Results for "Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Under"

On Pocketnow Daily, we have some deals at B&H and Amazon for today. A new patent hints to the Galaxy Note becoming a foldable phone. Some new leaks show us the specs and capabilities of the Huawei P40 Pro Premium variant. The OnePlus 8 Pro was just spotted in the wild while we get a new possible launch date. Foxconn just returned to work even though to recover from the major hit they just took. Finally, WWDC was just confirmed to be an online only event after the recent outbreak. All this and more after the break. - Joe Rogan Clip on the Coronavirus with Michael Osterholm (Epidemiologist) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZFhjMQrVts 0:35 - Today’s Deal: - 10.5in iPad Air https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1468048-REG/apple_mv1d2ll_a_10_5_ipad_air_early.html/BI/21019/KBID/17612 - Samsung Galaxy A90 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1546834-REG/samsung_sm_a908b_blk_galaxy_a90_a908b_5g.html/BI/21019/KBID/17612 - Acer Predator Helios 300 https://amzn.to/3aVqPhw - Sennheiser MB 660 MS https://amzn.to/2WaNwKx News: 1:13 - This is what a future Samsung Galaxy Note may look like https://pocketnow.com/this-is-what-a-future-samsung-galaxy-note-may-look-like 1:56 - HUAWEI P40 Pro key specifications leaked by early product listing https://pocketnow.com/huawei-p40-pro-key-specifications-leaked-by-early-product-listing 2:50 - Robert Downey Jr. spotted using OnePlus 8 Pro https://pocketnow.com/robert-downey-jr-spotted-using-oneplus-8-pro - Is OnePlus 8 series launching on April 15? New leak says so https://pocketnow.com/is-oneplus-8-series-launching-on-april-15-new-leak-says-so 3:31 - Foxconn resumes production, but slow iPhone sales are expected https://pocketnow.com/foxconn-resumes-production-but-slow-iphone-sales-are-expected 4:15 - Apple’s WWDC 2020 will be an online-only event this year over coronavirus fears https://pocketnow.com/apples-wwdc-2020-will-be-an-online-only-event-this-year-over-coronavirus-fears #Pocketnow #WWDC2020 #OnePlus8Pro Subscribe: http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub http://pocketnow.com Follow us: http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow http://facebook.com/pocketnow http://twitter.com/pocketnow http://instagram.com/pocketnow Graphics provided by: Motionvfx.com

Direct copy of u/lebbe 's comment on a trending worldnews post, posting for more awareness. Apologies for formatting since im on cellphone. If you know better subs to post this on go ahead Business Hall of Bootlickers: * Activision Blizzard: [banned player](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dexeva/blizzard_banned_and_took_player_off_air_after_his/) for supporting Hong Kong democracy protest. Confiscated all his winnings. Fired the 2 casters who interviewed him. * Apple: [censors Taiwan flag emoji](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dex1j0/apple_bows_to_china_by_censoring_taiwan_flag_emoji/) in iOS in Hong Kong & Macau * Apple (partial entry): [censored Hong Kong protest map](https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/apple-hk-protest-map/) from App Store. Relented after it turned into a PR mess, now letting the app into App Store. Update Apparently banned again (Im not on iOs so if a user can send proof id apreciate it.) [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dfs4jw/apple_removes_policetracking_app_used_in_hong/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) it is. * Vans: [censors pro-HK democracy design](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dekxtu/vans_shoes_face_boycott_calls_after_company/) in its shoe design competition * NBA (partial entry): [rebuked](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/nba-statement-english-chinese-66104687) Rockets manager for his "*Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong*" tweet, saying NBA was "*extremely disappointed with Morey's inappropriate comment.*" Backpedalled after this turned into a PR nightmare, now saying they support Morey's freedom of speech. UPDATE NBA is now in our good people list - they support free speech and China has completely banned NBA from broadcasting. * Disney / ESPN: [forbids](https://deadspin.com/internal-memo-espn-forbids-discussion-of-chinese-polit-1838881032) any mention of Chinese politics when discussing Rockets manager's tweet supporting HK freedom. ESPN talking heads castigated Morey for sending the tweet & speculated about his sincerity, but they absolutely will not talk what caused the tweet: China's encroachment on HK and the resultant HK protest * Viacom / Paramount: [censors Taiwan flag](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/19/tom-cruises-top-gun-jacket-shows-how-key-china-is-to-film-industry.html) from the jacket worn by Tom Cruise in the new "Top Gun" movie * Disney / Marvel: [censored Tibetan monk](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/tibet-supporters-protest-marvel-s-dr-strange-over-changed-character-n677706) from "Doctor Strange" and turned him into a white woman. Per the movie's screenwriter: "*if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place and that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullshit*". Now you can't even acknowledge that Tibet is a place lest our Chinese overlord be displeased. * ASICS, Calvin Klein, Coach, Fresh, Givenchy, Pocari Sweat, Valentino, Versace, Swarovski: details [here](https://www.whatsonweibo.com/these-are-the-foreign-brands-apologizing-to-china-amid-hong-kong-tensions/) * Marriott: apologized to China & [changed "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China"](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2160030/taiwan-hotel-cuts-ties-marriott-protest-caving-beijing) in its hotel listings after China threw a hissy fit * Nike: [removed](https://fadeawayworld.net/2019/10/08/nike-removes-all-houston-rockets-related-products-from-their-china-webstore/) all Houston Rockets related products from their China webstore after Rockets manager tweeted "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong" * Activision Blizzard: [cut livestream](https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfaz21/american_university_hearthstone_team_holds_up/) when American University team held up "Free Hong Kong, boycott Blizzard" in solidarity with the banned HK player. * Apple: [handed over](https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/18/17587304/apple-icloud-china-user-data-state-run-telecom-privacy-security) iCloud data and encryption keys to China * Riot Games: [censors](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivestreamFail/comments/dfcjqa/riot_games_owned_100_by_tencent_chinese/) the words "Hong Kong", forcing their casters to refer to the team "Hong Kong Attitude" as "HKA". Also canceled live interview with team "Hong Kong Attitude" and replaced it with prerecorded session to make sure they didn't say anything to support HK democracy. - UPDATE - Riot issued a statement in which they clear up this mess. They did not force the casters to have any special treatment regarding Hong Kong and namely the team in question. Seems like fake news were being spread. Worlds is back on! * Cathay Pacific: [fired](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/28/cathay-pacific-denounced-for-firing-hong-kong-staff-on-china-orders) large number of employees for supporting HK democracy protests. Its flight attendants union head was fired for posting on Facebook in support of the protests * Apple: [minimized](https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/6/20853393/apple-iphone-ios-exploits-statement-security-google-false-impressions) the seriousness of iOS exploits that enabled China to track Uyghurs, when over a million of them are already rounded up by China in concentration camps * Google: [censored](https://lihkg.com/thread/1639291/page/1) pro-HK democracy game "[The Revolution of Our Times](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=story.hk.hkmovement&hl=en_US)" from Google Play because it was about a "*sensitive event*". * Gap: [apologized to China](https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/15/news/companies/gap-tshirt-map-of-china/index.html) for selling T-shirts IN CANADA that didn't include Taiwan & South China Sea islands as part of China * Tiffany: [removed](https://news.yahoo.com/tiffany-removes-advert-over-hong-kong-controversy-093418861.html) tweet showing a model covering one eye after Chinese consumers accused it of supporting Hong Kong protesters & "defaming" China * Marriott: [fired](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2128124/marriott-sacks-employee-who-liked-twitter-post-tibet-independence) employee who liked tweet from an Tibetan group After decades of opening up wide the Western market to China while turning a blind eye to rampant Chinese IP thefts, forced tech transfers, and protectionism, we are looking at widespread control of Western businesses by China. Businesses that are not under outright Chinese control are still kowtowing to China out of sheer fear of China's retaliation. This is just a very incomplete list of what we're seeing publicly. Imagine how bad it really is behind closed doors. --- MORE ENTRIES: * Mercedes: [apologized](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/07/mercedes-apologises-china-quoting-dalai-lama/) for "hurting the feelings" of the people of China for quoting Dalai Lama on Instagram * American Airlines, Delta, United: [deleted](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7) any mention of Taiwan as a country from their websites after China gave them the order * Audi: [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#audi-1) for using an "incorrect geographical map" of China that left off Taiwan * Muji: [destroyed](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#muji-2) store catalogs that contain an "incorrect" map of China * Zara: [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#zara-4) for listing Taiwan as a country on its website * Medtronic: [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#medtronic-5) for publishing "illegal content" that listed "Republic of China (Taiwan)" as a country on its website * Ray-Ban: [changed](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#ray-ban-7) its website description of "Taiwan" & "Hongkong" to "China Taiwan" & "China Hongkong" * Qantas, Air France, Air Canada, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Japan Airlines, ANA: [changed](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#international-airlines-8) "Taiwan" to "Taiwan China" on their websites afetr China gave them the order * TikTok: [censored](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/25/revealed-how-tiktok-censors-videos-that-do-not-please-beijing) videos that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or the banned religious group Falun Gong * Sheraton: [banned](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3791266) Taiwan National Day event after China embassy gave it the order. China called the Taiwan National Day celebration ["*illegal and a crime against international law*"](https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/kinas-ambassad-pressade-hotell-att-inte-lata-taiwan-representanter-fira-sin-nationaldag-/) * Disney: [shrank or removed](https://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-china-poster-controversy-john-boyega-1201653494/) non-white characters from Chinese poster of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” * Philadelphia Sixers: [ejected](https://6abc.com/sports/sixers-fan-supporting-hong-kong-ejected-from-preseason-game/5604293/) fans from game for supporting Hong Kong democracy * Princeton: [doesn't talk about](https://quillette.com/2019/07/22/when-the-lion-wakes-the-global-threat-of-the-chinese-communist-party/) the 3 Ts: Tibet, Tiananmen, Taiwan - UPDATE - upon discussion with several users I reached the conclusion that direct criticism of Princeton university is not in order. What is in order is to be on the lookout for academic institutes that censor the mentions of these 3T's - academic censorship is inadmissible! - and also confucius institutes which, being chinese, are also main sources of censorship. * Leica: released ad on Tiananmen protest. [Apologized & distanced itself from ad](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3006817/leica-camera-backs-away-promotional-video-depicting-tiananmen) * Reddit: took $150M from Tencent. Removed threads like [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dfc6qi/disneyowned_espn_forbids_discussion_of_chinese/) * Rockhampton, Queensland: [censored](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-09/childrens-cow-statue-design-altered-taiwan-flag-painted-over-qld/9739574) Taiwan flag in student art project * Lâncome - face-cream company owned by L'Oréal - cancelled a promotional concert in Hong Kong with artist Denise Ho when they found out she was pro-democracy back in 2014. This lead to [protests](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36457450) from HKers namely in NY Times Square with yellow umbrellas, the movement's symbol. Lâncome consequently [shut down](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/08/lancome-shuts-hong-kong-stores-cancelled-denise-ho-gig-protests) stores in HK. * Red Candle Games [removed](https://www.engadget.com/2019/08/02/china-censorship-video-games-tencent-mobile-pc/?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABfA9RsJrtM0UnLrFoq-Sk-6evlDvUnQbqRN3Lw5vcQWlQzlvxBLjFFqSdbNQIgnpGWPW9oiiXmNPipRZq_xAkl8bB54WYAzJwTJjb5RE-0JJKQn4epaiwnt2R-O3yqdjZBuZUYwFKrRSUOrRih7NMKbeavLbJ5Wg-5QqCGSuCZE&guccounter=2) "Devotion", a game with Taiwanese culture and superstitions and a mocking of Xi Jinping as Winnie the Pooh hidden in-game, from Steam after the meme was found about a week after launch. The company also apologised and said they never meant to leave the meme in the final iteration. * Vans is facing boycott from former clients after [removing protestor's entries](https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/vans-hong-kong-intl-hnk-scli/index.html) in an annual creativity contest. The entry was a shoe with yellow umbrellas and several other HK rebellion symbols. Vans issued a statement as to "why they removed some entries that breached their terms of entry" in the contest, saying they're not a "political company". * A teenage performer from band Twice was [forced to apologize](https://qz.com/596261/a-16-year-old-pop-star-was-forced-to-apologize-to-china-for-waving-taiwans-flag/) for waving a Taiwanese flag during a performance. The apology was a video in which she was reading a script, crying. * Gajin entertainment [replace](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3773345) Taiwan flags in historically accurate vehicles with chinese flags, in a game known for accurately depicting history. * JPMorgan Chase - One of the biggest companies in the world, with assets worth almost 3 trillion USD (who is alsO reported to have said to accept slavers in case services weren't paid back in 2005 - no good source) [tells their employess to not recognise or name Taiwan, HK or Macau as self-governing separate countries](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-11/jpmorgan-tells-staff-make-it-clear-taiwan-is-part-of-china). JPMorgan also has plans to expand even more to China nand reportedly even open a new bank there. --- REVERSE ENTRIES: * Matt Stone & Trey Parker: South Park "Band in China". Then issued an [official apology to China](https://www.facebook.com/southpark/photos/a.412559132004/10156683044637005): "*Like the NBA, we welcome the chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn't look just like Winnie the Pooh at all.*" * Red Bull: [released](http://sendvid.com/q6xdrgrn) a video supporting protests for freedom and liberty * Ubisoft: listened to fan complaints and [said "no"](https://www.windowscentral.com/rainbow-six-siege-drops-china-censorship-reverts-aesthetic-changes) to China censor after initially indicating they would [tone down](https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/3/18058884/rainbow-six-siege-censored-china-pc-ps4-xbox-one-ubisoft) content of "Rainbow Six: Siege" to be China-compliant. * Prague: [cancel](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/10/07/prague-moves-to-cancel-partnership-agreement-with-beijing/) partnership with Beijing over 1-China principle. [cancel](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/10/07/prague-moves-to-cancel-partnership-agreement-with-beijing/) * Epic Games: Issues a [statement](https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2019/10/9/20906110/blizzard-hearthstone-ban-hong-kong-china-epic-games-fortnite-blitzchung) supporting player's free speech, saying they won't get punished for speaking their mind on these topics. * Surry Hills company Immutable [offered](https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/companies/sydney-startup-under-fire-online-for-supporting-pro-hong-kong-protest-gamer-20191009-p52z2g.html) to pay for the banned Blizzard player's prize money and hearthstone debts. They also got cyberattacked after announcing this, presumably by China. * Pocari Sweat - a japanese sports energy drink company - [pulled adverts from a TV station accused of being pro-beijing](https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong-protests/Sports-drink-s-sales-surge-in-Hong-Kong-after-dropping-TV-ads). Such energy drink is reported to be selling in higher numbers after the announcement although they said the decision was only business. ------- I'd just like to make a side note and apologize to everyone for taking so long and at times not fact checking either the sources or the news in itself enough. Lots of comments with new sources, I appreciate them. I'll try to read them all and make the necessary changes. Don't be afraid to correct me of share your opinion about something.

Ed Snyder, Charter Equity research analyst, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss Apple's recent stock slump. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. The News with Shepard Smith is CNBC’s daily news podcast providing deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day’s most important stories. Available to listen by 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT daily beginning September 30: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/the-news-with-shepard-smith-podcast.html?__source=youtube%7Cshepsmith%7Cpodcast Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-credit-cards/ #CNBC #CNBCTV

Wamsi Mohan, Bank of America analyst, joins 'TechCheck' to preview Apple's quarterly earnings results, slated to release after Thursday's bell. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi  » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. The News with Shepard Smith is CNBC’s daily news podcast providing deep, non-partisan coverage and perspective on the day’s most important stories. Available to listen by 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT daily beginning September 30: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/the-news-with-shepard-smith-podcast.html?__source=youtube%7Cshepsmith%7Cpodcast    Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-credit-cards/  #CNBC #CNBCTV

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Wedbush Analyst Dan Ives joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss what's behind the rebound in iPhone demand, Apple's uptick from strong demand in China and the trajectory of the upgrade cycle. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi  » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC News on Twitter: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC https://www.cnbc.com/select/best-credit-cards/  #CNBC #CNBCTV 

Apple lowers iPhone Air orders to "end of production" levels

#Apple #youtube #stockmarket Yahoo Finance Live’s Brad Smith discusses total global PC shipments amid weak electronics demand and worsening macroeconomic conditions. Subscribe to Yahoo Finance: https://yhoo.it/2fGu5Bb About Yahoo Finance: At Yahoo Finance, you get free stock quotes, up-to-date news, portfolio management resources, international market data, social interaction and mortgage rates that help you manage your financial life. Yahoo Finance Plus: With a subscription to Yahoo Finance Plus get the tools you need to invest with confidence. Discover new opportunities with expert research and investment ideas backed by technical and fundamental analysis. Optimize your trades with advanced portfolio insights, fundamental analysis, enhanced charting, and more. To learn more about Yahoo Finance Plus please visit: https://yhoo.it/33jXYBp Connect with Yahoo Finance: Get the latest news: https://yhoo.it/2fGu5Bb Find Yahoo Finance on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2A9u5Zq Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2LMgloP Follow Yahoo Finance on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2LOpNYz Follow Yahoo Finance Premium on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3hhcnmV

