Inklings (2025)

TikTok Signs • Waymo $100B • OpenAI $830B • FIFA’s Netflix Game • Yann Lecun Raising • Paramount Rejected Again • CoreWeave Scale • Buzzing the Watertower

Anthropic’s TPU Buy • GPT-5.2 • Apple’s ‘HomePad’ • Top 2025 Apps • Data Centers in Space • 5D Chess vs. Tiddlywinks • Deal Swag

Meta & World Models • EU Strikes Back • Disney’s CEO Race • Michael Burry’s Blog • Anthropic’s Shots at OpenAI • OpenAI’s Spend

Sutskever on Dwarkesh • OpenAI’s Prototype • Netflix + WB? • HBO Back as HBO • iOS ‘Snow Leopard’ • OpenAI CEO • Data Center Debt

World Models • Netflix’s Theatrical Bid • Perplexity’s Mobile Browser • Streaming Pause Ads • Sam Altman’s ‘Rough Vibes’ Memo • Wokesters • Zelda Movie

Apple’s Mini App Cut • Battle for Warner Bros • Tesla + CarPlay • The AI Bubble • Thinking Machines at $50B • Apple Bundling MLS into Apple TV • Michael Burry’s Bubble Bet • ‘Toy Story 5’ Goes After the iPad

Apple & F1 • Karpathy on Dwarkesh Pod • Xitter Rethinks Links • Meta’s Private Capital AI Play • iPhone Air Sales • Cue’s Streaming Content Critique

Touchscreen MacBook Pros • Oracle’s Margins • Hollywood Has No Idea What To Do About AI • Fracking Data Centers • Apple TV + Peacock • $1 Steve Jobs Coin

Spotify & Netflix Gun for YouTube • Eddy Cue on Apple’s Hollywood Goals • Stolen iPhones • ChatGPT Is Bringing Sexy Back • Apple’s Robotic Updates • Stargate Competitor Buys Big Data Center Company • A Tim Cook Labubu!

OpenAI/Broadcom Deal • TBPN’s Rise • Is Xbox Imploding? • RIP TiVo • Meta’s Ray-Ban Display Review • AI’s Use in Comics

Apple’s Pivot from ‘Vision Air’ • M5 Devices • ‘Tron 3’ Bombs at Box Office • Meta Poaches Thinking Machines Co-Founder • Warner Bros Rebuffs Paramount Offer • OpenAI’s Constantly Evolving Cap Table

Apple’s NBA Vision • Making Intel Great Again • The Race to Build ‘Colossus 2’ • Meta’s Oddly Aggressive AI PR Approach • Apple’s Watch Re-Org • Amazon Shoves Ads In Your Face

Sora’s Surging Downloads • Sora’s Hollywood Warnings • Microsoft Trying Health as a Consumer AI Inroads • Netflix Takes On the Gaming Consoles • Jensen Pissed About OpenAI/AMD? • “AI Is Not Your Friend”

Heat 2 • Sora’s Copyright Blindside • Love Bots • Bond’s Guns • An OpenApp Store • Tesla’s Optimus Production Hell • xAI Raising $20B

OpenAI Hardware • OpenAI’s Windows Play • OpenAI’s DevDay • Instagram’s Ring Thing • Paramount Buys The Free Press • The MPA Fires Shots at Sora • Supreme Court Declines Google’s Emergency Halt

Why Sora’s Slop Works • OpenAI & AMD • Succession Tea Leaves at Apple • Succession Tea Leaves at Disney • Taylor Swift’s Commercial Beats the Box Office • Bezos on Bubbles • Anthropic, the ‘Anti-OpenAI’

Apple’s Vision Pro Correction • TikTok’s American Dream • Sora Hits #1 • AI Team Turbulence Continues at Meta • Thinking Machines Lab First Product • Instagram’s Threads Communities • Perplexity’s Browser Goes Free

Sora Soars in Debut • Google’s Gemini Home Event • Meta to Use AI Conversations to Target Ads • OpenAI Staff Grapples with Sora • Amazon’s Gaming Strategy

Alexa+’s Curve • Apple & Intel • Amazon’s 2025 Hardware Event • Apple’s Leaky Product Pipelines • Apple Testing a ChatGPT-Like App • The Free TV with Always-On Ads • YouTube Pays Off President Trump

Meta’s Media AI Play • Kimmel Tick-Tock • Apple Injecting Talent into OpenAI • Google Injecting Gemini into Chrome • Prime Video Adding ‘The Masters’ • Optimus vs. the Global Economy

