Good evening!
It’s National Chocolate Day! I believe Reeses peanut butter and chocolate cups are the 8th wonder of the world. What is your favorite chocolate?
Here are the 7 things you missed today:
1. ✂️ Amazon anounces it will cut 14,000 corporate jobs
After years of expansion, the e-commerce giant is scaling back again with plans to eliminate 14,000 corporate roles this week. The restructuring aims to flatten management layers and improve efficiency across teams that grew rapidly during the pandemic. While Amazon hasn’t named specific departments, reports point to finance, HR, and operations among those affected. Severance packages and internal transfer options will be offered, with notifications starting immediately. The company said the move will help it “move faster and serve customers better.” (Reuters)
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3. 🤖 OpenAI will have a legitimate AI researcher by 2028
During a discussion on future model capabilities, Sam Altman said OpenAI expects to create an AI system capable of functioning as a “legitimate AI researcher” within about three years. The goal points to more autonomous experimentation and reasoning rather than task-based chat. Altman didn’t share technical milestones but called the target realistic given current progress. Observers see the timeline as part of OpenAI’s long-term plan for advanced general-purpose AI. (Tech Crunch)
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5. 📉 Paramount to cut 1,000 jobs in first round of layoffs
New leadership under Skydance Media is beginning its first major restructuring, with plans to eliminate roughly 1,000 positions which is roughly about 5% of Paramount Global’s workforce. The reductions are scheduled for Wednesday and span multiple business units as integration efforts ramp up. Paramount closed 2024 with nearly 18,600 full-time employees and 3,500 project-based staff. The layoffs mark the first step in streamlining overlapping operations and improving profitability under the combined company. Additional cuts could follow as reviews continue. (Bloomberg)
6. 💰 Apple and Microsoft are now both worth more than $4T
Investor enthusiasm for artificial-intelligence growth helped push Apple and Microsoft to close above $4 trillion in market capitalization for the first time. The milestone underscores their dominance in global equity markets and growing optimism about AI-driven revenue. Apple briefly touched $4.02 trillion intraday, while Microsoft held near the same level throughout trading. Analysts called it a symbolic moment that cements Big Tech’s influence across indices. Both stocks remain among the market’s top year-to-date performers. (Tech Crunch)
7. 🤝 PayPal partners with OpenAI to enable payments inside ChatGPT
A new PayPal integration will allow shoppers to complete purchases directly within ChatGPT using PayPal Checkout. The feature launches under OpenAI Instant Checkout, linking conversational shopping with PayPal’s payment network for participating merchants. Rollout begins in the U.S. and expands globally in 2026. Analysts say the deal positions PayPal as a key player in emerging “agentic commerce,” where AI systems manage end-to-end transactions. Company shares rose after the announcement. (PayPal Newsroom)
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