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

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

💻 Alibaba expands Lingma AI coding tool with cheaper access to models.
🎬 Adobe launches an AI tool for auto-editing raw footage drafts.
📉 Workday shares fall despite AI giants running its software.
🕵️ Hacker used Claude to steal 150GB of Mexican data.
🌊 Historic transatlantic fiber cable TAT-8 pulled for recycling.

TECHNOLOGY

• AIs Can't Stop Recommending Nuclear Strikes in War Game Simulations (New Scientist) 

  ^{_{More: Semafor, Oodaloop, Euronews}}

  • GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4, and Gemini 3 Flash deployed tactical nuclear weapons in 95% of 21 simulated war games.

  • No AI model ever surrendered; in 86% of conflicts, accidents escalated beyond intended actions.

  • When one model deployed nukes, the opposing AI de-escalated only 18% of the time, per the study.

• Alibaba Pushes Deeper Into AI Coding Tools With Low-Cost Access (Bloomberg) 

  _{^{More: South China Morning Post, TechCrunch}}

  • Alibaba is expanding its Tongyi Lingma AI coding assistant with lower-cost access to several of China's top AI models.

  • The tool powers autonomous multi-file editing, codebase awareness, and agent-mode task execution across 200+ languages.

  • Lingma has surpassed 2M installs and competes directly with GitHub Copilot as China's leading domestic alternative.

• Adobe Firefly's Video Editor Can Now Automatically Create a First Draft From Footage (TechCrunch) 

  • Adobe's new Quick Cut feature uses AI to edit raw footage and B-roll into a first draft from a natural language prompt.

  • Users can specify aspect ratio, pacing, and B-roll usage; the tool automatically selects and handles transitions.

  • Adobe positions Quick Cut as a time-saver for the "selects" phase, leaving final creative decisions to human editors.

BUSINESS

• Kalshi Reveals Insider Trading Case Against Editor for MrBeast (NPR)

  • Kalshi suspended a MrBeast editor for trading ~$4k using insider knowledge of upcoming video content, fining him $20k

  • The platform also banned a California gubernatorial candidate for five years after he publicly bet on himself and urged followers to do the same.

  • Kalshi has opened 200 insider trading investigations in the past year; both cases have been referred to the CFTC.

• Workday CEO Says Anthropic and OpenAI Use His Company's Software (Bloomberg) 

  _{^{More: Yahoo Finance, The Register, Diginomica}}

  • Co-founder and returning CEO Aneel Bhusri told analysts that Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI all run Workday internally.

  • Bhusri returned as sole CEO earlier this month after Carl Eschenbach stepped down amid a 40% stock slide driven by AI disruption fears.

  • Workday shares still fell 9% in after-hours trading, as investors weighed whether the irony translates into a competitive moat.

• Discord Walks Back Global Age Verification, Delays Until Second Half of 2026 (The Verge) 

  _{^{More: TechCrunch, 9to5Mac, AP via WRAL}}

  • Discord delayed its global age verification rollout to H2 2026 after widespread user backlash over mandatory face scans and ID uploads.

  • Co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy acknowledged the company "failed at our most basic job," adding that over 90% of users will never face a verification prompt.

  • Discord also cut ties with Persona, a Palantir-linked vendor, and committed to on-device-only facial estimation before any global expansion.

• Explore the essential startup reading database*

  • Learning from the best is how you become the best. We've curated a list of top-notch articles, blogs, and readings that are pivotal for startup founders.

  • And here's the kicker: we've organized it all in a user-friendly Notion database for easy access and tracking. Double win!

  • As aspiring leaders and innovators, this list serves as a bridge to absorbing the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Exclusive: US Orders Diplomats to Fight Data Sovereignty Initiatives (Reuters) 

  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Modern Diplomacy}}

  • A February 18 State Department cable signed by Secretary Rubio ordered diplomats to actively oppose foreign data localization laws.

  • The cable frames data sovereignty rules as threats to AI services, cross-border data flows, and civil liberties, citing GDPR as an example.

  • Diplomats were instructed to counter "unnecessarily burdensome" regulations and promote the US-backed Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules Forum.

• Hacker Used Anthropic's Claude to Steal Sensitive Mexican Data (Bloomberg) 

  _{^{More: Engadget, Mercury News, Reuters}}

  • An unknown attacker used Claude to breach Mexico's federal tax authority, the national electoral institute, and several state agencies, stealing 150GB of data.

  • Israeli cybersecurity firm Gambit Security found that the hacker wrote Spanish prompts commanding Claude to find vulnerabilities, write exploit scripts, and automate theft.

  • Anthropic investigated, banned the accounts involved, and said its latest Claude Opus 4.6 model includes probes designed to disrupt this type of misuse.

• Bill Gates 'Took Responsibility' Over Epstein Ties in Staff Meeting, Foundation Says (BBC) 

  • Gates told foundation staff he met Epstein in 2011 and continued meeting through 2014, saying he did "nothing illicit" and never visited Epstein's island.

  • He acknowledged two affairs with Russian women, saying Epstein learned of them independently, and apologized to colleagues "drawn in" by his mistake.

  • Gates admitted he failed to properly vet Epstein's background despite his ex-wife's skepticism, calling it "a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein."

