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October 16, 2025, 9:40 PM
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| Tom Warren / The Verge: |
Microsoft adds new AI features to Windows 11: Copilot Voice, with a “Hey, Copilot!” wake word, and Copilot Vision, which can scan the screen to help the user — Microsoft is rewriting Windows to turn computers into AI PCs that you talk to.
More: Windows Blog, Ars Technica, Windows on YouTube, PCWorld, VentureBeat, ZDNET, SiliconANGLE, Computerworld, The Register, Engadget, Windows on YouTube, Digital Trends, WinBuzzer, Neowin, Fast Company, CNET, VideoCardz.com, Moneycontrol, iPhone in Canada, CRN, GameSpot, Windows Central, Windows Report, Aftermath, Reuters, Livemint, CNBC, TestingCatalog, Liliputing, and GeekWire
X: @ryanshrout, @brandonleblanc, @yusuf_i_mehdi, @stevesi, @ghost_motley, @windowsdev, @willoremus, @tomwarren, @testingcatalog, @zacbowden, @tomwarren, @windows, @ecommerceshares, @zacbowden, @windowsblog, @obscuravpn, @antonhand, @itspaulai, @windows, @satyanadella, @yusuf_i_mehdi, @zacbowden, @pavandavuluri, @lanceulanoff, and @mustafasuleyman
LinkedIn: Jeff Strasser and Yash Misra
Bluesky: @pemryjanes.com, @greybrewer, @brokenwing, @pabastien, @weirdnoirmaster, @shredgnarly, @turfster, @fredericl, @niceandinnocent, @grumble.social, @joshuafoust.com, @partnardy, @sadknob, @aura.dog, @smpritchard, @willoremus.com, @stevekovach, @ntpnate, @edzitron.com, @darthbluesky, @peterwartman.com, @reckless, @benharris1, @geekelite.geekerific.com, @andrewt.net, @campuscodi.risky.biz, @projectazar.com, @mustafasuleymanai, and @tomwarren.co.uk
Mastodon: @harrymccracken@mastodon …, @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social, and @GossiTheDog@cyberplace.social
Forums: r/privacy, r/enshittification, r/technology, r/microsoft, r/windows, and Slashdot
| Heather Knight / New York Times: |
Email: Ron Conway, a close friend of Marc Benioff for 25+ years, stepped down from the Salesforce Foundation board, citing Benioff's comments supporting Trump — Ron Conway stepped down from the board of Salesforce's philanthropic arm after the company's chief executive, Marc Benioff …
More: SiliconANGLE, The San Francisco Standard, CNBC, The San Francisco Standard, Politico, Yahoo Finance, San Francisco Examiner, Fortune, Bloomberg, San Francisco Chronicle, SFist, The Information, New York Post, and Mission Local
X: @ericnewcomer, @hknightsf, @shakeelhashim, @hknightsf, and @eshugerman
Bluesky: @caseynewton, @jennelias, and @nancylevinestearns
| Mark Gurman / Bloomberg: |
Sources: Apple readies a slimmer M6 MacBook Pro featuring an OLED touch display with a hole-punch design replacing the notch, for late 2026 or early 2027 — Apple Inc. is preparing to finally launch a touch-screen version of its Mac computer, reversing course on a stance that dates back to co-founder Steve Jobs.
More: MacRumors, The Verge, Gizmodo, MacRumors, Wccftech, Engadget, Macworld, Digital Trends, AppleInsider, New York Post, iPhone in Canada, iClarified, Mashable, iThinkDifferent, Stuff, 9to5Mac, and Cult of Mac
X: @markgurman, @vadimyuryev, @markgurman, @markgurman, and @parkerortolani
Forums: r/apple, Slashdot, and MacRumors Forums
| Jeremy Stern / Colossus: |
A profile of Joshua Kushner, including Thrive Capital's investments in GitHub and Stripe and its role in reinstating Sam Altman as OpenAI CEO in November 2023 — Joshua Kushner, Thrive Capital, and the American dream — The road to Rick Rubin's house was long and winding for Joshua Kushner …
X: @willmanidis, @blakeir, @jeremysternla, @sonnybunch, @anmolm_, @tobi, @eoinhiggins_, @patrick_oshag, @billackman, @tbpn, @pdhsu, @pronounced_kyle, @mollysoshea, @packym, @joincolossus, @skupor, @garrytan, @jakesherman, @mashadrokova, @mollysoshea, @dhaber, @hitsamty, @rachaelrad, @joshdcaplan, @patrick_oshag, @john_c_palmer, @usambfrance, @founderspodcast, @joincolossus, @reidhoffman, @jeremysternla, @andrewdudum, @sameeraculous, @dberenzon, @jaredkushner, @billackman, @jdale_shoemaker, @bznotes, @tyler__palmer, @domcooke, @kellylsims, @alexisohanian, @jacobhelberg, @benmullin, and @kenbensinger. LinkedIn: Marvin Liao. Bluesky: @rmac
| Hayden Field / The Verge: |
Anthropic announces Skills for Claude, a tool with folders of instructions, scripts, and resources that Claude can load to improve performance on some tasks — The announcement follows a similar new tool from OpenAI. … AI agents spent years as a concept and then as an experiment.
