How AI gutted Kenya's essay-writing industry, which at its peak paid 40,000+ people in Nairobi to do overseas students' homework, leaving few paths back to work (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/technology/kenya-college-essays-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-1A.dcLn.JHW0dAE69g6h&smid=url-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/technology/kenya-college-essays-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-1A.dcLn.JHW0dAE69g6h&smid=url-share
Nytimes
Kenyans Made a Living Writing College Essays. Then A.I. Arrived. (Gift Article)
Thousands of Kenyans made a living writing essays for overseas students. With A.I., the work has dried up, a warning for online gig work that has been a global lifeline.
Tim Cook's pay package indicates he will remain very active at Apple; sources: Apple's plans to squeeze more App Store profits prompted Phil Schiller to leave (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-09-06/apple-s-new-ceo-like-cook-pay-package-shows-he-s-going-nowhere-sept-9-event-mtpvpcj1?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4ODcwNTgwOCwiZXhwIjoxNzg5MzEwNjA4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUS1k0ODFLR0NURlEwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDNEVEQ0FFMUZBMDU0MEJFQTI0QTlGMjExQzFFOTA4MCJ9.VPVLP03ZWjEbH48efjq8Q7n0_vk4t7OynYeaUbOfYzU
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-09-06/apple-s-new-ceo-like-cook-pay-package-shows-he-s-going-nowhere-sept-9-event-mtpvpcj1?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4ODcwNTgwOCwiZXhwIjoxNzg5MzEwNjA4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUS1k0ODFLR0NURlEwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJDNEVEQ0FFMUZBMDU0MEJFQTI0QTlGMjExQzFFOTA4MCJ9.VPVLP03ZWjEbH48efjq8Q7n0_vk4t7OynYeaUbOfYzU
Bloomberg.com
Tim Cook’s CEO-Like Pay Package Shows He Isn’t Going Anywhere
Also: The latest on Apple’s big Sept. 9 event.
OpenAI says it hit its "automated research intern" goal, its researchers now use 3.1 agent-workdays per human workday, and top users spend $7,000+/day on tokens (OpenAI)
https://openai.com/index/research-acceleration-view-inside-openai
https://openai.com/index/research-acceleration-view-inside-openai
OpenAI
Research acceleration: The view inside OpenAI
Inside OpenAI, coding agents are reshaping AI research. Explore early data on agent usage, experiment velocity, task complexity, and research acceleration.
Analysis: since October, Anthropic has entered into agreements for at least 14.8 GW of compute capacity and may spend as much as $517B over the next decade (Valida Pau/The Information)
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/anthropic-clinched-517-billion-compute-deals-11-months
https://www.theinformation.com/articles/anthropic-clinched-517-billion-compute-deals-11-months
The Information
How Anthropic Clinched $517 Billion in Compute Deals in 11 Months
Anthropic in the last year has scrambled to line up cloud computing deals with SpaceX, Google and others to meet the skyrocketing demand for Claude Code and Cowork that took the company by surprise this year. As the AI powerhouse gears up for a possible record…
OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki says no lab has solved alignment enough to keep scaling at maximum speed, and hopes voluntary slowdowns become commonplace (OpenAI)
https://openai.com/index/an-alien-mind/
https://openai.com/index/an-alien-mind/
OpenAI
An Alien Mind
Jakub Pachocki reflects on increasingly capable AI and the challenge of keeping it aligned. He calls for stronger safeguards and international coordination.
Sources: UBS requires AI skills when hiring junior investment bankers, making it one of the first major financial institutions to explicitly require AI literacy (Simon Foy/Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/76b370ff-b5f6-4e22-aa30-da08b1abb8f8
https://www.ft.com/content/76b370ff-b5f6-4e22-aa30-da08b1abb8f8
How Inspur, a blacklisted China-owned company, is bypassing US export restrictions on advanced AI chips via a network of new subsidiaries and partners (New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/technology/ai-chips-china-blacklist.html?unlocked_article_code=1._FA.u0Bg.kF4sF70YLv-f&smid=nytcore-ios-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/technology/ai-chips-china-blacklist.html?unlocked_article_code=1._FA.u0Bg.kF4sF70YLv-f&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Nytimes
How a Blacklisted Chinese Tech Giant Kept Buying America’s Best A.I. Chips (Gift Article)
Washington imposed sanctions on Inspur because of its work with the Chinese military. But the company’s subsidiary kept shipping Nvidia’s best chips to feed China’s leading A.I. firms.
How everyday US investors are vibe-coding algorithms to automate trading strategies by connecting their stock portfolios to AI agents built with Claude or Codex (Hannah Erin Lang/Wall Street Journal)
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-ai-shift-turning-everyday-investors-into-mini-quant-funds-ebe4d45f?st=CnE73f&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-ai-shift-turning-everyday-investors-into-mini-quant-funds-ebe4d45f?st=CnE73f&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
The Wall Street Journal
He’s Letting AI Agents Invest His Money. They Even Have Names.
Americans are vibe-coding trading algorithms and handing over their stock portfolios to AI agents. Welcome to the world of the robot retail investor.
