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January 1, 2026, 12:10 PM
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| Simon Willison / Simon Willison's Weblog: |
Some 2025 takeaways in LLMs: reasoning as a signature feature, coding agents were useful, subscriptions hit $200/month, and Chinese open-weight models impressed — This is the third in my annual series reviewing everything that happened in the LLM space over the past 12 months.
More: Ars Technica, Ben Werdmuller, and Don't Worry About the Vase
LinkedIn: Simon Willison and Arvind Balasundaram
Bluesky: @carnage4life, @mikehadlow.com, @jeremymorrell.dev, and @simonwillison.net
Forums: Hacker News and Lobsters
| Stephanie Palazzolo / The Information: |
Sources: OpenAI ramped up efforts to improve its audio AI models, in preparation for its AI-powered personal device, which is expected to be largely audio-based — OpenAI is taking steps to improve its audio AI models, in preparation for its eventual release of an AI-powered personal device, said a person with knowledge of the effort.
More: The Decoder, Digit, and Android Authority
X: @kylebrussell, @btibor91, and @steph_palazzolo
Forums: r/singularity and r/OpenAI
| Financial Times: |
A look at the rise of AI companion apps; a researcher counts 206 such apps on the App Store and 253 on Google Play, with 220M+ total downloads as of July 2025 — The technology is changing the way many people meet and form relationships but some experts believe it may do more harm than good| Karissa Bell / Engadget: |
Adam Mosseri details trends shaping Instagram and says it'll be more practical to authenticate real media than label AI, as AI gets better at imitating reality — Adam Mosseri says creators should prioritize “unflattering” images to prove they are real. — It's no secret that AI-generated …
More: The Verge, Moneycontrol, HotHardware, Livemint, KnowTechie, Business Insider, Digit, The Decoder, NDTV Profit, and The Verge
X: @milkkarten. LinkedIn: Stuart McDonald. Bluesky: @thatoldbear, @ykomska, @mattschrader, @joeuchill, @karissabe, @iansociologo, @brocktoon, @blackamazon, @bwjones, @benmffowler, @sarkastiklover, @chronotope.aramzs.xyz, @mathewolson.com, @danhon.com, @voidfemme, @highway62, @violetsalazar, @thetrudz.photo, @hypervisible.blacksky.app, and @jrosenbaum.com.au
| George Hammond / Financial Times: |
Sources: SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic could IPO in 2026; those three deals alone would exceed the total proceeds from roughly 200 US IPOs in 2025 — Three biggest US private tech groups plan listings as early as this year, raising hopes of windfall for banks, lawyers and investors
More: Benzinga, Los Angeles Times, Dow Jones Newswires, The Decoder, and The Economist
| Jeff Horwitz / Reuters: |
Internal docs reveal Meta's tactics to fend off pressure to crack down on scammers, including efforts to make scam ads “not findable” for regulators and others — As regulators press Meta to crack down on rogue advertisers on Facebook and Instagram, the social media giant has drafted a “playbook” to stall them.
More: Sherwood News, Digit, SiliconANGLE, Communicate Online, MS NOW, Interesting Engineering, ZeroHedge News, Fast Company, and Anadolu Ajansı …
X: @achimmuellers, @raywilton4, and @zerohedge
Bluesky: @brunojnavarro, @sarwark.org, @andrewlevesque, @romanad, @caseynewton, @jbakcoleman, @migueldeicaza, @worklesshard, @campuscodi.risky.biz, @socialmedialab.ca, @jeffhorwitz, @jeffhorwitz, and @jeffhorwitz
Threads: @andymstone, @andymstone, @andymstone, and @andymstone
Forums: Hacker News, r/neoliberal, and r/technology
| Michael Acton / Financial Times: |
IDC expects Apple to ship just 45,000 units of the Vision Pro in Q4 2025; Sensor Tower says Apple cut digital ad spend for the headset by 95% in 2025 — High prices, limited apps and comfort issues expose difficulty of turning futuristic hardware into a mass-market product| Vincent Chow / South China Morning Post: |
DeepSeek researchers detail a new mHC architecture they used to train 3B, 9B, and 27B models, finding it scaled without adding significant computational burden — DeepSeek has published a technical paper co-authored by founder Liang Wenfeng proposing a rethink of its core deep learning architecture| Iris Deng / South China Morning Post: |
Report: China-based Moonshot AI, maker of Kimi models, raised a $500M Series C at a $4.3B valuation led by IDG Capital, with Alibaba and Tencent participating — The Kimi AI model developer is now valued at US$4.3 billion, with cash reserves worth US$1.4 billion
More: The Decoder, SiliconANGLE, Pandaily, DealStreetAsia, and TechNode
| Angel Au-Yeung / Wall Street Journal: |
Tech startups have started to offer nicotine pouches as a free perk to employees, as some claim the products help them focus despite health hazards — A nicotine replacement for smokers has started popping up in offices in the tech industry, despite health hazards
More: New York Post and Newser
LinkedIn: Angel Au-Yeung. Bluesky: @diedfrombeing.labeledrude …. Mastodon: @ai6yr@m.ai6yr.org. Forums: Slashdot
| Biz Carson / Bloomberg: |
Thiel Capital opens an office in Miami, as Peter Thiel and others reportedly look to cut ties with California over a proposed ballot measure to tax billionaires — Peter Thiel's private investment firm opened an office in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood, expanding the billionaire's presence in Florida, Thiel Capital announced Wednesday.