- Part 1 - [Beta and Vanilla](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/riq4fq/games_world_of_warcraft_part_1_beta_and_vanilla/)[ ]( https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/599/421/136.jpg) - Part 2 - [Burning Crusade](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/rkorti/games_world_of_warcraft_part_2_burning_crusade_a/) - Part 3 - [Wrath of the Lich King](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/rno4sa/games_world_of_warcraft_part_3_wrath_of_the_lich/) - Part 4 - [Cataclysm](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/rxmu68/games_world_of_warcraft_part_4_cataclysm_how/) - Part 5 - [Mists of Pandaria]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/s1duix/games_world_of_warcraft_part_5_mists_of_pandaria/) - Part 6 - [Warlords of Draenor]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/sevec8/games_world_of_warcraft_part_6_warlords_of/) - Part 7 - [Classic and Legion]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/sika5v/games_world_of_warcraft_part_7_classic_and_legion/) - Part 8 - [Battle for Azeroth](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/sob7ak/games_world_of_warcraft_part_8_battle_for_azeroth/) - Part 9 - [Ruined Franchises]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/svh79t/games_blizzard_entertainment_part_9_ruined/) - Part 11 - [Shadowlands](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/ts3xiw/games_world_of_warcraft_part_11_shadowlands/) #Part 10 - The Fall of Blizzard #Loot Box Wars I wrote this before /u/Unqualif1ed posted [their excellent write-up]( https://old.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/sy1hvl/video_games_star_wars_battlefront_ii_how_eas/) about loot boxes yesterday, and the two cover a lot of the same ground. I've made some last minute edits and cut bits out to limit the amount of overlap, but if you're feeling all loot boxed out, feel free to skip to the next section, 'The Blitzchung Scandal'. **Gatcha Bitch** Odds are, you’ve heard of loot boxes. You know what they are, how they work, and you’ve probably bought a few yourself. But there’s a lot more to loot boxes than meets the eye. We’re going to look at where they came from, what exactly makes them the subject of such passionate debate, and what the response has been – from gamers, journalists, and politicians around the world. This story starts with the Japanese company Bandai Namco. In 1977, they started selling [Gachapon]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gashapon) - capsule toys. You put money into a little machine, and out came a capsule containing a toy, but you didn’t know which toy you’d won until you opened it. It was marketing genius. The random nature of the game was enticing, especially to kids. At that time, we were still wading through the primordial soup of video games. Online connectivity was a while away, and the word ‘microtransaction’ had yet to be coined. The idea of spending real money within a game wasn’t unusual back then – more people played on arcade machines than home consoles. But it wasn’t until 1990, with the release of Double Dragon 3, that player were first able to exchange their cash for upgrades, power-ups, health, and weapons. The game was infamous in the arcade community, but Pandora’s lootbox had been opened, and it could never be closed again. It might surprise you to find out that the AAA gaming industry was hesitant to adopt these systems, at least at first. The video game community drew a distinction between free-to-play games (which could basically do whatever they wanted) and pay-to-play. If you paid for a game, you got the whole thing. Gamers were happy to accept expansions, and somewhat open to DLC, but it was in free-to-play games that these monetisation systems truly flourished – usually in East Asia, where players often struggled to afford the full price of a release. The Korean game ‘MapleStory’ introduced an item called ‘Gachapon ticket’ to their Japan site. It came at the cost of 100 yen (a little less than a dollar), and gave players a random item. No one knew it at the time, but that ticket had changed the industry forever. With the advent of smart phones came the rise of mobile gaming, where the free-to-play model took root in earnest. The Japanese company GungHo published ‘Puzzles & Dragons’ in 2011, which became the first mobile game to net over a billion dollars using the gatcha system. It was around this time that the west really started to take notice. When they saw the success these systems were having, [their eyes popped out of their heads on stalks]( https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/facebook/000/035/071/awooga_awooga.jpg) with a little ‘AWOOGA’ horn, and they raced to replicate them. But gamers saw them as exploitative and unbecoming of full-priced games. They would need a new coat of paint. FIFA has always been a symbol of slovenly greed, so it’s fitting that they were the first big adopter. As of March 2009, players could buy ‘card packs’ to get new footballers. A little while later in 2010, Valve added ‘crates’ to Team Fortress 2, and transitioned to a free-to-play model. Their profits skyrocketed. Over the following few years, a number of big games followed in their footsteps, usually accompanied by loot boxes. Most notable were Star Trek Online and Lord of the Rings Online, both in December 2011. By this point, loot boxes were the new hotness. They wormed their way into Counter Strike: Global Offensive and Battlefield 4 in late 2013, as well as Call of Duty a year later – labelled ‘weapon cases’, ‘battlepacks’ and ‘supply drops’ respectively. But it was Blizzard’s 2016 release Overwatch that sent loot boxes into the mainstream. **Focus-Tested Addiction** To the untrained eye, loot boxes might seem like just another way to reward players. But companies don’t hire game designers to advise these systems, they hire psychologists. Everything about a loot box is precisely crafted to trigger a dopamine rush, with the end-goal of getting players to buy more and more. Simply put, it’s addictive. Let’s run through the process. Rather than letting us buy loot boxes with real money, companies force us to first buy a virtual currency, which we can then spend on loot boxes. Sometimes it’s gems, sometimes it’s diamonds, sometimes it’s gold. All that matters is that the currency has an air of exclusivity and grandeur. Its value must be as obscure as possible, so that it’s harder for us to visualise how much money we’re actually spending, and so our brains associates the pain of losing money with the act of buying currency, rather than the act of buying loot boxes. When we visit the loot box store, we find an interface dressed up to be as gamey and enticing as possible. Sometimes it’s directly modelled on slot machines or roulette wheels. When we come to open our loot box, [there’s usually]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saTPURs-tfU) a tantalising shake to build up anticipation, [culminating in]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdhUmbZNhlg) a weighty explosion of light and particle effects which reveals the treasure within. It’s all done to make that moment as satisfying as possible. Our brain reacts like we’ve just hit the jackpot. The gamble has paid off. But there was no gamble. This was all rigged from the start. And as soon as it’s finished, we’re presented with a big sparkly button to take them back to the shop – to buy more. Once we run out of loot boxes, the interface becomes really obnoxious. The devs might fill it up with animated cobwebs, sad faces, or giant ugly signs reminding us of our poverty. There’s only one way to fix it. Lot boxes create a vicious cycle. And when you look under the hood, it only gets more malevolent. Here are a few more tricks companies have devised to part players from their money. - Create different ‘editions’ of loot box, promising rare or limited rewards. Put them on a timed sale so the player feels pressure to buy them now, or risk losing out forever. Create bright, glaring warnings about how soon the offer will disappear. - Hand out ‘keys’ as rewards in gameplay, which allow players to open a loot box (if they own one). They will be more likely to spend money if they feel like they’ve already put in an investment of time and effort. - Deliberately code loot boxes to appear random, but always contain mostly worthless items, with one or two rare ones. By drip feeding desirable items to the player, games can keep them mentally engaged and encourage them to keep spending. - Use so called ‘pity-timers’ – the longer a player has gone without winning a rare item, the more likely they are to get one. This prevents losing streaks, which might ruin the player’s morale. - Make it extra visible which rare items a player’s friends have, and how they can get them too. Peer pressure is a fantastic motivator. - If a player gets an item they already have, provide them a way to turn the duplicates into currency to buy more loot boxes, or save up to buy an item directly. That way, players won’t mind paying to win the same rewards over and over. - When it comes to ‘sets’ of items, like armour, make it easy to get *most* of a set, but really hard to get the final pieces. This practice was banned in Japan in 2012, but it still happens elsewhere. - Hand players a wealth of currency and free loot boxes at the start to get them hooked, and then gradually ween them off until they’re almost totally unable to get new items without spending money. When you lay it all out like that, it starts to become obvious. But it works. Why go to all the fuss of winning over customers with high quality products when you can turn your game into a glorified casino and get them addicted to gambling? If they’re kids, all the better. Children are incredibly easy to manipulate. **Here Be Whales** Even within Blizzard, loot boxes had already existed in Hearthstone - and they were making cash hand over fist. But Overwatch seemed to open the door. After all, it wasn’t free, and it wasn’t a sports game. After its incredibly successful release, loot boxes invaded almost every AAA game on the market. It wasn’t just the whole ‘psychological manipulation’ thing that turned players against loot boxes. It was also the perceived effect they had on games themselves. New releases hit the shelves full of glitches, half-finished content, and broken mechanics, but with perfectly functional loot box systems. Many games seemed like they existed purely to justify the existence of their loot boxes, such was the profit to be made. There were instances of otherwise excellent games being ruined by them - developers slowed player progress to a crawl, or made it borderline impossible to afford upgrades, all with the goal of forcing players into the loot box store. They even appeared in single-player games, much to the dismay of fans. >[”When you're ]( https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/7em7xi/belgium_says_loot_boxes_are_gambling_wants_them/dq60fdr/)paying real money for the chance to unlock content in a videogame, you're pulling a slotmachine arm. That's gambling, and it is strictly regulated for a reason.” Stories of [children stealing their parents’ credit cards]( https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9082781/One-six-children-steal-money-pay-video-game-loot-boxes.html) to satisfy their addictions (to the tune of thousands of dollars) became ever more common. And gradually the tricks companies used to fool their players got more and more blatant. The pushback against loot boxes slowly grew from a niche pet-peeve into a mass hatred. They started to look less like a feature and more like a virus, infecting and corrupting beloved franchises one after another. This culminated with Star Wars Battlefront 2, which locked even Darth Vader behind a loot box. An EA representative’s attempt to justify the system became the most down-voted comment on Reddit. >[‘The intent]( https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWarsBattlefront/comments/7cff0b/seriously_i_paid_80_to_have_vader_locked/dppum98/) is to provide players with a sense of pride and accomplishment for unlocking heroes’. The controversy behind Battlefront 2 was so colossal, it caused a titanic shift within the game industry, ultimately leading to the demise of the lootbox. But that’s been covered by better writers elsewhere, and we’re here to talk about Blizzard. So how did they fit in to this? That depended on who you asked. Overwatch may have popularised loot boxes, but it was a minor offender. It never offered power-rewards, only cosmetics. In fact, some fans applauded Blizzard’s approach for ‘doing microtransactions right’. >[”Self-expression in Overwatch]( https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2017/11/12/overwatch-loot-boxes-controversy/) is limited by two things: how willing you are to invest your time in grinding to get that sweet loot and how many times you can dip into your purse to buy that loot straight from the store.” Others suggested that Blizzard ‘needed’ to sell loot boxes in order to pay for the upkeep of the game – a questionable take, considering Overwatch [shifted fifty million copies]( https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/03/06/should-activision-blizzard-worry-about-tencents-ne.aspx), making it the seventh best-selling game of all time. Blizzard certainly weren’t struggling. Polygon claimed that obtaining items through [loot boxes]( https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/5/17822966/overwatch-loot-boxes-skins-events) was a consumer-friendly move, because buying all the items using in-game currency was much more expensive… but they never once proposed Activision-Blizzard simply change their prices. There were two debates going on. The first was whether loot boxes were unethical. The second was whether Overwatch should even be included in the first. In a November 2017[ interview with Game Informer]( https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/11/07/blizzard-39-s-mike-morhaime-talks-loot-boxes-battle-net-blizzcon-and-more.aspx), Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime commented on the dispute. >“I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with crates that give you randomized items. I think that whatever the controversy is, I don’t think Overwatch belongs in that controversy.” Fans disagreed. >[”Of course Overwatch]( https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatch-doesnt-belong-in-loot-box-controversy-di/1100-6454766/) belongs in the discussion. We have a $60 game that's selling lootboxes that give random items; how is that a good thing? Don't give me this garbage about it being just cosmetic items; it's still just pure greed.” […] >”If you have a full priced game with loot boxes, you belong in that controversy.” […] >”The reason people are upset about it is because lootboxes exist solely to prey upon people with gambling problems for quick easy extra pay. That combined with the fact you can get duplicates of the same item as well as overwatch being the notable first big game of late to start this trend with everyone following suit is more than enough of a reason to talk about overwatch when it comes to this controversy.” The Overwatch community ‘Heroes Never Die’ published an article titled, [‘Overwatch shares the blame in the current loot box controversy’.]( https://www.heroesneverdie.com/2017/11/21/16687342/overwatch-loot-box-microtransactions-gambling) >”Overwatch’s loot boxes are a huge part of the growing presence of gambling in AAA games. This is a problem that Blizzard has helped normalize by avoiding any accountability for how they implement and advertise microtransactions.” They refuted the claim that loot boxes were acceptable as long as they were only cosmetic. >“If cosmetics didn’t matter, then no one would buy them and loot boxes wouldn’t work. The ability to customize your character online showcases your personality and your time committed to the game.” **The Hand of the Law** [Researchers in the UK]( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56614281) found that 40% of children regularly opened loot boxes, half of whom stole money to do it, but only 5% of gamers made up half of the revenue. The industry referred to these big spenders with the stomach-churningly dehumanising term ‘[whales]( https://venturebeat.com/2013/03/14/whales-and-why-social-gamers-are-just-gamers/)’. Young men with low levels of education were found to be the most vulnerable. The report concluded that there were ‘unambiguous’ connections between loot boxes and gambling. >["We have also]( https://www.begambleaware.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/Gaming_and_Gambling_Report_Final.pdf) demonstrated that at-risk individuals, such as problem gamblers, gamers, and young people, make disproportionate contributions to loot box revenues.” [Australian research came up with the exact same findings.]( https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/9h0z0f/loot_boxes_are_psychologically_akin_to_gambling/) In fact, every researcher who so much as looked at loot boxes quickly concluded they were awful. >”Loot boxes may well be acting as a gateway to problem gambling amongst gamers; hence the more gamers spend on loot boxes, the more severe their problem gambling becomes.” GambleAware's chief Zoe Osmond said the charity was "increasingly concerned that gambling is now part of everyday life for children and young people". And legislators were beginning to take notice. In April 2018, [Belgium’s Gaming Commission]( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43906306) investigated four games – one of which was Overwatch – and officially classified loot boxes as a form of gambling. Companies were ordered to remove them or risk fines and prison sentences. Those punishments could be doubled ‘when minors were involved’. The Belgian Minister of Justice, Koen Geens, called loot boxes ‘dangerous for mental health’. Players rejoiced, and called for other nations to do the same. >[”Fantastic!]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/8evx2j/belgium_declares_loot_boxes_gambling_and/dxyhokc/) I know that Belgium will have a sense of pride and accomplishment for making such a wise decision.” In response, Square Enix [pulled multiple games](https://www.theguardian.com/games/2018/nov/21/square-enix-pulls-games-mobius-final-fantasy-belgium-loot-box-ban) from sale in the country, and Blizzard removed lootboxes from the Belgian version of Overwatch, but not before releasing a snort-worthy statement. >[“While we at Blizzard]( https://eu.forums.blizzard.com/en/overwatch/t/paid-loot-boxes-and-loot-chests-disabled-for-players-in-belgium/8139) were surprised by this conclusion and do not share the same opinion, we have decided to comply with their interpretation of Belgian law.” Belgian players responded with derision. >[”I think gaming]( https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-08-28-blizzard-disables-paid-loot-boxes-for-overwatch-and-heroes-of-the-storm-in-belgium#comments) publishers would do well to comply with these national laws without feeling the need to comment on if they agree with them or not.” In the same month, the Netherlands Gaming Authority conducted a study of ten unnamed games, and concluded that four of them violated Dutch laws on gambling. They banned loot boxes where the rewards could be traded. Two years later, they [outlawed]( https://www.thegamer.com/netherlands-loot-box-ban/) all loot boxes, period. The walls were closing in. The Chinese government placed restrictions on how many loot boxes players could open each day, and required developers to enclose all the possible rewards, as well as the probability of each reward dropping. And to top things off, a US bill to [ban selling loot boxes to children]( https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/23/18636535/loot-boxes-josh-hawley-markey-blumenthal-privacy-video-games) had bipartisan support. [Even major publishers were getting in on it.]( https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-08-07-nintendo-sony-microsoft-to-require-loot-box-odds-disclosure) Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and Apple all ruled that loot boxes on their platforms would be required to disclose their odds. In June 2019, [Kerry Hopkins]( https://www.polygon.com/2019/6/21/18691760/ea-vp-loot-boxes-surprise-mechanics-ethical-enjoyable), vice president of legal and government affairs at EA, came to address the British House of Commons. When she was asked if EA had any ethical qualms with loot boxes, Hopkins referred to them as ‘surprise mechanics’, and declared that they were ‘quite ethical, quite fun, and enjoyable to people’. This did not go down well. >[”I'm surprised]( https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/c2jp75/ea_theyre_not_loot_boxes_theyre_surprise/erkkj91/) that she managed to do that entire speech without breaking into laughter or regurgitating several poisonous snakes.” […] >[”I'm not "beating](https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/c2jp75/ea_theyre_not_loot_boxes_theyre_surprise/erkmqn3/) you with fireplace tongs", I'm "supplementing your body with extra iron" […] >[”I'm not punching you]( https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/c2jp75/ea_theyre_not_loot_boxes_theyre_surprise/erku0an/), I'm applying percussive maintenance to your fucking face and that's quite ethical.” […] >[”I'm not pirating]( https://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/c2jp75/ea_theyre_not_loot_boxes_theyre_surprise/erkvzzf/) this EA game, it's a surprise acquisition. It's very ethical.” You get the idea. At the time, the [UK was considering]( https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/game-over-for-loot-boxes-that-lure-children-into-gambling-bxm52fdbl) reforms to the 2005 Gambling Act to outlaw them for good. [Australia put forward a bill to do the same]( https://www.kotaku.com.au/2021/07/an-australian-mp-is-introducing-a-bill-to-ban-loot-boxes-for-kids/). [Germany too.]( https://gameworldobserver.com/2021/03/09/german-authorities-pass-reform-bill-loot-boxes) As of 2021, loot boxes are considered to be on the [decline]( https://www.wired.co.uk/article/loot-boxes-new-gambling). The connotations are simply too negative, and most consumers have gotten wise. But knowing the game industry, they may be replaced by something far worse. And Blizzard will no doubt be on the cutting edge. #The Blitzchung Scandal **One Game Two Systems** In 2019, Hong Kong was embroiled in conflict. The city-state had long existed as part of China, but separate from it in a delicate balance known as the ‘one country two systems’ policy. It guaranteed that Hong Kong came under Chinese sovereignty, while maintaining its autonomy. The [history]( https://youtu.be/k3zg6-GLUc4?t=66) and politics behind it are [far beyond the scope]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_RdnVtfZPY) of this write-up, but what matters is that the Chinese government wanted to end Hong Kong’s special status and fully integrate it into the mainland, with dire consequences for the city’s people. Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers rushed onto the streets, calling for freedom and democracy. The eyes of the world were on them. Western corporations found themselves in a bind. China is the biggest market in the world, especially to the gaming industry. Its once-poor citizens are rapidly modernising. They’re watching movies, following sports, and they’re buying electronics. Any company that manages to break China can Scrooge McDuck their way to the bank. But that’s easier said than done. China is [incredibly picky]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R-FQTY4KJk) about what foreign products, personalities and media they allow into the country. Even after permission is granted, it can be withdrawn at any time, so companies will bend over backwards to keep the Chinese government happy. Sometimes that means incorporating [Chinese]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvYXoyxLv64) elements (but [never]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/s1duix/games_world_of_warcraft_part_5_mists_of_pandaria/hs806nz/) in a negative light), co-producing products or media in China, [hiding things]( https://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments/49x7m0/chinese_wow_censorship_comparisonlots_of/) that break Chinese taboos, singing China’s praises, or censoring anti-Chinese messages. The problem is that the other biggest market is the American and European West, who don’t look fondly on pro-Chinese propaganda or censorship in their media, particularly in the [current]( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22278037) [climate]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine-dash_line). Companies are [constantly working on ways ]( https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/dfjldg/blizzards_official_weibo_account_just_posted_an/f33icay/)to appeal to one audience without offending the other. Enter Blizzard. They’ve always had a strong relationship with China. Chinese players have made up the largest [demographic]( https://worldofwarcraft.fandom.com/et/wiki/WoW_population_by_country) in most Blizzard games, going back as far as Warcraft III, plus the Chinese gaming giant Tencent [used to own a 5% stake in the company.]( https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSFWN19F01H) Blizzard games were always region-locked, so it was easy to tweak the [Chinese experience]( https://www.engadget.com/2014-01-17-wow-archivist-wow-in-china-an-uncensored-history.html) without affecting western players. In World of Warcraft, undead characters and references to death were removed or changed, violence was toned down, and subscriptions were handled on an hourly basis, since most players used ‘internet cafes’. China had different esports competitions, different staff teams, and often got games or expansions far later than the rest of the world. It worked out well. For a while. **The Livestream** On 6th October 2019, the ‘Hearthstone Grandmasters’ event was streaming in Taiwan. Hong Kong resident Ng Wai Chung (also known under the alias of Blitzchung) did well, and racked up a prize of $3000 dollars. Following a successful match, he took part in an interview with Taiwanese hosts Virtual and Mr Yee, during which he pulled on a [mask]( https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/21/hong-kong-court-reinstates-mask-ban-public-gatherings-protest) and shouted in Mandarin into his microphone, >[”Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our time.”]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYCUVBKjddE) Seconds later, the feed was cut. [Blizzard]( https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/news/23179289) announced the next morning that Blitzchung had been [banned ]( https://www.wsj.com/articles/activision-suspends-esports-player-who-backed-hong-kong-protesters-11570559784)from [competing]( https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/768245386/blizzard-entertainment-bans-esports-player-after-pro-hong-kong-comments?t=1644758349906) for a year. His prize money would be forfeit, and even the hosts (who had hidden under a table during his speech) were fired. They cited a vague competition rule, allowing them to punish players for the following: >*”Engaging in any act that, in Blizzard’s sole discretion, brings you into public disrepute, offends a portion or group of the public, or otherwise damages Blizzard image.”* The news trickled through to Hearthstone’s western audience, who reacted with explosive fury. It was the talk of the online gaming community within hours. By the following day, it was making [headlines]( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49971077) across the world. >[“They even fired]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f2zz5d2/) the 2 commentators interviewing him, holy fuck!” […] >[”They did not]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f30af59/) hold back at all. Deleted the VoD, cancelled his prize, banned him for a year and fired both commentators. Would probably arrest everyone watching if they could.” […] >[”Corporations are]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f30crs9/) psychopaths, their only value is money.” […] >[”Blizzard be]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f30a2aa/) licking Chinese boots so hard it’s gross.” […] >[”You gotta lower]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f30ai3y/) your ideals of freedom if you wanna suck on the warm teat of China.” Blizzard immediately apologised. [To China.]( https://i.redd.it/3innty5cmjr31.jpg) >“We are very angered and disappointed in what happened at the event and do not condone it in any way. We also highly object to the spreading of personal political beliefs in this manner. Effective immediately we’ve banned the contestant from events and terminated work with the broadcasters. We will always respect and defend the pride of our country.” The stage was set for a shit-storm of hitherto unseen proportions, but no one at Blizzard was prepared for what followed. As one player put it, >[”I've never seen]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfor03/blizzard_added_the_name_freehongkong_to_their_ban/f351ob1/) the world turn on a company so fast.” **”Grovelling Sycophantic Cowards”** [#BoycottBlizzard]( https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/opinion/blizzard-hong-kong-boycott.html) began [trending]( https://torontoobserver.ca/2019/12/05/boycottblizzard-continues-despite-gaming-companys-attempts-to-make-amends/) worldwide on Twitter. Wow players [unsubscribed]( https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/devia0/blizzard_ruling_on_hk_interview_blitzchung/f2zbi73/) in [droves]( https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/devia0/blizzard_ruling_on_hk_interview_blitzchung/f2zi19q/). Even ex-WoW team lead [Mark]( https://imgur.com/1zQg9sJ) Kern [took part]( https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-blizzard-game-designer-mark-kern-boycotting-former-employer-2019-10?r=US&IR=T). >”[This hurts]( https://www.boredpanda.com/boycott-blizzard-mark-kern/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic). But until Blizzard reverses their decision on @blitzchungHS I am giving up playing Classic WoW, which I helped make and helped convince Blizzard to relaunch.” He was not the only one. >[”Time to]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f304yen/) cancel my sub.” […] >[”I cancelled]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f30cynx/) mine before work this morning. Can’t get behind this shit.” Players reported receiving thousand year bans for [posting about it on the forums]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfx3sg/blizzard_is_banning_people_on_their_forums_for/), so they changed their ‘battletag’ names on mass to ‘FreeHongKong’. That prompted Blizzard to block all references to [China]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfor03/blizzard_added_the_name_freehongkong_to_their_ban/). >”Blizzard won’t get a single cent from me as long as their actions clearly show they value profit over morality.” […] >[”Hearthstone]( https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/difllq/hearthstone_feels_dirty_now/) used to make me happy, or at least pass the time, and even when it felt like a job I still kept playing, but now... >Now it makes me feel dirty and gross.” Blizzard [disabled the option]( https://gamerant.com/blizzard-prevents-users-deleting-accounts/) for players to delete their accounts in a vain attempt to curb the boycott. However since this broke the laws of many countries, they were forced to reinstate it, or risk a class action lawsuit. >[”I just cancelled]( https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dezr7q/blizzard_pulls_blitzchung_from_hearthstone/f30cs9t/) my WoW subscription bc this pisses me off, told them so in the comments, and about 5 minutes after I got the message saying my subscription had been cancelled I got another saying they had locked my whole battle.net account. Wasn’t going to play any of their shit anyways, but damn that was quick.” […] >[”Can they dig]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfx3sg/blizzard_is_banning_people_on_their_forums_for/f378zr9/) themselves any deeper? I swear they're about to pop out above ground on the other side of the planet they've dug so much.” Blizzard was also accused of banning Twitch viewers for pro-Hong Kong messages, but the company claimed it was their [automatic moderating system]( https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/18/20921452/free-hong-kong-hearthstone-twitch-chat-ban) acting on its own. So many subscribers were commenting about Hong Kong that the system identified it as spam. At the time, the Collegiate Hearthstone Championship was taking place in the US. Three students from American University held up [held up]( https://cdn.blizzardwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/hearthstone-tespa-american-unversity-boycott.jpg) a [‘FREE HONG KONG, BOYCOTT BLIZZ’ sign]( https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1182409678371934212?s=19). The host cut away at once. The feed cut away, and their webcams were replaced by pictures of the game’s characters. None of them received bans, but they chose to forfeit the season anyway. >[”Blizzard has decided]( https://massivelyop.com/2019/10/11/blizzard-wont-punish-the-us-college-hearthstone-players-who-protested-in-support-of-blitzchung-so-they-quit/) not to penalize American University for holding up their sign and has scheduled their next match, but AU has decided to forfeit the match and the season, saying it is hypocritical for Blizzard to punish blitzchung but not them.” Casey Chambers, Corwin Dark, and a third player called TJammer went on record, >[“The players told]( https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/9/20906219/collegiate-hearthstone-hong-kong-protest) Polygon they believe Blizzard’s decision to suspend blitzchung and fire two Taiwanese casters was “unfair and draconian.” They continued: “We are also outraged that a company we trust would try and renege on the values they claim to hold.” >We knew from the moment we saw the news that the Hearthstone community, as well as the gaming community in general, would not accept Blizzard’s decision to support authoritarianism. We acted not only due to our own beliefs, but to represent the dissatisfaction felt by everyone.” Chambers would later learn that Blizzard had changed their mind. [The team received a six month ban]( https://twitter.com/Xcelsior_GU/status/1184333609370619905?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1184333609370619905%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.polygon.com%2F2019%2F10%2F16%2F20917672%2Fhearthstone-college-team-hong-kong-suspension-blizzard). In a fascinating turn of events, players began to use Blizzard’s cowardice against them. [A post]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/df2rz7/it_would_be_such_a_shame_if_mei_from_overwatch/) hit the top of /r/HongKong titled ‘It would be such a shame if Mei from Overwatch became a pro-democracy symbol and got Blizzard’s games banned in China’. The idea caught like wildfire. [Drawings and photo-shops washed across the internet]( https://imgur.com/a/oWiCMib) with extraordinary speed, transforming Mei (the only Chinese character in any Blizzard IP) into the face of the resistance. In this light, her iconic line, [‘Our world is worth fighting for,’]( https://youtu.be/oqm1LFykcAA?t=7) took on a new meaning. >[”If anyone is able]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/df5txl/pro_hong_kong_mei_inspiered_by_a_post_on_here/f3177vj/) and willing to make pro democracy mei posts please do so. Even if it's not to get back at blizzard. We could always use more symbols of democracy, peace, and freedom.” […] >[“I get the feeling]( https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/df5txl/pro_hong_kong_mei_inspiered_by_a_post_on_here/f31c9gp/) Blizz is going to have to do damage control pretty soon.” […] >[”This is how we win.]( https://www.reddit.com/r/Blizzard/comments/df9fk7/it_would_be_a_shame_if_mei_became_a_symbol_for/f3286xb/) We need to make blizzard characters the face of anti China. They will ban the games there and then blizzard will have to suck its own dick.” [Nathan Zamora]( https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/11/20909581/hearthstone-caster-admirable-quits-grandmasters-hong-kong-protest-blitzchung) and [Brian Kibler]( https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/9270/brian-kibler-steps-down-from-casting-blizzcon-amid-blizzards-blitzchung-handling), two esports casters, stepped down in solidarity. [CNN was talking about Blitzchung]( https://i.redd.it/1smlv4k4lyr31.jpg) and Fox News discussed it under the title [‘Game Over for Democracy?’]( https://twitter.com/Slasher/status/1182079919993569280?s=19) IGN, known for treating gaming companies with silk gloves, did not hesitate to condemn the ban. >[”Blizzard will parade]( https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/10/07/hearthstone-pro-calls-for-hong-kong-liberation-during-live-blizzard-interview) all the pride flags in the world, and all that corporate focus tested activism. But when the Chinese market is threatened, their real colors come to the front. And that color is green.” Even [Epic Games]( https://www.businessinsider.com/epic-unlike-blizzard-wont-ban-players-talking-politics-hong-kong-2019-10?r=US&IR=T), a company 40% owned by Tencent, released a statement supporting the rights of players to speak out about politics and human rights, and that they would never ban Fortnite players or content creators for it. In their video [‘Blizzard Chose Tyranny’]( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPq_EQPFUkY), James Stephanie Sterling (then Jim Sterling) cut right to the bone. >“Companies like Activision Blizzard not only ignore the terrorism and abuse going on in the nation, they actively support and silently condone it in their desperation, their sick and pathetic desperation to make money from the country’s massive consumer market. >”Activision Blizzard, in no uncertain terms, is run by craven, bootlicking worms, who have literally sold out human rights and human dignity, much less their own dignity, joining a shameful collective of corporations that are emboldening Jinping’s rule.” Within the halls of Blizzard, [things were heating up]( https://twitter.com/lackofrealism/status/1181639970332659712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1181639970332659712%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamesn.com%2Fboycott-blizzard). The executives had refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong. >[“The internal silence is deafening,”]( https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xwe7a7/the-internal-silence-is-deafening-blizzard-employee-says-about-china-controversy) the Blizzard employee told VICE. “Besides two brief ‘I'm listening’ emails from our president, we've heard nothing of substance. No one is helping us process what this means for us as a company, as individuals, or is identifying a path forward. No one has been told what to say or do in the aftermath of a legal yet insupportable decision.” By the end of the day, [thirty]( https://www.televisor.co.uk/global/politics/blizzard-employees-walk-out-in-support-of-hong-kong-protests-report/100922) employees had walked out. >[“The action Blizzard]( https://www.thedailybeast.com/blizzard-employees-staged-a-walkout-to-protest-banned-pro-hong-kong-gamer?ref=wrap) took against the player was pretty appalling but not surprising,” one Blizzard employee told The Daily Beast. “Blizzard makes a lot of money in China, but now the company is in this awkward position where we can’t abide by our values.” #[You can continue reading this post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/sym2nn/games_blizzard_entertainment_part_10_the_fall_of/hxydzyz/)

Loup Ventures Gene Munster explains why the new iPhone is worth $1,000.

