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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🍔 McDonalds being sued over deadly E. Coli outbreak.
💻 Chrome’s new tab tool helps you wrangle memory-hungry tabs.
🌐 Meta gears up to challenge Google on search.
💼 Netflix sees key execs exit amid major communications shakeup.
🤖 LinkedIn’s AI assistant says it can fix recruiting.

TECH

• Meta is reportedly working on its own AI-powered search engine

  • Meta's new search engine aims to generate AI-based summaries of current events, potentially replacing Google and Bing.

  • A web crawler for Meta has been active, leveraging location data to rival Google Maps.

  • Meta recently partnered with Reuters to access news content, boosting its chatbot's data sources for news responses.

• Chrome introduces new performance tools to wrangle the tabs gobbling up your memory

  • Chrome adds ‘performance issue alerts’ and updates to its memory saver mode for better tab management.

  • New performance detection tool identifies resource-heavy tabs, showing a speedometer-like alert beside the user’s account thumbnail.

  • Users can 'dismiss’ or fix now’ when tabs consume excessive resources.

• Apple Intelligence to launch on EU iPhones in April

  • Apple's AI features, including Writing Tools, Genmoji, and Siri with ChatGPT, will roll out to EU iPhones in April.

  • Early access for macOS Sequoia users in the EU includes AI tools like writing assistance.

  • Localized versions for Australia, Canada, UK, and more are set to launch in December with iOS 18.2.

• MDC is building a surgical robot that operates inside an MRI

  • Bay Area startup MDC has developed a robotic system that performs minimally invasive procedures directly within an MRI.

  • The procedure allows physicians real-time control over needle positioning for biopsies and ablations.

  • The project is backed by $1.2 million pre-seed funding.

BUSINESS

• Netflix communications chief and global public policy executives to exit

  • Chief Communications Officer and Global Public Policy VP depart Netflix, leaving key policy and communication roles vacant.

  • New chief global affairs officer role will oversee policy and communications; no candidate identified yet.

  • Whetstone and Garfield joined Netflix in 2018 and 2019, respectively, bringing tech and policy experience to the streaming giant.

• LinkedIn launches its first AI agent to take on the role of job recruiters

  • LinkedIn introduces Hiring Assistant, an AI tool to assist recruiters with job descriptions, candidate sourcing, and recruitment queries.

  • Initially available to select enterprises, the tool leverages OpenAI for skill-based candidate matching.

  • Upcoming features include interview scheduling and messaging support.

• GitHub Copilot will support models from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI

  • GitHub Copilot expands to support AI models from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, allowing developers to switch models for different coding needs.

  • New Spark tool enables users to create web apps with natural language.

  • Upcoming features include multi-file editing in Copilot for VS Code, new extensions, and a public preview for Copilot in Xcode.

• McDonald's E. Coli Outbreak Impacts Sales Nationwide

  • McDonald’s is being sued over an E. coli outbreak that’s left one person dead and many sick in Colorado.

  • Foot traffic by 6.4% nationally and 24% in Colorado. The brand aims to recover trust with $5 value meals, emphasizing food safety.

  • CEO Chris Kempczinski reassures patrons about safety, while analysts predict a recovery.

CONTENT

• Stratechery on Meta’s AI Abundance

  • Meta is poised to dominate in generative AI, using AI to enhance its advertising efficiency and offer hyper-personalized ads.

  • Generative AI and tools like Meta’s Llama unlock infinite ad and content creation, benefitting ad revenue by providing endless inventory.

  • Mark Zuckerberg sees AI as integral to future growth, with Meta investing heavily to maintain its era of digital abundance.

• The Effects of Microplastics on Health

  • Andrew Huberman highlights reducing exposure by avoiding plastics and using methods to detox and eliminate microplastics.

  • Microplastics are widely present in human bodies, posing risks from endocrine disruptors.

  • The episode provides practical strategies for limiting these risks, aiming to reduce the accumulation of harmful plastics in the body.

• Daniel Khachab: "We Are in the Middle of a Cold War for AI Talent"

  • Harry Stebbings of 20VC interviews Daniel Khachab, co-founder and CEO of AI platform, Choco.

  • Will AI create jobs or destroy them, is SaaS dying and what does AI mean for the ecosystem at large.

  • Stebbings just raised a $400M fund off the back of his podcast.

WORLD

• Jeff Bezos defends Washington Post's end to election endorsements

  • Bezos argues that ending endorsements reduces perceived bias and enhances the Post’s credibility.

  • This faced backlash, with reported subscriber losses, staff resignations, and criticism from the Washington Post Guild.

  • Bezos denies any strategic timing or political motives.

• Lost Maya city with temple pyramids and plazas discovered in Mexico

  • Archaeologists uncover a previously unknown Maya city with pyramids, plazas, and a reservoir, hidden for centuries, like other new finds.

  • The site reveals a dense network of settlements, including a large city adjacent to modern infrastructure.

  • Scientists managed this through a technology named lidar mapping.

• Apple Boosts Indian iPhone Production in Shift Away From China

  • Apple’s India-made iPhone exports surged by a third to nearly $6 billion in the last six months, marking a shift away from China.

  • While China remains Apple's primary manufacturing hub, India is expanding as Apple opened stores in Mumbai and New Delhi.

  • Rising bans on iPhones in Chinese government agencies underline the shifting dynamics between Apple’s manufacturing bases.

• Israeli parliament votes to ban UNRWA from Israel within 90 days

  • Israel's Knesset has voted overwhelmingly to ban the UN agency UNRWA, declaring it a terror organization and cutting off diplomatic ties.

  • The decision will likely disrupt humanitarian aid in Gaza and East Jerusalem.

  • Israel cites security concerns due to alleged UNRWA staff involvement in Hamas-linked activities.

AND MORE…

• Starbucks mandates in-office policy for corporate staff amid CEO’s remote perks

  • Starbucks warns corporate employees they risk termination if they don’t comply with a three-day office requirement starting January.

  • This policy contrasts with newly appointed CEO Brian Niccol’s arrangement to work remotely from California.

  • The push for office attendance aims to address productivity and drive sales during economic challenges.

• Elon Musk is secretly buying properties for his family

  • Musk has bought multiple properties in Austin, aiming to create a ‘family compound’ for his children and some of their mothers.

  • The $35 million estate includes two mansions near his businesses; only Neuralink executive Shivon Zilis reportedly lives there with her children.

  • Musk’s family housing project aligns with his larger personal goal of promoting population growth.

• Netflix’s deal with Universal will add more live-action films

  • Starting in 2027, Universal and Focus Features’ live-action films will stream on Netflix eight months post-theater release, replacing an Amazon deal.

  • The agreement renews Netflix’s exclusive license for animated films from Illumination and DreamWorks, adding titles like Shrek 5 and Minions 3.

  • Netflix gains a 10-month exclusive window on Universal films, with the titles later returning to NBC’s Peacock.