rose 4.6 percent after Tim Cook purchased $2.9 million, nearly doubling his stake.

  • Cook, Nike board’s independent director, now owns over 105,000 shares amid market volatility.

  • Nike recently lowered guidance, citing tariffs and reduced demand in China, prompting prior share declines.

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MARKETS

WORLD

• Trump-backed Nasry Asfura wins Honduras presidency after disputed election vote (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: NY Times, Al Jazeera}}

  • Election council declared Asfura winner with 40.3 percent, narrowly beating rival Salvador Nasralla.

  • Results announced over twenty days later may trigger legal challenges and political unrest.

  • Trump and US officials congratulated Asfura, urging acceptance, as Honduras braces for disputes.

• Zelenskyy says talks with Witkoff and Kushner were very productive (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: CBS, BBC, Axios}}

  • Zelenskyy said he held a constructive hour-long Christmas Day call on potential Ukraine-Russia peace efforts.

  • The discussion involved US envoys Witkoff and Kushner, with Ukraine’s security chief and diplomats participating.

  • Despite talks, fighting continued, while Zelenskyy floated troop withdrawals, demilitarized zones, and possible referendums.

• Kim Jong Un signals continued missile development over the next 5 years (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, Straits Times}}

  • Kim Jong Un said missile development will strengthen North Korea’s war deterrent over five years.

  • He inspected munitions factories and approved modernization plans ahead of a key 2026 party congress.

  • Recent moves include nuclear submarine construction oversight and long-range missile tests, state media reported.

FUTURISM

• China launches venture capital funds to back early-stage hard technology startups (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Economic Times, Yahoo!}}

  • China established three venture capital funds, each contributing over 50 billion yuan, to invest in hard technologies.

  • Funds will target early-stage startups valued under 500 million yuan, limiting single investments to 50 million yuan.

  • Focus areas include integrated circuits, quantum tech, biomedicine, brain-computer interfaces, aerospace, and other key hard technologies.

• Monetizers vs manufactures: How the AI market could splinter in 2026 (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: AInvest, Cryptopolitan}}

  • AI investors have poured money into the sector, but the market may fragment into segments in 2026.

  • Tech sell-offs and rallies in late 2025 signal early signs of market differentiation within AI companies.

  • AI infrastructure firms are expected to benefit most as Big Tech business models continue evolving.

• Waymo explains why its robotaxis got stuck during the SF blackout (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Business Insider, Washington Post}}

  • Waymo says cautious confirmation checks overwhelmed fleet systems during widespread power outage.

  • Robotaxis treated dark signals as four-way stops but requested human confirmation too often.

  • New update adds outage context, improves emergency protocols, despite 7,000 signals navigated successfully.

CONTENT

• Ali Ghodsi and Arvind Jain discuss what works, and fails, in enterprise AI (Bg2 Pod)

  • They explore why 95 percent of enterprise AI projects fail and LLMs are rapidly commoditizing.

  • Durable advantage now comes from proprietary data, agentic systems, workflow integration, and real-world enterprise use cases.

  • Conversation covers AI budgeting, CapEx, valuation bubbles, and lessons from finance, healthcare, and retail deployments.

• Chris Camillo grew $20K to $70M using a learnable investment strategy (My First Million)

  • Camillo turned $20K into $60M using social arbitrage and observational investing techniques.

  • He shared notable bets, including Beacon Roof, e.l.f., Sphere, and Palantir, highlighting strategy applications.

  • Camillo offers insights on trending investments, mistakes, and potential 2026 picks for regular investors.

• Arthur Brooks discusses finding purpose and meaning in life effectively (Tim Ferriss)

  • Brooks explores daily routines, exercise, and disciplined practices as foundations for happiness and life meaning.

  • He highlights coherence, purpose, significance, and transcendence as central elements of a meaningful life.

  • The discussion includes deep work, experimentation, presence, and love as essential tools for fulfillment.

EXTRAS

• The European startup market’s data doesn’t match its energy — yet (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, MSN}}

  • Despite strong conference buzz, European venture data shows the market has not fully recovered.

  • Startup investment in 2025 is matching recent years, while U.S. venture activity has already surpassed them.

  • Europe’s biggest weakness is VC fundraising, though early signs suggest a potential market turnaround.

• Kennedy Center cancels Christmas Eve jazz concert over Trump name addition (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNN, Time Magazine, USA Today}}

  • Host Chuck Redd canceled the annual jazz concert in protest of Trump’s name on the center.

  • Trump’s board renamed the center, sparking criticism and multiple event cancellations by artists and performers.

  • Lawmakers argue the name change violates congressional law protecting the Kennedy Center’s memorial status.

• Leather tariffs and price hikes drive higher costs for boots, bags, furniture (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: MSN}}

  • Tariffs and supply chain issues have sharply increased leather prices in 2025, affecting various retail products.

  • Companies like Twisted X, Tapestry, and Steve Madden face margin pressure from higher costs and scarce hides.

  • Analysts predict leather goods prices could rise roughly 22 percent over two years due to ongoing disruptions.

AND MORE

• In 2025, AI sparked controversy among gamers and developers in major releases.

• Top distraction blockers to help improve focus at the start of the year.

• Apple plans expanding iPhone driver’s license support to 7 U.S. states.

• New York’s AI safety bill was weakened, partly due to university opposition.

• Akara explains why AI adoption is ideal in modern operating rooms.

• Here are 10 Mac apps worth trying and exploring in 2026.

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

• Hollywood embraced AI in 2025 but produced disappointing results with technology.