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

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

🚫 OpenAI fires three researchers accused of sharing information with AI safety group.
🛰️ SpaceX launches Google AI chips into orbit, advancing space data center plans.
🕶️ California governor vetoes bill targeting 'pervert glasses' used for secret recording.
💰 Lyft will pay $272.5M to settle California lawsuit over driver classification.
⚠️ South Korea threatens Ukraine with action over captured North Korean soldiers.

TECHNOLOGY

• OpenAI fires three researchers accused of sharing information with AI safety group (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, TNW, Economic Times}}

  • OpenAI told The Wall Street Journal an internal investigation confirmed the trio broke its policies on sensitive information.

  • The report didn't name the researchers, though X users speculated about staffers who had voiced concerns about AI risk.

  • The firings came two days after The New York Times reported OpenAI executives dismissed employees' safety warnings.

• SpaceX launches Google AI chips into orbit, advancing space-based data center plans (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!, The Verge}}

  • The Google tensor processing units flew aboard Planet Labs satellites on SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission on Thursday.

  • The launch was the first in-orbit test of Alphabet's Project Suncatcher, a 'moonshot' for AI computing in space.

  • Alphabet's SpaceX stake is worth more than $82B after the rocket company's record IPO in June.

• Grok, Musk's AI chatbot, reportedly nudged Trump toward capturing Venezuela's president (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, Gizmodo}}

  • Time reports Trump met secretly with Musk in December 2025, a month before the U.S. captured Maduro.

  • During the meeting, Trump spent hours asking Grok how Venezuelans would react to Maduro's capture, a source said.

  • Grok predicted Venezuelans would celebrate Maduro's downfall, and Trump reportedly deemed it ingenious when they did.

BUSINESS

• California governor vetoes bill targeting 'pervert glasses' used for secret recording (AP)
  ^{_{More: ABC, Engadget, AOL}}

  • Newsom said Senate Bill 1130 defined wearable recording devices too vaguely, risking confusion and duplicating existing protections.

  • The bill would have made California the first state to regulate smart glasses, fining or jailing violators.

  • Meta sold over 7M smart glasses last year, and Apple is adding an always-listening feature to Apple Watch.

• Lyft will pay $272.5M to settle California lawsuit over driver classification (The Guardian)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • California's Labor Commissioner's Office sued in August 2020, arguing that state law required drivers to be treated as employees.

  • The suit claimed drivers were denied minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave, and timely wage payments.

  • The deal, pending judicial approval, covers 2016 to 2020, with the labor office redirecting its share to drivers.

• Kevin Mandia's 'agent swarm' startup Armadin secures $255.5M at $2.5B valuation (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!, Tech Buzz}}

  • Andreessen Horowitz and Accel led the Series B, backing Mandiant's founder, whose company Google bought for $5.4B.

  • The round arrives six months after a $190M Series A, bringing Armadin's total funding past $445M.

  • Rather than traditional penetration tests, Armadin deploys always-on AI agent swarms that chain vulnerabilities to expose weaknesses.

MARKETS

WORLD

• South Korea's Lee threatens Ukraine with action over captured North Korean soldiers (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: CNA, BBC}}

  • Lee wants Kyiv to acknowledge what Seoul calls a confidentiality deal on the transfer of the two soldiers and apologize.

  • He also accused Kyiv of effectively encouraging war on the Korean Peninsula through its comments.

  • Ukraine's foreign minister reportedly described the dispute as a "diplomatic misunderstanding" between Kyiv and Seoul.

• Israel's Netanyahu says flydubai co-pilot had undergone radical Islamist indoctrination (BBC)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Straits Times}}

  • The co-pilot stabbed the captain as the flight plunged more than 14k feet in under 30 seconds.

  • After the wounded captain unlocked the cockpit, passengers subdued the attacker, and reserve pilots landed in Saudi Arabia.

  • Israeli officials say the Omani co-pilot likely acted alone, though the investigation is still ongoing.

• Police arrest dual U.K.-Iranian national over security incident at U.S.-run air base (AP)
  ^{_{More: CBS, NBC}}

  • The 25-year-old was detained in central London on suspicion of plotting a terror attack.

  • British authorities have linked the incident at RAF Fairford, used by American bombers to strike Iran, to Tehran.

  • Five British men arrested near the base Sunday have been bailed, with police finding gasoline but no explosives.

