Good morning. Remember when holiday gifts meant fuzzy slippers and sweaters? Cute, but that’s so last season. This year smart glasses and plush talking toys are hot. Meet Kumma, the AI teddy bear so advanced it reads bedtime stories and keeps your kid company. Kumma gets to know them by collecting facial data and voice recordings. Plus, it’s an excellent teacher if they ever need fire-starting tips or a friendly chat about spicy adult topics. If it ever gets unbanned, Kumma could turn your holiday into the kind of memory you’ll both spend years trying to repress.
Zuck finally found a use for the metaverse. Meta’s new DreamGym is a simulated playground where AI agents learn to control robots and practice real-world tasks without causing disasters. Instead of expensive trial and error, AI gets to safely train inside virtual dream worlds. This slashes costs by 90%, opening up innovation to smaller labs and startups. After blowing billions trying to make VR a thing, Meta’s created a world model people want.
Black Friday shopping via ChatGPT could mean coal for Amazon. Sick of sponsored links and fake reviews? ChatGPT now lets you shop directly with Target, Walmart, Macy’s, Home Depot, and others – without visiting their sites or apps. Notice anyone missing? Amazon. Brands are trading interface control for guaranteed reach, making AI the new holiday gatekeeper. Whoever owns the AI browser owns the shopper, flipping the script on online dollars. For Amazon, this new reality could turn festive revenue into holiday blues.
Spending made Smarter
Ramp makes finance easy. It helps businesses save time and money with smarter corporate cards, expense management, and bill pay.
- It’s sleek, intuitive, and extremely efficient.
- Ramp’s AI agent handles routine tasks and spots savings for you.
- Used by enterprise and startups, with a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on G2.
Hype around AGI is killing real progress in AI. The CEO of Hugging Face warns billions are flowing into oversized chatbots while the smaller, task‑specific models go hungry. Gartner predicts that by 2027, businesses will use 3x more of these lean models than general‑purpose LLMs. They’re cheaper, faster, and actually let companies keep their data private. The next wave of AI belongs to smaller, specialized workhorses that can get the job done.
Trump is drafting an executive order to stop states from regulating AI. Congress killed a 10 year federal ban on AI laws in July. Now the White House wants the DOJ to sue states that regulate AI. They argue patchwork rules create chaos, slow innovation, and give China an edge. Big Tech trade groups agree, and are lobbying for a light touch. Others warn letting AI run wild could shred privacy and security. The battle may go back to the House, as GOP leaders consider adding limits to states power as part of the defense bill.
Oracle has become Wall Street’s favorite bet against AI. Investors have poured nearly $5 billion into Oracle’s credit default swaps (CDS) over the past few weeks. A CDS is like insurance that pays out if Oracle can’t repay its debts. Their debt is expected to hit $290 billion by 2028, driven by huge spending on AI infrastructure. The surge in Oracle’s CDS market signals investors believe the AI bubble might pop. Oracle would be ground zero for the financial fallout. Honestly, it’s weird this hasn’t hit Polymarket yet.
fun stats
💃 $480 billion. The valuation of TikTok’s ByteDance in a recent share auction, up from $330B in September. It’s now the world’s #2 most valuable startup, after OpenAI ($500B) and before SpaceX ($400B).
🛍️ 22%. Global online sales that are expected to be driven by AI agents during Cyber Week 2025.
🚀 18. Electron rocket launches Rocket Lab has successfully completed in 2025, a new annual record.