Sources: at the September 24 US-China talks, the US is expected to discuss preventing AI-directed cyberattacks, and China will likely revisit US export controls (Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/us-and-china-eye-trump-xi-talks-on-ai-guardrails-despite-tech-rift
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/technology/artificial-intelligence/us-and-china-eye-trump-xi-talks-on-ai-guardrails-despite-tech-rift
Nikkei Asia
US and China eye Trump-Xi talks on AI guardrails despite tech rift
Silicon Valley insiders float ideas but skepticism over cooperation persists
Blockstream's Liquid Network halts new transactions after "purported white-hat hackers" withdrew ~4,000 of the 4,200 bitcoin held in its federation wallet (Omkar Godbole/CoinDesk)
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/09/07/bitcoin-network-used-by-exchanges-hit-by-usd320-million-exploit-hackers-claim-they-re-the-good-guys
https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2026/09/07/bitcoin-network-used-by-exchanges-hit-by-usd320-million-exploit-hackers-claim-they-re-the-good-guys
Coindesk
$320 million bitcoin exploit hits Liquid Network
Liquid Network, a settlement layer used by exchanges, halted all transactions after losing $320 million worth of bitcoin in a security exploit.
An in-depth look at OpenAI's wiki incident: other hacked message boards, OpenAI's cover-up, how harmless web search tasks led agents to break out, and more (Zvi Mowshowitz/Don't Worry About the Vase)
https://thezvi.substack.com/p/openai-and-the-wiki-incident
https://thezvi.substack.com/p/openai-and-the-wiki-incident
Substack
OpenAI and the Wiki Incident
I did not expect to be back here so soon with more OpenAI agent swarm coverage.
LA- and Bengaluru-based hyperspectral orbital imagery startup Pixxel raised a $100M Series C led by Temasek and Seraphim, bringing its total funding to $195M (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/science/google-backed-indian-space-startup-raises-100-million-latest-funding-round-2026-09-07/
https://www.reuters.com/science/google-backed-indian-space-startup-raises-100-million-latest-funding-round-2026-09-07/
How Rationalism, a movement pioneered by Eliezer Yudkowsky focused on existential superintelligent AI risks, influenced top AI leaders and their alarmist claims (Cal Newport/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/opinion/ai-silicon-valley.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-1A.hKhM.r3w6ETo4k4Zj&smid=tw-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/05/opinion/ai-silicon-valley.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-1A.hKhM.r3w6ETo4k4Zj&smid=tw-share
Nytimes
Opinion | How Scared Should We Be of A.I. Right Now? (Gift Article)
The dark and distressing way that Silicon Valley talks about A.I. can be traced to a philosophy that influenced many tech executives.
Huawei unveils the Mate XT2, a trifold phone powered by the Kirin 9050 Pro, an in-house designed chipset that it says is entirely free from US restrictions (Nikkei Asia)
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/electronics/huawei-unveils-first-triple-fold-phone-with-us-free-core-chips
https://asia.nikkei.com/business/electronics/huawei-unveils-first-triple-fold-phone-with-us-free-core-chips
Nikkei Asia
Huawei unveils first triple-fold phone with 'US-free' core chips
Mate XT2 launch comes as Apple set to soon release its first foldable iPhone
Shein lost about $5B in market value since its IPO, dropping to ~$21B, as it finished one of the worst opening weeks after a major Hong Kong listing (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-07/shein-s-value-down-5-billion-among-hk-s-worst-post-ipo-weeks
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-07/shein-s-value-down-5-billion-among-hk-s-worst-post-ipo-weeks
Bloomberg.com
Shein’s Value Down $5 Billion, Among HK’s Worst Post-IPO Weeks
Shein Global Holdings Ltd. has lost about $5 billion in market value since its initial public offering as it finished one of the worst opening weeks after a major Hong Kong listing, underscoring investor concerns over the fast-fashion retailer’s growth outlook.
A look at the 2019 US criminal case against Huawei, with an upcoming trial over racketeering charges, including sanctions evasion and corporate espionage (Financial Times)
https://www.ft.com/content/9422805f-519c-4b22-839c-cbd7a6464f07
https://www.ft.com/content/9422805f-519c-4b22-839c-cbd7a6464f07
Insilico, which uses AI to accelerate drug discovery, says early data shows that rentosertib, a drug developed to treat a chronic lung disease, could slow aging (Cade Metz/New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/07/science/ai-generated-drug-longevity.html?unlocked_article_code=1._VA.KrR_.DUftfq15OzTx&smid=bs-share
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/07/science/ai-generated-drug-longevity.html?unlocked_article_code=1._VA.KrR_.DUftfq15OzTx&smid=bs-share
Nytimes
Early Data Indicates an A.I.-Generated Drug Could Slow Aging (Gift Article)
Artificial intelligence was used to help develop a drug candidate, rentosertib, for a rare lung condition. Its maker says the drug also seems to reduce the biological hallmarks of age.
A look at Anthropic's Labs team, a ~20-person group led by cofounder Ben Mann that acts as an internal startup incubator for developing flagship products (Stephen Council/Business Insider)
https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-labs-team-ai-innovation-ipo-2026-9
https://www.businessinsider.com/anthropic-labs-team-ai-innovation-ipo-2026-9
Business Insider
How a tiny Anthropic team became a surprisingly productive hit factory
Anthropic Labs built some of the company's biggest hits, like Claude Code. Cofounder Ben Mann lays out his team's efforts and changing ambitions.
Sources: ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is overseeing the development of an AI model for real-time spatial video, which could launch as soon as next month (Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-07/bytedance-founder-joins-ai-elite-in-race-to-perfect-world-models
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-07/bytedance-founder-joins-ai-elite-in-race-to-perfect-world-models
Bloomberg.com
ByteDance Founder Joins AI Elite in Race to Perfect World Models
ByteDance Ltd. is readying an AI model geared for real-time spatial video generation, taking on Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc. in an arena with applications in robotics and autonomous systems.