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

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

🙈 After 'perv glasses' backlash, Meta readies smart glasses without a camera.
🛡️ Anthropic & OpenAI want embedded safety evaluators; independence still unclear.
💰 Amazon boosts minimum pay for full-time U.S. staff to $20/hour.
🚀 Musk's longtime backer hands over SpaceX stock to its investors.
🏛️ Carney to address EU Parliament amid Trump's tariff threats to Canada.

TECHNOLOGY

• After 'perv glasses' backlash, Meta readies smart glasses without a camera (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: CNET, Futurism}}

  • Meta is reportedly developing Luna, a camera-free smart-glasses model focused on AI chatbot interaction, according to The Information.

  • Luna reportedly includes six built-in microphones and a side button to activate Meta's AI assistant, Muse.

  • The glasses could debut as soon as next week at Meta Connect, the company's annual hardware event.

• Anthropic & OpenAI want embedded safety evaluators, independence still unclear (CNBC)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, ABC}}

  • Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed embedding third-party evaluators such as METR and Redwood Research within frontier AI companies.

  • OpenAI's Sam Altman also committed to the practice, but evaluators say key details still need clarification.

  • Evaluators want access to training checkpoints, not just final models, to catch models hiding problems during testing.

• Snap tries once again to justify its $2.2k smart glasses (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: The Verge, PCMag, Tech Buzz}}

  • Snap's $2.2k smart glasses, Specs, launched to mockery, a stock plunge, and calls for CEO Evan Spiegel's resignation.

  • This week in Los Angeles, Spiegel and other executives unveiled new features and services connected to Specs.

  • The updates aim to integrate Specs into more digital activities and give the device a clearer purpose.

BUSINESS

• Amazon boosts minimum pay for full-time U.S. staff to $20/hour (WSJ)
  ^{_{More: CNBC, CBS, Reuters}}

  • Amazon will raise minimum starting pay for full-time operations workers to $20 an hour, a $1 increase.

  • Starting October 1, U.S. employees get 10% off Amazon groceries and 20% off at Whole Foods.

  • Amazon also announced new perks, including lifetime First Tech Federal Credit Union memberships for employees and their families.

• Musk's longtime backer hands over SpaceX stock to its investors (Bloomberg)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Antonio Gracias's VC firm, Valor Equity Partners, opted to distribute a portion of its SpaceX holdings to its limited partners.

  • Valor held more than 500M shares at IPO, trailing only Musk's 6B, and gave 8.5% ($8.5B) to LPs.

  • The move may give LPs a tax edge and avoid flooding the market as SpaceX shares slide 10%.

• May Mobility plans to go public through a $1.4B SPAC merger (Axios)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!, Investing.com}}

  • Autonomous vehicle company May Mobility is merging with a SPAC, valuing the company at $1.4B.

  • The deal could raise over $300M and make May Mobility the first public pure-play robotaxi company.

  • May Mobility uses an asset-light model, selling vehicles to partners like Lyft while retaining control of the software and supervision.

MARKETS

WORLD

• Carney to address EU Parliament amid Trump's tariff threats to Canada (AP)
  ^{_{More: ABC, The Guardian, Financial Times}}

  • Carney will address the European Parliament after Trump called Canada's proposed EU associate membership a "hostile act."

  • Von der Leyen proposed Canada as the EU's first associate member, prompting Trump to threaten new EU tariffs.

  • Trump called the EU proposal "laughable" as Canada seeks deeper ties with Europe amid strained U.S. trade relations.

• Japan's PM Takaichi keeps key ministers in first cabinet reshuffle (Reuters)
  ^{_{More: Nikkei, Bloomberg}}

  • Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi retained Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, signaling continuity in Japan's exchange-rate and fiscal policy.

  • Katayama helped negotiate a rare joint U.S.-Japan yen intervention in July with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

  • Takaichi also kept reflationist ally Minoru Kiuchi as economy minister, signaling no plans to curb spending.

• Saudi Arabia asks allies for missile defense help as interceptors run low (AP)
  ^{_{More: SCMP, The Hill}}

  • Saudi Arabia asked France, Britain, Pakistan, and Egypt for air-defense help as Houthi conflict depletes its interceptors.

  • The outreach follows the U.S., Saudi Arabia's main arms supplier, depleting its own interceptor stock during Iran's war.

  • Saudi Arabia declared Mecca a "red line" after accusing Houthis of a drone attack, which the group denies.