FUTURISM

• Hearing tech startup Legato launches AI-powered glasses for people with hearing loss (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!}}

  • Legato Frames start at $999, with patented hearing-assistance technology built into the eyewear arms.

  • Unlike traditional hearing aids, Legato's system separates voices from background noise and amplifies speech in noisy settings.

  • Dual speakers direct audio to the wearer, reducing leaked sound by 99% a few inches away.

• ChatGPT can now use your photo to virtually try on clothes (Engadget)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • A new Try On button appears in shopping results, and users can also upload screenshots of items.

  • The Favorites tool saves products to an in-app Library, and both features run on OpenAI's Images 2.5 model.

  • The launch follows OpenAI's pivot away from an earlier instant checkout feature that underperformed.

• Shopify launches Canvas, letting merchants build online stores by chatting with AI (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Crypto Briefing}}

  • Shopify's AI agent, Sidekick, makes the edits while Canvas displays the results in real time.

  • Canvas renders the store's actual code, so merchants can test interactivity, animations, and different screen sizes.

  • The tool competes with AI site builders from Wix, Squarespace, and Webflow, plus vibe-coding platforms like Lovable.

• 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 bridges the gap to the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

CONTENT

• Anne Applebaum discusses the corruption most Americans don't see (Sam Harris)

  • The historian and Atlantic staff writer discusses her cover story and the revolutionary project behind Trump's second term.

  • They cover U.S. support for far-right parties like Germany's AfD, the Ukraine war, and Russian propaganda.

  • Applebaum also weighs in on Witkoff and Kushner's Moscow deal-making, JD Vance's nativism, and the midterms.

• Canada still wants America as a friend, says historian Timothy Snyder (The Prof G Pod)

  • The 'On Tyranny' author tells Scott Galloway about visiting Ukraine and how America undermines its own power.

  • Snyder explains how reduced U.S. support is shaping the war and why Ukraine's fate matters for Taiwan.

  • He also discusses whether countries will rethink giving up nuclear weapons and calls the midterms a critical test.

• DoxxNet founder Barrett Lyon wants to rebuild the internet around privacy (a16z)

  • Lyon tells a16z's Joel de la Garza that traditional VPNs only solve part of the privacy problem.

  • DoxxNet is building a peer-to-peer mesh network for calls, messages, and file transfers without central servers.

  • They also explore the growth of online tracking and what happens when increasingly capable AI analyzes that data.

EXTRAS

• New York governor removes DA from Cornell rape probe, taps Letitia James (AP)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, NY Times}}

  • An investigation into a woman's alleged gang rape at a Cornell fraternity closed without charges in 2024.

  • DA Matthew Van Houten reopened the case Monday after her civil lawsuit drew fresh attention and criticism.

  • Hochul cited lost faith in the DA, and James's office may take evidence to a grand jury.

• Amazon's new Kindle ditches the raised bezel for a smaller, lighter design (Amazon)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, PCMag}}

  • The flush-front display marks the Kindle's most significant physical redesign in years, unveiled by Amazon on Thursday.

  • Without a bezel, readers' resting fingers could accidentally trigger page turns or other touchscreen commands.

  • Amazon's Kevin Keith said capacitive touch and haptics create a "dead zone" wherever the reader's thumb rests.

• Nike shares drop on disappointing sales as retailer announces restructuring layoffs (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Yahoo!}}

  • Revenue fell 4% to $11.21B, missing estimates, though earnings per share of 48 cents beat expectations.

  • China revenue plunged 26%, and CEO Elliott Hill said Nike is "moving with urgency" to recover there.

  • Nike expects a high-single-digit revenue decline in fiscal 2027 and adjusted EPS between $1.15 and $1.35.

AND MORE

• Israeli flydubai passenger credits TV show for knowing what to do.

• Audible's AI features let you explore book worlds & chat with characters.

• Roko’s Basilisk skips the buzzwords and cuts straight to what moves markets, products, and careers.*

• New Mexico seeks up to $40B from Meta after data privacy trial.

• Robotaxi operators will face fines when their vehicles block first responders.

• Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart begin reviewing unlicensed security camera listings in India.

• World's first enhanced geothermal power plant took just 23 months to build.

• Christa Pike is receiving "life-saving medical care" after surviving a Tennessee execution attempt.