FUTURISM

• How Teens Use and View AI (Pew Research Center) 

  • 57% of US teens have used AI chatbots to search for information; 54% for help with schoolwork; 47% for fun or entertainment.

  • 59% of teens say AI cheating happens at their school at least somewhat often; one-third say it happens extremely or very often.

  • Teens view AI's impact on their own lives more positively (36%) than negatively (15%), but are more skeptical of its broader societal impact.

• New App Detects the Radio Fingerprint of Smart Glasses and Warns You When Someone Is Using Them Nearby (Futurism) 

  ^{_{More: 404 Media}}

  • Nearby Glasses, a free, open-source Android app by LMU Munich sociologist Yves Jeanrenaud, detects smart glasses via Bluetooth-assigned numbers.

  • The app works within 32–50 feet outdoors and 10–32 feet indoors, flagging manufacturers like Luxottica, which makes Meta's Ray-Bans.

  • Built in roughly 12 hours as a proof-of-concept, it represents grassroots pushback against the surveillance of smart glasses in the absence of regulation.

• If AI Causes an Office Job Wipeout, It'll Cause Huge Problems for Blue Collar Work Too (Futurism) 

  _{^{More: Business Insider, Reuters, Financial Times}}

  • Citrini Research's viral "2028" report author warns that white-collar AI displacement would also flood the blue-collar labor market.

  • If 5% of office workers lose their jobs and can't relocate, they compete with gig and trade workers, depressing wages across the board.

  • Economists at Evercore ISI called the scenario "extreme and improbable," suggesting some skilled tradespeople would actually see wage gains.

CONTENT

• ‘Back in the Arena’ (Great Chat)

  • Ceci Stallmith discusses returning to operating as Lovable’s head of marketing after embracing a portfolio career path.

  • The conversation explores stepping off the career ladder, balancing parenting, and trusting intuition during pivotal decisions.

  • Hosts reflect on AI’s workforce implications, Dario’s keynote, and whether human labor becomes a luxury signal.

• ‘Brian Stelter on the Trump Media Shakedown Era’ (Channels with Peter Kafka)

  • Brian Stelter joins Peter Kafka to examine political pressure reshaping American media institutions and corporate strategy.

  • They unpack the evolving relationship between Trump, legacy broadcasters, and tech platforms, navigating regulatory uncertainty.

  • The episode highlights how media consolidation and digital distribution are redefining power across journalism and Silicon Valley.

• ‘Can AI Achieve Consciousness? — With Michael Pollan’(Big Technology Podcast)

  • Michael Pollan explores whether artificial intelligence could plausibly develop consciousness or merely simulate human awareness.

  • The discussion bridges neuroscience, psychedelics research, and large language models, shaping current AI discourse.

  • Broader implications address ethics, regulation, and how society defines intelligence in an increasingly automated era.

EXTRAS

• Say Goodbye to the Undersea Cable That Made the Global Internet Possible (Wired) 

  _{^{More: Tom's Hardware, DNYUZ, Hackaday}}

  • TAT-8, the first fiber-optic cable ever laid across the Atlantic, is being pulled from the seabed after lying dormant since 2002.

  • Built by AT&T, British Telecom, and France Telecom in 1988, the 6k km cable hit full capacity within just 18 months of launch.

  • Subsea Environmental Services is recovering the cable using its MV Maasvliet vessel; it will be recycled into steel, copper, and polyethylene in South Africa.

• Apple's Touch-Screen MacBook Pro to Have Dynamic Island, New Interface (Bloomberg)

  _{^{More: MacRumors, 9to5Mac, AppleInsider}}

  • Apple's first touchscreen MacBook Pros, due late 2026, will feature a Dynamic Island centered on a hole-punch camera cutout.

  • macOS will gain a dynamic interface that shifts between touch-optimized and click-optimized modes depending on the input method.

  • The 14-inch and 16-inch models will use OLED displays and M6 Pro/Max chips; Apple will not position them as touch-first devices.

• FBI Got Grok to Hand Over Prompts Used to Create Nonconsensual Porn (404 Media) 

  _{^{More: NBC News, The Guardian, Court Watch}}

  • The FBI used a search warrant to obtain Grok prompts from X in a cyberstalking case, receiving details on ~200 nonconsensual sexual videos generated.

  • Suspect Simon Tuck allegedly used Grok as part of a broader harassment campaign that included swatting, mass shooting threats, and employer complaints.

  • The case confirms that law enforcement can subpoena AI chat logs, and that X complies — establishing a new evidentiary frontier in AI-assisted crime.

AND MORE

• Severe floods in southeastern Brazil’s Minas Gerais state have killed at least 40 people and left dozens missing amid rescue operations.

• Iran is reportedly close to finalizing a deal with China to buy advanced supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles.

• Your brand deserves to be in front of people who actually make decisions. That’s Memo’s audience.

• As the U.S. prepares for nuclear talks, Iran accuses President Trump of spreading “big lies” over its program.

• Iran’s armed forces warn they will escalate forcefully if the U.S. attacks Tehran.

• The German government faces criticism for weakening its climate policy by scrapping the renewables heating mandate.

• U.S. Supreme Court overturns broad tariff powers, markets respond with mixed investor sentiment.

• Samsung unveils its new Galaxy S26 flagship lineup at the live Unpacked event.

• HP says RAM now accounts for a third of PC production costs amid supply shifts.