More: Anthropic, Simon Willison's Weblog, SiliconANGLE, Implicator.ai, and Tom's Guide
X: @omooretweets, @notionhq, @omooretweets, @simonw, @alexalbert__, @iannuttall, @claudeai, and @apollonator3000. LinkedIn: Brad Abrams. Forums: r/ClaudeCode
| Amanda Silberling / TechCrunch: |
Amazon's Ring partners with Flock to let law enforcement agencies that work with Flock request footage from Ring doorbell users — Amazon's surveillance camera maker Ring announced a partnership on Thursday with Flock, a maker of AI-powered surveillance cameras that share footage with law enforcement.
More: 404 Media, The Record, Neowin, and CNBC
Bluesky: @josephcox, @rayminehane, @vegandroid, @poison-sumac, @hypervisible.blacksky.app, and @josephcox
| Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge: |
DoorDash and Waymo announce a partnership to let DoorDash use Waymo's robotaxis for delivery, starting with deliveries from Phoenix's DashMart store — Customers will have to come down to the curb to retrieve their orders from the driverless car's trunk.
More: Waymo, DoorDash, The Information, Engadget, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Investor's Business Daily, and CNET
X: @yoda, @rakeshsfnyc, @natlungfy, @dmitri_dolgov, @techtekedra, @saswat101, @reed, @suzkp, @doordash, @waymo, @jshchnz, @joecarlsonshow, @scottlincicome, and @paularambles. LinkedIn: Harrison Shih
Forums: r/Futurology, r/technews, r/waymo, and r/SelfDrivingCars
| Kosta Andreadis / TweakTown: |
Steam hit a new record with over 41.6M concurrent users on October 12, a surge largely sparked by the release of Battlefield 6 — 41,666,455 million PC gamers were online and on Steam on October 12, 2025, setting a new CCU (concurrent user) record for the platform. — VIEW GALLERY - 2| Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter: |
Apple and NBCUniversal announce an Apple TV and Peacock Premium bundle for $14.99 per month, a 30% discount over the individual subscriptions — In addition to getting both services at a discount of more than 30 percent, Apple TV will add select Peacock programming, while Peacock will get selected Apple TV shows.
More: Apple, 9to5Mac, Macworld, Lifehacker, IndieWire, MLive.com, The A.V. Club, TV Tech, Neowin, Screen Rant, MacTech.com, Variety, Cord Cutters News, Ars Technica, Streaming Better, TVNewsCheck, Pocket-lint, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone, Reuters, Engadget, Media Play News, MovieWeb, The Streamable, WFTV, Benzinga, How-To Geek, Axios, TheDesk.net, Cult of Mac, Deadline, Digital Trends, CNET, MacRumors, PCWorld, Tom's Guide, Appleosophy, iClarified, Sherwood News, Vulture, and The Wrap
X: @quinnypig, @mgsiegler, @tvgrimreaper, @mgsiegler, @sherman4949, and @sherman4949
| Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: |
Uber plans to launch data labelling tasks in the US for some drivers to earn extra money, appearing under “digital tasks” in the driver app, later this fall — Uber Technologies Inc. is giving some drivers in the US the option to earn money by completing tasks related …
More: Business Insider, The Verge, CNBC, Fast Company, Motor1.com, New York Post, The Rideshare Guy, Entrepreneur, and PYMNTS.com. Bluesky: @saltcreekbrews
| Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: |
Pinterest adds new tools that let users limit how much AI-generated content they see in their feed in certain categories, including beauty, art, and home decor — Following backlash over an increase in “AI slop” taking over users' feeds and making it less useful, Pinterest on Thursday added …
More: Pinterest, CNET, Neowin, Social Media Today, The Independent, and Fast Company. Mastodon: @carnage4life@mas.to
| Stephanie Palazzolo / The Information: |
Source: OpenAI has proposed a “sign in with ChatGPT” feature to some companies, which could then transfer the cost of using OpenAI's models to their customers — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on a podcast last week that he wanted ChatGPT to become “people's personal AI subscription.”| Ina Fried / Axios: |
Commonwealth Fusion Systems partners with Google DeepMind to use Google's open-source plasma simulator, Torax, for accelerating fusion energy development — Google DeepMind is partnering with a Boston-area energy startup to use AI to speed the development of fusion as a clean energy source.
