Sunday, July 19, 2026

Kalshi and Polymarket bets on the FIFA World Cup final top $5.69B; Dune Analytics says total wagers on the platforms surpassed $50B for the first time in June (Lauren McCarthy/New York Times)

Lauren McCarthy / New York Times:
Kalshi and Polymarket bets on the FIFA World Cup final top $5.69B; Dune Analytics says total wagers on the platforms surpassed $50B for the first time in June  —  When Argentina and Spain take the field on Sunday for the World Cup final, more than $5.69 billion will be riding on the winner …



Thoughts on why Jony Ive, a close friend of Laurene Powell Jobs, isn't named in Apple's OpenAI suit; sources: Apple tests AI to record Genius Bar customer chats (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Thoughts on why Jony Ive, a close friend of Laurene Powell Jobs, isn't named in Apple's OpenAI suit; sources: Apple tests AI to record Genius Bar customer chats  —  Also: The company tries out AI recording for Genius Bar appointments.  —  This week, we'll look at why Apple's massive lawsuit …



Alibaba launches preview of 2.4T parameter Qwen3.8 Max, says it's comparable to frontier AI models and second only to Fable 5, will make it "open-weight soon" (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Alibaba launches preview of 2.4T parameter Qwen3.8 Max, says it's comparable to frontier AI models and second only to Fable 5, will make it “open-weight soon”  —  Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. launched a preview version of its flagship Qwen3.8 Max model, which it described as comparable …



AI is reshaping entry-level professional services jobs, as companies redesign hiring, training, and workplace culture rather than simply cut junior roles (Andrew Hill/Financial Times)

Andrew Hill / Financial Times:
AI is reshaping entry-level professional services jobs, as companies redesign hiring, training, and workplace culture rather than simply cut junior roles  —  Here are the ways leading companies are already responding to the AI revolution in professional services



Saturday, July 18, 2026

Prediction market political betting on insider info spreads in DC; sources: WH lawyers raised alarms over anonymous Polymarket bets on the Iran ceasefire timing (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
Prediction market political betting on insider info spreads in DC; sources: WH lawyers raised alarms over anonymous Polymarket bets on the Iran ceasefire timing  —  White House officials are grappling with how deeply political betting has worked itself into fabric of government



How the Trump administration shifted from a "light-touch" approach to AI policy to an interventionist stance that led to restrictions on top AI models in the US (Leo Schwartz/The Information)

Leo Schwartz / The Information:
How the Trump administration shifted from a “light-touch” approach to AI policy to an interventionist stance that led to restrictions on top AI models in the US  —  In January 2025, just three days after entering office for his second term, President Donald Trump signed …



The grassroots group HumansFirst is organizing protests against the "unaccountable" buildout of data centers across 125 US locations on July 18 (Reuters)

Reuters:
The grassroots group HumansFirst is organizing protests against the “unaccountable” buildout of data centers across 125 US locations on July 18  —  Opponents of the rapid buildout of data centers plan to hold protests on Saturday in at least 125 locations across the United States …



A review of Microsoft's 13-inch Surface Laptop shows 8GB of RAM is not enough for a good Windows 11 experience; PC makers have unveiled upcoming 8GB laptops (Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge)

Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge:
A review of Microsoft's 13-inch Surface Laptop shows 8GB of RAM is not enough for a good Windows 11 experience; PC makers have unveiled upcoming 8GB laptops  —  Last year, Microsoft's 13-inch Surface Laptop quickly became one of my favorite thin-and-light Windows notebooks.



Friday, July 17, 2026

San Francisco sends legal notices to Apple and Google demanding they take down 13 AI apps used to make deepfake nude images; Google says it has deleted the apps (Matt Burgess/Wired)

Matt Burgess / Wired:
San Francisco sends legal notices to Apple and Google demanding they take down 13 AI apps used to make deepfake nude images; Google says it has deleted the apps  —  The City Attorney's Office sent the tech giants cease-and-desist letters this week telling them to stop profiting from 13 …



At the World AI Conference, Xi Jinping touts open-source AI, pledges to help the Global South build AI capabilities, and calls unequal AI access an "injustice" (Reuters)

Reuters:
At the World AI Conference, Xi Jinping touts open-source AI, pledges to help the Global South build AI capabilities, and calls unequal AI access an “injustice”  —  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday cast Beijing as the champion of a new global AI order, using China's premier tech conference …



The Alphabet Workers Union sends a layoff protection petition with 4,500+ signatures to Sundar Pichai, calling for guaranteed severance and buyout options (Sanya Mansoor/The Guardian)

Sanya Mansoor / The Guardian:
The Alphabet Workers Union sends a layoff protection petition with 4,500+ signatures to Sundar Pichai, calling for guaranteed severance and buyout options  —  The petition to Sundar Pichai, the CEO, included more than 4,500 signatures and included calls for buyout options



Kalshi and Polymarket bets on the FIFA World Cup final top $5.69B; Dune Analytics says total wagers on the platforms surpassed $50B for the first time in June (Lauren McCarthy/New York Times)

Lauren McCarthy / New York Times : Kalshi and Polymarket bets on the FIFA World Cup final top $5.69B; Dune Analytics says total wagers on...