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

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

📱 Google reveals Pixel 10a targeting budget buyers with refreshed AI features.
🗣️ Amazon launches Alexa Plus with more natural, context-aware conversations.
💼 Uber posts strong revenue growth despite a softer outlook and an earnings miss.
🤖 Figure’s humanoid robot loads a dishwasher in a realistic home demonstration.
🌍 Russian strikes knock out power across Ukraine amid freezing winter temperatures.

TECHNOLOGY

• Anthropic says "Claude will remain ad-free", its users "won't see sponsored links adjacent to conversations”, and responses won't be influenced by advertisers (Anthropic) 

  _{^{More: CNBC, Axios, San Francisco Chronicle}}

  • Anthropic commits to keeping Claude ad-free as AI assistants become more integrated into daily workflows.

  • The company states conversations will remain uninfluenced by advertisers and free from sponsored content placements.

  • This positioning sets Claude apart from competitors’ monetization strategies in the AI assistant market.

• Google announces Pixel 10a with improved AI features and competitive pricing (9to5Google) 

  _{^{More: How-To Geek, Android Central, Tom's Guide}}

  • Google unveils the Pixel 10a, featuring a flat camera design, available for pre-order on February 18.

  • The device features a familiar design language with minor refinements aimed at buyers in the mid-range smartphone segment.

  • Launch timing positions the 10a to compete in the growing budget-conscious smartphone segment.

• Amazon launches Alexa Plus AI assistant with advanced conversational capabilities now available (The Verge) 

  _{^{More: CNBC, TechCrunch, Amazon}}

  • Amazon releases Alexa Plus, featuring upgraded AI for more natural contextual voice interactions nationwide.

  • The service is free for Prime members, or $19.99 per month after a yearlong beta testing period.

  • New capabilities aim to improve user experience beyond traditional smart home and shopping functions.

BUSINESS

• Uber Technologies revenue jumps on increased trips and users (WSJ) ^{_{More: CNBC, Uber Investor, Yahoo Finance}}

  • Uber reports Q4 revenue of $14.4B, up 20%, with 3.8B trips completed.

  • Strong delivery segment growth of 30% was offset by an earnings miss, causing the stock to decline in trading.

  • Company guides to slower first-quarter growth despite record cash flow generation and user base.

• Voice AI startup ElevenLabs raises $500M in new funding round (WSJ) 

  _{^{More: TechCrunch, CNBC, Yahoo Finance}}

  • ElevenLabs secures $500M from Sequoia Capital at $11B valuation, tripling last year's value.

  • The voice AI company reached $330M in annual revenue, driven by rapid enterprise adoption.

  • Funding will support expansion beyond voice into conversational agents that talk, type, and act.

• Silicon Labs sold to Texas Instruments for $7.5B in major Austin tech deal (Austin American-Statesman) 

  _{^{More: Bloomberg, CNBC, Reuters}}

  • Texas Instruments acquires Silicon Labs for $231 per share, representing 69% premium to the price.

  • The deal strengthens TI's position in the Austin-based wireless connectivity and IoT chip markets.

  • The transaction represents a significant consolidation in the semiconductor industry, with expected annual synergies of $450M.

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MARKETS

WORLD

• Thousands without power in freezing Ukraine as renewed Russian strikes continue (BBC) 

  ^{_{More: CNN, Washington Post, France 24}}

  • Russia resumed strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure after a brief Trump-negotiated pause, leaving thousands without power and freezing.

  • Overnight temperatures plunged to -17 °C in Kyiv and -23 °C in Kharkiv, affecting heating.

  • Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched 71 missiles and 450 drones, with widespread infrastructure damage.

• What we know about Nancy Guthrie's disappearance (BBC) 

  _{^{More: NBC Today, Fox News, ABC News}}

  • Nancy Guthrie, 84, mother of Today host Savannah Guthrie, was abducted from Arizona home on January 31.

  • Authorities are investigating possible ransom notes demanding Bitcoin, but no suspect or person of interest has been identified.

  • Evidence shows blood drops leading from the entryway, with her phone, wallet, and keys found inside the home.

• Supreme Court allows California to use new voting map boosting Democrats (BBC) 

  _{^{More: NPR, CBS News, NBC News}}

  • Supreme Court permits California's redistricting map, expected to flip five Republican seats to Democrats, countering Texas.

  • Voters approved Proposition 50 in November 2025 as a direct response to the Trump-backed Texas GOP redistricting plan.

