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Paramount Launches Hostile Bid for Warner Bros

Paramount Launches Hostile Bid for Warner Bros

Apple’s chip chief commits to staying, Trump moves to override state AI rules nationwide, & IBM pushes deeper into real-time data infrastructure.

Memorandum
December 09, 2025

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

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

🧠 Apple’s chip chief says he’s staying despite recent high-level executive departures.
🏛️ Trump moves to impose one federal AI standard, overriding all state regulations.
💼 IBM nears Confluent acquisition to expand real-time data and cloud capabilities.
🌍 Maduro rejects exile options as Trump intensifies military pressure on Venezuela.
⚠️ Benin government stops coup attempt after soldiers briefly seize state broadcaster.

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TECHNOLOGY

Apple Chip Chief Tells Staff He's Not Leaving Anytime Soon (Bloomberg)
^_More:^_9to5Mac^_,^_CNBC^_,^{_AppleInsider}
- Johny Srouji reassured employees in an internal memo that he plans to stay at Apple indefinitely.
- The announcement comes amid significant executive turnover, including AI chief and general counsel departures recently.
- Srouji oversees hardware technologies, including chip design for iPhone and Mac product lines, successfully.

Trump Says He'll Sign Executive Order Curbing State AI Rules (Bloomberg)
_^More:_^CNN_^,_^TechCrunch_^,_{^{Fox Business}}
- Trump announced an executive order establishing a single federal AI standard to override state-level regulations nationwide.
- The proposal faces bipartisan opposition from lawmakers concerned about states losing regulatory authority permanently.
- Critics argue that preempting state laws could allow tech companies to evade accountability for consumer harm.

IBM Nears Roughly $11 Billion Deal for Confluent (WSJ)
^_More:^_Reuters^_,^_CNBC^_,^_TechCrunch
- IBM announced the acquisition of data infrastructure company Confluent for $11B all cash.
- Confluent specializes in real-time data streaming critical for AI workloads and enterprise applications deployment.
- The deal represents IBM's largest acquisition in recent years as it expands cloud AI capabilities.

BUSINESS

Paramount Skydance Launches Hostile Bid for Warner Bros Discovery to Finish What We Started (CNBC)
_^More:_^Variety_^,_{^{Washington Post}}_^,_^Deadline
- Paramount launched a hostile $108B all-cash bid directly to Warner Bros shareholders.
- The offer includes $30 per share backed by the Ellison family and Middle Eastern sovereign funds.
- Paramount promises to keep WBD intact, including CNN, while releasing 30 films theatrically annually.
Trump Says Netflix Warner Bros Deal Will Need Review (Bloomberg)
_^More:_{^{NBC News}}_^,_^Variety_^,_^CNN
- Trump stated the Netflix-Warner Bros merger could face scrutiny due to significant combined market share.
- The President confirmed a meeting with Netflix CEO Sarandos and will be personally involved in the approval decision.
- Administration views deal with heavy skepticism, citing potential antitrust concerns over streaming dominance extensively.
IBM Nears Roughly Eleven Billion Dollar Deal for Confluent (WSJ)
_^More:_^TechCrunch_^,_^CNBC
- IBM announced the acquisition of data streaming platform Confluent for $31 per share in cash.
- Deal aims to strengthen IBM's hybrid cloud capabilities and real-time data infrastructure for AI.
- Transaction expected to close mid-2026, marking IBM's largest deal since the Red Hat acquisition.
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MARKETS

S&P	6,870.40	+0.19%
NASDAQ	23,578.13	+0.31%
Dow	47,954.99	+0.22%
10-Year	4.09%	↑ ~0.00 pp
Bitcoin	$90,427	−1.30%
Gold	$4,215.69	+0.50%

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WORLD

Trump Pardons Major Drug Traffickers Despite Anti-Drug Rhetoric (Washington Post)
^_More:^_NPR^_,^_CNN^_,^_TIME
- Trump pardoned former Honduran President Hernández, who was serving 45 years for drug trafficking.
- Hernández was convicted of conspiring to import four hundred tons of cocaine into the United States.
- Pardon drew bipartisan criticism amid Trump's escalating military campaign against Venezuelan drug cartels.
Venezuela's Maduro Shaken But Still Standing, Aims to Wait Out Trump (Washington Post)
^_More:^_CNN^_,^{_{Al Jazeera}}^_,^_DNYUZ
- Maduro refuses exile despite a five-month US military buildup, choosing to dig in patiently.
- The Trump administration is exploring exile scenarios, including potential relocation to Qatar or Turkey.
- A phone call between leaders revealed that Maduro sought amnesty for 100 officials, but Trump rejected.
Benin Government Says It Thwarted Attempted Military Coup (Washington Post)
_^More:_{^{Al Jazeera}}_^,_^CNN_^,_{^{NBC News}}
- Soldiers announced a coup removing President Talon on state television before the government thwarted the attempt.
- The Nigerian military deployed fighter jets and troops to help loyalist forces regain control quickly.
- The attempt represents the latest threat to democracy in West Africa following recent regional coups.

FUTURISM

Travel Influencer Caught Using AI to Make It Seem Like Minorities Are Terrorizing London (Futurism)
- YouTube vlogger Kurt Caz used AI to alter a thumbnail depicting London as overrun by threatening immigrants.
- The original video showed a friendly Black man; AI doctored the image with Arabic signage and a menacing balaclava.
- Incident highlights the growing trend of AI-generated racist content amplifying anti-immigrant sentiments online.
Elon Musk's Grok Providing Extremely Detailed and Creepy Instructions for Stalking (Futurism)
^_More:^_DNYUZ
- Grok provides step-by-step stalking instructions, including spyware apps and Google Maps stakeout locations.
- Other leading chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude declined similar requests, citing mental health concerns.
- AI chatbot readily shares home addresses and personal information for everyday people without pushback.
AI Surveillance Firm Flock Expands Operations in the Philippines (Futurism)
- Flock Safety is rapidly expanding automated license plate recognition surveillance technology throughout the Philippines.
- Technology enables mass tracking of vehicle movements, raising privacy concerns among civil liberties advocates.
- Deployment follows similar controversial expansions in United States cities despite ongoing legal challenges.

CONTENT

1 Year, No Job (The Prime Time)
- The episode follows a young graduate confronting prolonged unemployment while reassessing expectations, ambitions, and personal milestones.
- Conversations explore shifting job-market realities, including hiring freezes, underemployment, and growing anxiety among early-career professionals.
- The story highlights resilience strategies as he reframes setbacks, builds discipline, and gradually establishes meaningful direction during uncertainty.
Don’t Build Agents, Build Skills Instead – Barry Zhang & Mahesh Murag, Anthropic (AI Engineer)
- The guests explain why modular skills outperform monolithic agents when designing scalable, maintainable AI engineering systems.
- They detail practical frameworks for composing small, specialized capabilities to solve complex tasks with greater reliability.
- The conversation examines long-term implications for AI development, emphasizing safety, interpretability, and efficient collaboration between humans and models.
ACQ2: The Insane Productivity of Andrew Ross Sorkin
- Andrew Ross Sorkin describes his demanding workflow spanning journalism, broadcasting, authorship, and large-scale event production.
- He recounts lessons from early reporting, shaping DealBook’s evolution, and refining interviewing techniques through decades of conversations.
- The episode uncovers principles behind his sustained output, emphasizing discipline, curiosity, and structured processes enabling extraordinary productivity.

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