FUTURISM

• X now lets U.S. users trade stocks directly through Cashtags (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Yahoo!, CryptoRank}}

  • X launched Cashtags, allowing U.S. users to trade stocks directly from their timelines through partner brokerages.

  • Initial brokerage partners include Interactive Brokers, Moomoo, Gemini, Kraken, and Coinbase, per the announcement.

  • Cashtags now let users tap a ticker to view charts, posts, and trade directly with brokerages.

• Google now lets AI agents control your smart home devices (The Verge)
  ^{_{More: Engadget, TechCrunch, CNET}}

  • Google launched early access to an MCP server, allowing AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT to control Google Home devices.

  • Users can review camera summaries, monitor activity, and control devices via natural language through supported AI agents.

  • Access rolls out to U.S. subscribers on the $20/month Google Home Premium Advanced tier over the coming weeks.

• U.S. automakers could soon be required to offer AM radio free (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: USA Today, PBS}}

  • The House passed bipartisan legislation requiring automakers to include AM radio for free in new vehicles.

  • The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act now heads to the Senate, backed by Markey and Cruz.

  • Supporters argue AM radio is vital for emergencies, even as automakers like Tesla and BMW abandon the band.

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CONTENT

• 90% of AI prototypes fail to reach production, says Temporal's Samar Abbas (This Week in Startups)

  • Temporal CEO Samar Abbas says AI prototypes fail without a 'harness' to keep agents durable and recoverable.

  • Temporal's durable execution platform, used by OpenAI, Stripe, and Netflix, keeps long-running software reliable and interruption-free.

  • Abbas also demos Temporal's live dashboard, showing how developers can track agents and graduate them to production.

• Former Sequoia chair Michael Moritz on Steve Jobs, Musk & greatness (Invest Like The Best)

  • Michael Moritz joins Patrick O'Shaughnessy to discuss the forces that shape exceptional founders and leaders.

  • Moritz reflects on his family's history as Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany and his outsider mentality.

  • He shares insights from decades observing Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and other leaders, and obsession's cost.

• Lightfield's Keith Peiris shares his vision for AI-native business software (a16z)

  • Keith Peiris discusses pivoting from Tome to Lightfield, rethinking CRM software for an AI-native world.

  • Lightfield aims to build a "business world model" that replaces rigid software schemas with AI reasoning.

  • Peiris also covers greenfield versus brownfield markets, AI-era pricing, and running a generalist-only company.

EXTRAS

• Anthropic combines Claude chat & Cowork into a single interface (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: Fortune, TOI}}

  • Anthropic unified its front end, allowing users to access chat, Cowork, and Artifacts in a single interface.

  • The unified interface also includes Claude Design, which lets users create websites and prototypes anywhere in Claude.

  • Claude now automatically routes requests to the right feature, removing the need to manually switch tabs or windows.

• Cap table startup Pulley, a Carta rival, is shutting down (Business Insider)
  ^{_{More: TechCrunch, Yahoo!}}

  • Cap table platform Pulley will shut down December 8, partnering with rival Carta to transition its customers.

  • Yin Wu, a serial founder and ex-Microsoft alum, built Pulley in 2020 and raised over $50M from top VCs.

  • A former employee said Pulley competed more with spreadsheets than Carta, as AI eases spreadsheet upkeep for startups.

• Google confirms hackers exploited a zero-day flaw in Pixel phones (TechCrunch)
  ^{_{More: 9to5Google, Inc.}}

  • Google patched CVE-2026-58704, a Pixel modem bug exploited in limited, targeted zero-day attacks.

  • The flaw allowed privilege escalation, letting attackers move beyond the modem's sandbox into broader phone data.

  • The bug enabled zero-click attacks requiring no victim interaction, a technique often used by surveillance software vendors.

AND MORE

• Threads adds new features to help podcasters promote shows & reach listeners.

• OpenAI discloses six more 'concerning' AI incidents under new safety rules.

• Explore all the tools and more here to outperform the competition.*

• Amazon officially launches its Alexa+ assistant in India with Hindi support.

• Imogen Heap performs an onstage improv music show using Snap's Specs.

• Al Gore argues the true AI danger goes beyond data centers.

• Twitch CEO tells game studios to avoid 'GTA 6's attention vortex.

• Former Waymo CFO leaves to join autonomous driving startup Wayve.