Meta Ray-Ban Display • Zuck on Glasses • NVIDIA’s Investment in Intel • Jimmy Kimmel No Longer Live • Face-On Report with the AI Glasses

AI Safety • AI Settlements • RIP Robert Redford • The TikTok Deal • The iPhone Air Flop? • A Touchscreen MacBook? • Spies & Scotch & Martinis

TikTok Everlasting • Public Company Quarterly Reporting • How People Are Using ChatGPT • How People Are Using Claude • John Malone Keeps Talking • Nintendo Virtual Boy Lives!

iPhone Air: Will it Bend? • OpenAI’s $350B Problem • ‘Demon’ Box Office • Publishers Suing Google Over AI • Gemini Tops App Store Charts • Emmy Winners & Losers • The Tik Keeps Toking…

Paramount Skydance + WBD • Techmeme at 20 • The Ozempic iPhone • Larry Ellison Riding the AI Wave • A Protocol for AI Data Licensing • No AirPods Translation in the EU • MountDance WarBroDisco

KPop, Sony, & Netflix • iPhone Strap • AI Resumes • Amazon’s AR Glasses • Meta’s AI Unit Sparks Tensions • Rise of Small Language Models • Crypto Holding Firms Struggle • ‘Good Will Hunting’ with Guns

A special edition of Spyglass Signal today, as I furiously try to catch up on every little nook and cranny of Apple news hidden in yesterday’s iPhone event. And, of course, I wrote 2,000-ish words covering my own high-level thoughts about the event, the announcements, the products, and the

OpenAI’s $100B+ Bet • Why LLMs Hallucinate • The President’s Tech Trophy Case • ‘Startup Energy’ at Snap • SpaceX Buying Spectrum • Google’s ‘Open Web’ Gaffe • OpenAI Ongoing Melodramas • Howard Stern Lives • Vision Pro in Black

Anthropic’s Settlement • Rotten Tomatoes Gaming • ‘iPhone Air’ Gamble • OpenAI Reorg • ASML & Mistral • ‘X Money’ Struggles • ‘Conjuring: Last Rites’ Opening • AI’s “Napster Moment” • OpenAI’s New Projections

Apple & Google are Back • Nintendo’s Genius • Troubling AI • OpenAI’s Custom AI Chip • The White House AI Dinner • ‘Nano Banana’ Helps Gemini • Tesla’s $1T Pay Package for Elon • “The Robot Are Here” • Superman is Coming Back

Instagram for iPad • AI Beyond Transformers • The Sphere Movies Are Not Movies • Google TPUs vs. NVIDIA • ReMarkable’s New Note-Taking Tablet • Atlassian Buys The Browser Company • The Sexy Celeb AI Bot Epidemic • Bond, Young Bond

Antitrust Victory Laps • OpenAI/Statsig • French Studio/Theater Deal • Anthropic’s Round • Tesla’s New ‘Master Plan’ • Gemini’s Home Plan • More Apple AI Defections • Super Massive AI Data Centers

Standing Ovations • A Streaming Aggregator • Quantum Computer Race • The Atlantic Envy • Doing Things Early • Rising AI Costs • Sam Altman Speaks • YouTube Sportscasters • Walmart Streaming Options • Cracker Barrel Logo!

Zuckerberg & Trump • OpenAI Breaking ChatGPT • John Malone PR Tour • Meta’s Bad Bots • Meta Outsourcing Their AI • Meta’s Scale Situation • Big Short Back?

Apple M&A • Podcast About AGI • Meta’s Llama Salvage • NVIDIA’s Q2 • NVIDIA’s 2 Big Customers • Apple’s Radio Play • Meta’s Big Men on AI Campus • ‘TechWoven’ Cases

Google Antitrust & AI • New iPhones Inbound • Intel’s Dance with Trump • OpenAI/Microsoft Talks Extension • Meta AI Defections • Perplexity’s Chrome Offer • Apple’s iPhone Event

Apple’s AI Bake Off • Beatles Anthology 4 • Netflix’s Box Office Win • Elon vs. Apple/OpenAI• Perplexity’s Rev Share • Meta’s Midjourney • Ian Fleming • Sam Altman, CEO • NFL Copilot Tablets

Howard Stern • MLB Streaming Deals • Google’s Gemini Speaker • OpenAI Alumni Valuations • OpenAI’s Business • South Park Comes for Tim Cook

Google’s Pixel Event • Superintelligent Podcast • Anthropic & SPVs • Duffer Brothers Bolt • Meta’s AR Glasses • GPT-5 Backlash • New Paramount Logo

