Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch:
Google launches a cheaper AI Plus plan in India, costing ~$2.21 per month for the first six months and ~$4.44 thereafter, to compete with ChatGPT Go  —  Google on Wednesday launched its more affordable AI Plus plan in India as it seeks to compete on pricing with other low-cost AI offerings, like OpenAI's ChatGPT Go subscription.

Reece Rogers / Wired:
Instagram launches Your Algorithm, which shows users an AI analysis of their activity to let them customize the topics shaping their Reels recommendations  —  In the battle for your attention, Instagram is betting that more control over the algorithm could keep you scrolling on Reels.

Heather Somerville / Wall Street Journal:
How US startups like Oakland-based Brimstone are racing to develop sources of raw materials that the US needs for tech, an industry China has long dominated  —  Startups and venture capital are joining the nationwide push to develop new sources of metals the U.S. desperately needs

Jess Weatherbed / The Verge:
Adobe launches free ChatGPT-integrated apps for Photoshop, Acrobat, and Express on desktop, the web, and iOS, after OpenAI added app integrations in October  —  Just describe your edits to ChatGPT, and the Photoshop, Acrobat, and Express apps will do it for you or surface the tool you need.

New York Times:
Sources: Lip-Bu Tan's dual roles as Intel CEO and tech investor cause consternation in the industry and at Intel; four ex-Intel execs say it caused them to exit  —  Lip-Bu Tan, who was appointed chief executive of Intel in March, is also a longtime venture capitalist.  His dual roles have caused some consternation.

Justina Lee / Bloomberg:
Betting exchange Matchbook plans to launch a prediction market platform in the UK in January 2026 as a “road test” before a planned US launch as early as March  —  Matchbook, a sports betting exchange, is launching a prediction market platform in the UK as it prepares to compete with rivals Kalshi and Polymarket in the US.

Joe Wilkins / Futurism:
McDonald's Netherlands pulls an AI-generated Christmas ad, made by TBWA\NEBOKO with film production company Sweetshop, after backlash that the ad is distasteful  —  There's just one issue: pretty much everybody hates it.  —  This year, McDonald's decided to get in on the corporate slopfest …

Joseph Menn / Washington Post:
TTP: Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store host dozens of apps linked to US-sanctioned foreign companies; Google removed 17 apps and Apple removed 35  —  Watchdog finds firms and organizations in Apple and Google stores that were banned for issues including human rights abuses in China and facilitating war in Ukraine.

The Information:
Sources: DeepSeek is developing its new AI model using several thousand Nvidia Blackwell chips, which were smuggled into China via third-party countries  —  DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup, has been developing its next major model using several thousand Nvidia's state-of-the-art Blackwell chips …

Bloomberg:
How President Trump's tariffs ended China's monopoly on making US game consoles, boosting Vietnam, whose exports jumped from $30M/month in 2024 to $400M in May  —  Millions of holiday shoppers across America are filling their baskets with pricey video game consoles, likely unaware …

Eli Tan / New York Times:
Sources: this fall, Alexandr Wang told people that he disagreed with top Meta execs like Chris Cox and Andrew Bosworth, including on using Instagram data for AI  —  When Mark Zuckerberg revamped Meta's artificial intelligence operations this year, he recruited a new leader — Alexandr Wang …

Ofcom:
A survey of UK adults in 2025: on average, they spend 4.5 hours per day online, up 10 minutes on 2024, and 50%+ of time is on Google- and Meta-owned services  —  Our latest Online Nation report explores how adults and children in the UK experience life online.

Nasteho Said / Bloomberg:
As Australia bans under-16s from social media platforms, TikTok-powered video app Lemon8, friends-only photo app Yope, and others climb Apple's App Store charts  —  Alternative social media platforms have surged in popularity in Australia Wednesday, as the nation's landmark ban for under-16s drives children to non-restricted apps.

David E. Sanger / New York Times:
President Trump letting Nvidia sell advanced AI chips to China reverses decades of US tech restrictions on its adversaries, giving China a boost in the AI race  —  President Trump's decision to allow Nvidia to sell its chips to China has raised questions about whether he is prioritizing short …

Samuel Stolton / Bloomberg:
The EU's General Court reduces a 2023 EU antitrust fine on Intel to €237.1M, down from €376.36M; the EU fined Intel a record €1.06B in 2009, then overturned  —  Intel Corp. won a near-€140 million ($163 million) reduction in what remained of a once-record European Union antitrust fine.

Christine Chung / New York Times:
The US CBP proposes vetting five years of social media history for travelers from the UK, France, Germany, and more; the current system only requires basic info  —  Even visitors from countries like Britain and France, whose citizens don't need visas, would have to share five years' worth of social media.

Bloomberg:
Australia's under-16 social media ban excludes Discord, GitHub, LEGO Play, Roblox, Steam, Google Classroom, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and YouTube Kids  —  Young teenagers in Australia have been barred from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok in one of the toughest crackdowns …

Peter Andringa / Financial Times:
Documents and former US government officials detail ICE's digital surveillance capabilities, amid a drive to deport 1M people in President Trump's first year  —  The US is pulling in vast amounts of personal information in its drive to deport 1mn people this year

Bloomberg:
An interview with Tencent Games Global CEO Michelle Liu, whose hands-on dealmaking approach generated $10B in international gaming revenue over the past year  —  This year, Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s gaming business scored record sales, defying an industry slowdown with international hits like zombie horror Dying Light: The Beast.

Isabella Ward / Bloomberg:
Cambridge, UK-based Nu Quantum, which builds networking infrastructure to link and scale quantum computers, raised a $60M Series A led by National Grid Partners  —  Nu Quantum, a British startup that builds networking infrastructure to link and scale quantum computers, raised $60 million …