Reports from a supply chain leaker indicate that OpenAI's first AI
gadget is aimed at taking on Apple's AirPods. The device is codenamed 'Sweetpea'
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TLDR
TLDR 2026-01-14
📱
BIG TECH & STARTUPS
APPLE TO FINE-TUNE GEMINI INDEPENDENTLY, NO GOOGLE BRANDING ON SIRI,
MORE (4 MINUTE READ) [4]
Apple recently announced that it had decided to rely on Gemini to
power its AI features. The company will be able to fine-tune the model
so that it responds in Apple's preferred manner. Apple's AI won't
respond with any branding related to Google or Gemini. Some of the
features will launch this spring. More advanced features are expected
to be announced at Apple's annual developer conference in June.
META SEEKS TO DOUBLE RAY-BAN GLASSES OUTPUT AFTER SURGE IN DEMAND (6
MINUTE READ) [5]
Meta and EssilorLuxottica are discussing potentially doubling
production capacity to 20 million units or more by the end of the year
to capture growing demand and head off rivals. They may potentially
further establish the capability of producing more than 30 million
units if demand justifies such a move. No final decisions have been
made yet. The talks signal confidence that smart glasses can move
beyond early adopters and reach mass-market scale.
🚀
SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY
AS SPACEX WORKS TOWARD 50K STARLINK SATELLITES, CHINA EYES DEPLOYING
200K (4 MINUTE READ) [6]
China's Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilization and Technological
Innovation has filed a request with the International
Telecommunications Union to operate a satellite constellation with a
total of 193,428 satellites. The request far exceeds the ambitions of
other current constellation projects. The Chinese constellations plan
to use a wide range of radio frequencies and will be deployed across
numerous orbits from 300 to 600 kilometers, as well as higher objects
at around 20,000 kilometers. The US Federal Communications Commission
views China's satellite ambitions as a national security threat.
JONY IVE AND SAM ALTMAN'S FIRST AI GADGET MAY TRY TO KILL AIRPODS (3
MINUTE READ) [7]
Reports from a supply chain leaker indicate that OpenAI's first AI
gadget is aimed at taking on Apple's AirPods. The device, codenamed
'Sweetpea', is an audio product that resembles an earpiece. It is
projected to be released around September. OpenAI has other hardware
in the works, including a home-style device and a pen.
💻
PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & DATA SCIENCE
HOW RAMP DESIGNED THE NEXT VERSION OF THEIR DAY-TO-DAY (SPONSOR) [8]
Ramp [8] adopted the Builder mindset and an ambitious plan: to become
the most productive company in the world. So far, they shipped 270
features in H1 2025 (MORE THAN ALL OF 2024 combined), and 90% of 1,200 employees use Notion AI monthly. Read more on the Notion blog [8] →
HOW TO WRITE A GOOD SPEC FOR AI AGENTS (49 MINUTE READ) [9]
Smart specs guide agents clearly, stay within practical context
sizes, and evolve with projects. Aim to create clear specs that cover
just enough nuance to guide the AI without overwhelming it. Break
large tasks into smaller ones. Plan first in read-only mode before
executing, and iterate continuously. This post presents a framework
for spec-writing that keeps AI agents focused and productive.
JPEG-XL IMAGE SUPPORT RETURNS TO LATEST CHROME/CHROMIUM CODE (1
MINUTE READ) [10]
Google deprecated JPEG-XL support in Chrome/Chromium back in 2022.
The decision was widely criticized, and Google said that it may
reconsider. The code to restore support was merged this week, so
JPEG-XL image support is back in the very latest Google
Chrome/Chromium codebase.
🎁
MISCELLANEOUS
PERSONAL TASTE IS THE MOAT (3 MINUTE READ) [11]
AI should be part of every process, but the final filter must be
human judgment informed by taste. The hardest decisions aren't
reducible to rules. AI can tell you whether something works, but only
taste can tell you whether it belongs. Personal taste is the moat when execution is cheap and correctness is abundant.
"HELLO, COMPUTER." (10 MINUTE READ) [12]
The tech world is moving towards voice-powered computing. Several
companies are building purpose-built hardware for AI that will be
predominantly controlled via voice. This will help set up the next
wave of technology: robots. Robots will be wholly voice-controlled.
⚡
QUICK LINKS
SIGNAL CREATOR MOXIE MARLINSPIKE WANTS TO DO FOR AI WHAT HE DID FOR
MESSAGING (11 MINUTE READ) [13]
Confer is an open source AI assistant that provides strong assurances
that user data is readable only to account holders.
HEADROOM (GITHUB REPO) [14]
Headroom is a context optimization layer for LLM applications that
cuts costs by 50% to 90% without losing accuracy.
NO MANAGEMENT NEEDED: ANTI-PATTERNS IN EARLY-STAGE ENGINEERING TEAMS
(12 MINUTE READ) [15]
Early-stage founders who think they have engineering management
problems should go back to building product and talking to users.
KUO: APPLE'S AI DEAL WITH GOOGLE IS TEMPORARY AND BUYS IT TIME (3
MINUTE READ) [16]
The partnership gives Apple time to manage expectations across its
platforms as it develops its own in-house AI server chips, expected to
enter mass production in the second half of 2026.
NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN LINUX MALWARE IS “FAR MORE ADVANCED THAN
TYPICAL” (5 MINUTE READ) [17]
VoidLink features more than 30 modules that can be used to customize
attacks.
ARE WE HEADED TOWARDS A STABLE DYSTOPIA? (3 MINUTE READ) [18]
Today's masses still have power due to their labor contribution and
their ability to physically rebel against the elite, but AI has the
potential to change that power balance.
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