TLDR 2025-11-06

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APPLE NEARS $1 BILLION-A-YEAR-DEAL TO USE GOOGLE AI FOR SIRI

Apple plans to pay Google $1 billion a year for a 1.2 trillion-parameter AI model to help run its Siri voice assistant. The model will run on Apple's own Private Cloud Compute servers, ensuring that user data remains secure. The companies are still finalizing the agreement, which will be an interim solution until Apple's models are powerful enough. The new Siri is on track to launch in Spring.

BLUE ORIGIN'S BIG BOY IS BACK: 3 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT NEW GLENN'S SECOND LAUNCH

Blue Origin is getting ready for the second launch of New Glenn, which is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, no earlier than 2:51 PM ET on Sunday. The heavy-lift launch vehicle is now in the final stages of preparation for the flight. The mission will include another boost recovery attempt and the launch of NASA's ESCAPADE mission. The success of the launch will determine whether New Glenn could become a viable option for critical NASA science missions and national security contracts.

THE NEXT BIG QUANTUM COMPUTER HAS ARRIVED

Quantinuum's Helios machine contains 98 physical qubits, and from those, it can deliver 48 logical error-corrected qubits. The 2:1 ratio is unique - other machines require anything from dozens to hundreds of physical qubits to create one logical qubit. Quantinuum expects to create a large-scale fault-tolerant machine by 2029 with its upcoming Apollo machine, which will have thousands of physical qubits and hundreds of logical ones. Its customers include JPMorgan Chase, which has been using Helios in private preview to run complex algorithms.

THIS MACHINE COULD KEEP A BABY ALIVE OUTSIDE THE WOMB. HOW WILL THE WORLD DECIDE TO USE IT?

More than 10,000 infants in the US are born prematurely each year. Premature birth remains the nation's second-leading cause of infant death, and those who survive it may face crippling lifelong complications. Artificial wombs promise to save more babies, but the technology raises ethical questions that need to be answered before human trials begin. If perfected, the technology could rewrite the limits of viability.

A SHORT SURVEY OF COMPILER TARGETS

There are currently many mature options for compiler targets. This post presents a short survey of some of the popular and interesting options. Compiler targets can include machine code, other high-level languages, virtual machines, and more. Some compiler developers pick unconventional targets for academic curiosity, artistic expression, or to test the boundaries of viable compilation targets.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE IN CONFIGURATION LANGUAGES

This post contains a list of markup/configuration languages along with commentary about what's wrong with them. Some specifications are too big and contain too many features, some are no longer maintained, and others are too ambiguous. All languages have trade-offs.

AMAZON UPHEAVAL: WITH MORALE SHAKEN, JASSY LOOKS FOR NEXT BIG PLAY AFTER MASS LAYOFFS

Andy Jassy recently laid out a vision for how he wants Amazon to operate like the world's largest startup. The company has been working hard to flatten its organization, getting rid of bureaucracy in order to move faster and stay competitive. Amazon announced last week it would lay off about 14,000 corporate employees and said more cuts are expected soon. The next big wave of cuts is expected to start in January. Jassy has been searching for Amazon's next opportunity - the company has made big bets on satellite internet, health care, grocery, entertainment, and self-driving vehicles.

GOOGLE SETTLEMENT WITH EPIC CAPS PLAY STORE FEES, BOOSTS OTHER ANDROID APP STORES

Google and Epic have reached a settlement that will provide a framework for long-term global changes to Android app distribution. It still needs to be approved by a judge, but the changes could be put into practice by late this year. Third-party app stores will get a boost, developers will enjoy lower fees, and Google won't drag out the process for years. The agreement isn't intended to undo the jury verdict or sidestep the court's previous order, but is aimed instead at reinforcing the court's intent while eliminating potential delays in realigning the app market.

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EXPECT MORE APPLE IMMERSIVE VIDEO THANKS TO STREAMLINED PRODUCTION PROCESS

Apple recently held an event where it detailed how to produce Apple Immersive Video for the Apple Vision Pro.

NETFLIX IS REPORTEDLY GOING BIG ON VIDEO PODCASTS FOR 2026

Netflix has sent dozens of requests to agents to add more video podcasts to a platform it plans to launch in early 2026.

STOP VIBE CODING YOUR UNIT TESTS

Large language models write unconstructive, noisy, brittle, and downright bad unit tests.

SEQUOIA CAPITAL LEADER EXITS IN VC SHAKE-UP

Longtime Sequoia investors Alfred Lin and Pat Grady will succeed Roelof Botha, who was asked to step aside after some Sequoia partners raised concerns about his leadership style.

INTERNET ARCHIVE'S LEGAL FIGHTS ARE OVER, BUT ITS FOUNDER MOURNS WHAT WAS LOST

While the Internet Archive survived its copyright battles, the fight led to more than 500,000 books being removed from its library.

BRAINDUMP ON VIRAL LOOPS

The current generation of AI tools often have 'create and share' viral loops that amplify whatever top of funnel comes in.