More: Google DeepMind, TechCrunch, SiliconANGLE, and GeekWire
X: @pfau and @googledeepmind
Forums: r/fusion and r/singularity
| Krisztian Sandor / CoinDesk: |
Ripple acquires GTreasury, a platform used by Fortune 500 companies for managing cash, foreign exchange, and risk, for $1B, set to close in the coming months — The deal, pending regulatory approvals, would give Ripple access to large enterprise clients as it is building out financial services around its digital asset business.
More: Ripple, DL News, Axios, BeInCrypto, Blockonomi, Crypto Briefing, The Coin Republic, Cryptonews, Coinspeaker, Bitcoin Insider, crypto.news, Yahoo Finance, Ventureburn, Decrypt, CoinGape, Cointelegraph, The Block, and Blockchain.News. Forums: r/XRP
| Megan Morrone / Axios: |
OpenAI hires black hole theoretical physicist Alex Lupsasca, the first person to join the OpenAI for Science initiative led by Kevin Weil, to shape its research — Prize-winning black hole theoretical physicist Alex Lupsasca has joined OpenAI's new science team, Axios has learned.
X: @alupsasca, @markchen90, @aleks_madry, @alupsasca, @alupsasca, @alupsasca, @alupsasca, and @alupsasca. Bluesky: @wesley83
| Financial Times: |
HR software startup Deel raised $300M led by Ribbit Capital at a $17B valuation, up from $12.6B earlier in 2025, and says revenue crossed $100M in September — HR start-up raises $300mn from Ribbit, Coatue and Andreessen amid espionage allegations from rival Rippling
More: Crunchbase News, SiliconANGLE, TechCrunch, Bloomberg, Deel, and Reuters
X: @bouazizalex, @a16z, and @illscience
| Steven J. Horowitz / Variety: |
Spotify partners with Sony Music Group, WMG, UMG, Merlin, and Believe to develop “responsible” AI products and says it will build a generative AI research lab — In a significant step towards interfacing with AI and its impact on the music industry, Spotify has partnered …
More: Spotify, CNET, Engadget, Lowpass, Windows Report, Neowin, CNBC, Hypebot, The Fader, The Ankler, Digital Music News, and Fortune
LinkedIn: Peter Sobot, Charlie Hellman, David Kaefer, and Miles Lennon
Bluesky: @peretsky and @dadadrummer
| Davis Janowski / WealthManagement.com: |
Aboon, an AI-powered platform for financial advisers to help business owners launch and manage 401(k) plans, raised a $17.5M seed led by Bain Capital Ventures — Backed by lead investor Bain Capital Ventures, the funding will go toward further automation development and product expansion.
More: AlleyWatch, FinSMEs, and FinTech Global
| Daniel Kuhn / The Block: |
a16z Crypto invests $50M in Solana infrastructure provider Jito through a private token sale, likely one of a16z's largest crypto investments in recent years — - Andreessen Horowitz's crypto wing invested $50 million in key Solana infrastructure provider Jito in a strategic private token sale.
More: Fortune, CoinDesk, Coinspeaker, Bitcoin Insider, Blockonomi, BeInCrypto, crypto.news, The Crypto Times, and Cointelegraph
| Jaures Yip / CNBC: |
Upgrade, which offers financial services like online loans, raised $165M led by Neuberger Berman at a $7.3B valuation and is “12 to 18 months away from an IPO” — Upgrade, the online lender started by LendingClub founder Renaud Laplanche, has raised a new round of funding that values the startup at $7.3 billion.