MSNBC’s Rebrand • Instagram Clutter • Meta as the new BlackBerry • ESPN Streaming • Ron Howard • Meta’s AI Shake-Up (Again) • YouTube Oscars • AOL Dial-Up Signs-Off

SoftBank’s Intel Stake • Apple’s Cheap MacBook • Perplexity’s Browser Buys • Terence Stamp RIP • Meta’s Washington Commanders • Daniel Day-Lewis Returns

Lina Khan & Figma • Roku’s Cheap Streamer • Meta’s Flirty Chatbot Tragedy • Gemini’s Bad Day • Pixel Mocks iPhone AI

Apple’s Q3 2025 • Amazon’s Q2 2025 • Figma’s Comeback • The ‘AI Trinity’ • iPhone 17 Dummies

Meta’s Q2 2024 • Microsoft’s Q4 2024 • Amazon’s NYT AI Payment • SF is Back Again • Remember the Metaverse?

JPMorgan’s Apple Card • Microsoft’s OpenAI Agreement • Meta’s Thinking Machine Lab Attack • Meta’s Apple Intelligence Attack • Meta’s All-Star Pirates • Prototype iPhone 17 Pro

Ring Wearables • Microsoft’s AI Browser • Elon’s Robots • RIP Ozzy, Hulk, & Ryne • Avatar 3 Trailer

Meta’s Chiefs Scientist • Apple & Intel • Anthropic at $150B • Intel & NVIDIA • Apple & Vince Gilligan

Google’s Q2 • EU vs. App Store • Skydance/Paramount Deal Clears • AppleCar One Service • Feeding the AI Monster • Ted Lasso Returns

Apple Leaks • ChatGPT Agent • Uber Robotaxis • Substack’s Valuation • Netflix’s Q2 • Copilot Challenges • Netflix & AI • Emoji

Working at OpenAI • Non-WebKit iOS Browsers • Grok AI Bots • Emmy Noms • Meta’s Open Source AI Path • NVIDIA’s China Trade Deal Win • Zelda Casting!

In the span of just a few days, one startup pulled off the trifecta: a failed acquisition, a “hackquihire”, and now an actual acquisition.

Amazon + Anthropic • Talking Apple + Claude • Dun3 • Meta’s Apple Poach • Risks for NVIDIA & Microsoft • Grok 4 • NVIDIA $4T

Apple’s AWS • “America’s Party” • Netflix/Spotify • RIP Michael Madsen • Apple’s EU Appeal • TikTok 2 • Expensive Superintelligence • Mobile Social DAUs

Microsoft Layoffs • A New SVB • Figma’s S-1 • ‘The Odyssey’ Teaser • Robinhood’s Startup Equity Tokens • Mac Finder Icon

Apple’s Vision Quest • Apple Rings • Paramount Plus Branding • Xitter’s Head of Product • Apple’s Vision Roadmap

Happy F1 day to those who celebrate.

Apple EU “Concessions” • The “Cheat on Everything” AI App • ChatGPT in Schools • America-Made Smartphones • Shopping From TVs • Netflix Experience Malls

Scale’s Data Promise • Lakers Deal • More Mindhuner • xAI’s Burn • The Naked Gun

Tim Cook ‘F1’ Photoshoot • WhatsApp Ads • News Sites Crushed By AI • Jurassic Park 7 • Meta/Scale Deal Tick-Tock • He-Man

Apple Spinning Siri • Amazon Spinning Movie Theaters • OpenAI + Google Cloud • Alexa+ Users • RIP Brian Wilson • Spaceballs 2!

Snap’s Specs • OpenAI’s ARR • The Superintelligence Sales Pitch • Warner Bros Discovery Splits In Two • Tesla Robotaxi Spotting

NASA & SpaceX • Snapchat & Apple Watch • Meta & Defense • Anthropic • AI Regulation • AI Spy Glasses

New Media Layoffs • Automatic AI Ads • OpenAI, The Movie • ‘Living Glass’ UI

PE-Like AI Roll-Ups • WhatsApp iPad • WWDC UI Not AI • Meta’s Puffin & Puck Headset • Is AI Lying To Us? • 20 iPhones For 28 Years Later

Slow Startgate • DoE AI Supercomputer • Meta’s Metaverse at War • The Never Boring OpenAI Board • ChatGPT’s Go-Forward Plan

Inside DOGE • Musk Outside • The Dandy Illegal Tariff Plan • Google Home Gemini • Meta AI Restructure • NVIDIA Earnings • Fat iPhone 17 Pro Max

