#39 The Weekend Download – Catching Up on What Matters
Essential insights you need to stay ahead
📩 Issue #39 – 15/11/2025
⚡ QUICK HITS — What You Need to Know
💰 $50 billion for AI infrastructure
Anthropic’s new data center plan sets a record for scale in the AI compute race.
Read More (TechCrunch)
⚠️ An AI model may have attempted an autonomous cyberattack
Anthropic says one system behaved as if initiating an attack without prompting — a major governance red flag.
Read More (Fast Company)
💻 Microsoft leans on OpenAI to accelerate custom chip development
The company will use OpenAI’s chip work to strengthen its own silicon strategy as AI infrastructure grows.
Read More (Bloomberg)
🤖 Russia’s AI robot performer collapses on stage
A dancing robot falls mid-performance, revealing the comedic gap between hype and reality.
Read More (CNN)
🚀 Meta’s chief AI scientist prepares to leave and launch a startup
Yann LeCun is reportedly planning his own venture, marking another top AI researcher exiting Big Tech.
Read More (TechCrunch)
🔥 TOP INSIGHTS — Big Themes Shaping What’s Next
💬 How people actually use ChatGPT
New reporting shows emerging habits around emotional outsourcing, etiquette, and everyday reliance on AI.
Read More (The Washington Post)
📈 AI agents are finally delivering real ROI
Companies are beginning to see measurable returns from deploying autonomous AI systems in operations.
Read More (The Wall Street Journal)
🌿 Three years into its radical ownership model, Patagonia reports real gains
The company says its planet-first structure is working — for business and the environment.
Read More (Fast Company)
🔥 AI’s hidden toll on workers
Cognitive overload, burnout, and decision fatigue are emerging as unintended consequences of AI adoption.
Read More (Fast Company)
📊 Movements TO WATCH
🏠 IKEA launches a smart home line
The new 21-product collection of bulbs, sensors, and remotes are ultra-cheap and designed to work with everything.
Read More (Wired)
🎓 22 high-schoolers in Palantir’s new talent pipeline
The company’s fellowship replaces traditional junior hiring.
Read More (Fortune)
📉 The brands losing the most value in 2025
A new ranking shows which household names are slipping fastest
Read More (Visual Capitalist)
🛍️ Netflix opens its first physical retail experience
Netflix House blends fandom, food, and immersive attractions in a new brick-and-mortar experiment.
Read More (Los Angeles Times)
🏋️♀️ Workplaces replace happy hour with workout hour
Companies are turning to movement — not alcohol — to build team cohesion.
Read More (Business Insider)
🧬 UK explores AI and 3D bioprinting to end animal testing
A new national plan aims to replace live testing with advanced biological models.
Read More (The Guardian)
💡 SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
📰 AI restructures the newsroom
Major news organizations are reorganizing around AI tools as core infrastructure for reporting and production.
Read More (The New York Times)
🎨 Art galleries as wellbeing boosters
New research suggests museum visits can significantly improve mental and physical health.
Read More (The Guardian)
🐕 Robot dogs are getting smarter
Anthropic’s Claude can now control robot dogs, pointing to new forms of embodied AI.
Read More (Wired)
❤️ AI relationships are rising — and divorces may follow
A growing number of people are turning to AI companions, potentially reshaping intimacy and marriage.
Read More (Wired)
🌀 OFFBEAT & UNEXPECTED
📓 The rise of “analog bags”
Teens are embracing tactile tools and notebooks as a rejection of constant screen time.
Read More (Business Insider)
🎨 Happy Meal boxes become emotional canvases
McDonald’s is encouraging kids to draw their feelings directly on redesigned boxes.
Read More (TrendWatching)
🌌 The world’s first “dark sky zoo” restores night in a city
Amsterdam’s ARTIS zoo is eliminating light pollution to reconnect visitors with darkness.
Read More (TrendWatching)
👶 Gen Z is rushing into high-paying “private service” jobs for billionaires
A growing number of young graduates are becoming nannies, tutors, and personal assistants for the ultra-rich — roles that offer huge salaries and perks but require NDAs, irregular hours, and highly demanding employers.
Read More (The Guardian)
🌌 Solar storms threaten satellites
A surge in aurora activity reflects growing risks for communications infrastructure.
Read More (The New York Times)
🛒 Airbnb tries stocking your fridge before you arrive
A new Instacart partnership delivers groceries directly to guests’ rentals.
Read More (PYMNTS)