  • The decision allows partisan gerrymandering to proceed in both states, potentially canceling out partisan gains nationwide.

FUTURISM

• Bitcoin tanking raises concerns about a potential death spiral scenario (Futurism)

  • Bitcoin experiences a significant price decline, sparking discussion about potential long-term viability and market dynamics.

  • Analysts debate whether the current downturn could trigger cascading effects in cryptocurrency mining and adoption.

  • Market volatility renews questions about Bitcoin's role as a store of value versus a speculative asset.

• China unveils space drone carrier concept for orbital operations (Futurism)

  • China reveals plans for a space-based drone carrier platform capable of deploying orbital spacecraft.

  • Concept represents advancement in space military capabilities and autonomous satellite deployment technology.

  • Development is adding to growing competition among nations in space infrastructure and defense capabilities.

• Figure robot demonstrates the capability of loading a dishwasher in a home environment (Futurism)

  • Figure's humanoid robot successfully loads the dishwasher in the demonstration video.

  • Achievement showcases progress in robotic dexterity and practical applications for domestic assistance robots.

  • Development indicates advancing capabilities for robots to handle everyday household chores autonomously.

CONTENT

• The Benchmark Partnership (Uncapped Podcast)

  • Benchmark partners explain why they rejected scale, removed residual economics, and structured the firm as equals.

  • Peter Fenton, Eric Vishria, Chetan Puttagunta, and Ev Randle reflect on incentives, governance, and long-term alignment.

  • The model prioritizes founder trust, sharper decisions, and venture capital practiced deliberately rather than industrially.

• Why Everyone Is Living a ‘Very Chinese Time’ (China Decode)

  • A dramatic purge inside China’s military leadership raises questions about loyalty and Xi Jinping’s internal authority.

  • The hosts analyze TikTok’s last-minute U.S. deal and whether it truly limits Chinese influence across platforms.

  • Economists dissect China’s slowing growth, lingering property collapse, and constrained policy tools ahead, amid concerns about stability.

• Moltbook Mania Explained (Hard Fork Podcast)

  • A Reddit-style forum of A.I. agents has amassed over 1.5M participants and 150K posts in live experiments.

  • Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore emergent agent behavior and questions about authenticity and machine interaction.

  • The hosts unpack what the Moltbook phenomenon signals about future multi-agent systems and digital ecosystems.

EXTRAS

• Incognito Market founder Rui-Siang Lin sentenced to 30 years in crypto darknet drug marketplace case (CoinDesk) 

  _{^{More: The Block, BleepingComputer, Cryptonews}}

  • Rui-Siang Lin, 24, sentenced to 30 years for operating Incognito Market, processing $105M cryptocurrency drug sales.

  • The platform facilitated over 640K transactions between October 2020 and March 2024 linked to overdose deaths.

  • Lin was arrested at JFK Airport after critical mistakes exposed identity, including registering domains with real information.

• Amazon discusses getting special access to OpenAI technology (The Information) 

  _{^{More: Fortune, Parameter}}

  • Amazon is exploring a potential investment of tens of billions in OpenAI and is seeking dedicated engineers to build customized models.

  • Discussions include a commercial agreement under which OpenAI researchers would develop AI specifically for Amazon products, including Alexa.

  • The move follows the existing $38B AWS infrastructure partnership announced in November 2025 for compute access.

• Pinterest sacks engineers for tracking staff job cuts (BBC) 

  _{^{More: CNBC, CBS News, Euronews}} 

  • Pinterest fired two engineers who built an internal tool for tracking, which of the 700 laid-off employees lost jobs.

  • CEO Bill Ready called the behavior obstructionist after the company refused to disclose which specific teams were affected, citing privacy.

  • Engineers monitored Slack deactivations to identify dismissed workers as Pinterest cuts 15% of workforce for AI.

AND MORE

• U.N. Security Council condemns Balochistan militant attacks that killed dozens in Pakistan.

• Russia and Ukraine envoys meet in Abu Dhabi for U.S.-brokered peace talks on war.

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• Wall Street tech stocks slide again, dragging the broader U.S. market lower today.

• Pakistan to join Turkey-led talks aimed at reducing U.S.-Iran tensions over nuclear issues.

• Global stock markets see a sell-off in the software sector amid AI disruption concerns.

• The European Union's economy is shifting focus to stockpiling critical materials amid supply chain issues.

• French president embarks on Gulf tour to diversify EU energy and trade partnerships.

• Ukrainian and Russian negotiators begin second day of U.S.-brokered peace talks.