Examples of old comments of mine that the mods tracked down & deleted: [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dfc6qi/disneyowned_espn_forbids_discussion_of_chinese/f32iio0/), [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/deim2l/disturbing_video_shows_hundreds_of_blindfolded/f2wbm1z/), and [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dfeub4/muslim_women_in_chinese_prison_camps_are_being/f33ae5h/) Mods have also deleted [similar list](https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dgswdh/a_list_containing_companys_who_subordinate/) posted by others. --- **Last Edited: Nov 6, 2019** **Hall of Bootlickers** * Activision / Blizzard: [banned player](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dexeva/blizzard_banned_and_took_player_off_air_after_his/) for supporting HK democracy protest. Confiscated all his winnings. Fired his interviewers. [Apologized to China](https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/dfjldg/blizzards_official_weibo_account_just_posted_an/): condemned incident, swore to defend China's national dignity * Activision / Blizzard: [censor](https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/c3ogy0/words_related_to_the_hong_kong_protests_are_being/) words related to HK protest in WoW * Activision / Blizzard: [cut livestream](https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfaz21/american_university_hearthstone_team_holds_up/) when American U team held up pro-HK sign * Activision / Blizzard: [censor](https://www.reddit.com/r/hearthstone/comments/djn4s9/playhearthstone_is_now_censoring_free_hong_kong/) "Free Hong Kong" in twitch chat of PlayHearthstone * Activision / Blizzard: [ban](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/djx44i/blizzard_is_banning_people_in_its_hearthstone/) users in its Hearthstone Twitch chat for pro-Hong Kong statements * American Express: [changed](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dstpi5/american_express_bootlicks_beijing_with_taiwan/) "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China" on its website * EA DICE: [censor](https://www.reddit.com/r/BattlefieldV/comments/dfb01p/hey_quick_question_why_cant_i_type_tiananmen/) "Tiananmen" in Battlefield V chat * ESL: [warn](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dgxh5k/ceo_of_worlds_largest_esports_firm_esl_warns/) staff not to discuss HK protests * TikTok: [censor](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/sep/25/revealed-how-tiktok-censors-videos-that-do-not-please-beijing) videos that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, Falun Gong * TikTok [refuses](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/drdty4/apple_and_tiktok_refuse_to_testify_to_us_congress/) to testify to US Congress about its business in China * ZLONGAME: [removed](https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/d4brd7/mobile_game_second_galaxy_removing_guilds_with/) guilds with any reference to HK in Second Galaxy M * Apple: [censor Taiwan flag emoji](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dex1j0/apple_bows_to_china_by_censoring_taiwan_flag_emoji/) in iOS in HK * Apple: [banned HK protest map](https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/apple-hk-protest-map/) in App Store. Approved app after backlash. [Banned](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/10/apple-removes-police-tracking-app-used-in-hong-kong-protests-from-its-app-store.html) app once again after China hissy fit * Apple: [banned](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dft8fk/apple_removes_quartz_news_app_from_chinese_app/) in Chinese App Store news app that covered HK protest * Apple: [minimized](https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/6/20853393/apple-iphone-ios-exploits-statement-security-google-false-impressions) the seriousness of iOS exploits that enabled China to track Uyghurs, when 1M+ of them are rounded up by China in concentration camps * Apple: [handed over](https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/18/17587304/apple-icloud-china-user-data-state-run-telecom-privacy-security) iCloud data & encryption keys to China * Apple: [told](https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/dgvi35/report_apple_told_apple_tv_creators_to_avoid/) Apple TV+ creators to avoid portraying China "in a poor light" * Apple: Safari browser [sends](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dh4vdq/apple_safari_browser_sends_some_user_ip_addresses/) some user IP addresses to Tencent by default * Apple [refuses](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/drdty4/apple_and_tiktok_refuse_to_testify_to_us_congress/) to testify to US Congress about its business in China * Vans: [censor pro-HK democracy design](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dekxtu/vans_shoes_face_boycott_calls_after_company/) in its shoe design competition * NBA (partial entry): [rebuked](https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/nba-statement-english-chinese-66104687) Rockets manager for his pro-HK tweet, saying NBA was "*extremely disappointed with Morey's inappropriate comment.*" Backpedalled after backlash, now saying they support Morey's freedom of speech. * Brooklyn Nets: owner [decried](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-basketball-nba-tsai/brooklyn-nets-owner-alibaba-co-founder-tsai-decries-houston-rockets-gms-hong-kong-tweet-idUSKBN1WM0C8) Rockets GM's pro-HK freedom tweet * Houston Rockets: [censored](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/dfyaks/journalist_gets_quickly_shut_down_when_she_asked/) journalist who asked question about freedom of speech after China debacle * James Harden: [apologized](https://www.foxnews.com/media/olbermann-harden-china-hong-kong-protesters) to China on behalf of his GM's pro-freedom tweet * Lebron James: [attacked](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27847951/daryl-morey-was-misinformed-situation-china) Morey for supporting HK democracy. Wanted Morey [punished](https://dailycaller.com/2019/10/15/lebron-james-nba-adam-silver-daryl-morey/) for it. * Philly Sixers: [ejected](https://6abc.com/sports/sixers-fan-supporting-hong-kong-ejected-from-preseason-game/5604293/) fans for supporting HK * Washington Wizards: [confiscated](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/dfpt97/schweppe_just_had_our_free_hong_kong_sign/) "Free Hong Kong" sign * Christian Dior: [apologize](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-dior-politics/christian-dior-criticized-over-china-map-apologizes-upholds-one-china-idUSKBN1WW096) for using "incorrect" China map * Disney / ESPN: [forbid](https://deadspin.com/internal-memo-espn-forbids-discussion-of-chinese-polit-1838881032) mention of Chinese politics when discussing Rockets manager's HK tweet * Disney / ESPN: [showed](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/dfrcp1/espn_acknowledges_chinas_claims_to_south_china/) map of China on SportsCenter that acknowledged CCP's claims to nearly entire South China Sea * Disney / Marvel: [censored Tibetan monk](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/tibet-supporters-protest-marvel-s-dr-strange-over-changed-character-n677706) from "Doctor Strange" & turned him into white woman. Movie screenwriter: "*if you acknowledge that Tibet is a place & that he’s Tibetan, you risk alienating one billion people who think that that’s bullshit*". * Disney: [removed](https://variety.com/2015/film/news/star-wars-china-poster-controversy-john-boyega-1201653494/) non-white characters from Chinese poster of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” * Disney / ESPN: [told](https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/difz94/strauss_espns_politics_policy_and_its_journalism/) reporter to stand down on covering the NBA-China story the way he wanted * Comcast / DreamWorks: movie "Abominable" [shows](https://www.reddit.com/r/China/duplicates/dhl0w4/dreamworks_latest_animation_movie_abominable/) 9 dash line in China map * Viacom / Paramount: [censor Taiwan flag](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/19/tom-cruises-top-gun-jacket-shows-how-key-china-is-to-film-industry.html) from the jacket worn by Tom Cruise in new "Top Gun" movie * ASICS, Calvin Klein, Coach, Fresh, Givenchy, Pocari Sweat, Valentino, Versace, Swarovski: details [here](https://www.whatsonweibo.com/these-are-the-foreign-brands-apologizing-to-china-amid-hong-kong-tensions/) * Marriott: apologized & [changed "Taiwan" to "Taiwan, China"](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2160030/taiwan-hotel-cuts-ties-marriott-protest-caving-beijing) after China threw a hissy fit * Marriott: [fired](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2128124/marriott-sacks-employee-who-liked-twitter-post-tibet-independence) employee who liked tweet from Tibetan group * Nike: [removed](https://fadeawayworld.net/2019/10/08/nike-removes-all-houston-rockets-related-products-from-their-china-webstore/) Houston Rockets products from China webstore * Cathay Pacific: [fired](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/28/cathay-pacific-denounced-for-firing-hong-kong-staff-on-china-orders) employees for FB posts supporting HK protests. * Google: [censored](https://lihkg.com/thread/1639291/page/1) pro-HK game "[The Revolution of Our Times](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=story.hk.hkmovement&hl=en_US)" from Google Play because it was about a "*sensitive event*". * Gap: [apologized](https://money.cnn.com/2018/05/15/news/companies/gap-tshirt-map-of-china/index.html) for selling T-shirts IN CANADA that didn't include Taiwan as part of China * Tiffany: [removed](https://news.yahoo.com/tiffany-removes-advert-over-hong-kong-controversy-093418861.html) tweet showing model covering 1 eye after China accused it of supporting HK * Mercedes: [apologized](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/07/mercedes-apologises-china-quoting-dalai-lama/) for quoting Dalai Lama on Instagram * American, Delta, United: [deleted](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7) mention of Taiwan as a country from websites * Audi: [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#audi-1) for using "incorrect" map of China that left off Taiwan * Muji: [destroyed](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#muji-2) store catalogs that contain "incorrect" map of China * Zara: [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#zara-4) for listing Taiwan as country * Medtronic: [apologized](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#medtronic-5) for publishing "illegal content" that listed "Republic of China (Taiwan)" as country * Ray-Ban: [changed](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#ray-ban-7) "Taiwan" & "Hongkong" to "China Taiwan" & "China Hongkong" * Qantas, Air France, Air Canada, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Japan Airlines, ANA: [changed](https://www.businessinsider.com/which-companies-have-changed-taiwan-description-china-2018-7#international-airlines-8) "Taiwan" to "Taiwan China" * Sheraton: [banned](https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3791266) Taiwan National Day event due to China pressure * Shutterstock: [censors](https://theintercept.com/2019/11/06/shutterstock-china-censorship-tech/) search for any topics China doesn't approve: “Taiwan flag,” “dictator,” “yellow umbrella” * US universities: [don't talk about](https://quillette.com/2019/07/22/when-the-lion-wakes-the-global-threat-of-the-chinese-communist-party/) 3 Ts: Tibet, Tiananmen, Taiwan * US universities: [welcome](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/16/how-china-infiltrated-us-classrooms-216327) China infiltrations with open arms * Leica: released ad on Tiananmen protest. [Apologized & distanced itself](https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3006817/leica-camera-backs-away-promotional-video-depicting-tiananmen) from ad * Reddit: took $150M from Tencent. Removed thread like [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dfc6qi/disneyowned_espn_forbids_discussion_of_chinese/) * Rockhampton, Queensland: [censored](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-09/childrens-cow-statue-design-altered-taiwan-flag-painted-over-qld/9739574) Taiwan flag in student project * Cisco: [helped build](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2016/04/ciscos-latest-attempt-dodge-responsibility-facilitating-human-rights-abuses-export) Great Firewall including module to persecute Falun Gong * MGM: [changed](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2237717/Red-Dawn-remake-swapped-Chinese-flags-insignia-North-Korean-ones-fear-losing-billion-dollar-box-office.html) Red Dawn's villain from China to N Korea to placate China * Global Blue: [fired](http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1161789.shtml) staff for calling Taiwan a country * L'Oréal / Lancôme: [canceled](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36457450) HK artist concert for her pro-democracy activism * US universities: [self-censor](https://newrepublic.com/article/150476/american-elite-universities-selfcensorship-china) in fear of offending China * Disney: [block](https://www.reddit.com/r/HongKong/comments/dfthv5/disney_officially_blocked_winnie_the_pooh_in_hong/) Winnie the Pooh website in HK After decades of opening up Western market to China while turning a blind eye to rampant Chinese IP thefts, forced tech transfers, & protectionism, we are looking at widespread control of Western firms by China. Firms that are not under outright Chinese control still kowtow to China out of fear of China's retaliation. This is a very incomplete list of what we're seeing publicly. Imagine how bad it is behind closed doors. --- **Hall of Backbones** * Daryl Morey: tweeted "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong" * Shaq: [said](https://nypost.com/2019/10/22/shaq-defends-free-speech-on-nba-opening-night-daryl-morey-was-right) Morey "was right" to openly support pro-democracy protesters in HK despite China's pressure * Matt Stone & Trey Parker: South Park "Band in China" * Ubisoft: listened to fans, [said no](https://www.windowscentral.com/rainbow-six-siege-drops-china-censorship-reverts-aesthetic-changes) to China after initially saying they would [tone down](https://www.polygon.com/2018/11/3/18058884/rainbow-six-siege-censored-china-pc-ps4-xbox-one-ubisoft) game content to be China-compliant. * Prague: [cancel](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/10/07/prague-moves-to-cancel-partnership-agreement-with-beijing/) partnership with Beijing over 1-China principle * Immutable: [offer to repay](https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/sydney-startup-under-fire-online-for-supporting-pro-hong-kong-protest-gamer-20191009-p52z2g.html) banned gamer's winnings that was confiscated by Blizzard, got cyber attacked as a result * Epic: [won’t ban](https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/9/20906110/blizzard-hearthstone-ban-hong-kong-china-epic-games-fortnite-blitzchung) players for political speech * Paradox Development: game [banned](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-05/29/content_334845.htm) by China in 2004 for using historically accurate maps that China deemed "incorrect". Refuse to bootlick: [latest edition](https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/hearts-of-iron-iv-removed-from-steam-in-china.1052971/) of game still using "incorrect" map * Yubico: [donated](https://www.technologyreview.com/f/614520/hong-kong-protesters-get-pro-bono-cybersecurity-help-from-silicon-valley/) 500 hardware security keys to HK protesters & journalists to defend against cyber attacks --- **China's never-ending human rights abuses** * Hundreds of human rights lawyers (not even dissidents, just the LAWYERS who defended people) were snatched by gestapo all over China in what is known as the [709 Crackdown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/709_crackdown). * One of those lawyers, Wang Quanzhang was [sentenced to 4.5 years](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/28/wang-quanzhang-china-sentences-human-rights-lawyer-to-four-years-in-prison) for "subversion of state power". But that's not enough. China actually [went after Wang's 6-year-old son](https://chinachange.org/2019/09/06/imprisoned-lawyer-wang-quanzhangs-six-year-old-son-once-again-forced-out-of-school/), forcing him out of his school and banning any other school from taking him in. * A dissident, [Wang Bingzhang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Bingzhang_(dissident\)) was kidnapped by Chinese agents in Vietnam and sentenced to life in prison after a closed trial that lasted 1 day. * A man wore a t-shirt with the word "Xitler" on it and [was disappeared](https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/11/03/young-chinese-activist-missing-after-sharing-plan-to-wear-xitler-t-shirt-on-cpc-anniversary-report/). Eventually he was [tried for "subversion of state power" while barred from meeting with lawyers](https://www.hongkongfp.com/2017/02/15/chinese-xitler-activist-trial-subversion-lawyers-barred-seeing/) * Another man, [Wang Meiyu](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/27/death-of-chinese-activist-in-police-custody-prompts-calls-for-investigation-into-torture) hold up a placard calling for Xi’s resignation & democracy. He was arrested for "picking quarrels”. He ended up dead in custody. * A woman live streamed herself [splashing ink on a Xi poster](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9sF34fJwh0). She was [disappeared](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-woman-dong-yaoqiong-disappears-spraying-ink-xi-jinping-a8455166.html). Her last social media update: *"Right now there are a group of people wearing uniforms outside my door. I’ll go out after I change my clothes. I did not commit a crime. The people and groups that hurt me are the ones who are guilty"*. Later on there was report of her being [sent to a psychiatric hospital](https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/23/chinese-protester-splashed-ink-xi-jinping-poster-sent-psychiatric-hospital-report/) * After the ink-splash woman's disappearance her father made a series of broadcast to call attention to her plight. He ended up getting [taken away by the police in the middle of a live stream](https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/14/police-interrupt-youtube-live-stream-father-missing-chinese-woman-splashed-ink-xi-jinping-photo/) * 5 people associated with a Hong Kong bookstore that sold titles such as "*Xi Jinping and His Six Women*" were [disappeared](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causeway_Bay_Books_disappearances). Only one managed to escape back to HK. He held a press briefing to tell the world about his kidnapping by China. He's now in exile in Taiwan. The other 4 are still somewhere in China. And, of course * [1.5 million](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights/15-million-muslims-could-be-detained-in-chinas-xinjiang-academic-idUSKCN1QU2MQ) Uyghurs rounded up in concentration camps * [Leaked footage](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/d722aw/chinas_detention_of_uighurs_video_of_blindfolded/) of a large number of blindfolded Uyghurs shackled together * [Genocide](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dfeub4/muslim_women_in_chinese_prison_camps_are_being/) through forced abortions & sterilizations on Uyghur women * [Sexual torture](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-uighur-muslim-women-abortions-sexual-abuse-genocide-a9144721.html) of Uyghur women such as rape & rubbing intimate parts with chili paste. * A Canadian journalist [wanted to debunk reports of Chinese anti-Muslim repression so he went on a stage-managed show tour put on by China](https://nationalpost.com/news/canadian-went-to-china-to-debunk-reports-of-anti-muslim-repression-but-was-shocked-by-treatment-of-uyghurs). That means he only saw a fake Potemkin village that China actually thought was acceptable by Western standard. But the brutality of even this fake Potemkin village stunned him. Now imagine what's really happening in the real concentration camps where millions of Uyghurs are being held. Imagine how bad the true situation is. * Using minorities & political prisoners as [free organ farms](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/c1my5j/china_is_harvesting_organs_from_detainees_uk/). * Call for [retraction of 400 Chinese scientific papers](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/feb/06/call-for-retraction-of-400-scientific-papers-amid-fears-organs-came-from-chinese-prisoners) amid fears organs came from Chinese prisoners * [15 Chinese studies retracted](https://www.newscientist.com/article/15-15-studies-retracted-due-to-fears-they-used-chinese-prisoners-organs/) due to fears they used Chinese prisoners' organs * [Cultural genocide & organ harvests](https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/china-uyghur-muslim-rules-laws-treatment-chinese-human-rights-religion-a8534161.html). A uyghur's testimony: *"First, children were stopped from learning about the Quran, then from going to mosques. It was followed by bans on ramadan, growing beards, giving Islamic names to your baby, etc. Then our language was attacked – we didn’t get jobs if we didn’t know Mandarin. Our passports were collected, we were told to spy on each other, innocent Uyghur prisoners were killed for organ harvesting"* * [Cultural genocide, part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/dff5pq/satellite_images_reveal_china_is_destroying/) destroy graveyards where generations of Uighur families are buried "to eradicate the ethnic group's identity" * China is moving beyond Uyghur and cracking down on its model minority Hui Muslim. ['Afraid We Will Become The Next Xinjiang': China's Hui Muslims Face Crackdown](https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/763356996/afraid-we-will-become-the-next-xinjiang-chinas-hui-muslims-face-crackdown): *"The same restrictions that preceded the Xinjiang crackdown on Uighur Muslims are now appearing in Hui-dominated regions. Hui mosques have been forcibly renovated or shuttered, schools demolished, and religious community leaders imprisoned. Hui who have traveled internationally are increasingly detained or sent to reeducation facilities in Xinjiang."* * [Leaked photo](https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/dsylqp/picture_of_a_political_prisoner_in_one_of_chinas/) of an extremely emaciated prisoner of Chinese concentration camps

Fox News contributor Liz Peek and Bullseye brief author Adam Johnson on how poor manufacturing data and Apple’s guidance cut has negatively affected the U.S. stock market.

#apple #Applestock #yahoofinance Yahoo Finance anchors Jared Blikre, Seana Smith and Pras Subramanian look at Apple shares amid concerns emerging around delays in the iPhone 14's production from Chinese manufacturers. Don't Miss: Valley of Hype: The culture that built Elizabeth Holmes WATCH HERE: https://youtu.be/Sb179GLPNYE Subscribe to Yahoo Finance: https://yhoo.it/2fGu5Bb About Yahoo Finance: At Yahoo Finance, you get free stock quotes, up-to-date news, portfolio management resources, international market data, social interaction and mortgage rates that help you manage your financial life. Yahoo Finance Plus: With a subscription to Yahoo Finance Plus get the tools you need to invest with confidence. Discover new opportunities with expert research and investment ideas backed by technical and fundamental analysis. Optimize your trades with advanced portfolio insights, fundamental analysis, enhanced charting, and more. To learn more about Yahoo Finance Plus please visit: https://yhoo.it/33jXYBp Connect with Yahoo Finance: Get the latest news: https://yhoo.it/2fGu5Bb Find Yahoo Finance on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2A9u5Zq Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2LMgloP Follow Yahoo Finance on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2LOpNYz Follow Yahoo Finance Premium on Twitter: https://bit.ly/3hhcnmV

Apr.28 -- Pierre Ferragu, New Street Research analyst, discusses what he expects from Apple earnings on "Bloomberg Technology."

