Sources: OpenAI ramped up efforts to improve its audio AI models, in preparation for its AI-powered personal device, which is expected to be largely audio-based (Stephanie Palazzolo/The Information) https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-ramps-audio-ai-efforts-ahead-device
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Sources: OpenAI is taking steps to improve its audio AI models, in preparation for its AI-powered personal device, which is expected to be largely audio-based
By Stephanie Palazzolo / The Information. View the full context on Techmeme.
Tech startups have started to offer nicotine pouches as a free perk to employees, as some claim the products help them focus despite health hazards (Angel Au-Yeung/Wall Street Journal) https://www.wsj.com/tech/tech-startups-are-handing-out-free-nicotine-pouches-to-boost-productivity-e42d3cbe?st=ZoF6oB&reflink=article_copyURL_share
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Startups have started to offer free nicotine pouches as a perk, as some employees claim the products help them focus during the workday, despite health hazards
By Angel Au-Yeung / Wall Street Journal. View the full context on Techmeme.
A look at the rise of AI companion apps; a researcher counts 206 such apps on the App Store and 253 on Google Play, with 220M+ total downloads as of July 2025 (Financial Times)
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A look at the rise of AI companionship apps; a researcher found 206 on Apple
From Financial Times. View the full context on Techmeme.
Hundreds of megawatts of new data center capacity are being planned in Vernon, a city near LA, which is a key US-Asia cable-linking hub and is becoming crowded (Nilesh Christopher/Los Angeles Times)
Los Angeles Times
Southern California's unlikely AI mecca is this very industrial city
Vernon has become an essential location for artificial intelligence data centers.
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Hundreds of megawatts of new data center capacity are being planned for Vernon, a town near LA, which is a key US-Asia cable-linking hub and is becoming crowded
By Nilesh Christopher / Los Angeles Times. View the full context on Techmeme.
Sources: SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic could IPO in 2026; those three deals alone would exceed the total proceeds from roughly 200 US IPOs in 2025 (George Hammond/Financial Times)
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Sources: SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic could all go public in 2026; those three deals alone would outstrip the total proceeds from the ~200 US IPOs in 2025
By George Hammond / Financial Times. View the full context on Techmeme.
Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 28% in 2025, its best percentage performance since 2017, driven by tech, AI, and semiconductor stocks (Wall Street Journal) https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/hong-kong-stocks-log-best-year-since-2017-as-ai-boom-fuels-tech-rally-d4bfdf87?st=Meqyba&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
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Hong Kong
From Wall Street Journal. View the full context on Techmeme.
Analysts and manufacturers expect smartphone, PC, and consumer electronics prices to rise by as much as 20% in 2026, as AI demand drives up memory chip costs (Song Jung-a/Financial Times)
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Analysts and manufacturers warn that smartphone, PC, and consumer electronics prices could rise by up to 20% in 2026, as AI demand drives up memory chip costs
By Song Jung-a / Financial Times. View the full context on Techmeme.
IDC expects Apple to ship just 45,000 units of the Vision Pro in Q4 2025; Sensor Tower says Apple cut digital ad spend for the headset by 95% in 2025 (Michael Acton/Financial Times)
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IDC estimates that Apple shipped just 45,000 Vision Pro units in Q4 2025; Sensor Tower says Apple reduced its digital ad spend for the headset by 95%+ in 2025
By Michael Acton / Financial Times. View the full context on Techmeme.
Report: China-based Moonshot AI, maker of Kimi models, raised a $500M Series C at a $4.3B valuation led by IDG Capital, with Alibaba and Tencent participating (Iris Deng/South China Morning Post)
South China Morning Post
China’s Moonshot AI raises US$500 million in latest funding round: report
The Kimi AI model developer is now valued at US$4.3 billion, with cash reserves worth US$1.4 billion.
Techmeme
Report: China-based Moonshot AI, which makes Kimi AI models, raised a $500M Series C at a $4.3B valuation led by IDG Capital; Alibaba and Tencent also invested
By Iris Deng / South China Morning Post. View the full context on Techmeme.
Some 2025 takeaways in LLMs: reasoning as a signature feature, coding agents were useful, subscriptions hit $200/month, and Chinese open-weight models impressed (Simon Willison/Simon Willison's Weblog)
Simon Willison’s Weblog
2025: The year in LLMs
This is the third in my annual series reviewing everything that happened in the LLM space over the past 12 months. For previous years see Stuff we ...
Techmeme
Some LLM takeaways for 2025: reasoning as a signature feature, coding agents were useful, subscriptions hit $200/month, and Chinese open-weight models impressed
By Simon Willison / Simon Willison