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

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

🛡️ Microsoft's new AI 'code of conduct' bars hacking & deceiving humans.
🧠 Siri is now far more capable & personal, powered by Apple Intelligence.
📞 Jensen Huang took Trump's live call & showed off something else, too.
⚖️ Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to limit mail ballots for midterms.
⚔️ Houthis renew strikes on Saudi Arabia as Strait of Hormuz talks stall.

TECHNOLOGY

• Microsoft's new AI 'code of conduct' bars hacking & deceiving humans (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Yahoo!, Business Insider}}

  • Microsoft released a new code of conduct guiding how its AI models are trained for safety.

  • The document sets "absolute constraints" that ban cyberattacks, nuclear weapons, deepfake production, and the evasion of human oversight.

  • The release follows Amodei's call to slow AI, rogue-agent incidents, and an Anthropic employee's resignation citing extinction risk.

• Siri is now far more capable & personal, powered by Apple Intelligence (NY Times)
  ^{_{More: Apple, TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • iOS 27's new Siri handles complex, multistep requests well, marking a major upgrade after years of limited use.

  • The new Siri runs on Google's Gemini models, replacing its shaky ChatGPT integration, and adds a new logo.

  • Siri can now draft and send messages, pulling context from files, emails, and texts to compose replies.

• OpenAI buys smartphone camera maker Glass Imaging for $300M (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, PYMNTS, Investing.com}}

  • OpenAI bought Glass Imaging for over $300M, according to The Wall Street Journal, after Glass Imaging raised $30M in funding.

  • Former Apple engineers Ziv Attar and Tom Bishop founded Glass Imaging, which built Apple's Portrait Mode.

  • OpenAI is rumored to be building hardware like phones and earbuds after buying Jony Ive's startup, io, for $6.5B.

BUSINESS

• Jensen Huang took Trump's live call & showed off something else, too (NBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Axios, FOX}}

  • Trump called Jensen Huang live at the All-In conference, and Huang answered using Apple's unreleased foldable phone.

  • Trump dismissed AI safety fears as a "hoax," claiming China and political figures benefit most from the panic.

  • NVIDIA depends on AI labs buying chips, so downplaying AI risk serves Huang, whose stock is up 33%.

• Supreme Court rejects Trump's bid to limit mail ballots for midterms (AP)
  ^{_{More: BBC, PBS, Reuters}}

  • The Supreme Court rejected Trump's bid to restrict mail-in ballots, allowing states to keep their current midterm voting processes.

  • The ruling marked a defeat for Trump, who cited integrity concerns despite little evidence of mail ballot fraud.

  • Justices Alito and Thomas dissented, while Kavanaugh said he might back the restrictions if the issue returns later.

• China's economic momentum stays weak as consumer spending falters (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: SCMP, Reuters, Business Times}}

  • Industrial output grew 5.2% in August, beating forecasts, driven by strong equipment and high-tech manufacturing.

  • Retail sales growth slowed, signaling persistent weakness in household spending and domestic demand.

  • Fixed-asset investment posted its sharpest decline in over six years, deepening concerns over economic imbalances.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Houthis renew strikes on Saudi Arabia as Strait of Hormuz talks stall (CNA)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Business Times}}

  • Houthis fired dozens of missiles and drones at a Saudi airbase, wounding 13 civilians in retaliation for airstrikes.

  • Gulf Arab states postponed talks with Iran, fearing the conflict could spread and threaten global oil supplies.

  • A separate pipeline attack, blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, threatens up to 4% of global oil supply.

• Global AI stocks tumble as CEOs call to slow development (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: WSJ, Business Standard, Korea Times}}

  • AI-linked stocks plunged worldwide Monday, rattling investors as heavy AI infrastructure spending relies on rising debt and financing.

  • Anthropic's Amodei urged AI firms to slow development, an idea Musk and Altman say they share.

  • OpenAI dropped its IPO plans this year amid safety fears; Anthropic reportedly pushes ahead with NVIDIA as an anchor investor.

• European leaders convene as Arctic thaw fuels new security risks (AP)
  ^{_{More: Seattle Times, ABC}}

  • European leaders, mostly from Nordic and Baltic states, met in Finland to address Arctic security and resource competition.

  • German Chancellor Merz warned Russia is building military capabilities and using hybrid activities in the region daily.

  • Finland's PM Orpo called the Arctic the "central arena of great power competition," urging concrete EU action there.