Good afternoon from the UK. Sorry for a late post, real life got in the way. ​ **Virus statistics** |**Region**|Today|Yesterday|% change| |:-|:-|:-|:-| |Global|118,162|113,672|\+4.0%| |China|80,955|80,924|\+0.4%| |Italy|10,149|9,172|\+10.7%| |Iran|8,042|7,161|\+12.3%| |South Korea|7,755|7,513|\+3.2%| |France|1,774|1,412|\+25.6%| |Spain|1,639|1,024|\+60.1%| |Germany|1,296|1,139|\+13.8%| |USA|1,039|755|\+37.6%| |Japan|568|514|\+10.5%| |Switzerland|476|332|\+43.4%| |Netherlands|382|321|\+19.0%| |UK|373|323|\+15.5%| |Sweden|326|203|\+60.6%| |Norway|277|169|\+63.9%| |Belgium|267|200|\+33.5%| |Denmark|262|36|\+627.7% (I double checked that twice)| Countries with under 250 identified infections not listed. Total countries infected worldwide = 113, an increase from yesterday of 3. Source: The WHO dashboard ([Link](https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd)), except for USA where I'm using the John Hopkins University dashboard ([Link](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6)). Given Italy had 647 cases only 12 days ago and now has over 1,000% that number (archive.is [source](http://archive.is/18wat)), it's reasonable to expect quarantines to one degree or another to come into place in a week or two for any country currently over 250. Reminder, these are identified case counts and medical experts are reporting this virus has a long incubation period with people being infections despite displaying no symptoms; the true infection figures are likely to be much higher. ​ **Virus news** ​ **A junior health minister in the UK has tested positive -** The BBC reports that Nadine Dorries has announced that she has put herself in self isolation. She said she is worried about her 84 year old mother who was staying with her and began to cough yesterday. Health specialists are actively working on tracking down everyone in came into contact with her. [Link](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51827356) ​ **U.S. coronavirus testing threatened by shortage of critical lab materials -** Politico in the US reports ([link](https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/10/coronavirus-testing-lab-materials-shortage-125212)) that a looming shortage in lab materials is threatening to delay coronavirus test results and cause officials to undercount the number of Americans with the virus. The slow pace of coronavirus testing has created a major gap in the U.S. public health response. The latest problem involves an inability to prepare samples for testing, creating uncertainties in how long it will take to get results. Public health labs across the U.S. have tested more than 5,000 people, according to the Trump administration. HHS Secretary Alex Azar told lawmakers on Tuesday that U.S. labs’ capacity could grow to 10,000-20,000 people per day by the end of the week. (*Personal note, by comparison business insider reports that South Korea has tested over 189,000 people as of last Sunday:* [*Link*](https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-testing-covid-19-tests-per-capita-chart-us-behind-2020-3) *which makes it 700 times higher than the US in per capita terms*). ​ **Virus reaction** ​ **A wildcat strike has occurred in one of Fiat's factories in Italy due to the virus -** ilmattino.it ([Link](https://www.ilmattino.it/AMP/napoli/coronavirus_campania_napoli_sciopero_spontaneo_fiat_di_pomigliano-5102791.html), in Italian) reports that concerns by the factory workers about insufficient heath precautions being provided has led to a strike. ​ **South Korean infection rates reducing -** the SCMP reports that daily infection rates are reducing despite being one of the worst affected countries outside China. South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday noted his country’s “slowing trend” of new infections but warned: “We should not be complacent at all.” Reasons for the reduction include mass testing, improved public communications and use of technology. South Korea has been proactive in providing its citizens with information needed to stay safe, including twice daily media briefings and emergency alerts sent by mobile phone to those living or working in districts where new cases have been confirmed. Details about the travel histories of confirmed patients are also available on municipal websites, sometimes with breakdowns of a patient’s residence or employer, which can make them identifiable individually, leading to concerns about privacy. Importantly, tests are prohibitively expensive in many countries but free in South Korea with 50 drive through test centres being provided to carry out tests in 10 minutes with results available within just a few hours. [Link](https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3074469/coronavirus-south-korea-cuts-infection-rate-without) ​ **Major mask manufacturer 3M taps regional suppliers to meet soaring demand for masks -** Reuters reports that 3M has been using regional suppliers instead of far flung locations to source necessary materials to make masks. So far there is no disruption in production. US VP Pence is set to visit their mask making facility tomorrow. [Link](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-3m/3m-taps-regional-suppliers-to-meet-soaring-demand-for-masks-idUSKBN20S214) ​ **Economics** ​ **Goldman: Coronavirus could reduce profits 3.6% for manufacturers -** Supplychaindive reports ([Link](https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/manufacturers-36-drop-profit-coronavirus-goldman/573800/)) that Goldman Sachs believes that the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting quarantine could result in an estimated 2.1% drop in sales and a 3.6% drop in 2020 operating profits for technology and other manufacturing companies in China and the surrounding region. Smartwatches, computer monitors and television sales are all expected to drop by millions of units with Apple manufacturer Foxconn likely to see a reduction of 4% of sales. ​ **Bloomberg opinion: Airlines Are Sounding Alarms. Shouldn’t Suppliers, Too? -** Bloomberg has written an opinion piece ([Link](https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/opinion/articles/2020-03-10/american-aal-delta-dal-warn-on-virus-what-about-suppliers)) that points out that the major impact being suffered by the aviation industry is likely to spread. The deepest cuts are still in the Asia-Pacific region, with American yanking routes to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong through October, while Delta plans on Pacific capacity being down 65% versus its original plan. But Europe is increasingly becoming a no-fly zone as well, with American temporarily suspending certain service to Barcelona, Rome, Paris and Madrid, and Delta planning on as much as a 20% reduction in transatlantic flights. If the trend line for the virus holds and cases continue to rise exponentially in the U.S., it stands to reason that American’s 7.5% cut to domestic flights in April and Delta’s as much as 15% reduction in capacity will be the beginning rather than the end of the retrenchment. The article goes on to point out that the airlines may soon start to reduce plane orders and it points out that whilst several airline CEOs have taken reductions of some or even all of their salary, to date no aviation supplier CEOs have followed suit. ​ **Australian economy getting hit -** Logisticsbureau has written an article focusing on the China-Australia trade lane, pointing out that bi-directional trade was worth $194.6bn AUD last year, meaning China is Australia's largest trading partner by some distance (China accounts for 24.4% of total bilateral trade for Australia, Japan is next with 9.7% then the US). The article includes some case studies including reduced demand for Australian iron, coal, various food and alcohol products and in the opposite direction shipments of various manufactured goods have dried up whilst shortages including cleaning and hygienic products are being caused by domestic consumer panic buying in Australia. A discussion on Australia's Channel 9 identified potential shortages in the near future that end consumer may start to notice including clothing, footwear and some construction materials [Link](https://www.logisticsbureau.com/how-covid-19-is-battering-australias-imports-and-exports/) ​ **The psychology of panic buying -** Stylist has an article on why we feel the need to stock up on things when we believe we are in a crisis situation. "Not many human decisions are entirely conscious, hardly any actually. Our minds use quick decision shortcuts to be able to faster react to danger and survive,” explains consumer psychologist Kate Nightingale. “Since the information communicated is really frequent and often very dire, our mind assumes the problem is even worse than it actually is." The article goes on to explain the concept of availability heuristic where we become incapable of calculating the true odds of being affected and why we drop down to deciding to fulfil the needs found in the lower layers of Maslow's hierarchy of basic needs. [Link](https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/coronavirus-panic-buying-shoppers-stockpiling-rationing-toilet-roll-hand-sanitiser-supermarkets-stores/365688). On the same topic, El Mundo in Spain is also reporting ([Link](https://www.elmundo.es/economia/2020/03/10/5e66d835fc6c83d03c8b4624.html), in Spanish) that panic buying has spread to Spain. ​ **Supply Chain** ​ **NZ government approves the release of rock lobsters back to the sea due to a collapse in demand from China -** CIPS.org (the British Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) reports ([Link](https://www.cips.org/en-GB/supply-management/news/2020/february/nz-to-release-rock-lobsters-as-coronavirus-impacts-demand/)) that 150-180 tonnes of lobsters will be released back into NZ waters due to the virus causing a significant drop in demand. “The decision will affect the live crayfish in holding pots at sea, and some held in tanks on land. It means they can be harvested again when the trade disruptions are resolved” said the NZ fisheries minister. Lobster fisheries in Australia are also experiencing a considerable drop in the price of lobsters (*personal note: yesterday I flagged a report saying that US and Canadian lobster fisheries are experiencing major problems too with a lot of staff layoffs being reported)*. ​ **Airlines cancelling thousand of flights -** the BBC reports ([link](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51818492)) that multiple airlines around the world are cancelling lots of flights; Ryanair and BA have cancelled all flights to Italy until the beginning of April, Norwegian Air says it will cut 15% of all flights in the next 3 months, American Airlines is cutting 7.5% of flights in the US and Qantas is cancelling nearly 25% of its international flights. Korean Airlines' president meanwhile has warned its employees in a memo that "... if the situation continues for a longer period, we may reach the threshold where we cannot guarantee the company's survival". In a separate article from flyhigh.news ([Link](https://flyhigh.news/american-and-delta-announce-deep-cuts-in-international-and-domestic-flights/)), Delta said it will cut its international flights between 20% – 25% and trim domestic flights by 10% – 15% - the are other sources available on this one too. United meanwhile told CNBC ([Link](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/coronavirus-drives-united-airlines-us-bookings-down-70percent.html)) that it has experienced a 70% plunge in bookings in the last few days. ​ **How are Canada’s biggest airlines cleaning planes amid coronavirus outbreak? -** GlobalNews Canada has written an article clarifying that Clorox wipes and sprays are now being used to clean the galleys, lavatories, tray tables, seat armrests and headrests, seatbelt buckles, the power supply unit panel, overhead bin door latches and lavatory door handles whilst full sanitisation occurs for planes overnight. [Link](https://globalnews.ca/news/6655089/coronavirus-canadian-airlines-cleaning-planes/) ​ **‘Most places are not prepared’: Face mask shortage could get much worse as coronavirus spreads -** Fortune magazine says that US based mask manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand and having to proportion supplies, facing choices between supplying hospitals or 911 responders. The lack of medical masks is rapidly becoming a global problem, with public health officials warning that restrictive trade measures tied to medical supplies could worsen the shortfall and risk making poorer nations more vulnerable to the coronavirus’ spread. In some countries, including Japan and Germany, doctors are being told to reuse the single mask they get daily because of a lack of supply. Manufacturers need to boost production of masks by another 40% to meet demand, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general. While the WHO has shipped supplies to 47 countries including Iran, Cambodia and Uganda, shortages will hit soon, especially of the N95 masks that block out 95% of airborne particulates to combat the current virus. Before the epidemic, China produced about half of the world’s output of masks with daily production of about 20 million units, according to state media Xinhua. Factories have since boosted production more than five-fold and are enlisting carmakers to manufacture them. That’s still not enough says the magazine. [Link](https://fortune.com/2020/03/10/coronavirus-face-masks-covid-19-n95-surgical-mask-shortage/) ​ **Amazon Prime Now and other delivery services in the US hit with delays as online shopping surges amid coronavirus outbreak -** CNBC is reporting ([Link](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/04/amazon-prime-now-suffers-delays-amid-coronavirus-outbreak.html)) that Amazon, Instacart and Walmart have all warned of limited delivery availability due to heavy demand from online shoppers stocking up on essentials. In Seattle Prime Now waiting times have extended beyond 24 hours with customers in Seattle, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Orlando, Chicago, Miami and Boston also experiencing issues. ​ **iPhone product launches likely to slip -** Appleinsider says that the Bank of America in an investor note believes that the "iPhone 12" may be delayed by a month with the "iPhone SE 2" being delayed two months. Apple has already asked its workers to work from home in the US. It's CEO Tim Cook says he's certain the situation is under control and supply constraints will only last a short time. [Link](https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/03/08/apple-product-launches-face-months-of-delays-over-supply-chain-backlog) ​ **UK food supply chain security -** Farming UK reports that the government is extending delivery hours for supermarkets and other food retailers to improve frequency of deliveries to avoid stockout. Retailers said a relaxation of curfews would help them respond to the increased consumer demand for some products. Current rules mean that deliveries are prohibited overnight so that vehicles do not disturb residents. Further steps may be taken if necessary including relaxing laws on maximum driving working hours. [Link](https://www.farminguk.com/news/coronavirus-new-measures-to-help-maintain-uk-food-supply-chain_55168.html) ​ **UK supply chain firm Uniserve warns of Italy disruptions -** it says that there will be a significant reduction in the availably of drivers and equipment for Italian transport adding of potential escalations in costs and additional administration to manage the challenging situation. [Link](https://uniserve.co.uk/covid-19-italian-lock-down-trade-lane-logistics/) ​ **MIT's Yossi Steffi commentary in the WSJ: Supply-Chain Risks From the Coronavirus Demand Immediate Action -** Professor Steffi has written a piece in the WSJ ([Link](https://www.wsj.com/articles/commentary-supply-chain-risks-from-the-coronavirus-demand-immediate-action-11582054704)) explaining the concept of the bullwhip effect, the brief idea of which is that as demand changes, each firm in a supply chain will receive changed orders, and then change them a bit more before passing on to their company which results in ever more extreme swings in orders. He suggests companies should set up a central emergency management centre, review the product portfolio and set priorities, check who makes what, change strategy to maximise cash flow rather than profits, maintain communications with authorities. ​ **'Coronavirus impact subsiding rapidly' as China shipping revives -** Load Star (one of my favourite supply chain news sites) reports ([link](https://theloadstar.com/coronavirus-impact-subsiding-rapidly-as-china-shipping-revives/)) that whilst Europe and N America is beginning to have problems dealing with viral outbreaks in their own countries, China's shipping activities are picking up. There is a clear reduction in the amount of blanked sailings leading to increased export cargo arriving in at Chinese ports requiring onward maritime transport to destination countries. “The weekly measurement of carriers’ blank sailings out of China show the coronavirus impact is now subsiding rapidly,” said SeaIntelligence chief executive Alan Murphy. “The bulk of the blank sailings were announced during weeks seven and eight; weeks nine and ten have seen a clear tapering off, and the level of new announcements of blank sailings is back to normal." Ports in consumer markets are now feeling the effects. The dramatic slump in imports due to lack of demand for the haulage sector has been “brutal”, according to a Felixstowe-based operator (UK). “We have had to lay off some of our drivers, as business is just not there at the moment,” he told The Loadstar. (*Personal note: we may soon see a major swing away from a lack of supply in China to a lack of demand in consumer markets in the coming weeks and months causing further problems for maritime shippers. This is a real life example of the bullwhip effect and it will probably take months for things to stabilise back down.*) ​ **Coronavirus Impact on Imports Expected To Be Larger and Longer Than Previously Anticipated -** SupplyChain247 reports that the impact on imports may be currently underestimated because factory shutdowns and travel restrictions in China continue to affect production according to the global port tracker report released by the National Retail Federation. The report estimates some element of normalcy will not return until late March or early April. US ports are estimated to handle 1.32m TEU in March, 18.3% less than the same month last year. There is some good news; the report estimates that from May onwards imports may be much larger than the same time last year as the shippers work to catch up. [Link](http://www.supplychain247.com/article/coronavirus_impact_on_imports_expected_to_be_larger_and_longer) ​ **Coronavirus will alter, not destroy, global supply chain: former UN ambassador -** Freightwaves reports on comments from a former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley who believes that many global companies may reconsider their global supply chain structure to reduce dependency on China once the pandemic subsides. The virus will make life for Americans and non-Americans alike “more uncomfortable” over the near term, Haley said. “It will pass and we will be fine,” she said. ([Link](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/coronavirus-will-alter-not-destroy-global-supply-chain-former-un-ambassador)) ​ **How to prepare the tech supply chain for the next outbreak: ‘You just can’t’ -** The South China Morning Post has interviewed Liam Casey (the Irish founder of PCH International which specialises in helping companies to design, engineer, develop, manufacture, pack out, fulfill and distribute products as well as manage supply chains) said “Over the last 20 years, a huge amount of the component assembly and manufacturing has been concentrated in China"...“You can move your final assembly today, but if you want a purely independent supply chain, that is a massive investment. I can’t see any one company that wants to make it.” His summary - you can cope with trade wars and natural disasters but can't plan for coping with an epidemic. [Link](https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3074333/how-prepare-tech-supply-chain-next-outbreak-you-just-cant) ​ **Good news section** ​ **Delivery firm Hermes to pay gig workers if they must self-isolate -** Major gig economy UK delivery company Hermes has announced it will pay its self-employed couriers if they are told to self-isolate because of coronavirus, despite not normally providing sick pay, stating it had set aside a £1m support fund. The move follows warnings from trade unions that a lack of sick pay for the more than 1 million gig economy workers could accelerate the spread of the virus, as workers would face financial difficulties if they did not carry on regardless of their or others’ health. Many gig workers are in public, highly mobile roles visiting hundreds of addresses every week delivering parcels and takeaways and carrying passengers in minicabs. Deliveroo and Uber are still deciding what stance to take but rival DPD has said it will not follow Hermes' lead. [Link](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/delivery-firm-hermes-gig-workers-self-isolate-coronavirus)

Hi r/ecommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Every week for the past 5 years I've posted a summary recap of the week's top stories on this subreddit, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in to this week's top e-commerce news... ___ **STAT OF THE WEEK:** The 4 biggest U.S. banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citi — control nearly 45% of all U.S. bank deposits, while the top 10 banks collectively hold a 65% share. The other roughly 4,369 FDIC-insured banks and savings institutions hold the remaining 35% between them. ___ **TikTok** signed the deal to spin off its U.S. assets to create a new entity with a group of mostly American investors, as confirmed by CEO Shou Chew in a memo to employees on Thursday. Under the agreement, the U.S. TikTok app will be controlled by a new joint venture that's 45% owned by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, 30.1% owned by "affiliates of certain existing investors in ByteDance," 19.9% owned by BytDance, and 5% ownd by an unnamed group of mysterious investors. (Is it Donald Trump?) The new entity will retrain TikTok’s algorithm on U.S. user data. Oracle will oversee storage of Americans’ data. TikTok Global will continue to manage e-commerce, advertising, and marketing on the new U.S. platform. Advertisers will be able to continue to connect with global audiences with no impact. The parties are moving to close the deal by January 22, 2026. ___ **Temu** launched an official **Shopify app** enabling merchants to list and manage products on their marketplaces directly from their Shopify admins. The app is now available on the Shopify App Store and gives merchants direct access to Temu's Local Seller Program in more than 30 markets where the program operates, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Spain, and Australia. The app offers one click product syncing, ability to list across more than 600 product categories, real-time inventory updates, and automated order and shipping coordination. So far the app is not off to a great start with just one 1-Star review on its Shopify App Store listing that describes the interface not being intuitive, a limited feature set, and unreliable product synchronization. ___ **PayPal** applied for approval to form PayPal Bank, which would enable the company to provide business lending solutions to small businesses in the U.S. without relying on third parties, offer interest-bearing savings accounts to customers with FDIC coverage, and seek direct membership with card networks to complement its processing and settlement activities. The company has submitted applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish PayPal Bank, a proposed Utah-chartered industrial loan company. Mara McNeill has been selected to serve as PayPal Bank's President, coming to the table with over 25 years of financial services experience in banking, commercial lending, and private equity, most recently serving as President and CEO of Toyota Financial Savings Bank, and earlier in her career, worked as general counsel in auto finance for JPMorgan Chase. ___ **Meta** is currently testing imposing a limit on the number of links professional users can post on Facebook, unless they have a paid Meta Verified subscription. Meta told TechCrunch that it is trying to learn how it can add more value to Meta Verified subscribers, and this test is one such experiment to enhance that paid plan. How is taking something away that was free for all users and subscription-gating it “adding value” to paid subscribers? It all comes down to Meta wanting to keep people engaging with content on their own platforms, not with the Internet at large, in order to earn more ad revenue. TechCrunch reports that in its transparency report for Q3, Meta said that more than 98% views on the feed in the U.S. come from posts that don’t have any links. That is by design. It was not always that way on Facebook. The company has spent the past two decades suppressing the reach of posts that include external links — a well known fact by publishers — as to train its users not to include them if they want their posts to perform. LinkedIn and X do the same. ___ Here goes news about 9 major lawsuits... **Instacart** agreed to pay $60M in refunds to settle FTC allegations that the company failed to disclose mandatory service fees and hid refund options from users. For example, the FTC demonstrated that Instacart falsely offered “free delivery” to customers on their first order, but still required them to pay a mandatory service fee to get their groceries delivered. Basically they just gave the “delivery fee” a different name. Instacart denied any wrongdoing, claiming that it uses “straightforward marketing, transparent pricing and fees, clear terms, easy cancellation and generous refund policies,” but confirmed the settlement. ___ **Apple** and **Amazon** are facing a new UK class action seeking over £900M for over 10M buyers of Apple products for allegedly colluding to restrict independent sellers and inflate prices. The lawsuit alleges that a 2018 agreement led Amazon to block most third-party sellers from offering Apple products while granting Amazon favorable wholesale terms, effectively pushing independent resellers off the marketplace by early 2019 and leaving shoppers with fewer discounts and higher prices. The two companies had a similar case dismissed in the U.S. a few months ago. Doesn't Amazon have a right to say “no resellers” for any brand? And doesn't Apple have a right to implement a Minimum Advertised Price policy for any of its resellers that would effectively standardize pricing for its products across Amazon anyway? It's a fine line I guess between “collusion” and “independently agreeing to implement policies at the same time.” ___ **Adobe** is facing a class action lawsuit spearheaded by an Oregon author who claims that the company used pirated versions of books to train its SlimLM program, which is a small LLM that can work on mobile devices. The lawsuit claims Adobe’s SlimLM model was trained on the SlimPajama dataset, which plaintiffs say is derived from RedPajama and includes the Books3 collection, a dataset of roughly 191,000 books that has been criticized for containing copyrighted material. At some point, every company with an LLM that hasn't been sued yet should just come forward and preemptively settle with book authors, because they all did it! ___ **Zappos** is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing it of secretly sharing shoppers' data with Meta without consent, despite promising to keep their information confidential. The plaintiffs argue that Zappos violated federal and California privacy laws by permitting Meta's pixel to intercept customers' electronic communications without their knowledge or consent, even though the company explicitly told customers that their personal information would not be used or shared for interest-based advertising, and claim that Meta received customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, location data and purchase details during these interactions. A California federal judge recently denied a motion from Adidas to dismiss a similar class-action lawsuit, so she's got a chance! ___ **Speaking of Meta…** The company agreed to a $50M settlement to resolve allegations that it deceived millions of users about privacy controls and allowed third-party apps to improperly access personal information for years. The settlement stems all the way back to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2013, which affected around 7M Facebook users in California. Meta did not admit to any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay the $50M in civil penalties and implement reforms on how it oversees third-party applications for the next three years. Ouch! I'm sure Meta was hurting over that rounding error.  ___ Remember last week when I reported that a startup calling itself **“Operation Bluebird”** filed a formal petition with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to cancel **X's trademarks** of the words “Twitter” and “tweet” due to the company abandoning the Twitter brand and no longer using the terms? Well now X is countersuing Operation Bluebird for copyright infringement for “brazenly attempting to steal the world-famous TWITTER brand,” claiming that it never gave up the Twitter name and logo, despite the rebrand. X defends its trademark over the fact that millions of people still access the X platform through the Twitter-com domain and use the terms “Twitter” and “Tweet” when referring to the platform and its posts. I'd say that this lawsuit feels like Elon Musk using his wealth and ample legal teams to bully and intimidate the operation, but Operation Bluebird already started using the Twitter trademarks in their marketing! They kind of had this countersuit coming to them. ___ **noyb**, a European privacy advocacy group that focuses on enforcing data protection laws, filed two complaints with the Austrian data protection authority against TikTok, AppsFlyer, and Grindr for unlawfully tracking user data across third-party apps. The group alleges that TikTok utilized AppsFlyer to access sensitive information, including a user's sexual orientation inferred from Grindr usage, without valid consent under GDPR, and that TikTok failed to provide complete data in response to access requests and utilized a “download tool” that withheld relevant personal information. Does TikTok really need Grindr to determine a user's sexual orientation? I figured that'd be obvious after about the fourth or fifth video swipe. ___ **A U.S. federal judge** dismissed a lawsuit accusing **Google** and **TikTok** of negligently hosting harmful videos, ruling the claims were barred by Section 230 and product liability laws. The plaintiffs argued the platforms ignored reports of harmful content, but the court found the case amounted to a disagreement over content moderation decisions rather than result of the social media companies offering a “defective” product. The dismissal was issued with prejudice, preventing the plaintiffs from refiling unless an appeals court intervenes. ___ Last but not least… **Google** is suing **SerpAPI**, a data extraction service that provides structured results from Google and other search engines via APIs, for allegedly using hundreds of millions of fake search requests to scrape Google search results, bypass security protections, and resell copyrighted content at scale. Google claims the scraping targeted licensed and content-rich results such as Knowledge Panels, Maps, and Shopping listings, and is seeking monetary damages and an injunction to stop the activity. The lawsuit follows similar allegations brought by Reddit earlier this year against SerpApi and other scrapers over unauthorized data use tied to AI training. ___ **Amazon** is bringing **Alexa+** to your desktop browser to further compete with ChatGPT, Gemini and other web-based AI chatbots. The paid AI assistant was previously only available on mobile, and is now initially available on Alexa-com to a subset of users in the Alexa+ early access program, with access likely to expand in the coming weeks. The new web portal allows users to start new chats, access and continue past Alexa chats, including ones started on other devices, and seamlessly switch back and forth between voice conversations and text chats across devices. Todd Bishop of GeekWire wrote, "I’ve been trying it out, and I’m already finding it quite useful as an extension of the Alexa experience. In addition to expanding the chat functionality to the browser, the web interface offers fine-grained control over reminders, calendar appointments, uploaded files, and smart home devices." He goes on to talk about how Alexa's smart home integration gives users the ability to control lights and plugs, view Ring cameras, and perform other home tasks with more accuracy than with voice commands or mobile inputs. ___ **OpenAI** introduced an app directory inside of ChatGPT, enabling users to connect to platforms like Booking-com, Spotify, Dropbox, and Adobe directly within the ChatGPT interface. The app section is currently divided into three categories — Feature, Lifestyle and Productivity — and apps can be used in ChatGPT by simply mentioning them. The company wrote: “Apps extend ChatGPT conversations by bringing in new context and letting users take actions like order groceries, turn an outline into a slide deck, or search for an apartment.” Earlier this year at its DevDay, OpenAI introduced apps in ChatGPT, but up until now the program was in beta with select companies like Zillow. Now the program is open to all developers to submit apps for review and publication. ___ **U.S. Senators** from New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Connecticut introduced legislation to extend Truth in Lending Act protections to pay-in-installment loans so that BNPL loans carry the same core protections as credit cards. The ***Buy Now, Pay Later Protection Act*** seeks to mandate standardized periodic statements, clear dispute and refund rights, and the disclosure of all fees upfront to prevent predatory practices. The push follows several years of failed or incomplete efforts to bring BNPL under existing credit regulation. ___ **Mattel** postponed the launch of its OpenAI-integrated toys, originally planned for 2025, amid rising scrutiny and safety concerns around AI use by children. When the partnership was first announced in June, Mattel didn’t clarify whether the “AI-enabled toys” would come in the form of physical products, like a Barbie that helps you code websites, or a digital experience delivered through apps and websites. However now it doesn't matter because the project has stalled. The only details that the company provided about the decision is that it plans to pivot future AI products toward older audiences and families to align with OpenAI's age restrictions. ___ **Rakuten Group** is pushing to recruit more overseas merchants to its Rakuten Ichiba marketplace as part of its strategy to keep users from shopping on rival platforms with lower prices like Temu and Shein. The company first began allowing foreign sellers on its marketplace in 2015, starting with the U.S. and South Korea, and eventually expanding to 22 markets including China and European countries. Foreign sellers currently make up fewer than 2,000 of Ichiba's roughly 55,000 merchants, but the company plans on adding up to 600 new overseas sellers per year by offering dedicated consultants, expanded training programs, and curated merchandising support. Rakuten is also rolling out AI-powered recommendations and private-label products as it tries to defend user engagement against competitors that are gaining traction in Japan. Shein entered the Japanese market in 2020, followed by Temu in 2023. ___ **DoorDash** launched a grocery shopping app inside ChatGPT, letting users turn recipe prompts into shoppable grocery carts and check out through DoorDash from local stores, with delivery offered in under an hour with some partner grocers. The integration allows customers to discover meals, auto-generate ingredient lists, and complete purchases without leaving the chat, starting with grocery partners like Kroger, Safeway, Wegmans, and other regional chains. Last week I reported that Instacart launched a similar shopping experience, and given how OpenAI opened its app store to all developers (as reported earlier in this edition), I'd imagine we'll see more grocery integrations coming soon. ___ **Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology** is expanding beyond full cashierless stores, with lower-cost deployments, new entry models, and broader adoption across stadiums, airports, hospitals, campuses, EV charging stations, and workplaces. AWS says it has cut deployment costs by roughly 50% over the past three years by shifting to camera “lanes” instead of full-store setups, enabling implementation of the tech in tighter spaces and making the system viable in more environments. Just Walk Out now supports real-time inventory data and loyalty program integrations, with AWS reporting more than 300 live locations globally and more on the way in 2026. ___ **Kim Kardashian** hosted her first-ever live shopping event on TikTok for her loungewear brand, Skims, in a livestream that drew roughly 30,000 viewers at its peak. Bloomberg's Alexandra Levine wrote that the livestream felt “like a crossover between an infomercial and a daytime talk show,” featuring celebrity guests and a sexy Santa that urged viewers to keep buying. The event was part of TikTok's push to normalize live commerce in the U.S., borrowing from its model in China that has already driven hundreds of billions in sales on its Chinese app Douyin. TikTok is betting that live shopping can become a second major revenue stream in the U.S. in the future, even though popularity in the country still lags behind China's adoption. ___ **Walmart** opened applications for its Pre-Owned program to all Marketplace sellers in good standing, allowing them to apply to sell used, open-box, and refurbished items on Walmart-com without an invitation. Approved listings can include electronics and accessories, must offer extended return windows, and must be priced below the new version of the product. Walmart now offers two resale programs, Pre-Owned and Resold, the latter which is invite-only and designed for sellers who specialize in professionally refurbished products with stricter inspection, testing, and compliance rules. Resold launched in late 2024, and Pre-Owned opened for all sellers to apply on December 15, 2025. ___ **Shopify** rolled out a redesigned disputes evidence form that makes it faster and easier for merchants to respond to chargebacks and improve their odds of winning. The updated flow includes a reorganized layout that prioritizes key fields, shows merchants the exact PDF sent to banks, and optionally uses AI to strengthen cases by combining merchant-submitted evidence with relevant Shopify data. Merchants can also submit responses earlier than the deadline, reducing last-minute work while improving the quality and consistency of dispute submissions. Great update Shopify, as this process was in desperate need of a revamp! ___ **OpenAI** released its new flagship image generation model, GPT Image 1.5, replacing DALL·E with a model that it says has better ability to follow instructions, can edit photos in a specific way, and generates images up to four times faster. Nice, because just last week I wrote that creating images in ChatGPT was slower than molasses going uphill in January! OpenAI says that its new model “adheres to your intent more reliably—down to the small details—changing only what you ask for while keeping elements like lighting, composition, and people’s appearance consistent across inputs, outputs, and subsequent edits.” The feature is available to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users, with OpenAI positioning it as a core creative tool for enterprise-level businesses rather than a standalone image generator. ___ **Slope**, a lending platform backed by Sam Altman and JPMorgan Chase that uses AI to vet businesses, is launching a partnership with **Amazon** that will allow independent sellers on its platform to apply for reusable lines of credit directly through their Amazon Seller accounts with real-time approvals based on Amazon seller performance data. The program offers credit lines starting at 8.99% APR and targets sellers doing at least $100k in annual revenue. Once approved, sellers can tap the credit line on demand and select repayment terms from three to twelve months to match their inventory and cash-flow cycles. ___ **BigCommerce** is the latest e-commerce platform to integrate **Stripe's** new Agentic Commerce Suite, enabling merchants to connect their product catalogs to various AI agents for discovery and checkout without needing to build custom LLM integrations. BigCommerce merchants remain the merchant of record, keep control over pricing, inventory, and customer relationships, and continue to use their existing order and operations workflows, while Stripe provides security tools, including Shared Payment Tokens and Stripe Radar to protect against fraud risks unique to non-human traffic.  ___ **Wix** partnered with **Stripe** to integrate local payment methods across 11 European countries, marking their first joint expansion outside North America. The collaboration enabled merchants in markets including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom to accept regional options such as Klarna, iDEAL, and Clearpay directly through the Wix dashboard. The companies announced future plans to extend Stripe-powered Wix Payments into the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions. ___ **Amazon Prime Air** is advocating for a new FAA rule that requires all aircraft flying below 500 feet be electronically visible to ensure safety. The company urged the agency to mandate advanced detect-and-avoid capabilities rather than relying solely on Unmanned Traffic Management systems for every scenario, as well as require that all package delivery drone operators fall under the stricter “certificated” regulatory framework rather than the lighter “permitted” category. The company wrote, “Just as cars need headlights to operate safely at night, aircraft need to be electronically visible to ensure mutual awareness in shared airspace. This basic safety principle should apply equally to everyone who flies in this airspace, creating a safer environment for everyone.” **Apple** updated its developer license agreement to allow the company to recoup unpaid commissions and fees by deducting them from in-app purchases processed on a developer's behalf. The change primarily affects developers using external payment systems in regions where local laws permit them, such as the U.S., Japan, and the EU, giving Apple broad discretion to recoup what it believes is owed, potentially at any time. Notably, the updated agreement does not specify how Apple will determine whether it’s owed money. The revised terms also allow Apple to collect unpaid amounts from related affiliates, parent companies, or other apps tied to the same developer account. Nobody's taking a bite out of this Apple! ___ **Mastercard** and **LoanPro**, a fintech that provides loan servicing, collections, and credit management infrastructure for lenders, launched Loan on Card to provide consumers and small businesses with access to BNPL loans that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted, delivered via virtual and physical cards. The service utilizes Mastercard Installments Credential to deposit funds into mobile wallets for instant use at any merchant accepting Mastercard. The program, which is scheduled for a 2026 rollout, aims to help credit card issuers compete with BNPL providers like Klarna, which reported that interest-bearing loans drove over 244% of its U.S. GMV growth in Q3 2025. ___ **The Honest Company**, the eco-conscious baby, beauty, and household brand founded by Jessica Alba, is halting product sales through its website on Dec 28th and shuttering its mobile app to instead exclusively focus on selling its products through Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kroger, HEB, and other retailers and marketplaces. Turns out D2C is hard! Moving forward, its brand site will serve as a hub for shoppers to locate retailers where its merchandise is sold and offer product advice and inspiration. In its latest earnings, the company reported a 6.7% YoY revenue decline to $93M, while net income rose by 3.6% to $758,000. In regards to shuttering its D2C operations, I completely understand the move and have done it myself with brands in the past. I imagine we'll read more stories like this in the coming years.  ___ **In corporate shakeups this week…** **Poshmark** named luxury fashion veteran Elizabeth von der Goltz as its first Chief Revenue Officer to oversee marketing, merchandising, and commercial strategy starting next month. **Amazon** appointed Peter DeSantis, who currently holds the position of AWS Senior VP, to lead a new division overseeing AI models, chips, and quantum computing. This leadership change coincided with the departure of Rohit Prasad, the current head of AGI, who previously led the Alexa team. **OpenAI** hired former U.K. Treasury chief George Osborne as Head of OpenAI for Countries to guide governments on integrating AI into economic strategies and public services, while their Chief Communications Officer Hannah Wong announced she will depart in January after five years with the company. Last but not least, OpenAI hired Glen Coats, who previously served as VP and head of core product at Shopify, to head its app platform, and Albert Lee, a longtime Google executive, as VP of Corporate Development. ___ **In layoff and restructuring news…**  **Amazon** is preparing to let go of 370 workers at its European headquarters in Luxembourg in the coming weeks, or around 8.5% of its workforce. It originally planned to reduce its headcount by 470, but companies are required under EU law to negotiate layoffs with employee reps and governments. Farther West, Amazon laid off 84 employees across Seattle and Bellevue. **The Trade Desk** cut around three dozen jobs across its sales and client services divisions, accounting for less than 1% of its workforce, following a year of its stock sliding more than 72% since hitting an all-time high last December. Meanwhile at TikTok, e-commerce product and design lead Zhou Sheng stepped aside, with regional product and growth leaders now reporting to ByteDance executive Chen Songlin, while the data science organization was centralized under Zhang Heng to align AI and measurement strategies.  ___ **People with depression, anxiety, and PTSD** are twice as likely to use BNPL to pay for purchases, according to a John Hopkins University study that linked poor mental health with the use of installment loans. The study expands on earlier research showing that declining mental health can weaken financial judgment and increase impulsive purchasing behavior. The research was collected during March and April 2024 and included a sample of 2,100 U.S. adults. Researchers note that the study “underscores the need for greater clarity for users on the terms of BNPL and the potential repercussions of missed payments, which could worsen financial standing.” ___ **Salesforce executives** say customer trust in large language models has fallen over the past year due to their unpredictability, prompting the company to rely more on deterministic automation inside its Agentforce AI product. This means it makes decisions based on predefined instructions as opposed to reasoning and interpretation — so like, “not AI.” Salesforce says predefined, rule-based workflows improve reliability, reduce hallucinations, and lower operating costs compared to LLM-heavy agents, which customers have complained are too pricey and can't consistently follow instructions. I could've told them that a year ago… ___ **Coupang** suffered a massive data breach exposing personal details of 34M South Korean users, representing over 90% of the country's working-age population. The leak went undetected for nearly five months, and Coupang only became aware of the issue after a customer flagged suspicious activity. The alleged perpetrator, who is believed to have once worked for the company as a software developer, had access to nearly every South Korean's personal information including their name, phone numbers, and even the keycode to enter residential buildings. The episode at Coupang led its CEO Park Dae-jun to resign in shame last week. Whereas in America, he would have gotten a bonus. ___ **Doublespeed**, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup that runs a massive phone farm used to astroturf TikTok with advertisements for products, suffered a security breach that exposed its entire operation. The breach revealed over 1,000 smartphones powering AI influencers on over 400 TikTok accounts, many of which were actively posting undisclosed ads for learning apps, supplements, massage products, and dating apps in violation of TikTok rules and FTC guidelines. The attacker claimed to still have access to the backend systems, which allowed control over the smartphones and visibility into the proxies used to evade platform authenticity policies. One one hand, we all knew stuff like this was happening on TikTok and other platforms. On the other hand, it's wild to see operations like this backed by credible private equity companies. ___ **PDD Holdings Inc**, the parent company of Temu, fired its government relations team in Shanghai after they got into a fistfight with Chinese regulators during an investigation into reports of fraudulent deliveries. Bloomberg reported that “dozens of employees” were dismissed, which means this was more of an Anchorman-style brawl than it was a simple fistfight. Are they sure they want to fire the team that was willing to literally fight for the company? That's about as ride or die of an employee as you could ask for! ___ **🏆 This week's most ridiculous story…** A video livestream of YouTuber Matt Farley, who goes by the name (@)realmattmoney, mysteriously appeared on the White House website on the live news section shortly before midnight on Thursday for about an hour. Farley, who works as a petroleum engineer in Texas said, “It's definitely me, but no idea how I got there. Had I known I would be on the White House page I would probably have dressed a little differently.” It's currently not clear if the episode was the result of a hack or an accidental post, but neither would surprise me given that this is the same administration to to send secret war plans in group chats with journalists in them. ___ Plus a remarkable 21 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest to round the year out including talks of **OpenAI** raising $100B at a $830B valuation, of which Amazon may invest $10B. ___ I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week! PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-Commerce Newsletter PS: If I missed any big news this week, please share in the comments.

