Google wants to retain the right to bundle Maps and YouTube with Gemini AI. It claims that there is no evidence that it has gained a monopoly
TLDR 2025-10-09
Big Tech & Startups
Google Wants Right to Bundle Gemini AI App With Maps, YouTube (4 minute read)
Google wants to retain the right to bundle Maps and YouTube with its Gemini AI service. It claims that there is no evidence that it has gained a monopoly or market power in the AI market. Maps and YouTube have not been found to be monopoly products. Google says its bundle of Gemini with YouTube and Maps is similar to Microsoft’s inclusion of its Copilot AI within its Office productivity software.
Amazon launches prescription vending machines at One Medical clinics in Los Angeles (6 minute read)
Amazon is launching prescription drug kiosks at some One Medical offices in Los Angeles. They will work similarly to a vending machine and distribute prescriptions for patients within minutes of their doctor visit. Each machine can stock hundreds of prescriptions. By bringing the pharmacy directly to the point of care, Amazon is allowing patients to start treatments right away. Amazon plans to also deploy its prescription vending kiosks at pharmacy chains like Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens.
Science & Futuristic Technology
Planet Labs to Launch Satellites Promising Images in an Hour (5 minute read)
Planet Labs PBC’s Earth observation satellites promise to deliver high-resolution, AI-analyzed images within the hour. The new Owl monitors will track changes ranging from the impacts of natural disasters to the movements of vessels and aircraft. Owl satellites are equipped with Nvidia chips, enabling them to use AI to identify objects and detect events faster. Planet Labs plans to build and deploy about 40 Owl satellites in the next few years, with an initial test launch slated for the end of 2026.
How ultrasound is ushering a new era of surgery-free cancer treatment (14 minute read)
Histotripsy is a cancer treatment in which ultrasound waves are concentrated onto a small area of a tumor to destroy it. The ultrasound is delivered in quick bursts, creating tiny microbubbles that expand and then collapse in milliseconds, breaking apart the tumor tissue as they do. The patient’s immune system then cleans up the remains. The treatment is fast, non-toxic, and non-invasive. Patients receiving it can usually go home on the same day, with most procedures over in one to three hours. Histotripsy has been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of liver tumors.
Programming, Design & Data Science
Introducing the React Foundation: The New Home for React & React Native (3 minute read)
React has grown into one of the world’s most popular open source projects since Meta open-sourced the project over a decade ago. The incredible growth is thanks to its community. The React Foundation was created to help the React community and its members. It will maintain React’s infrastructure, organize React Conf, and create initiatives to support the React ecosystem. The React Foundation will be part of the Linux Foundation.
A pragmatic guide to modern CSS colours (17 minute read)
A lot about colors in CSS has changed over the last few years, including updates to the syntax of familiar features and all-new ways of working with colors. These new features can help developers who don’t necessarily focus on design. This article looks at the most useful features for developers who aren’t trying to pick their own colors or do any color manipulation.
Miscellaneous
An Interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman About DevDay and the AI Buildout (38 minute read)
In the last seven months, OpenAI has unveiled GPT-5, launched the viral video app Sora, and made several announcements about a massive AI buildout with a variety of partners. This article contains an interview with OpenAI’s Sam Altman, where he discusses all of those infrastructure announcements, why Altman’s investor skills are particularly useful as CEO, apps in ChatGPT, Instant Checkout, Sora, and how OpenAI thinks about user feedback. Altman and OpenAI are presenting an increasingly coherent vision about what OpenAI is building towards. The interview is also available as a podcast.
Shayne Coplan, founder and CEO of Polymarket, a blockchain-based prediction market, has become the world’s youngest self-made billionaire at 27. His company will receive as much as $2 billion in investment from Intercontinental Exchange. Polymarket lets users wager on real-world outcomes using cryptocurrency. Users wagered more than $3 billion on potential outcomes during the 2024 US presidential election.
Quick Links
OpenAI’s Rising Tide Strategy (5 minute read)
OpenAI’s strategy may create a virtuous cycle where AI demand funds AI build out, which fuels AI demand.
In defense of ruthless managers (4 minute read)
While most engineers would prefer an empathetic manager, there are still several upsides to having a ruthless manager.
Toyota aims to launch the ‘world’s first’ all-solid-state EV batteries (3 minute read)
Toyota claims its all-solid-state batteries, which could arrive as soon as 2027, significantly enhance driving range, charging times, and output.
The remarkable rise of eBird—the world’s biggest citizen science project (7 minute read)
eBird allows ornithologists around the world to document bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends within a simple scientific framework.
How Wi-Fi Signals Can Be Used to Detect Your Heartbeat (3 minute read)
Pulse-Fi, a new heart rate monitoring technique that uses ambient Wi-Fi signals, is low-cost and easily deployable, and it removes the need for people to wear devices on their bodies.
Human-oriented Markup Language (2 minute read)
Human-oriented Markup Language is a serialization language for documents, datasets, and configuration that prioritizes strict form for human readability.