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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🤖 Moltbook launches a social network for autonomous AI assistants.
🎮 Gaming stocks slide after Google unveils AI that generates playable worlds.
🚀 Elon Musk explores a potential merger between SpaceX and his AI company xAI.
🧾 Bluesky releases first transparency report amid rising moderation and legal demands.
💰 Binance shifts one billion dollars in Bitcoin from its SAFU insurance fund.

TECHNOLOGY

• A look at Moltbook, a social network where OpenClaw assistants interact autonomously, as they discuss consciousness and identity, technical tips, and more (Simon Willison)
  _{^{More: Forbes, IBM, Business Today}}

  • Moltbook enables OpenClaw AI assistants to converse autonomously, exploring topics from consciousness to technical workflows.

  • The platform raises questions about AI agency and identity as assistants develop distinct personalities.

  • Growing concerns emerge about autonomous AI interactions and their implications for human-AI boundaries.

• OpenAI will retire GPT-4o from ChatGPT next month (CNBC)
  _{^{More: Business Today, India TV, VentureBeat}}

  • OpenAI plans to phase out GPT-4o from ChatGPT in February as newer models replace it.

  • The retirement reflects OpenAI's strategy of consolidating resources around more advanced AI capabilities and models.

  • Users will transition to newer versions with enhanced performance and improved efficiency across various tasks.

• Videogame stocks slide on Google's AI model that turns prompts into playable worlds (Reuters)
  _{^{More: Sherwood News, The Register, TechCrunch}}

  • Gaming stocks declined following Google's announcement of AI technology generating playable game worlds from prompts.

  • The breakthrough threatens traditional game development pipelines and established industry revenue models for studios.

  • Investors worry about disruption to major publishers as AI democratizes game creation capabilities significantly.

BUSINESS

• Bluesky issues its first transparency report, noting rise in user reports and legal demands (TechCrunch)
  _{^{More: Bluesky Official, Engadget, Dataconomy}}

  • Bluesky's inaugural transparency report shows increasing user reports and government requests as platform grows rapidly.

  • The decentralized social network detailed moderation actions, content removal requests, and data disclosure statistics publicly.

  • Rising legal demands reflect Bluesky's expanding user base and heightened regulatory scrutiny of platforms.

• Binance moves $1 billion in Bitcoin from SAFU fund (The Block)
  _{^{More: Yahoo Finance, CoinCodex, Finance Magnates}}

  • Binance transferred approximately one billion dollars in Bitcoin from its emergency insurance SAFU fund recently.

  • The movement sparked speculation about fund management strategies and potential reallocation of security reserves internally.

  • Binance maintains the fund remains intact to protect users despite large-scale asset movements occurring.

• Apple earnings report Q1 2026 (CNBC)
  _{^{More: Apple, Bloomberg, MacRumors, Fortune}}

  • Apple reported Q1 2026 results with revenue and profit figures reflecting seasonal performance trends effectively.

  • iPhone sales and services revenue drove quarterly performance amid ongoing competitive pressures in hardware.

  • The company provided forward guidance addressing investor concerns about market conditions and product cycles.

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MARKETS

WORLD

• Don Lemon arrest at Minnesota church protest (NYT)
  _{^{More: ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, PBS}}

  • Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested for his role in an anti-immigration protest disrupting a Minnesota church service.

  • Federal prosecutors charged Lemon with civil rights violations after he covered protesters chanting against ICE officials.

  • His attorney called the arrest an unprecedented attack on press freedom and First Amendment rights.

• Epstein files release (NYT)
  _{^{More: CNN, Washington Post, NPR}}

  • The Justice Department released 3.5 million pages of Epstein documents including videos and images on January 30.

  • Over two million documents remain unreleased, drawing bipartisan criticism of the Trump administration's incomplete disclosure.

  • Files contain witness testimonies and evidence revealing details about Epstein's trafficking network and associates.

• Death penalty no longer sought for Luigi Mangione (NYT)
  _{^{More: NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Al Jazeera}}

  • Federal judge dismissed murder charges that would have made Mangione eligible for capital punishment Friday.

  • The ruling foils the Trump administration's attempt to execute him for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's killing.

  • Mangione still faces federal stalking charges and state murder charges carrying life imprisonment without parole.