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Hi r/ShopifyeCommerce - I'm Paul and I follow the e-commerce industry closely for my Shopifreaks E-commerce Newsletter. Every week for the past 5 years I've posted a summary recap of the week's top stories on this subreddit, which I cover in depth with sources in the full edition. Let's dive in to this week's top e-commerce news... ___ **STAT OF THE WEEK:** The 4 biggest U.S. banks — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citi — control nearly 45% of all U.S. bank deposits, while the top 10 banks collectively hold a 65% share. The other roughly 4,369 FDIC-insured banks and savings institutions hold the remaining 35% between them. ___ **TikTok** signed the deal to spin off its U.S. assets to create a new entity with a group of mostly American investors, as confirmed by CEO Shou Chew in a memo to employees on Thursday. Under the agreement, the U.S. TikTok app will be controlled by a new joint venture that's 45% owned by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, 30.1% owned by "affiliates of certain existing investors in ByteDance," 19.9% owned by BytDance, and 5% ownd by an unnamed group of mysterious investors. (Is it Donald Trump?) The new entity will retrain TikTok’s algorithm on U.S. user data. Oracle will oversee storage of Americans’ data. TikTok Global will continue to manage e-commerce, advertising, and marketing on the new U.S. platform. Advertisers will be able to continue to connect with global audiences with no impact. The parties are moving to close the deal by January 22, 2026. ___ **Temu** launched an official **Shopify app** enabling merchants to list and manage products on their marketplaces directly from their Shopify admins. The app is now available on the Shopify App Store and gives merchants direct access to Temu's Local Seller Program in more than 30 markets where the program operates, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Spain, and Australia. The app offers one click product syncing, ability to list across more than 600 product categories, real-time inventory updates, and automated order and shipping coordination. So far the app is not off to a great start with just one 1-Star review on its Shopify App Store listing that describes the interface not being intuitive, a limited feature set, and unreliable product synchronization. ___ **PayPal** applied for approval to form PayPal Bank, which would enable the company to provide business lending solutions to small businesses in the U.S. without relying on third parties, offer interest-bearing savings accounts to customers with FDIC coverage, and seek direct membership with card networks to complement its processing and settlement activities. The company has submitted applications to the Utah Department of Financial Institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish PayPal Bank, a proposed Utah-chartered industrial loan company. Mara McNeill has been selected to serve as PayPal Bank's President, coming to the table with over 25 years of financial services experience in banking, commercial lending, and private equity, most recently serving as President and CEO of Toyota Financial Savings Bank, and earlier in her career, worked as general counsel in auto finance for JPMorgan Chase. ___ **Meta** is currently testing imposing a limit on the number of links professional users can post on Facebook, unless they have a paid Meta Verified subscription. Meta told TechCrunch that it is trying to learn how it can add more value to Meta Verified subscribers, and this test is one such experiment to enhance that paid plan. How is taking something away that was free for all users and subscription-gating it “adding value” to paid subscribers? It all comes down to Meta wanting to keep people engaging with content on their own platforms, not with the Internet at large, in order to earn more ad revenue. TechCrunch reports that in its transparency report for Q3, Meta said that more than 98% views on the feed in the U.S. come from posts that don’t have any links. That is by design. It was not always that way on Facebook. The company has spent the past two decades suppressing the reach of posts that include external links — a well known fact by publishers — as to train its users not to include them if they want their posts to perform. LinkedIn and X do the same. ___ Here goes news about 9 major lawsuits... **Instacart** agreed to pay $60M in refunds to settle FTC allegations that the company failed to disclose mandatory service fees and hid refund options from users. For example, the FTC demonstrated that Instacart falsely offered “free delivery” to customers on their first order, but still required them to pay a mandatory service fee to get their groceries delivered. Basically they just gave the “delivery fee” a different name. Instacart denied any wrongdoing, claiming that it uses “straightforward marketing, transparent pricing and fees, clear terms, easy cancellation and generous refund policies,” but confirmed the settlement. ___ **Apple** and **Amazon** are facing a new UK class action seeking over £900M for over 10M buyers of Apple products for allegedly colluding to restrict independent sellers and inflate prices. The lawsuit alleges that a 2018 agreement led Amazon to block most third-party sellers from offering Apple products while granting Amazon favorable wholesale terms, effectively pushing independent resellers off the marketplace by early 2019 and leaving shoppers with fewer discounts and higher prices. The two companies had a similar case dismissed in the U.S. a few months ago. Doesn't Amazon have a right to say “no resellers” for any brand? And doesn't Apple have a right to implement a Minimum Advertised Price policy for any of its resellers that would effectively standardize pricing for its products across Amazon anyway? It's a fine line I guess between “collusion” and “independently agreeing to implement policies at the same time.” ___ **Adobe** is facing a class action lawsuit spearheaded by an Oregon author who claims that the company used pirated versions of books to train its SlimLM program, which is a small LLM that can work on mobile devices. The lawsuit claims Adobe’s SlimLM model was trained on the SlimPajama dataset, which plaintiffs say is derived from RedPajama and includes the Books3 collection, a dataset of roughly 191,000 books that has been criticized for containing copyrighted material. At some point, every company with an LLM that hasn't been sued yet should just come forward and preemptively settle with book authors, because they all did it! ___ **Zappos** is facing a class-action lawsuit accusing it of secretly sharing shoppers' data with Meta without consent, despite promising to keep their information confidential. The plaintiffs argue that Zappos violated federal and California privacy laws by permitting Meta's pixel to intercept customers' electronic communications without their knowledge or consent, even though the company explicitly told customers that their personal information would not be used or shared for interest-based advertising, and claim that Meta received customers’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, location data and purchase details during these interactions. A California federal judge recently denied a motion from Adidas to dismiss a similar class-action lawsuit, so she's got a chance! ___ **Speaking of Meta…** The company agreed to a $50M settlement to resolve allegations that it deceived millions of users about privacy controls and allowed third-party apps to improperly access personal information for years. The settlement stems all the way back to the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2013, which affected around 7M Facebook users in California. Meta did not admit to any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay the $50M in civil penalties and implement reforms on how it oversees third-party applications for the next three years. Ouch! I'm sure Meta was hurting over that rounding error.  ___ Remember last week when I reported that a startup calling itself **“Operation Bluebird”** filed a formal petition with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to cancel **X's trademarks** of the words “Twitter” and “tweet” due to the company abandoning the Twitter brand and no longer using the terms? Well now X is countersuing Operation Bluebird for copyright infringement for “brazenly attempting to steal the world-famous TWITTER brand,” claiming that it never gave up the Twitter name and logo, despite the rebrand. X defends its trademark over the fact that millions of people still access the X platform through the Twitter-com domain and use the terms “Twitter” and “Tweet” when referring to the platform and its posts. I'd say that this lawsuit feels like Elon Musk using his wealth and ample legal teams to bully and intimidate the operation, but Operation Bluebird already started using the Twitter trademarks in their marketing! They kind of had this countersuit coming to them. ___ **noyb**, a European privacy advocacy group that focuses on enforcing data protection laws, filed two complaints with the Austrian data protection authority against TikTok, AppsFlyer, and Grindr for unlawfully tracking user data across third-party apps. The group alleges that TikTok utilized AppsFlyer to access sensitive information, including a user's sexual orientation inferred from Grindr usage, without valid consent under GDPR, and that TikTok failed to provide complete data in response to access requests and utilized a “download tool” that withheld relevant personal information. Does TikTok really need Grindr to determine a user's sexual orientation? I figured that'd be obvious after about the fourth or fifth video swipe. ___ **A U.S. federal judge** dismissed a lawsuit accusing **Google** and **TikTok** of negligently hosting harmful videos, ruling the claims were barred by Section 230 and product liability laws. The plaintiffs argued the platforms ignored reports of harmful content, but the court found the case amounted to a disagreement over content moderation decisions rather than result of the social media companies offering a “defective” product. The dismissal was issued with prejudice, preventing the plaintiffs from refiling unless an appeals court intervenes. ___ Last but not least… **Google** is suing **SerpAPI**, a data extraction service that provides structured results from Google and other search engines via APIs, for allegedly using hundreds of millions of fake search requests to scrape Google search results, bypass security protections, and resell copyrighted content at scale. Google claims the scraping targeted licensed and content-rich results such as Knowledge Panels, Maps, and Shopping listings, and is seeking monetary damages and an injunction to stop the activity. The lawsuit follows similar allegations brought by Reddit earlier this year against SerpApi and other scrapers over unauthorized data use tied to AI training. ___ **Amazon** is bringing **Alexa+** to your desktop browser to further compete with ChatGPT, Gemini and other web-based AI chatbots. The paid AI assistant was previously only available on mobile, and is now initially available on Alexa-com to a subset of users in the Alexa+ early access program, with access likely to expand in the coming weeks. The new web portal allows users to start new chats, access and continue past Alexa chats, including ones started on other devices, and seamlessly switch back and forth between voice conversations and text chats across devices. Todd Bishop of GeekWire wrote, "I’ve been trying it out, and I’m already finding it quite useful as an extension of the Alexa experience. In addition to expanding the chat functionality to the browser, the web interface offers fine-grained control over reminders, calendar appointments, uploaded files, and smart home devices." He goes on to talk about how Alexa's smart home integration gives users the ability to control lights and plugs, view Ring cameras, and perform other home tasks with more accuracy than with voice commands or mobile inputs. ___ **OpenAI** introduced an app directory inside of ChatGPT, enabling users to connect to platforms like Booking-com, Spotify, Dropbox, and Adobe directly within the ChatGPT interface. The app section is currently divided into three categories — Feature, Lifestyle and Productivity — and apps can be used in ChatGPT by simply mentioning them. The company wrote: “Apps extend ChatGPT conversations by bringing in new context and letting users take actions like order groceries, turn an outline into a slide deck, or search for an apartment.” Earlier this year at its DevDay, OpenAI introduced apps in ChatGPT, but up until now the program was in beta with select companies like Zillow. Now the program is open to all developers to submit apps for review and publication. ___ **U.S. Senators** from New York, Rhode Island, Maryland, and Connecticut introduced legislation to extend Truth in Lending Act protections to pay-in-installment loans so that BNPL loans carry the same core protections as credit cards. The ***Buy Now, Pay Later Protection Act*** seeks to mandate standardized periodic statements, clear dispute and refund rights, and the disclosure of all fees upfront to prevent predatory practices. The push follows several years of failed or incomplete efforts to bring BNPL under existing credit regulation. ___ **Mattel** postponed the launch of its OpenAI-integrated toys, originally planned for 2025, amid rising scrutiny and safety concerns around AI use by children. When the partnership was first announced in June, Mattel didn’t clarify whether the “AI-enabled toys” would come in the form of physical products, like a Barbie that helps you code websites, or a digital experience delivered through apps and websites. However now it doesn't matter because the project has stalled. The only details that the company provided about the decision is that it plans to pivot future AI products toward older audiences and families to align with OpenAI's age restrictions. ___ **Rakuten Group** is pushing to recruit more overseas merchants to its Rakuten Ichiba marketplace as part of its strategy to keep users from shopping on rival platforms with lower prices like Temu and Shein. The company first began allowing foreign sellers on its marketplace in 2015, starting with the U.S. and South Korea, and eventually expanding to 22 markets including China and European countries. Foreign sellers currently make up fewer than 2,000 of Ichiba's roughly 55,000 merchants, but the company plans on adding up to 600 new overseas sellers per year by offering dedicated consultants, expanded training programs, and curated merchandising support. Rakuten is also rolling out AI-powered recommendations and private-label products as it tries to defend user engagement against competitors that are gaining traction in Japan. Shein entered the Japanese market in 2020, followed by Temu in 2023. ___ **DoorDash** launched a grocery shopping app inside ChatGPT, letting users turn recipe prompts into shoppable grocery carts and check out through DoorDash from local stores, with delivery offered in under an hour with some partner grocers. The integration allows customers to discover meals, auto-generate ingredient lists, and complete purchases without leaving the chat, starting with grocery partners like Kroger, Safeway, Wegmans, and other regional chains. Last week I reported that Instacart launched a similar shopping experience, and given how OpenAI opened its app store to all developers (as reported earlier in this edition), I'd imagine we'll see more grocery integrations coming soon. ___ **Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology** is expanding beyond full cashierless stores, with lower-cost deployments, new entry models, and broader adoption across stadiums, airports, hospitals, campuses, EV charging stations, and workplaces. AWS says it has cut deployment costs by roughly 50% over the past three years by shifting to camera “lanes” instead of full-store setups, enabling implementation of the tech in tighter spaces and making the system viable in more environments. Just Walk Out now supports real-time inventory data and loyalty program integrations, with AWS reporting more than 300 live locations globally and more on the way in 2026. ___ **Kim Kardashian** hosted her first-ever live shopping event on TikTok for her loungewear brand, Skims, in a livestream that drew roughly 30,000 viewers at its peak. Bloomberg's Alexandra Levine wrote that the livestream felt “like a crossover between an infomercial and a daytime talk show,” featuring celebrity guests and a sexy Santa that urged viewers to keep buying. The event was part of TikTok's push to normalize live commerce in the U.S., borrowing from its model in China that has already driven hundreds of billions in sales on its Chinese app Douyin. TikTok is betting that live shopping can become a second major revenue stream in the U.S. in the future, even though popularity in the country still lags behind China's adoption. ___ **Walmart** opened applications for its Pre-Owned program to all Marketplace sellers in good standing, allowing them to apply to sell used, open-box, and refurbished items on Walmart-com without an invitation. Approved listings can include electronics and accessories, must offer extended return windows, and must be priced below the new version of the product. Walmart now offers two resale programs, Pre-Owned and Resold, the latter which is invite-only and designed for sellers who specialize in professionally refurbished products with stricter inspection, testing, and compliance rules. Resold launched in late 2024, and Pre-Owned opened for all sellers to apply on December 15, 2025. ___ **Shopify** rolled out a redesigned disputes evidence form that makes it faster and easier for merchants to respond to chargebacks and improve their odds of winning. The updated flow includes a reorganized layout that prioritizes key fields, shows merchants the exact PDF sent to banks, and optionally uses AI to strengthen cases by combining merchant-submitted evidence with relevant Shopify data. Merchants can also submit responses earlier than the deadline, reducing last-minute work while improving the quality and consistency of dispute submissions. Great update Shopify, as this process was in desperate need of a revamp! ___ **OpenAI** released its new flagship image generation model, GPT Image 1.5, replacing DALL·E with a model that it says has better ability to follow instructions, can edit photos in a specific way, and generates images up to four times faster. Nice, because just last week I wrote that creating images in ChatGPT was slower than molasses going uphill in January! OpenAI says that its new model “adheres to your intent more reliably—down to the small details—changing only what you ask for while keeping elements like lighting, composition, and people’s appearance consistent across inputs, outputs, and subsequent edits.” The feature is available to Plus, Team, and Enterprise users, with OpenAI positioning it as a core creative tool for enterprise-level businesses rather than a standalone image generator. ___ **Slope**, a lending platform backed by Sam Altman and JPMorgan Chase that uses AI to vet businesses, is launching a partnership with **Amazon** that will allow independent sellers on its platform to apply for reusable lines of credit directly through their Amazon Seller accounts with real-time approvals based on Amazon seller performance data. The program offers credit lines starting at 8.99% APR and targets sellers doing at least $100k in annual revenue. Once approved, sellers can tap the credit line on demand and select repayment terms from three to twelve months to match their inventory and cash-flow cycles. ___ **BigCommerce** is the latest e-commerce platform to integrate **Stripe's** new Agentic Commerce Suite, enabling merchants to connect their product catalogs to various AI agents for discovery and checkout without needing to build custom LLM integrations. BigCommerce merchants remain the merchant of record, keep control over pricing, inventory, and customer relationships, and continue to use their existing order and operations workflows, while Stripe provides security tools, including Shared Payment Tokens and Stripe Radar to protect against fraud risks unique to non-human traffic.  ___ **Wix** partnered with **Stripe** to integrate local payment methods across 11 European countries, marking their first joint expansion outside North America. The collaboration enabled merchants in markets including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom to accept regional options such as Klarna, iDEAL, and Clearpay directly through the Wix dashboard. The companies announced future plans to extend Stripe-powered Wix Payments into the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific regions. ___ **Amazon Prime Air** is advocating for a new FAA rule that requires all aircraft flying below 500 feet be electronically visible to ensure safety. The company urged the agency to mandate advanced detect-and-avoid capabilities rather than relying solely on Unmanned Traffic Management systems for every scenario, as well as require that all package delivery drone operators fall under the stricter “certificated” regulatory framework rather than the lighter “permitted” category. The company wrote, “Just as cars need headlights to operate safely at night, aircraft need to be electronically visible to ensure mutual awareness in shared airspace. This basic safety principle should apply equally to everyone who flies in this airspace, creating a safer environment for everyone.” **Apple** updated its developer license agreement to allow the company to recoup unpaid commissions and fees by deducting them from in-app purchases processed on a developer's behalf. The change primarily affects developers using external payment systems in regions where local laws permit them, such as the U.S., Japan, and the EU, giving Apple broad discretion to recoup what it believes is owed, potentially at any time. Notably, the updated agreement does not specify how Apple will determine whether it’s owed money. The revised terms also allow Apple to collect unpaid amounts from related affiliates, parent companies, or other apps tied to the same developer account. Nobody's taking a bite out of this Apple! ___ **Mastercard** and **LoanPro**, a fintech that provides loan servicing, collections, and credit management infrastructure for lenders, launched Loan on Card to provide consumers and small businesses with access to BNPL loans that can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted, delivered via virtual and physical cards. The service utilizes Mastercard Installments Credential to deposit funds into mobile wallets for instant use at any merchant accepting Mastercard. The program, which is scheduled for a 2026 rollout, aims to help credit card issuers compete with BNPL providers like Klarna, which reported that interest-bearing loans drove over 244% of its U.S. GMV growth in Q3 2025. ___ **The Honest Company**, the eco-conscious baby, beauty, and household brand founded by Jessica Alba, is halting product sales through its website on Dec 28th and shuttering its mobile app to instead exclusively focus on selling its products through Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kroger, HEB, and other retailers and marketplaces. Turns out D2C is hard! Moving forward, its brand site will serve as a hub for shoppers to locate retailers where its merchandise is sold and offer product advice and inspiration. In its latest earnings, the company reported a 6.7% YoY revenue decline to $93M, while net income rose by 3.6% to $758,000. In regards to shuttering its D2C operations, I completely understand the move and have done it myself with brands in the past. I imagine we'll read more stories like this in the coming years.  ___ **In corporate shakeups this week…** **Poshmark** named luxury fashion veteran Elizabeth von der Goltz as its first Chief Revenue Officer to oversee marketing, merchandising, and commercial strategy starting next month. **Amazon** appointed Peter DeSantis, who currently holds the position of AWS Senior VP, to lead a new division overseeing AI models, chips, and quantum computing. This leadership change coincided with the departure of Rohit Prasad, the current head of AGI, who previously led the Alexa team. **OpenAI** hired former U.K. Treasury chief George Osborne as Head of OpenAI for Countries to guide governments on integrating AI into economic strategies and public services, while their Chief Communications Officer Hannah Wong announced she will depart in January after five years with the company. Last but not least, OpenAI hired Glen Coats, who previously served as VP and head of core product at Shopify, to head its app platform, and Albert Lee, a longtime Google executive, as VP of Corporate Development. ___ **In layoff and restructuring news…**  **Amazon** is preparing to let go of 370 workers at its European headquarters in Luxembourg in the coming weeks, or around 8.5% of its workforce. It originally planned to reduce its headcount by 470, but companies are required under EU law to negotiate layoffs with employee reps and governments. Farther West, Amazon laid off 84 employees across Seattle and Bellevue. **The Trade Desk** cut around three dozen jobs across its sales and client services divisions, accounting for less than 1% of its workforce, following a year of its stock sliding more than 72% since hitting an all-time high last December. Meanwhile at TikTok, e-commerce product and design lead Zhou Sheng stepped aside, with regional product and growth leaders now reporting to ByteDance executive Chen Songlin, while the data science organization was centralized under Zhang Heng to align AI and measurement strategies.  ___ **People with depression, anxiety, and PTSD** are twice as likely to use BNPL to pay for purchases, according to a John Hopkins University study that linked poor mental health with the use of installment loans. The study expands on earlier research showing that declining mental health can weaken financial judgment and increase impulsive purchasing behavior. The research was collected during March and April 2024 and included a sample of 2,100 U.S. adults. Researchers note that the study “underscores the need for greater clarity for users on the terms of BNPL and the potential repercussions of missed payments, which could worsen financial standing.” ___ **Salesforce executives** say customer trust in large language models has fallen over the past year due to their unpredictability, prompting the company to rely more on deterministic automation inside its Agentforce AI product. This means it makes decisions based on predefined instructions as opposed to reasoning and interpretation — so like, “not AI.” Salesforce says predefined, rule-based workflows improve reliability, reduce hallucinations, and lower operating costs compared to LLM-heavy agents, which customers have complained are too pricey and can't consistently follow instructions. I could've told them that a year ago… ___ **Coupang** suffered a massive data breach exposing personal details of 34M South Korean users, representing over 90% of the country's working-age population. The leak went undetected for nearly five months, and Coupang only became aware of the issue after a customer flagged suspicious activity. The alleged perpetrator, who is believed to have once worked for the company as a software developer, had access to nearly every South Korean's personal information including their name, phone numbers, and even the keycode to enter residential buildings. The episode at Coupang led its CEO Park Dae-jun to resign in shame last week. Whereas in America, he would have gotten a bonus. ___ **Doublespeed**, an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup that runs a massive phone farm used to astroturf TikTok with advertisements for products, suffered a security breach that exposed its entire operation. The breach revealed over 1,000 smartphones powering AI influencers on over 400 TikTok accounts, many of which were actively posting undisclosed ads for learning apps, supplements, massage products, and dating apps in violation of TikTok rules and FTC guidelines. The attacker claimed to still have access to the backend systems, which allowed control over the smartphones and visibility into the proxies used to evade platform authenticity policies. One one hand, we all knew stuff like this was happening on TikTok and other platforms. On the other hand, it's wild to see operations like this backed by credible private equity companies. ___ **PDD Holdings Inc**, the parent company of Temu, fired its government relations team in Shanghai after they got into a fistfight with Chinese regulators during an investigation into reports of fraudulent deliveries. Bloomberg reported that “dozens of employees” were dismissed, which means this was more of an Anchorman-style brawl than it was a simple fistfight. Are they sure they want to fire the team that was willing to literally fight for the company? That's about as ride or die of an employee as you could ask for! ___ **🏆 This week's most ridiculous story…** A video livestream of YouTuber Matt Farley, who goes by the name (@)realmattmoney, mysteriously appeared on the White House website on the live news section shortly before midnight on Thursday for about an hour. Farley, who works as a petroleum engineer in Texas said, “It's definitely me, but no idea how I got there. Had I known I would be on the White House page I would probably have dressed a little differently.” It's currently not clear if the episode was the result of a hack or an accidental post, but neither would surprise me given that this is the same administration to to send secret war plans in group chats with journalists in them. ___ Plus a remarkable 21 seed rounds, IPOs, and acquisitions of interest to round the year out including talks of **OpenAI** raising $100B at a $830B valuation, of which Amazon may invest $10B. ___ I hope you found this recap helpful. See you next week! PAUL Editor of Shopifreaks E-Commerce Newsletter PS: If I missed any big news this week, please share in the comments.