More: Thiel Capital, Business Insider, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Business Times, South Florida Business Journal, New York Post, and KTVU-TV
X: @govpressoffice, @chamath, @chamath, @bizcarson, @shaughnessy119, @cernovich, @julianklymochko, @jason, @jason, @teddyschleifer, and @teddyschleifer
Bluesky: @danny.page and @rmac
| Reuters: |
Elon Musk says Neuralink plans to start “high-volume production” of brain-computer interface devices and move to an almost automated surgical procedure in 2026 — Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink will start “high-volume production” of brain-computer interface devices …
More: Moneycontrol, Livemint, Business Insider, Digit, and Eschaton
X: @teslaradiox, @elonmusk, @teortaxestex, @checkcanopy, @andrewzywiecmd, @sovmichael, @serobinsonjr, @quinnypig, @0xunihax0r, and @moneyacademyke
Bluesky: @malwarejake, @hellocullen, @whynotscott, @parismarx.com, @yermazaguddin, @keithfitzgerald, @segfaultvicta.aludel.xyz, @ktfalvey, @hushuo, @anamusingaddress, @t0nyyates, @sharonk, @dburbach, @shwshnkdufresne, @juniorhoncho, @bumblesnuff, @rowyourbot, @samwhyte, @rowyourbot, @fiddledidi, @lorak, @brienneofsnark, @niedermeyer.online, and @fagankara
| Song Jung-a / Financial Times: |
Analysts and manufacturers expect smartphone, PC, and consumer electronics prices to rise by as much as 20% in 2026, as AI demand drives up memory chip costs — Manufacturers and analysts warn AI data centre build-out is crowding out market for semiconductors| Wall Street Journal: |
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 28% in 2025, its best percentage performance since 2017, driven by tech, AI, and semiconductor stocks — The city's benchmark Hang Seng Index finished the year up 28% — Hong Kong stocks ended 2025 with a second consecutive annual gain … Sponsor Posts
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Zoho:
Zoho Solo 2025 recap: The tools that put solopreneurs in control — Every solo business starts with an idea that slowly grows into something bigger. As that growth happens, so do the responsibilities of running everything on your own.
Zoho Solo 2025 recap: The tools that put solopreneurs in control — Every solo business starts with an idea that slowly grows into something bigger. As that growth happens, so do the responsibilities of running everything on your own.
Techmeme Leaderboards:
Discover the top reporters on AI chips, robotics, stablecoins, and much more — We've analyzed Techmeme's news crawl to identify the most influential and prolific writers on 50 topics. Download reports immediately for just $100.
Discover the top reporters on AI chips, robotics, stablecoins, and much more — We've analyzed Techmeme's news crawl to identify the most influential and prolific writers on 50 topics. Download reports immediately for just $100.Featured Podcasts
Lenny's Podcast:
We replaced our sales team with 20 AI agents—here's what happened | Jason Lemkin (SaaStr)
Interviews with world-class product leaders and growth experts to uncover actionable advice to help you build, launch, and grow your own product.
Subscribe to Lenny's Podcast.
The Talk Show With John Gruber:
'2025 Year in Review', With Rene Ritchie
The director's commentary track for Daring Fireball. Long digressions on Apple, technology, design, movies, and more.
Subscribe to The Talk Show With John Gruber.
Access:
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Big Technology Podcast:
Best of Big Technology: Demis Hassabis On AGI, Deceptive AIs, Building a Virtual Cell
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Channels with Peter Kafka:
Craig Finn on Friendship, Fans and The Hold Steady's Second Life
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
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Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
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