More: Yahoo Finance
| Rebecca Bellan / TechCrunch: |
General Intuition, which trains AI agents in spatial reasoning using game clips from Medal, raised a $133.7M seed led by Khosla Ventures and General Catalyst — Medal, a platform for uploading and sharing video game clips, has spun out a new frontier AI research lab that's using its trove … | CoinDesk: |
Minneapolis-based SharpLink Gaming, the second largest publicly traded ether treasury firm, raised $76.5M in a direct offering of 4.5M shares at a 12% premium — The sale reflects “strong institutional confidence,” the company said, with an unnamed investor also receiving an option to buy another 4.5 million shares
More: Sharplink, Decrypt, Cryptonews, Bitcoin Insider, The Block, and The Crypto Times
| Nikkei Asia: |
Sources: Microsoft aims to produce most of its new products, such as servers and Surface laptops, outside of China from 2026; AWS is adopting a similar strategy — TAIPEI — Microsoft aims to produce the majority of its new products outside of China as early as next year …
More: The Verge, The Information, Yahoo Finance, Windows Report, and Gizmodo
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: CME Group plans to debut financial contracts tied to sports games and economic indicators by the end of 2025, including through its FanDuel partnership — CME Group Inc. is planning to debut financial contracts tied to both sports games and economic indicators by the end of the year … | Emily Nicolle / Bloomberg: |
Kraken acquires US-licensed futures exchange Small Exchange from IG Group, for $32.5M in cash and $67.5M in Kraken parent company's Payward stock, before an IPO — Kraken has acquired a US-licensed futures exchange from IG Group as the crypto heavyweight seeks to broaden the range of products it can offer directly to US customers.| Timmy Shen / The Block: |
Better Payment Network, a BNB Chain-based cross-border stablecoin payment company, raised a $50M seed led by YZi Labs, the VC formerly known as Binance Labs — - Better Payment Network, a stablecoin payment company, said it has secured a $50 million seed round led by YZi Labs, formerly known as Binance Labs.
More: Better Payment Network, YZi Labs Blog, and Ventureburn
| Sankalp Phartiyal / Bloomberg: |
Bengaluru-based quick grocery delivery startup Zepto raised $450M from Goodwater, General Catalyst, and others at a $7B valuation, as it prepares for an IPO — Zepto has secured $450 million in funding ahead of a public listing set to take place next year, underscoring growing investor interest …
More: Times of India, NDTV Profit, and TechCrunch
| Bloomberg: |
Sources: F5's breach is blamed on China, whose hackers had infiltrated F5's network for at least 12 months using the Brickstorm malware to steal source code — A potentially “catastrophic” breach of a major US-based cybersecurity provider has been blamed on state-backed hackers from China, according to people familiar with the matter.
More: BleepingComputer, Risky Business, Runtime, Tech.co, Blocks and Files, and GeekWire
LinkedIn: Roger Grimes, Rick Lane, and Margi Murphy
Bluesky: @patrickhowelloneill.com, @pauljdavies, @hoon, and @malwarejake. Mastodon: @dannyjpalmer@infosec.exchange. Forums: Hacker News
| Wall Street Journal: |
The White House says representatives from Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon, and other corporate donors to a $250M ballroom attended a dinner with President Trump — Event included representatives from Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Amazon.com and Palantir
More: New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post, Cointelegraph, USA Today, The White House on YouTube, Axios, Atlanta Black Star, CBS News, Forbes, CNN, The Hill, RedState, The American Bazaar, Blockonomi, and Investor's Business Daily
X: @xjonnyc, @themainewonk, @rwpusa, @geoffbrown82, @garyruskin, @seungminkim, @ces921, @ewarren, @jason_kint, @dave_brown24, and @dave_brown24. Bluesky: @chrisinparis. Mastodon: @ArenaCops@infosec.exchange
| Matt Burgess / Wired: |
How facial recognition software rejects people with facial differences, who number an estimated 100M+ worldwide, blocking them from accessing essential services — An estimated 100 million people live with facial differences. As face recognition tech becomes widespread … | Bloomberg: |
Sources: a ransomware attack is disrupting US state and local borrowers' ability to post debt documents on the $4.3T municipal bond market's MuniOS platform — A ransomware attack is disrupting state and local borrowers' ability to post debt documents on the $4.3 trillion municipal-bond market's main distribution platform.Sponsor Posts
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