[](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yeat!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67ee5881-c003-4a7a-9d03-8b2d1a7978e3_2992x2120.png) https://preview.redd.it/38z5xvs59akg1.png?width=2992&format=png&auto=webp&s=406884b768173cdfcb3b29a3049046bb580cff3e Full Audio at [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-business-and-development-daily-news-rundown/id1684415169?i=1000750339368](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ai-business-and-development-daily-news-rundown/id1684415169?i=1000750339368) # 🚀 Welcome to AI Unraveled (Feb 18, 2026): # This episode is made possible by AIRIA. 🛑 Stop fearing Shadow AI. Orchestrate it. With the release of Claude Sonnet 4.6 and the viral rise of OpenClaw, your employees are deploying intelligence faster than your IT department can track it. AIRIA is the "Control Plane" for your entire enterprise AI stack, giving you unified security, real-time cost control, and visibility into every agent loop—whether it's on a server or a local Raspberry Pi. # 👉 Secure Your Stack: Get the Airia [Demo](https://airia.com/request-demo/?utm_source=AI+Unraveled+&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_campaign=Q1+2026) here. # Today's Briefing: We dive into Anthropic's "trickle-down" strategy as Sonnet 4.6 matches flagship performance at a fraction of the cost. We also analyze Apple's aggressive push into AI wearables, the escalating feud between Anthropic and the Pentagon, and the $200 billion investment from Micron to break the memory bottleneck. Plus: Why Raspberry Pi stock is soaring and the "ROI Regret" hitting 74% of CIOs. # Strategic Pillars & Key Topics: # 🧠 The Efficiency Shift # Claude Sonnet 4.6: Anthropic's new mid-tier model beats its own flagship Opus 4.6 in finance and coding benchmarks while costing 80% less. # Qwen-3.5: Alibaba's new open-weight model delivers frontier performance with massive inference gains, activating only 17B out of 397B parameters. # ⌚ Hardware & Wearables # Apple's AI Eyes: Bloomberg reports Apple is fast-tracking camera-equipped glasses, pendants, and AirPods to give Siri real-time visual awareness. # Raspberry Pi Surge: Enthusiasts are betting on $RPI as the preferred platform for running OpenClaw personal agents locally. # 🛡️ Defense & Security # Pentagon Drone Swarms: SpaceX and xAI enter a $100M contest to build voice-controlled autonomous drone swarms. # Anthropic Feud: The Pentagon threatens to label Anthropic a "supply chain risk" over the lab's refusal to remove safety guardrails for military use. # Lockdown Mode: OpenAI introduces a "Lockdown Mode" for ChatGPT to prevent prompt injection and data leaks. # 📉 Business & ROI # The CIO Regret: A new Dataiku report finds 74% of CIOs regret at least one major AI vendor decision made in the last 18 months. # Alpha School Controversy: Inside the $65,000 AI-powered school accused of generating faulty lesson plans and "betraying" students. # Credits: This podcast is created and produced by Etienne Noumen, Senior Software Engineer and passionate Soccer dad from Canada. # Timestamps: # 00:00 – Intro: Anthropic's pricing shock with Sonnet 4.6, Apple's visual AI strategy, and the drone swarm battle. # 01:05 – Sponsor Segment: Managing Shadow AI and orchestration with AIRIA. # 02:08 – Claude Sonnet 4.6: The "trickle-down" strategy—beating the flagship Opus 4.6 for 1/5th of the price. # 06:55 – Apple's AI Eyes: The fast-tracking of smart glasses, pendants, and camera-equipped AirPods. # 10:15 – Figma & Claude Code: Integrating "vibe-coded" prototypes into editable design canvases. # 13:40 – Sponsor Mid-Roll: Orchestrating the "Shadow AI" movement with AIRIA. # 15:52 – Defense & Geopolitics: SpaceX joins the drone swarm contest; the Pentagon-Anthropic standoff escalates. # 19:15 – Hardware Boom: Micron’s $200B investment in HBM to break the AI memory bottleneck. # 22:10 – OpenClaw & Raspberry Pi: The single-board computer mania and the risks of DIY personal agents. # 27:30 – The ROI Crisis: Why 74% of CIOs regret their recent AI vendor decisions. # 31:45 – Alpha School Controversy: Inside the AI-powered private school accused of "betraying" students with faulty lessons. # 35:50 – Conclusion & Outro: The signal of "Disruption" and a final message from AIRIA. # Keywords: Claude Sonnet 4.6, Apple Smart Glasses, AI Wearables, OpenAI Lockdown Mode, Micron Memory Boom, Raspberry Pi AI, OpenClaw, Pentagon Drone Swarms, Anthropic vs Pentagon, Alpha School AI, Qwen-3.5, AIRIA, Shadow AI, CIO ROI Regret. # 🚀 Reach the Architects of the AI Revolution # Want to reach 60,000+ Enterprise Architects and C-Suite leaders? Download our 2026 Media Kit and see how we simulate your product for the technical buyer: [https://djamgamind.com/ai](https://djamgamind.com/ai) # Connect with the host Etienne Noumen: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/enoumen/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/enoumen/) # ⚗️ We Practice What We Preach: AI Unraveled is produced using a hybrid "Human-in-the-Loop" workflow. # # Anthropic’s powerful Claude Sonnet 4.6 https://preview.redd.it/bpl24mmb9akg1.png?width=1456&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7594d44c51ac37757eb5fe48296df120263ba57 [](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TSgH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fecb10895-1488-4439-970a-859c3d8a9fe3_1456x816.jpeg) *Image source: Anthropic* Anthropic just [**rolled out**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMf937MUSrYzK6JzB2n81ON3z2XA8mw3VUfsXgV0mBSlG5mNOzEs88G7QTEVceFt2uK_wQZWZXOepMs0-u6L7b5RufANfUfHEQPaicnapbECf253SXHy5Hi5ZdziggmXFxYZufwfFO5NRGoqJPbXouArDg7DPTu8nenGtsWBMqw-WhYi9ggwoW2UWqXFE3GA9YRg-yXfmE86_9B72uBCGMRqZE8syQfiXKwncGnmS12VbdrWqBZ6ipUbw7gu0gLR7J2w/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h7/h001.VNopSv423NWBUbz1hMnR8U6g6F3XMzceMhISgBtfbBI) Claude Sonnet 4.6, its latest mid-tier model that matches or beats the flagship Opus 4.6 across finance, computer use, coding, and office benchmarks at 1/5 of the price — while featuring a 1M token context window. **The details:** * On SWE-Bench Verified for coding, Sonnet 4.6 came in at 79.6%, just below Opus 4.6’s 80.8% — while costing just 1/5 as much to run. * Sonnet 4.6 outscored Opus 4.6 on agentic financial analysis and office-task benchmarks, a first for the mid-tier Claude model. * Early Claude Code testers preferred Sonnet 4.6 over its predecessor 70% of the time, also winning over Opus 4.5 at a 59% rate. * Computer use capabilities also keep climbing, with Sonnet’s OSWorld scores jumping from under 15% in late 2024 to 72.5%. **Why it matters:** Anthropic is running a trickle-down playbook at warp speed, shipping near Opus-caliber capabilities to its cheaper line just weeks after the flagship upgrade. With strong Chinese models continuing to undercut everyone on price, Sonnet 4.6 looks like Anthropic’s bid to better compete for the volume layer of the agentic boom. # Apple going all-in on AI wearables https://preview.redd.it/7q8ewu1d9akg1.png?width=1376&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd39cbe2e35a156e3d2e5b57ffc4024d1e7bf4c0 [](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ll6a!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb545bb6e-a598-4d9e-81b9-d650bc276041_1376x768.jpeg) *Image source: Lovart / The Rundown* Apple is reportedly [**fast-tracking**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMf_MnrMNPlyZa0tC_fQ34TxQ78dU03jIigb7dPAeatjyN0RtFzlNrKeSp5r7aDfCNvSB7y5wy4vbZ0AKQp6zjZnfqCkp0NmWYWkJWsSsOuIaduUxwAN9jb0fP3ueO1TV6TieiBqRt6WFDtDXwsFaEnh0kykeTRopEg0negfy_lY0lYmbqsjeXmM2nPkxtVM1M1FUsdYK5ypjhLsFLhVPczzDHyRSAR22jDX8UtHvHyd50b8xST58fymbfxKRxeaK8adfiTxSclypQVULoWSL0dIFyuSWrAdClMFfchfqhedMHmnXWja74n13cZQW-VJeg4sOkj8gHXexbNqe__PcHYBd0iah9NmdRc-nZnxgzQKNN/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h12/h001._8KuxMSbxY_EfYm50hp2uNA4CVJdg05Lh0Yyq16z8vY) three camera-equipped AI wearables, according to Bloomberg — including smart glasses, a pendant, and new AirPods all designed to give Siri real-time visual awareness through the iPhone. **The details:** * The glasses will feature dual cameras, Apple-designed frames, no display, and a production target of late this year ahead of a 2027 launch. * The pendant will act as an always-on camera and mic for your iPhone, internally dubbed the phone’s “eyes and ears”. * Camera-equipped AirPods could ship as early as this year, using low-res sensors to feed Siri visual context and building on live-translation features. * All three devices will tie into Apple’s revamped Siri, which is expected to get a chatbot-style interface in iOS 27 later this year, powered by Google’s Gemini. **Why it matters:** AI wearables from Apple (that actually feature a working model) would immediately shake up the mainstream hardware landscape and vault the tech giant into the AI spotlight. But these devices depend on a Siri overhaul that we still need to see to actually trust after years of absolutely brutal delays and underdelivering. # Figma turns Claude Code builds into editable designs https://preview.redd.it/4ifvrkch9akg1.png?width=1456&format=png&auto=webp&s=5145cebba3e69bf3793d591edab33a6a7808be69 [](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!FwiH!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F36fe1cc9-3a68-4167-9eed-6d25c0c7ff40_1456x816.jpeg) *Image source: Figma* Figma just [**introduced**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMf6sb3Xuqvu0RoVr6-LYqZ8GNQwdsPNWI3PkuJ1u2sOzAnGTLLKWLwXa1_t_7x1LqK8cHBfZAO_XF0HQzz11Le2B2DGuR7xsPGKqaBo7pnuYZ_Zs_H2K7gQqc62IddHCbNjjnZJK50GsCjYNSPzq1d03dR95I51MvbZn7fHCNIyqC1gzaNRHUQVeHh04SXW1YBux6BHEKe-uGt1pjbAC54FPcMc5ZoRfD94p4Qi024Tuskb0Okc1oBERTWHooNj3J5uzGppmqQdjK7dhYE9SO6CU/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h20/h001.IwxpvO7-UcafEmBqQVCHJgm0Pm5zXBEw4doO4sdVLb4) a new “Code to Canvas” integration with Anthropic that lets developers capture interfaces built in Claude Code and convert them into fully editable design files on Figma’s canvas. **The details:** * The feature grabs live UI from a browser and turns it into native Figma layers that can be duplicated, annotated, or rearranged. * Figma’s existing MCP server closes the loop, letting developers pull edited designs back into coding environments without losing the shared context. * Devs can capture entire multi-step flows at once, keeping the full user journey intact so teams can review and edit the experience side by side. * The launch comes as Figma stock has cratered roughly 85% from last summer’s high amid a broader SaaS selloff driven by AI coding fears. **Why it matters:** This generation of AI coding tools has made it trivial to build a working UI, but Figma is hoping to be the polished, shippable design layer on top of raw vibe-coded prototypes. But with model capabilities only improving, that polishing layer may also soon be automated — something the markets appear to notice as well. # SpaceX competes in Pentagon AI drone swarm contest * SpaceX and its subsidiary xAI are competing in a secretive $100 million Pentagon contest to build voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, marking a new move into AI-enabled weapons development for Elon Musk. * The six-month competition, launched by the Defense Innovation Unit and the new Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, will progress in five phases from software development to real-life testing of drones for offensive purposes. * OpenAI is also involved through a partner company called Applied Intuition but limited to voice-command translation, while SpaceX and xAI are expected to work on the entire project together, raising concerns among defense officials. # Anthropic-Pentagon feud escalates over AI use The Pentagon is reportedly “close” to [**cutting ties**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMf9JFvua7JJ7w4275sIFLhF7mpqHrTlM-kaBsP-Yw_tpTGETkgJjmNqgYj1TJJ3Uc6GsnQaDKxK-4fOF8vdzSxqmRFD61KvoKu5DlpdIPZLfrpd0DYz8JCCeMEx8HbyD4pH8-KYrpAz08VqUYKQ1I9oW07vD8kBcQ5wn4qwxU88P-ql-Wk7MxLRjF89-KhEIryizYhgtiD-XzNJsN_Z2TB2IWsEdU5u13it1pNxwNTDeHrg5XLdqW8D8oBNV8D0i48Mqb0t_Z9HQzmcsWJjjw9WM/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h6/h001.6GtRhMPVF5q35HphZVhk-q_8HnepekRMNy5FBNgzn1o) with Anthropic and designating the company a “supply chain risk” — a badge usually reserved for foreign adversaries — over its restrictions on how Claude is used by the military. **The details:** * The designation of “supply chain risk,” if given, would force all U.S. defense contractors to cut ties with Anthropic — hitting the AI’s major business severely. * Defense officials are demanding the right to use AI for “all lawful purposes,” while Anthropic is holding firm against granting broad permissions. * The company is open to loosening restrictions but wants to ensure its AI is not used for spying on Americans or building autonomous weapons, Axios reports. * Claude is currently the only AI on the Pentagon’s classified systems, and was also [**reportedly**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMfw2KtcFJvOIBjxk1RWU9yMTjYRkGL-5xEqjyZfuJmRWZ1YwjsphoJn62qPNzYzd0oHGMkzo8KpNbu1jEtR8DxJvM8W4ymAi9Mi0FYrewlZegv8I1INHQHJ3tNlAmOGCtPaPEWwXS4wrUk5vNyg_TmfdYK-WISTf5j_6D1KJ4pbfc1AgD_S75DGEkCqj1CbZTOfWU4R96Ni6OLC33OGsn9lwBVGHKMLAeE_WbfR3d8ra72-lufg9JdZbJDnLFfnt8963qfr7uZ5AApVagggesLe1rmUtbwI5y_2rR-n43oesvjp8biKKiwcjRS8uIp09fJa9MfrvCnYw5C28fHAnPO1s/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h7/h001.WtZ4zYLKIKL1BYIC1GgpjvGFAIEo2C4l3gEVwXAz0yU) used via Palantir to capture Nicolás Maduro in January. **Why it matters:** Experts have long warned about the unchecked use of AI in warfare, and this standoff marks a notable moment showing the growing friction between companies’ responsible-use guardrails and the military’s operational demands. Only time will tell which side shapes the rules of AI in national security. # Alibaba nears frontier with open-weight Qwen-3.5 https://preview.redd.it/p40dy1se9akg1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=620e1eaf93d85bf7723abed28e0e68861d0607f0 [](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bsKM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F28fb75c8-e19c-48a8-813c-4dc678a5c464_1280x720.jpeg) *Image source: Qwen* Alibaba’s Qwen [**released**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.E7A5Ffoax9_HVGzqPBrsJbdq8d_gcykp3rM5Wq1fk87aYQ5fs_rQXrHrG5RlNLrqww07iYawtRibodd3tmbdVyIEtKN8frviDkknOtCeCuJsaoZuD6FltEoALBc9TEoPWzPfLwYVjwoYFUxgHNN1C99KWBVI3kixS9zq2VZQXH6yFBjXQOsfB0t9T2WNTzngdLxDhmVdnM-vIgmXhV8blPQ-Wcb3u0mt8Fs7kLs89yJHxpEwRfw3VsTUcuenlvH1/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h20/h001._zPPQQNeJRtdIhwob8LUHN2tJfYPfml-E8U-bxhlkcU) Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, an open-weight vision language model featuring a “hybrid architecture” that delivers massive inference gains while rivaling proprietary giants like OpenAI’s GPT-5.2 and Google’s Gemini 3 Pro. **The details:** * Qwen-3.5 uses a sparse MoE design, activating only 17B parameters out of 397B for each query, balancing high-level capabilities with low latency. * The model is close to frontier players across the board, and even surpasses them in domains like agentic search, doc recognition, and instruction following. * Alibaba claims it is 60% cheaper to use and at least 8x better at processing large workloads than its immediate predecessor, Qwen3-Max. * The release is aimed at handling continuous, multimodal reasoning required by agents, although it doesn’t seem [**very good**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.6k0_SAz8nrOuu_-LoNX1HZOii5ag-FZ-I8xtVW6orjWiGgQ5n38M11g0WvSFfX7qKYH5ZggiY_a1uLPJ8w4AvUhA4xNMNJmA0dl83CPOJoCPa3p5pMxATIjcPeErCA_kNC82CD_9sNOEZ8VRpRUQPF9jBHRfEQC4L9HSJbnYSrNuRSzxO2xttez6Jjv2tipbNmVHKKDML17CswALtByr3N0Mn2TGYT8aJMZJGyBryS5V6X3b8wSZIOkVkKH1qtvuF1L0QLhc1XvhlrKGGmwt8LDm1zoZTMuJAioCnFM1aZA/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h21/h001.V_PAxhFzLvMCnIXGKchIVXZs6LWgtLdK0wHELIZLrvU) at running a vending machine yet. **Why it matters:** Chinese labs are on a roll, and with Qwen3.5 combining near frontier performance, 60% lower costs, and open weights, the race is clearly shifting toward efficiency and scalability. If the momentum continues, the AI balance may hinge less on raw size and more on who can deliver powerful models at the lowest rate. # OpenAI adds Lockdown mode to ChatGPT * OpenAI has added a new Lockdown Mode and an “Elevated Risk” warning label to ChatGPT, both designed to protect users from prompt injection attacks that can trick AI into leaking sensitive data. * Lockdown Mode is optional and deterministically limits or fully disables high-risk features like web browsing, while the “Elevated Risk” label warns users before actions like opening unverified external links. * Business plan users on ChatGPT Enterprise, Edu, Healthcare, and Teachers already have the protection, but OpenAI said it will roll out to other users in the coming months across unknown payment tiers. # Micron invests $200B to break the AI memory bottleneck * Micron Technology is spending $200 billion to expand its U.S. manufacturing, including two new fabs in Boise and a $100 billion complex near Syracuse, to address the AI memory chip shortage. * Demand for high-bandwidth memory chips has far outpaced supply as AI data centers have grown, with DRAM contract prices rising over 170% and DDR5 prices jumping nearly 500% since September. * Micron’s gross margins have climbed from 18.5% in early 2024 to 56% recently as it shifted toward data-center HBM chips, and its share price has risen more than sixfold since last April. # OpenClaw boosts interest in Raspberry Pi Shares in the British single-board computer makers are spiking thanks to enthusiasm around OpenClaw, adding more than $1 billion to its market value so far. Bloomberg suggests that the incredible rally is all thanks to a [Long $RPI social media post](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.KXWazoGvlgJdoxrpam1swnXZS2LxuW19u9-5eczgs7KsqBjKRDgZMxmJq_N54aWB0ub8gJOgKUTBiPIjeqBZpq3JQfKoDNWBzljSCEx8Revrer6WUrcL95vP0PSzectwxUbR6qsbdOApJ_dwqBljaA/4o8/LI8m86xBRmyWyI8c7yjnzQ/h6/h001.BGYrKFaeFnOuKWudoj3Jx-zl8y1rY8RG5ig9xTuJ72Q) from