FUTURISM

• AI could "kill us all," warns departing Google DeepMind researcher (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: CNA, Business Standard, Yahoo!}}

  • Bilal Chughtai left Google DeepMind, warning AI could kill everyone and that time may be running out.

  • His warning follows Anthropic's Jacob Coxon resigning and Evan Hubinger citing a greater than 10% extinction risk.

  • Chughtai called for pacing AI development through coordination, while Trump dismissed such safety warnings as a "hoax."

• Volkswagen's ultra-efficient EV prototype borrows a clever idea from Slate (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Volkswagen unveiled its Mission Efficiency prototype and drove it 794 miles from Wolfsburg to Vienna on one charge.

  • The prototype hit 323 MPGe under ideal conditions, nearly twice as efficient as the Lucid Air Pure.

  • The EV uses the ID. Polo's motor and battery, plus a Kammback design, to reach near-production status.

• Waymo opens its robotaxi service to the public in Las Vegas (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Reuters, Yahoo!, Stocktwits}}

  • Nevada regulators granted final approval, and Waymo began welcoming public riders in Las Vegas on Monday.

  • The launch starts with dozens of new Ojai minivans covering the Las Vegas Strip and Boulder Junction.

  • It follows Waymo's expansions in Denver, San Diego, and Tampa as Tesla and Zoox compete for share.

• 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 serves as a bridge to absorbing the knowledge that has propelled others to success.

CONTENT

• OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman says the AGI era has arrived (a16z)

  • Greg Brockman told Ben Horowitz and Erik Torenberg that OpenAI's newest models mark the start of AGI.

  • Brockman said OpenAI deployed 10k agents to tackle the Navier-Stokes problem, showcasing new computer-use capabilities.

  • The trio also discussed cybersecurity's "defender's window," AI's impact on work, and a future proactive, personalized assistant.

• David Rubenstein says the dollar will lose value over time (My First Million)

  • Carlyle co-founder David Rubenstein told Sam Parr how he grew the firm from $5M to $500B.

  • Rubenstein discussed a $14B miss, turning down 20% of Amazon, and lessons on choosing the right partners.

  • He also discussed witnessing historic ascents to power, a favorite quote from history, and recurring historical patterns.

• How Baylor's CIO decides what LPs want from venture in 2026 (20VC)

  • Baylor CIO David Morehead discussed how he builds and allocates the university's $2.6B endowment portfolio.

  • Morehead explained why big-name VC funds, emerging managers, and capital velocity matter more than fund multiples alone.

  • He also revealed Baylor holds 2.5% of its endowment in Anthropic and why it bought the software crash.

EXTRAS

• Weeks after Nepal's flood disaster, families of the missing hold hope (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Straits Times}}

  • The Himalayan flood left 5,130 missing in Nepal and 519 missing in China, including many foreign nationals.

  • Arushi Gupta's family has heard nothing since her last message from the Nepal-China border crossing on August 26.

  • Rescuers have pulled some survivors from tunnels at Nepal's hydropower plants, though debris continues to hamper the search.

• Macklemore dropped from Ed Sheeran's tour after pro-Palestinian onstage comments (AP)
  ^{_{More: The Guardian, BBC}}

  • Macklemore said Sheeran's team dropped him from the Loop tour after U.S. venues threatened to block his shows.

  • Macklemore said he's made similar remarks for years, but performing in major stadiums made "Free Palestine" too risky.

  • Promoter Messina Touring Group said venues threatened to cancel the tour entirely if Macklemore stayed on the lineup.

• Costco hikes motor oil prices & limits how much members can buy (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: The Hill, ABC}}

  • Costco raised its motor oil prices and limited members to purchasing two units per week.

  • Oil prices have risen amid Middle East conflict and Saudi Arabia's closure of its East-West pipeline.

  • During supply shortages, refineries typically prioritize gasoline and diesel, further limiting the motor oil supply.

AND MORE

• AppZapper, the popular Mac app uninstaller, is back as AppZapper 3000.

• A Vinyl Bar in Shibuya is a former Spotify leader's music app.

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

• Amazon Prime Video challenges TikTok with new short-form news clips.

• Roborock adds a roller mop to its flagship robovac at last.

• Fashion app Daydream uses Apple Intelligence to shop outfits from your camera roll.

• ClickFix attacks are tricking Mac & Windows users into hacking themselves.