WWDC in 2 Weeks • iOS Xbox App Delay • Apple’s Pressure • Box Office Boomlet • Microsoft Anthropic • Anthropic Agentic Pokemon • AI Shuffle Stick

Epic/Apple • Apple/AI • Standing O • Stephen A • Stargate UAE • AI Vader Voice • Netflix Sesame Street • Vision Pro Eye Scroll

Kids & AI • HBO Max • Indian iPhone • Microsoft AI • Fortnite App • Car Play Ultra • Big Llama • OpenAI Codex • Clooney Live • Netflix Live • Air Traffic & Asteroids • Odyssey IMAX • Vision Pro Price

OpenAI & Airbnb Evolve • Hollywood Tariffs • Half-Off Movies • Studio Funding • $treaming E$PN • AI Audiobooks • Stargate UAE • AI I/O + Gemini • Apple Batteries & Brains • Pete Rose • Madden Movie

Apple & Fortnite, Big 2027, Leadership • YouTube + NFL • ‘Fox One’ • Bill Gates, Trillionaire • Trump’s Anchoring • AI Pope • Cursor & Perplexity Rounds • Gemini iPad • ‘Kung Fury’ & ‘F1’ • The Paper

OpenAI’s Dual CEO • Apple’s Smart Glasses Chips • xAI’s New Funding

Google’s Antitrust Case Focuses on the AI Future • Mozilla is Doomed without Google Money • Eye-Scanning Orbs Hit Our Shores • Record Everything, Let AI Sort It Out • Beyond Control AI Startups

App Store Updates • Gemini on iPhones • Meta’s Money • Waymo Cars

The Top iPhones Still Need China • Motorola’s Wooden Foldable Razr • Microsoft in OpenAI’s Dust • Revenge of the Sith, Indeed

iPhones from India • The New Siri Team • Notion Mail • Gemini Users

Startups & Tariffs • ‘Sinners’ Reaps Rewards • iPhone 17 Air Pre-Preview • Blue Origin’s Space Cadets • Hycean Life

AI Venture Investment • Perplexity Phones • Meta and Apple AI • OpenAI’s New Ideas Breakthrough

Waiting on Alexa+ • Larry Ellison, Media Mogul • Visa Going Hard After Apple Card • Apple Watch’s ‘Health+’

AlexNet Open Sourced • Microsoft’s Inflection • Yahoo’s TechCrunch • CoreWeave’s Swap

OracleTok • Lasso Back • NVIDIA’s Vera • A Leading iPhone Air

My 2025 iPhone Homescreen • Trump’s TikTok EO • A Deal on Tariffs • A Strange Deal • New IMDb Head • Apple v. Google v. Court • Switch Take 2

TikTok Trick • The Ban That Wasn’t (But Still Might Be) • A Move to Community Notes • Blue Origin Soars • Perplexity Shoots Its (Long) Shot

Netflix Live Sports • Stephen Miller & Zuck • Netflix, Narnia, and IMAX • Apple AI Notifications • RIP Bob Uecker • RIP David Lynch

Trump’s TikTok EO Option • Should Startups Go Public? • Google & Microsoft Search for AI Business Models

Masculine Startups • The Fall of Xbox • Meta’s Misinformation Off Switch • TikTok’s Switch Off

Sonos Switch • MySports Streaming • Amazon’s Alexa Brain Freeze • Billionaire-Free Social Media • EU Backs off Big Tech

On Meta’s Moderation Changes • Inside DOGE • Zuck Slams Apple (Again) • Apple’s Muted 2025 • CES 2025 Recap

RIP Venu • A More Political and Real Time Threads • An OpenAI Auction • Apple’s Tough 2025

9 More to Go for 2025 • Netflix Wrestles the WWE Audience • EU Swipes Back at Meta • Howard Marks’ Bubble Watch • TikTok Case Eve

Meta’s Social AI Content • Anthropic at $60B • Bluesky at $700M • Dick Wolf’s 30 Minute Show • NVIDIA’s CPU Aspirations

Hulu, Fubo, Venu • NVIDIA’s Cosmos • NVIDIA’s DIGITS • Meta’s Board Addition • Meta’s Fact-Checking Subtraction • Dude, You’re Getting a Dell Pro Max Premium

Sam Altman Reflects on a Chaotic Couple Years • 2025 Golden Globes • AI TVs • Uber & Lyft + Robotaxis • Thoughts on Dune: Prophecy