Monday (which didn’t even go that viral), suggesting that the company’s SBCs will become a preferred platform for running OpenClaw cheaply. If Raspberry Pi becomes the new Mac Mini, this could turn out to be a smart bet. # Ready to install OpenClaw? Do it smart, or wait When [OpenAI hired OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.wZPohD0JH12EksCsbt8ZeFCsxgaiiSFhhEZXgbyLVQETWQFUCCYVwC3Q2o8Onv3zPfsh3oWyW_tp_icQ1QlsQB1nPOvXhYyw6UIknlJfT2vXGFOXp9NLwNhEVIX5c10BNlUV7CBOc_iGB--xL7TLcMPiySpoyhk1sX6xuTMORm7qim0Vx5JSWhdEY4AWMAPK9AK0TAKrSbYdRPs5Zj9z8AD5E2y1VNsKKlugeUzNr6Fe5o5t5afztzLv5YYhLfyTAA3qHrCVKiJ5P6Z7ZXIRuuSfvUpjlaUxzSi9voXyObZUGeXnFVy83_7iTwnXPwG8JJ1ANez3SgoOPW6bFw78YQ/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h20/h001.Fa4iFRFK_fgAeNASSpuKTtGEAFV3Js0oyUOW2DrPCac), it officially turned personal AI agents into the hottest trend of 2026. If you’re feeling FOMO and are about to spend $500 on a [Mac mini](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.wZPohD0JH12EksCsbt8ZeN62AQBjidhNPvdpPQekCs4TrM56D3QlijtCjkWWvY34je_KUn_2Th3yalZpNw4rFcGqgxxls_Ryi1ieurT2ofDfWkyAs9_gG66PtTqN7pISHj7UeBCojoOYeOwJnET0Us-yPoMlYZeUWO68hTaIeiscUHPXZZ6pajPoNtxuBhAJIiKw3x5cWGkFHYCbM0y3vxeLomojnGtSBEUfE2CfVukyfa5wknV-hlTYFJhi2svd/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h21/h001.9RWEH8CCiUNFtliW2SciQ-1dQ6XWyrQNA3TLCnUbtqE) to [install OpenClaw](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.ljxaHJcuNf45qr3fbssaWg_MR6h911DrKDb-SDV_1e23RVFxTcBhLXXee7qvIL8FwNKrOMR2NXEYCKzyX8fU57wkICXkKi993p_0CPfNEzJAj2CReYd4_5DLi0qz1YG7pizBFFBQ29NCLVp9p5u4baE6aNbNbbSsDSDaGwvu0acs-UHiVtHh9VEfgWr3tcsc4wPcfMrsmGWHQdBwQnbH4ge4EgHw1IdzIU4_kn0WfGftybk27wMnqq5IWff2MoCQ/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h22/h001.9YiLy3y3crhL43I938UsuxorVVHDRBAMFzQ6TO-DolI) and spin up your own personal AI assistant, there are a few factors you may want to consider first. Despite what you may have heard, installing OpenClaw is a pretty technical and time-intensive process. There are [four-hour YouTube videos](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.wZPohD0JH12EksCsbt8ZeLJZxZnmr2LyGKHSrQc-oApClgTcfmyGdXYYGNYz9DNaJ-tNXkTvV-0bnQEXRKIrdBDFzgxC5r3PH7ZJB2Rt5EM6gazYx-fzjxZNRQgQOMOTXWgiOwxXfUOTZpvFX7nES3GCtsQW5sYfk9BIUpxpevuME0C3HfIAhSNbE2jbaGq9OLtujaJZSux-GTJzcaoJ2d5a_fXBJiOZqaXRGm65TVmYj4YqtYluPG9jYEcRvCPyt4FZkLDsytKBHhE5PiTWbw/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h23/h001.xgT_F-KezP2GX2pqtmqLCMQL_nYaDs9EE76nkXRTzTQ) that walk you through the entire process —and that doesn’t include all the prep and planning it takes to do it right by setting up separate accounts for email, texting, GitHub, Slack, an Apple account, and any other services you want your personal AI assistant to work with. That brings us to the second caveat: You shouldn’t install this on your main computer or allow it to use your logged-in accounts for email, file storage, text messaging, etc. That would be like hiring a new employee and giving them the password to your laptop and your email on the first day. Remember that AI agents are non-deterministic systems. That means they don’t follow a set of step-by-step instructions. In fact, they can delete all of your files because they perceive that you are well-organized and thought it would be helpful to clean up for you. So instead of installing OpenClaw yourself right now, consider one of these options: * Use a cloud-based OpenClaw service like [Hostinger](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.wZPohD0JH12EksCsbt8ZeKAFXW8GZK7b6u5AVslZd5AreJIxGZREaAKVIEwTvw53VOJPwLTC9OfzmB5cNwh9xN7ddiH5ONonxMoy1ERVAmLK0ENws0h86i_DyxV_jzBr32cLbtR2dQyy6Kdv-jIUq_I4iqU_oLGr3CUtyjPRxP56WYRvZZP3oMvodD0zEzeUR8u9ycL45PcAW3puuXJ1c8WXjmdzyKEDvJ7NeQD102Omm5yzWLaa294EVh-upgRpytgRslW_5FuNCV4YsfTimw/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h24/h001.Z5pM7NzR8vSJB9ZfYKQUT9AS-3iYxhtY7jMG_BzO5M0), [MyClaw.ai](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.ilNKtVgkA0DJhX2h2Pk37AZOx78fX3krctOrbkmfbgkZswUB1pXLfZnNMSDVximVoo-RRGXN_tIt187t7PhN6_ati7WV_nCH3SINZSLdm5Ld_mVu9kD7ASqziDNT5TWLgtOZBKUwAiPDLU7fCKE-qCmHcwMJtnQMTNB2e-GnbXyy_qWTN-qoHnzpdhBGSaDxzC1uoI5iXogY0gc3uNs8uuHftgcJ70fI-rgH0jr8Iu4jeoaCUkL6-JZcVXyLk9Rl/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h25/h001.GFwo65688LS8kguZ5Rk269luLjJQbpG6yHS8uR3_Ljw), or [V2Cloud](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.zp81T0L0y4yTTuayaN7AmtENzcUtqnw9xqCfDJSbS3lZQd04xbdSbDKVLSpImPIMo-iCw-li9sNwAfkoXeQvrfINXzuZPxHXwBKKOgf9CSR8o_8OvBaaECOSDwPmpbBQHs0NkgziLiGBawyF0wsgAHPLUR3ndqBcfx5DgzVTHZl-3DQYuRTOnH0g8bh4ycX9pfz2dhFhd1beIraN38yEQWjKh4urRcTgZ2EjI7dcwb899Rx425Ob5aCTUMdpnc9dldqmDXvKim_EmM84ymqGG69DJJ115LZ_c4CbK5-Iq3o/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h26/h001._xpI7ISwZjPFik-5_4ciO3o-I741mQ9t-DH4D9ldLqQ). You can spin up one of these almost instantly for $5-$10 per month, and they give you a secure sandbox that keeps your personal AI assistant from accessing other machines and data on your network. * Wait until OpenAI and Steinberger release their personal AI assistant product that will “bring agents to your mom and everyone else,” as [OpenAI’s CMO Kate Rouch said](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.7zYFXt5AA3Px2NyJbPz6hFah2W2x0EqwrfGrAvB6qbVn9d6LLTSMtE8aVp6yWljXh8hOpZ2WO-_YqQId9ceJRHLOoLw2EdGPCIQY6EztG1zNiP3sHy8YnW5tnzwA8_z0kgm9Am_gGzWvts4aR1wN5gdFm3Bb3u-VTdH3d-JjztLPYsMGwH9mha3RjwexWxqV-rgV8RQnyopO0i0oUzobUiEz_jfiu9RfKuyZIQX7amHTqXGyFuunE973xdzSO0wuXOW2zbAT1FmTl8FbS0TQCX8IUxiDFjAOXB0ia5kNm0c/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h27/h001.GejOj0rLFLj169znrM61_PZE9tahVu7OaKaQn8-0e2I). We should expect that to happen relatively quickly. * Give [Anthropic’s Claude Cowork](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.wZPohD0JH12EksCsbt8ZeFCsxgaiiSFhhEZXgbyLVQFB6OkklKKhVNSWEtPUpq1kejloKSwugR6Ze1-oY9bytLRNbtH6cFGYfttjsBWEYh1kN0p0hlQ4qWiwXiTV9wPdmrHWj93zBkO24dT-yGJ10QJfvuub-Hv6q14JJyE1P7VZTz1x_6ZdDsZbXo7kNiMr4pW6TnbfFXovPMWJh6h2sUujAi7vXwuR83peIW9O7OizMiyFwCJQNIVFg9I5a0wx32BJM48pIwwjg80e68fmD3zIzPRJpGgkcH9Sp7a63_CLLFl7bMqkrE1bYV7fCxUo/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h28/h001.3EaV7TOkES821nnYS-gm_gvZRinpgKe17VMumLOddVY) a try. It’s another AI agent, but it has more guardrails to keep you from getting in trouble. For enterprises, there’s also the lesser-known [Amazon Quick Suite](https://elink983.thedeepview.co/ss/c/u001.gKxW2KpP8aPe_QMyOQduokoIuOVkHsvvO3vaA8rNpAeSWRTR0VJSOqVY17lDazFDrnkHyDA9qLBYYl4XKiilKek8EScr-tTb9XYiuyXy18_Va44X1fJQBBW0G0PJ-x94tNCJGRpbwkj6WYXJKkIq4GtBOuMlZ-MGquulxFI3-95ttccq0Uzgb20i3svZKSoyfz85Bi4tC3UAWJkie7dTqURfDaOrBG6xqftBHhW4-aHrkfaB_d8M9pDDFZVIne8isbbr8wg2NsuJ4LGYFFh8Uh67t-JFga8v12-8gSIJXbIwHq9Tus2qMMZhEm_K7HKM/4o8/46McBflFTmeMsUpa5wgivA/h29/h001.xxuQGfn2DNWxOrorbw31jun8DNuvSHdrsYG5IhnlOGg), which offers many of the benefits of personal AI assistants within the confines of a traditional IT environment. # Conflicting signals: AI investments vs. ROI doubts AI investments continue surging, evident in headlines, fundraising rounds, stock rallies, and product launches. But executives are having second thoughts. The AI company Dataiku released a new global report based on a Harris Poll survey of more than 800 CIOs worldwide, and it found that CIOs are not only facing regret from their AI investments, but also hold anxiety about what AI’s ability to perform means for their organization’s future and their jobs. A majority of CIOs (74%) said their role will be at risk if their company does not deliver measurable business gains from AI within the next two years. At the same time, they are not seeing the results, yet they are being questioned about them. The report found that: * 74% say they regret at least one major AI vendor or platform decision made in the last 18 months. * 62% say their CEO has directly questioned or challenged those decisions. * Nearly one-third (29%) say they have repeatedly been asked to justify AI outcomes they could not fully explain. “ROI is a real question, but the honest answer is that we’re early. It’s normal that measurement frameworks haven’t caught up with a technology whose application is still being defined,” Kurt Muehmel, Head of AI Strategy at Dataiku, told The Deep View. “The pressure is real. But the answer isn’t to stop investing, it’s to stop investing badly.” To maximize the value of AI investments, Muehemel recommends avoiding a single model provider. Advantages of this approach include: switching to better models as they evolve rapidly, leveraging cheaper alternatives if the AI bubble pops, and avoiding the need to rebuild your entire system when swapping out a model. A Gartner report that surveyed more than 300 CFOs and finance leaders also found that they are willing to increase AI spending in 2026 based on the future promise of AI. The report found that 60% of CFOs plan to increase AI investments in the finance function by 10% or more in 2026, while another 24% expect gains of 4% to 9%. “This investment surge is driven by a ‘Return on the Future’ mindset, which prioritizes long-term strategic disruption and competitive parity over immediate financial gains,” said Nauman Raja, Director Analyst at Gartner. “After all, 88% of CFOs view AI as a critical mandate for future efficiency, so its potential of being a disruptive force is too great for CFOs not to invest in and try to achieve gains with.” # Students Are Being Treated Like Guinea Pigs:’ Inside an AI-Powered Private School Alpha School, an “AI-powered private school” that heavily relies on AI to teach students and can cost up to $65,000 a year, is AI-generating faulty lesson plans that internal company documentation find sometimes do “more harm than good,” and scraping data from a variety of other online courses without permission to train its own AI, according to former Alpha School employees and internal company documents. Alpha School has earned fawning coverage from [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-private-schools-use-ai-tutor-rockets-student-test-scores-top-2-country?ref=404media.co) and [*The New York Times*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-KzyPRdcmc&ref=404media.co) and received praise from Linda McMahon, the Trump-appointed Secretary of Education, for using generative AI to chart the future of education. But samples of poorly constructed AI-generated lessons that I have viewed present students with unclear wording and illogical choices in multiple choice questions. “These questions not only fail to meet SAT standards but also fall short of the quality we promise to deliver,” one employee wrote in the company’s Workflowy, a company-wide note taking app where every employee can see what other employees are working on, including their progress and thoughts on various projects. “From a student’s perspective, when answer options don’t logically fit the question, it feels like a betrayal of their effort to learn and succeed. How can we expect students to trust our assessments when the very questions meant to test their knowledge are flawed?” # What Else Happened in AI on February 18th 2026? **xAI** began [**rolling out**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.qfYj2NCVNYWxQpHjnkNP6RgEsWbiq1UnPSMK2wKg1-YUnc0PddDpHnIdlRaXsnyp45TdTGdVW1nvV50g5lR471SrZCdddsIxdSoCzJ6xekScu6R21YX7H2xJMSMTnmg5uaW83hYx3o7pshtDxwnQqpSVUCjEHqh-IDMeim4GlUlSd3wo1WHrKzlkgKp9bqsIOyit0nGrcjOahE_OhM152TVZeBqCxErgEfAQ-_Bg0HKiAdEFWcsJwV8VtD8JLQhk/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h27/h001.f_4a0n484IdGU8mGePDQijjEQkz7xJFwRTmpPOq9gcI) the long-awaited Grok 4.20 in a public beta, featuring a new agent workflow that uses four agents working in parallel to research and handle tasks. **Meta and Nvidia** [**announced**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.DrYDwug-xrpEbNqFhzTCdazBw7hee4iWsRnwFW5F65R334PyRmbJBUZyTFM_HNPnXjxPnUPchb6J_zKNwEd97C7olznum59o38vLlQVHUN5uamaSYx2H2G4GuwDDri-WmwAHShyQ2edxsBacZjYd7GZvYxS4Y8nL_HWyy951CpTzxgT83T_wErQslQD7JmT0uoWvkXXOtOh6qBxI-LUAemRcFF1a9SwzKrO2opuYKFKqrDcwo5PwYgXnftvUMOFWE1Zp1HBDSCpJKR-SCc817AqdUvfhlTkc0nleWKb_n8HV2MgdNqCU5l4-xqy8n5D3/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h28/h001.P2q-VGtqDyJa5fmTLmRKQfgbT7BAwPoSxFLnOzT5nE8) a new multiyear AI chip deal spanning millions of GPUs and CPUs to help power the tech giant’s AI infrastructure buildout. **Cohere Labs** [**open-sourced**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.a3gBHu6_kDRL6l3yEfNWASqcNdYH4TRV7F5Ydr_PA81_MuPj5vI48rhPGnjIaXCw_tEYkXXD3rT3xG2c5pH5KXOoSb0Ya7DfEoakUVJPGVYVyWXZm_0RLiI1apUQaSoVfEkjymJ6j7c6KTO_1fQERWX76xImDcH7TH-uBbpyepPR2PiM6TrKTbQDdijpz-XmSFgRr4if-E0i_OZwXmcCnWhD9l3lRkAxLWsUYrwnDYD2RzAlJRays0wa4_zGEtEfjILJhZSp0Xye-92q7qnbHA/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h29/h001.5Ob0H7O4CzMYHBRWcT4tLlo-a1_VFdqvarr3jW6MdSY) Tiny Aya, a 3.35B parameter multilingual model that handles 70+ languages with strong gains for typically underrepresented dialects. **French AI startup Mistral** [**made**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMf6_UYguPR7G1-volCI8Ss2XGeFYxPfq7Wm5-qr3JlHQ7lH0x7FfAfYZlRNZSSpcQz2bg_MWSSbLxFL-Y0glwGnDgXUfGgQsBoYU_RdnIjkKEUEhv4BPXcrM6bldlqtAgh1XVtkfJXvSpC3R_JbvBGz-B6EsMmrDoEQs3jPFZ5KIlKueBuGOCYViYdkSY4T7x_SSqD8bP-NQ4YfKIrcaQOQqQSN692B6aEqNE07wbbc7yJ8J6dFgLWAEUxA1iAHs75xIc2qWZfkVL1ky221ilFnolt1WgNDYl0AePs81bAVUvwq7EdTmQAWDK-HSqCb6trPDWAMfstmfDSCr-r73tPn5dFmVyOTc2Qb0RRkvYa1nn/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h30/h001.cK0zC6YgUH_oolIZvemMCqYIOI1WmjrngsLV_t80B5s) its first-ever acquisition, with serverless platform Koyeb joining to boost its Mistral Compute cloud infrastructure arm. **WordPress** [**launched**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMfztDwe5S8tYdAdPHf68GU_Ls-UY9SGUY8L3mSO0F7aJ7siufVyfpUav6_3Zs-AWt6p-0-7VNSGUn57QGZ4zCI5295VbeYlBIjGKi-TZKK-ier19CgsRZwSo71SRmjajAWK8Lat0Tn23TFgtcIBbtj2jD_D1NBWlQK5DhJAsXwrVeZbUnlB82Dn_GSzY-m1D4msSUCINooWp44sFceiUlN0kyv5ecaZhkYybko1HlGRsL2DZkNW6Op3iQT3LQV2VKyoS5NETKbWABXv1RWMHmlbGgt-hWy9QBoJyO_7oJDzVu2Ywi-A_yrClyQaIfQl_Cow/4o9/SJNQhCfITUaaG41QECzUBA/h31/h001.WOxSgwW-fujGmQl9TJjqctT0kcLVXvJC2vRZJVmeR-Y) a new AI assistant capable of editing layouts, generating images, and rewriting content directly inside the editor for streamlining website design. **Meta** [**patented**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.yPRmQ1cS76XBKnOKtbP_VlTcTafOMiCWmXiBb8f9qLrl4EaKDf5eeUOkV6-oE_9CBIwgaJYTMH_U9k8xUm7xumm0c5Hq8xeU4jKEb_7kIkiTri3vs98EsoRuqHvFJ8fJ1Z-gf1YN7x630NVtysUOLF9-YacLydVzmcICj4xikSWiwSjk473nzmPYut7c6aDcPa3vPgK0SLUc0Qd_nX6FCbXywMeJNh3y7PTh1cftQxc9cdxEGmbBg2Prk9-tzCB0QjJ_oUEHkJxAWv3X-wBGAw/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h28/h001.yeelFdFHCGFAQlubkgw9lsbjRaBGqM49X4xrohicxqY) a social networking system that uses AI trained on a user’s interaction data to simulate their responses when they’re on a long break, or even deceased. **India** [**kicked off**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMfyOlytRTK_g5G9_mkq7dXf8fLOYAxQCyXCh-le58nTak_JReylkX0u-GYIfrGJuZ9bpeWl4dlxaEpj82gDKymdcjFee3HApG2v37UAudf5WsnGyPQipcksjbRIYrIETZlaqKLWzFJsZT8Qc1n97eG5F6NAYoQ7yxO0tLkQqyDjF0jfmGrzMkccLL8_ZHRhZyGDOSoochsbpEYAIbBQwVuJGlTN6JU7k7QGSx2tP8lZEMhCZnnPLZwq8kagyLjC0wYnXaf7TuxmXDFSMZKg4eS_8sUTBRsyfuYi5Qh2WG08kSlt69KYBadMkF3ZA2RDtARU5ryQLOO8fZXyd20EfWluI/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h29/h001.vsp2KhU1h8RGOAFL8xLTQApMilIZ1SRWMPEsJglpzW4) its AI Impact Summit, hosting execs from global AI giants, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei. **Sam Altman and Dario Amodei** [**confirmed**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.KT4rQsO6sHS_v2VASG2xukYrcBLmr-VWvDqpbYLTfcSSBq4NWUKedMtzbi_1-kP1-DY_Vn0rH1SVoDwbigT841aWlEhUkhYnvSYGEsOcTqxqk719Aey0XG-3PmPhCl6_rwqI-DOvCcG7n4RdUHjdLSYDSzcKGj9aYHc8HHbfOVZkJmdeYblxY_0lAy86oQCEL58edBpWNO1_wmVaU93HvlNP21iHiWtdOM7bXonZH5XgAQEs_cOUPWIUuElS1eHagFyc763As6oAACyxLli3VU-Tg3tqQ_-0AFFT8LYWxpSYRZ4zuxjY7MbekT5UfrB7zOwqQ8OogE3FzHkUnYwuhQ/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h30/h001.NLmPvrirLZz5URhuH-CLSWmmsEKsvv9Fu1ZmseyD2Q0) India is now the second-largest market for ChatGPT and Claude, with Amodei also announcing Anthropic’s Bengaluru office. **Ireland’s Data Protection Commission** is [**probing**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMfwtFoJxo3yqmynAOJhMRHjWx337PP7NM2mZW7S-VGNu1K00tg75nfhj4NDlzFh8D_fdnDmAUFXN-n9zaRPkSGr227k2QqMAtBW8YRWTC3BbTkCMJA2YA9SFTzgfO8WBzSkHA0DmLmqceza2FRC8kSfF3EWKjA_SWsrkXfxnEMpuxLSSj9ozzKcr26BwDzl67O-cxoJWvKuMvbpYgIhLhp3DKpcgjn72K21gb_UJkR1TIK8Aa01AOIiJtAqeKfQn-xqls6avJeAY0huEVykIxryftVsycQIVxbhgsf5Irert9tJeDS8DVyGDnj7OJUPuVlGWXtQGPsAiApTQofB7UHS3LGTrPO3pWUXhDOCDI25ncF6j7r-1J3ci3SPSwCAmO1A/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h31/h001.GlvqnvSGHG_TNe5Fh3_5soAA7eR_1CUliZprDaVt65w) xAI’s Grok over concerns it can generate sexualized images of women and children, after similar UK and EU action. **SpaceX (and xAI)** will reportedly [**compete**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.dSnm3kaGd0BkNqLYPjeMf_MnrMNPlyZa0tC_fQ34TxQ78dU03jIigb7dPAeatjyNLzE0kh7oSEc9lnRSQsTzFlJGJkgCzWTmyAhcMizDB3CHQSBeNu9KtAyS-n-IHJ09IOFeO-RgMgB8dNqL1G3fkje9IYeqB46gTNpd9QvlyFPbCHNwwuRPa7tWdMSumS-owu8lvZXyWFcmJm3H4MF_5pLP7ydDcjHZhzSmLu56WWFNK8AtjSCVL0NuwjvK2Bzn9nbA7UtzDr2IAcfHnp7OzUfuOOt8cTgPAV-zsr0kUCVKp89_zs7n8MacOxQllMOgpCIzR3oG-059jHFA_9vLOgXTMFa__whrFEpk1pLXLwhvNT2yvP5pFilYoFAH1e3aMmPR18nuTyLUJh40nxAOgQ/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h32/h001.pmgju3j1OWLzmNOru_uczQozJZ8VatHf5C2rvBsYEOg) in the Pentagon’s $100M contest to produce voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology. **ElevenLabs** [**launched**](https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.y1enXirMinJ-vLTLBoHZMqjFDnxl8mpWDvkzS2mHTQ0O1KoHkykg1UeTHc1-XM-l39hgWzdzvk4ojNZL_p1T_jScC8xB_4-nRvRb4ATX0S482Sdc6aW09UlAwDQCUEDkKcJSvGw4Y1XAUNQahCZheZQ0RZPJ38jS46zI-KQjUTpsT1OeQysi5k1ZkPRgnaB2Hh5JdabfYPsl46ovzzTiYxttS5lvubXWszyoGtZwFJmXnBWizx-XtCa9QLMP-QI7Yqnjm6eawwQ6-Mm5Aez-VD_3HQc5oWdYG6gitWlSqj4/4o8/vLXQL3rjTz2VW8f05x3rBQ/h33/h001.314fCKG4XBL0igs5A2m-6dub_a_H8DISCHwQa5AnwXs) its “ElevenLabs for Government” initiative to help public sector agencies deploy secure, multilingual voice and chat AI.

