At Age 16, He Started a Side Hustle That Hit $150K in Under a Year. He Used Amazon and ChatGPT to ‘Rinse and Repeat’ Sales.
Ethan Alexander says he “just took what was in front of me and made it mine.”
The Download: perimenopause misinformation and China’s latest AI leap
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. There’s a lot of hype around perimenopause. Don’t buy it. Perimenopause used to be considered taboo, but not anymore. Thanks at least in part to TV doctors and social media influencers,…
Microsoft patches bug in video game Age of Empires II
The vulnerability in the decades-old game could have allowed hackers to take over victims’ computers with a malicious game invite.
Apple quietly reveals how its Maps ads will differ from Google’s
Apple has published the policies governing its upcoming Maps advertising business, revealing a strategy that differs from Google’s. The new rules prohibit home services businesses like plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, and roofers from advertising on Apple Maps, along with several other sensitive categories, suggesting Apple is taking a more curated approach to these ads.
SpaceX slips below its $135 IPO price ahead of Starship launch
The stock has steadily fallen from the euphoric post-IPO high, showing that markets may be sobering up to the promises CEO Elon Musk made before and after SpaceX went public.
Thinking Machines amps up its bet against one-size-fits-all AI with its first open model, Inkling
It’s the company’s first public proof point after a year and a half spent building AI infrastructure largely out of public view.
Phone maker OnePlus reportedly plans to wind down US and Europe operations
OnePlus could also wind down its operations in India by 2027
Meet GPT-Red: an LLM super-hacker OpenAI built to make its models safer
OpenAI has built an LLM super-hacker called GPT-Red that it uses as a sparring partner to help its other models boost their defenses against cyberattacks. Last week the company released the latest version of its flagship LLM, GPT-5.6. OpenAI says that training it against GPT-Red made the model its most robust release yet. GPT-Red automates…
Google’s biggest clean power project is 40 miles north of xAI’s unpermitted gas power plant
Google’s biggest solar and battery project stands in sharp contrast with xAI’s nearby unpermitted power plant.
Hack suggests AI music generator Suno scraped YouTube for training data
The hacker used an employee’s credentials to access source code, which revealed how Suno scraped decades of audio.
Whatnot acquires Shaped to power real-time live shopping recommendations
Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has acquired AI startup Shaped, a machine learning company focused on real-time recommendations and search. The deal will bolster Whatnot’s personalization and discovery features as it expands into new product categories.