FUTURISM

• Pentagon clashes with Anthropic over military AI use (Reuters)

  • The Pentagon and Anthropic are in disagreement over parameters for military applications of AI technology.

  • Tensions center on ethical guidelines, acceptable use cases, and oversight of AI systems in defense.

  • The clash highlights broader debates about AI safety principles versus national security technology needs.

• OpenAI GPT-4o deaths (Futurism)

  • Reports emerge linking GPT-4o usage to concerning incidents, raising questions about AI safety protocols.

  • The situations underscore challenges of deploying powerful AI systems without comprehensive safeguards in place.

  • OpenAI faces scrutiny over responsibility for outcomes connected to model deployment and user interactions.

• Elon Musk plans to merge SpaceX and xAI (Futurism)

  • Elon Musk is reportedly considering merging SpaceX with his AI company xAI for synergies.

  • The potential combination would unite aerospace capabilities with artificial intelligence development under one umbrella.

  • Industry observers speculate about implications for space exploration and AI advancement through integration efforts.

CONTENT

• Tech Grapples With ICE + Casey Tries Clawdbot, a Risky New A.I. Assistant + HatGPT (Hard Fork)

  • Kevin Roose and Casey Newton examine tech companies’ cooperation with ICE and mounting employee backlash nationwide debates.

  • Casey tests Clawdbot, an experimental AI assistant, revealing productivity gains alongside privacy and reliability risks for users.

  • The episode reflects broader tensions between rapid AI deployment, regulation gaps, and trust in automated decision-making systems.

• Access: Where we'll go when the bots take over, with Sublime's Sari Azout (Access)

  • Alex Heath and Ellis Hamburger speak with Sari Azout about cultural shifts as AI agents proliferate globally.

  • Azout describes how bots reshape creativity, labor, and identity across music, startups, and online communities worldwide today.

  • The conversation explores adaptation strategies, optimism versus fear, and what human value looks like post-automation economies ahead.

• Something Has Broken In The U.S. (Prof G Markets)

  • Scott Galloway, Ed Elson, and FT’s Katie Martin unpack investor reactions to another Trump TACO trade cycle.

  • Martin analyzes Japanese bond volatility, global rate pressures, and how markets are pricing political uncertainty right now.

  • They debate AI bubble signals and outline where disciplined investors should focus capital allocation amid current cycles.

EXTRAS

• US forfeits $400 million from Helix darknet mixer (Decrypt)
  _{^{More: DOJ, Yahoo Finance, TradingView, Cointelegraph}}

  • The US government finalized forfeiture of four hundred million dollars from the Helix cryptocurrency mixing service.

  • The forfeiture represents one of the largest enforcement actions against darknet financial infrastructure to date.

  • Authorities continue targeting crypto mixers used for money laundering and illicit transaction obfuscation activities.

• Oura CEO doubles down on subscription model (Bloomberg)
  _{^{More: CNN, TIME, Fortune}}

  • Oura's CEO reaffirmed commitment to the subscription revenue model despite customer pushback and criticism.

  • The company defends recurring fees as essential for delivering continuous health insights and feature updates.

  • The strategy reflects broader trends in wearable tech toward service-based monetization over hardware sales.

• Sydney startup Checkbox raises $33 million for AI legal platform (Forbes Australia)
  _{^{More: Startup Daily}}

  • Australian founders secured thirty-three million dollars for their AI-powered legal workflow automation startup recently.

  • The platform automates legal triage and management tasks to help companies streamline their legal operations.

  • The funding round signals investor confidence in AI applications disrupting traditional legal services delivery.

AND MORE

• Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor, is nominated by Trump to chair the Federal Reserve.

• Senate leaders scramble to salvage a bipartisan spending deal and avert a partial government shutdown.

• Venezuela’s acting president signs a law opening the oil industry to foreign investment.

• U.S. Secretary Rubio outlines how Venezuela’s oil revenue will be controlled and used under U.S. oversight.

• UK wind power output hits a four-year high in January, helping curb electricity prices.

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• TechCrunch announces TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, a startup and innovation conference happening today.

• Britain secures a record amount of offshore wind capacity in a recent power auction.

• Australian central bank holds interest rates steady as inflation cools, Reserve Bank says.