**Purtle's Internet Lineup for January 13th, 2026 7:57PM** **Pics or Text:** * The Metamorphosis https://old.reddit.com/r/pokemon/comments/1qatx5a/the_metamorphosis/ * Episode 128 "The Rediba Whistle!" A woman uses a whistle to make a bunch of ladybugs pollinate an apple garden. It's a weird plot, sure, but at least it's not boring! https://bsky.app/profile/dogasusbackpack.bsky.social/post/3mccpt4t4rc2y * Thinking about the sketch thing and old buggy games and like how half of every 2d Final Fantasy simply Didn't Work, like... Outrage over day one patches might be the strangest thing. Like the extremes suck, but it's mostly a good thing??? https://bsky.app/profile/kayin.moe/post/3mcc7rxvy322i * My 14yo tells me kids who use ChatGPT are referred to as "third-party thinkers" https://bsky.app/profile/seantcollins.com/post/3mcaqnixymk2i * The consistency of this keeps surprising me as kids but it both keeps being the best and most hilarious sign that no, actually this isn't 'just the future' like photography or 3d graphics or w/e. https://bsky.app/profile/kayin.moe/post/3mcbmtyedtc2i * connor cooking folks Vance lmfao https://bsky.app/profile/dororohedororo.bsky.social/post/3mc4b4q633s25 * Connor Eats Pants just ratio'ed the Vice President of the United States by telling him to kill himself https://bsky.app/profile/theserfstv.bsky.social/post/3mcb5w4zjqs2c * [thread] I've recovered a cache of documents and videos from the pre-production phase of Project Apollo, a canceled Batman game Monolith worked on for Warner Bros. The materials, from 4/2009 to 1/2010, were in deleted sectors of a HDD used at a game company. https://bsky.app/profile/mrtalida.bsky.social/post/3mcba4da5xk2x * Food for thought. https://x.com/OddishHime/status/2010706189261152734 * The look my oddish gives me when he leaps out of the pokeball and it's a charizard https://x.com/nise_yoshimi/status/2010548048427139315 * Pokemon News: * Official Illustration Summary of the New Mega Evolutions List https://x.com/Sifu_pokePress/status/2011081972484096286 **Clips:** * Stephen A. Smith: ?We saw Charlie Kirk catch 8 receptions for 144 yards?I apologize. Oh my God. Christian Kirk? https://x.com/Breaking911/status/2011124064169971747 * [clip] Someone?s grandpa is gonna believe this https://x.com/jared_shult/status/2010584001095065898 * [clip] In case you missed it ~ Keegan-Michael Key does his Toad voice for a bit during the Golden Globes. https://x.com/VGArtAndTidbits/status/2010853585475539417 * [clip] At the Wroc?aw Zoo in Poland, a massive rhinoceros, said to be stronger than a lion, and little deer-chan began a duel, but due to the overwhelming difference in size, perhaps out of consideration so as not to hurt the deer, knowing its own strength, the rhino acted as if it had lost through sheer intimidation, and never launched an attack. https://x.com/fuhentetsu/status/2010902014046376121 * [clip] When climbing the stairs while severely injured in the original Resident Evil https://x.com/Matsu_Kusarine/status/2009194621168218494 * [clip] jwong - Ain?t no way I am getting trolled by the FFXIV community? https://x.com/JWonggg/status/2011125253934825877 **Videos:** * Mouseysekai IV [2:00] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2yf2BBPHiE * Cheez-Its Aren't What You Think - Weird History Food [11:44] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVsd2Gva7zY **Articles/News/Other:** * Gaming news/discussion: * GO1 won esports player of 2025 at Japan's Esports Awards (organized by JeSU and sponsored by Sony).It wa s presented by Tokido, who won the same award in 2024. Another category was specific to FG players, which awarded GO1, Leshar, Laggia, Kawano and Takagi https://x.com/crossknockout/status/2010690257314812022 * Economy: * Meta plans to lay off hundreds of metaverse employees this week https://www.theverge.com/news/860984/meta-reality-labs-layoffs-metaverse * Job seekers in 2025 faced a Great Frustration: never-ending applications, ghosting after interviews, and losing hope - businessinsider https://www.businessinsider.com/job-market-find-work-employment-hiring-slowdown-careers-2025-12 * The average job opening now receives 242 applications, nearly triple what it was in 2017 * Verizon to stop automatic unlocking of phones as FCC ends 60-day unlock rule https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/fcc-lets-verizon-lock-phones-for-longer-making-it-harder-to-switch-carriers/ * Food Prices Shot up in December - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1qbujxv/food_prices_shot_up_in_december/ * Annual inflation hit 2.7 percent in December as food costs rose - thehill https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1qbw1ly/annual_inflation_hit_27_percent_in_december_as/ * December core consumer prices rose at a 2.6% annual rate, less than expected - cnbc https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1qbrv5t/december_core_consumer_prices_rose_at_a_26_annual/ * US Core CPI Rose by Less Than Forecast in December - bloomberg https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1qbrjiz/us_core_cpi_rose_by_less_than_forecast_in_december/ * Trump's credit card rate cap plan has unclear path, 'devastating' risks, bank insiders say - cnbc https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1qbglkm/trumps_credit_card_rate_cap_plan_has_unclear_path/ * Network World: The 244,000 layoffs in 2025 were 'permanent' AI replacements, not just corrections. https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1qbn3v2/network_world_the_244000_layoffs_in_2025_were/ * BYD burns profit chasing global dominance over Tesla? The Chinese EV giant reported a 33% drop in third-quarter profit while ramping up overseas expansion and R&D spending. - restofworld https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbq1tz/byd_burns_profit_chasing_global_dominance_over/ * Ice/deportation related: * [clip] AOC: I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what?s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face https://old.reddit.com/r/UnderReportedNews/comments/1qbg05c/aoc_i_want_everybody_to_understand_that_the_cuts/ * Tom Morello Calls Out Trump Administration for Using Alleged ?Nazi Mass Murder Slogan? - topthreeus https://old.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1qbfpba/tom_morello_calls_out_trump_administration_for/ * Four migrants die in US immigration custody over first 10 days of 2026 - reuters https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbcvg1/four_migrants_die_in_us_immigration_custody_over/ * [clip] Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias just announced he is suing Kristi Noem and ICE for unlawful activities in Illinois. https://old.reddit.com/r/ProgressiveHQ/comments/1qb8t37/breaking_illinois_secretary_of_state_alexi/ * From Homeland Secruity twitter: DHSgov Reminder: if you lay a finger on a federal officer or agent, you will face the full extent of the law. https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2010035136956686735 * [clip] a response: All of these people were given pardons. https://x.com/BonkDaCarnivore/status/2010471788984074501 * [clip] Rogan: "You don't want militarized people in the streets just roaming around, snatching up people ? many of which turn out to be U.S. citizens that just don't have their papers on them. Are we really gonna be the Gestapo, 'Where's your papers?' Is that what we've come to?" You voted and endorsed him https://old.reddit.com/r/complaints/comments/1qc287t/rogan_you_dont_want_militarized_people_in_the/ * You?ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I?m the Proof. - slate https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbxj8j/youve_heard_about_who_ice_is_recruiting_the_truth/ * We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing - propublica https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbq57g/we_found_more_than_40_cases_of_immigration_agents/ * ICE brutalizes and detains US citizen for not having "alien paperwork" https://old.reddit.com/r/UnderReportedNews/comments/1qbtbs6/ice_brutalizes_and_detains_us_citizen_for_not/ * ICE in Minnesota: * Minnesota sues federal government to try to end deployment of immigration agents https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minnesota-sues-federal-government-immigration-agent-rcna253686 * The Oglala Sioux Tribe is still trying to locate four members kidnapped by ICE agents in Minneapolis last week, and many Native people in the Twin Cities have felt scared to leave the house to go to work or get groceries. https://x.com/mahtowin1/status/2010879322928578561 * [clip] Robby Roadsteamer has been arrested by ICE in Minnesota today https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qb7xv3/robby_roadsteamer_has_been_arrested_by_ice_in/ * [clip] another thread https://old.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/1qb7rde/robby_roadsteamer_has_been_arrested_by_ice_in/ * NYT: Federal investigators assigned to the killing of Renee Good are looking into her possible connections to activist groups. It's in line with the admin's strategy of deflecting blame toward opponents they describe as domestic terrorists ? without providing evidence. https://bsky.app/profile/kylegriffin1.bsky.social/post/3mcbgdfyzqk24 * [clip] Frey: "You cannot drag pregnant women through the snow. You're not allowed to take teenagers out of their car and detain them when they are in fact American citizens. That is against the law in every state. That is against our US Constitution." https://old.reddit.com/r/UnderReportedNews/comments/1qbc4p1/frey_you_cannot_drag_pregnant_women_through_the/ * just read an article with leaked documents from DHS. They use the word "deployment" when talking about agents sent to Minneapolis. They're using the language of war because that's what it is. They definitely see it that way. Time for us to as well. https://bsky.app/profile/ladylinds.bsky.social/post/3mcbm4sfhek2q * [clip] Federal authorities have tear-gassed a crowd outside the Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling. Follow updates here. https://bsky.app/profile/unraveledpress.com/post/3mcbksqcwm22l * In Minneapolis https://bsky.app/profile/tisserand.bsky.social/post/3mcbbvszdek2m * [clip] ICE Now ramming civilian cars through Red lights in Minnesota. [unsure of source] https://x.com/TheMaineWonk/status/2010499250912743455 * response: Wait I thought using a car as a weapon was a bad thing worthy of being executed https://x.com/esjesjesj/status/2010749284229017760 * FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING! Trump (1/13/26) https://old.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1qbt8v8/fear_not_great_people_of_minnesota_the_day_of/ * He still thinks asylum means mental asylums... * A Department of Homeland Security whistleblower has released the identities of about 4,500 ICE and Border Patrol employees Tuesday in what has been called potentially the largest agency data breach for the department. - rawstory https://bsky.app/profile/rawstory.com/post/3mcd6t4i4rg2m * Personal Details of Thousands of Border Patrol and ICE Goons Allegedly Leaked in Huge Data Breach | A DHS whistleblower appears to have exposed data on federal immigration workers after the shooting of Renee Good. https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qc0np5/personal_details_of_thousands_of_border_patrol/ * another thread https://old.reddit.com/r/fednews/comments/1qc1y7n/personal_details_of_thousands_of_border_patrol/ * [clip] Today at 34th and Park in Minneapolis, a woman tried to drive down the street where a protest had broken out in front of a home ICE was raiding, saying she had a doctor apt to get to and she's disabled. ICE agents busted out her windows, cut off her seatbelt and pulled her out before arresting her. https://old.reddit.com/r/ICE_Raids/comments/1qc17i1/today_at_34th_and_park_in_minneapolis_a_woman/ * Top DOJ Officials Resign After Being Cut Off From Renee Good Killing Probe | ?The Civil Rights Division exists to enforce civil rights laws that protect all Americans,? one former DOJ attorney said recently. ?It doesn?t exist to enact the president?s own agenda.? - commondreams https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbruo6/top_doj_officials_resign_after_being_cut_off_from/ * DOJ Resignations Over the Renee Good Shooting Confirm Our Worst Fears | Justice officials are obviously trying to insulate Jonathan Ross from accountability. And four senior career people couldn?t take it anymore. - newrepublic https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbzmtp/doj_resignations_over_the_renee_good_shooting/ * Mass resignations hit Justice Department's Civil Rights Division amid lack of action in Minneapolis, sources say - cbsnews https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbtsnt/mass_resignations_hit_justice_departments_civil/ * 3 Prosecutors Quit After Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim?s Widow - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbxvm6/3_prosecutors_quit_after_push_to_investigate_ice/ * Six Prosecutors Quit Over DOJ Push to Investigate Renee Good?s Widow - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qc0n49/six_prosecutors_quit_over_doj_push_to_investigate/ * Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim?s Widow - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbz38p/six_prosecutors_quit_over_push_to_investigate_ice/ * [clip] Minnesota AG Keith Ellison: "There is no statute of limitations on murder. So this case is not going to be over even if they try to block a high quality investigation." https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbtd6x/minnesota_ag_keith_ellison_there_is_no_statute_of/ * 'Madness?: two US citizens violently detained by ICE in Minnesota, officials say - theguardian https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qc58p4/madness_two_us_citizens_violently_detained_by_ice/ * New video shows the minutes before immigration officer fatally shoots woman in Minneapolis - apnews https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbdd81/new_video_shows_the_minutes_before_immigration/ * MN Minnesota AG, Twin Cities mayors sue DHS to end ?federal invasion? - kstp https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qb86xj/mn_minnesota_ag_twin_cities_mayors_sue_dhs_to_end/ * Rep. Steve Cohen https://old.reddit.com/r/ProgressiveHQ/comments/1qbzpwx/rep_steve_cohen_spits_fire/ * [clip] ICE abducted a large number of peaceful protestors from outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building near Minneapolis https://old.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1qbsu7h/ice_abducted_a_large_number_of_peaceful/ * [clip] Bovino Leads The Charge On Protesters AT the Whipple Building https://old.reddit.com/r/ProgressiveHQ/comments/1qb56qc/minneapolis_bovino_leads_the_charge_on_protesters/ * [clip] ICE agents in Minneapolis violently detained, threatened, and arrested a U.S. citizen for one reason only, he refused to prove his citizenship. https://old.reddit.com/r/ProgressiveHQ/comments/1qc19g9/breaking_ice_agents_in_minneapolis_violently/ * Very much not how you handle a potential loaded firearm. Also In Minnesota, using a false or unauthorized handicap placard or disability parking permit is illegal and carries criminal penalties under state law. * ICE or Minnesota shooting discussion/other info: * semi-regular reminder that ICE was only created in 2003 when you are asked to imagine a world without ICE, you're basically being asked to remember where you were when Lilo & Stitch came out https://bsky.app/profile/audrelawdamercy.bsky.social/post/3mcatkoeixc27 * the existence of the institution is also a serious problem. We should not abide the existence of a "law enforcement" department which kidnaps US citizens because they're brown or have accents. We should not abide the existence of those who say "papers please" https://bsky.app/profile/techconnectify.bsky.social/post/3mccyjhjwfk2j * There's hardly a meaningful distinction between ICE and the Gestapo at this point and we might as well confront that. No reforming an institution which became the gestapo. It must be destroyed. https://bsky.app/profile/techconnectify.bsky.social/post/3mccylqgym22j * I really want ppl w/o Minneapolis connections to understand. You might've heard that Mpls public schools went hybrid bc so many families are in hiding. Well, a coworker just told me that today, during his kid's hybrid class, a kid's apt building was raided onscreen *Everyone has stories like this* https://bsky.app/profile/wrigleyfield.bsky.social/post/3mcd5gd35ac2i * Elected officials have to stop posting like bystanders who have no power. https://bsky.app/profile/prisonculture.bsky.social/post/3mcdfrv7be22k * they abolished the department of education, we do not need a trojan horse to abolish ice we can just do it https://bsky.app/profile/ndrew.bsky.social/post/3mcavo6l7nc2y * You notice how thousands and thousands of cops aren't coming out to condemn Jonathan Ross for senselessly killing Renee Good? This is what people mean by "all cops are bastards". If this were any other profession, the entire group would condemn it. With cops it's the reverse, they all justify it. https://bsky.app/profile/existentialcomics.com/post/3mcahsa4im225 * I can?t emphasize enough how shocked my out of state friends and family are when I tell them what has happened in Minneapolis since Renee Good?s murder. Without reliable media, most not-chronically-online people are completely in the dark. If you want to help Minnesota, tell people what you know. https://bsky.app/profile/nbedera.bsky.social/post/3mcblyasrak23 * This is the result of American politics, media & culture allowing "law enforcement" to behave as if they were hostile occupying soldiers since the 1980s. Federal law enforcement simultaneously think they're soldiers when they're not, and act as right wing militants https://bsky.app/profile/mediumvillain.bsky.social/post/3mcbmookizc2e * One of the great weapons of liberalism is the limiting of imagination, they cant stand anyone imagining someone more progressive or egalitarian than them. They must be the pinnacle of civilized thought & to this end they will destroy the left wherever they can. https://bsky.app/profile/ch00-ch00.bsky.social/post/3mcbffdn3222e * You are allowed to do this. They literally said it was okay.. https://x.com/littlenutsac_/status/2010144113396711930 * most common nazi slogan - https://x.com/adammocklerr/status/2010767685903171600 * Epstein: * Facing Contempt Threat, Clintons Refuse to Testify in Epstein Inquiry (Gift Article) - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbw5wn/facing_contempt_threat_clintons_refuse_to_testify/ * AI: * Meta Creates High-Powered Team to Oversee AI Infrastructure Buildout https://www.wsj.com/finance/investing/meta-names-former-trump-adviser-dina-powell-mccormick-as-president-vice-chair-13501c94 * Nvidia to invest $1 Billion in AI Drug Laboratory with Eli Lilly https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-12/nvidia-to-invest-1-billion-in-ai-drug-laboratory-with-eli-lilly?leadSource=reddit_wall * Senate passes a bill that would let nonconsensual deepfake victims sue / It comes amid the global uproar over X?s mass AI undressing of users on its platform. - theverge https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qc31q1/senate_passes_a_bill_that_would_let_nonconsensual/ * Pentagon is embracing Grok AI chatbot as it draws global outcry - apnews https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbzwhl/pentagon_is_embracing_grok_ai_chatbot_as_it_draws/ * Pentagon is embracing Musk's Grok AI chatbot as it draws global outcry - apnews https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbhjlh/pentagon_is_embracing_musks_grok_ai_chatbot_as_it/ * This Is What Convinced Me OpenAI Will Run Out of Money - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbxs4l/this_is_what_convinced_me_openai_will_run_out_of/ * X could face UK ban over deepfakes, minister says - bbc https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbp6wf/x_could_face_uk_ban_over_deepfakes_minister_says/ * America?s Biggest Power Grid Operator Has an AI Problem?Too Many Data Centers - wsj https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbm85c/americas_biggest_power_grid_operator_has_an_ai/ * Venezuela/Cuba: * Trump 'inclined' to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after CEO response at White House meeting - apnews n * Trump admin must ignore judge's order to give due process to detainees because its own arrest of Maduro created 'delicate' situation in Venezuela, Rubio says - lawandcrime https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qc4xap/trump_admin_must_ignore_judges_order_to_give_due/ * US files for warrants to seize dozens more Venezuela-linked oil tankers, sources say - reuters https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qc3zcv/us_files_for_warrants_to_seize_dozens_more/ * Greenland: * US official says Greenland action could come within 'weeks or months' - usatoday https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbzf6q/us_official_says_greenland_action_could_come/ * Germany Calls for European Brigade to be Stationed in Greenland - militarnyi https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qc3gta/germany_calls_for_european_brigade_to_be/ * Greenland's PM has a blunt message for Trump: We choose Denmark over the U.S. - cnbc https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbuhnu/greenlands_pm_has_a_blunt_message_for_trump_we/ * We choose Denmark over US, says Greenland PM Nielsen - straitstimes https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbtypx/we_choose_denmark_over_us_says_greenland_pm/ * Senior Russian official says Greenland could vote to join Russia if Trump does not hurry - reuters https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qboxh5/senior_russian_official_says_greenland_could_vote/ * Donald Trump Says He Wants 'Ownership' of Greenland Because It's 'Psychologically Important for Me': ?Maybe another president would feel differently, but so far I?ve been right about everything? - people https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbhjsn/donald_trump_says_he_wants_ownership_of_greenland/ * Greenland?s PM has a blunt message for Trump: ?We choose Denmark? over the U.S. - cnbc https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qc6lxr/greenlands_pm_has_a_blunt_message_for_trump_we/ * [clip] Q: The premier of Greenland said today, 'We prefer to stay with Denmark.' | TRUMP: Who said that? | Q: The premier of Greenland | TRUMP: Well, that's their problem. I disagree with him. I don't know who he is. Don't know anything about him. But that's gonna be a big problem for him. https://x.com/atrupar/status/2011196771481874917 * ?I don?t know the person in charge of the territory I want to take with force,? is a great encapsulation of the planning and forethought involved with his decisions https://x.com/stillnothawkize/status/2011204787501400505 * Iran: * Trump says any country doing business with Iran will face 25% U.S. tariff https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/12/trump-tariffs-iran-business.html * Report: Iran protests death toll hits 12,000 in systematic massacre - israelhayom https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbmgtz/report_iran_protests_death_toll_hits_12000_in/ * Trump cancel meetings with Iranian officials and tells protesters 'help is on its way' - abcnews https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbtvcq/trump_cancel_meetings_with_iranian_officials_and/ * Hundreds of gunshot eye injuries found in one Iranian hospital amid brutal crackdown on protests - theguardian https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qc27u1/hundreds_of_gunshot_eye_injuries_found_in_one/ * Trump's envoy secretly met Iran's exiled crown prince - axios https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbzft3/trumps_envoy_secretly_met_irans_exiled_crown/ * Germany warns Trump: International law applies to everyone, including US - jpost https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbn9m6/germany_warns_trump_international_law_applies_to/ * Kristi Noem?s podium at DHS is just a straight up Nazi slogan now? | "One of ours, all of yours" was a Nazi policy made when an SS officer was killed in a Czech Village and then the Nazis killed every single resident of that village in response?..but don?t you dare call them Nazis! https://x.com/WUTangKids/status/2010896567486787615 * New rule: if you?re using Nazi slogans, you can?t get upset when people call you a Nazi. https://x.com/DarrigoMelanie/status/2010906340609409521 * thread https://old.reddit.com/r/complaints/comments/1qbanpp/wake_up_theyre_fully_mask_off_now/ * [clip] Trump: "Starting February 1, we're not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities" https://x.com/atrupar/status/2011165166587588732 * Taxation without Representation is about to make a full comeback https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/1qc2js6/taxation_without_representation_is_about_to_make/ * Judge: Trump violated Fifth Amendment by ending energy grants in only blue states | Donald Trump?s social media post triggers rare Fifth Amendment ruling. - arstechnica https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qb8xd9/judge_trump_violated_fifth_amendment_by_ending/ * Scott Adams, ?Dilbert? Creator, Dies at 68 https://variety.com/2026/artisans/people-news/scott-adams-dead-dilbert-creator-1236630162/ * In 2019, Scott Adams got his feelings hurt over being called a white nationalist, threatened to sue for defamation, argued to me that Times v. Sullivan meant that he had more protection from libel as a public figure than a private person would, and then blocked me. And now he?s dead. https://bsky.app/profile/kathryntewson.bsky.social/post/3mccyncq7ps2q * Scott Adams, 'Dilbert' creator and conservative commentator, dies at 68 - nbcnews https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbvbn5/scott_adams_dilbert_creator_and_conservative/ * The Giant Panda Has Officially Come off the Endangered List - greenmatters https://old.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/1qbjcv8/the_giant_panda_has_officially_come_off_the/ * [video] Sen. Mark Kelly sues Secretary Pete Hegseth: "Today, I filed the lawsuit against the secretary of Defense to protect my rights, the rights of retired veterans and the rights of all Americans. I've never backed down from a fight for our country and I'm not going to back down from this one." https://old.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/1qbg7ft/sen_mark_kelly_sues_secretary_pete_hegseth_today/ * Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals https://apnews.com/article/nursing-strike-new-york-5647ac366a8d067785b9cb4005204878 * Nearly 15,000 New York City nurses are now on strike at Mount Sinai, Montefiore, and New York Presbyterian. It's the largest nurses' strike in NYC history. https://x.com/MorePerfectUS/status/2010729358852579382 * The CEO of New York Presbyterian makes $26.3 million. The CEO of Montefiore Medical Center makes $16.7 million. The CEO of Mount Sinai makes $5.4 million. The overworked & underappreciated nurses in NYC aren't paid too much, the CEOs are. Support the nurses, end CEO greed. https://x.com/GunnelsWarren/status/2010828690775589236 * Mattel has released their first autistic Barbie doll that features: https://x.com/Dexerto/status/2010768179673407878 * Donald Trump violated the Constitution, federal judge rules - newsweek https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-violated-the-constitution-federal-judge-rules-11347824 * NYT: The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter. The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status. That is a war crime called "perfidy." https://bsky.app/profile/kylegriffin1.bsky.social/post/3mcbb2d53ek2k * thread https://old.reddit.com/r/therewasanattempt/comments/1qbdocy/to_commit_a_war_crime_undetected/ * US faces war crime allegation for ?disguising? aircraft in drug boat attack - aljazeera https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbot5l/us_faces_war_crime_allegation_for_disguising/ * Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane killing 11 people in September - nytimes https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbcltx/pentagon_used_a_secret_aircraft_painted_to_look/ * You can now reserve a hotel room on the Moon for $250,000 https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/01/you-can-now-reserve-a-hotel-room-on-the-moon-for-250000/ * Apple has announced Apple Creator Studio. Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, MainStage, Pages, Numbers, and more - all in one single subscription. Price? $12.99 per month or $129 per year. New iPad and Mac purchases - 3 months free subscription. https://x.com/stufflistings/status/2011080687672250844 * [clip] Black Panthers Know Their Rights. Do you? - This practice dates back to the 60s and is known as Copwatching. https://x.com/richimedhurst/status/2010641419879477306 * [clip] A Ford worker called Trump a ?pedophile protector? during his visit to an assembly plant in Michigan today. Trump flipped off the worker in response. https://old.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1qc4a8i/a_ford_worker_called_trump_a_pedophile_protector/ * [clip] another thread https://old.reddit.com/r/UnderReportedNews/comments/1qc4742/trump_seen_flipping_off_a_ford_worker_who_yelled/ * [clip] another thread https://old.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/1qc3w0b/trump_gives_the_middle_finger_to_a_ford_employee/ * [clip] Trump got up in the middle of a press conference to stare out the window for a while! https://old.reddit.com/r/UnderReportedNews/comments/1qbzjxr/he_justgot_up_in_the_middle_of_a_press_conference/ * [clip] another thread https://old.reddit.com/r/UnderReportedNews/comments/1qbzjxr/he_justgot_up_in_the_middle_of_a_press_conference/ * Court says Trump admin illegally blocked billions in clean energy grants to Democratic states; projects to resume - abcnews https://old.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/1qc0q5v/court_says_trump_admin_illegally_blocked_billions/ * China urges Canada to break from US influence as PM Carney visits Beijing - apnews https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qc05ar/china_urges_canada_to_break_from_us_influence_as/ * Moldova's President Sandu says she would vote to join Romania - reuters https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1qbn4qn/moldovas_president_sandu_says_she_would_vote_to/ * Pentagon bought device through undercover operation some investigators suspect is linked to Havana Syndrome | CNN Politics https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qc1g1i/pentagon_bought_device_through_undercover/ * Europe Has a New Plan to Break Free from US Tech Dominance - itsfoss https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qc3emv/europe_has_a_new_plan_to_break_free_from_us_tech/ * Meta shuts down over 500,000 accounts under Australia's under-16 ban, urges the government to end it - techspot https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbrujz/meta_shuts_down_over_500000_accounts_under/ * Coal power falls in China and India for first time in decades - independent https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbtyg2/coal_power_falls_in_china_and_india_for_first/ * A new study has revealed electric car batteries last a lot longer than you think - topgear https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1qbujoe/a_new_study_has_revealed_electric_car_batteries/ * Jack Smith will testify publicly about his Trump investigations - apnews https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbwoid/jack_smith_will_testify_publicly_about_his_trump/ * Jack Smith to Publicly Testify Before House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22 at 10 a.m. ET: ?Smith has already told lawmakers that Donald Trump engaged in a ?criminal scheme" to overturn the 2020 election? in previous testimony? - abcnews https://old.reddit.com/r/law/comments/1qbh844/jack_smith_to_publicly_testify_before_house/ * Death sentence sought for ex-South Korea leader Yoon over martial law decree - ctvnews https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbsikx/death_sentence_sought_for_exsouth_korea_leader/ * Discount grocer Aldi plans to open more than 180 stores in U.S. this year as customers across incomes seek value - cnbc https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qc4dpx/discount_grocer_aldi_plans_to_open_more_than_180/ * Trump administration to end temporary protected status for Somalis - nbcnews https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbt7n6/trump_administration_to_end_temporary_protected/ * GM takes $6 billion hit as cost of backing away from EVs - cnn https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qc3arw/gm_takes_6_billion_hit_as_cost_of_backing_away/ * Today is the Smithsonian's deadline to give thousands of documents to the White House - npr https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbz0x5/today_is_the_smithsonians_deadline_to_give/ * Mamdani demands release of New York council employee detained by US agents - theguardian https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbhhe0/mamdani_demands_release_of_new_york_council/ * The EPA is changing how it considers the costs and benefits of air pollution rules - npr https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1qbsyxa/the_epa_is_changing_how_it_considers_the_costs/ * [clip] Sen. Kevin Cramer: "Maybe the point should be if you're the attorney for Jay Powell and you want to avoid an indictment, how about you go to Jeanine Pirro and say, 'I'll make a deal. I'll step down today if you drop the investigation today.' To me, that would be a win win for everybody." https://x.com/atrupar/status/2011186784013582341 * Chris Murphy - Sometimes they just tell us they are weaponizing the criminal justice system to push their political agenda. https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/2011207987633815696