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Social Media

Facebook Introduces Content Protection Tool for Reels Creators

Meta has launched a new mobile tool called Facebook Content Protection to help creators protect their original reels from being used without permission. This tool alerts creators when their reels are being used by others, giving them options to block the reel's visibility, track its performance with attribution links, or release their claim. The system, which uses matching technology similar to Meta’s Rights Manager, is available to creators in the Facebook Content Monetization program and those using Rights Manager. It allows creators to manage how matches are flagged, add accounts to an "allow list," and dispute claims against their original work. While currently mobile-only, Meta is testing desktop access via the Professional Dashboard.

Finance

Ramp's Meteoric Rise: Valuation Soars to $32B Amidst Funding Frenzy

Ramp, an expense management fintech company, has experienced rapid growth in valuation, reaching $32 billion.
The company recently raised $300 million led by Lightspeed, following a $500 million Series E-2 at a $22.5 billion valuation and a $200 million Series E at a $16 billion valuation.
In 2025 alone, Ramp's valuation jumped from $13 billion to $32 billion, with total equity financing reaching $2.3 billion.
Ramp offers corporate expense management solutions, including credit cards, software, and travel services, and has surpassed 50,000 customers.
The company has surpassed $1 billion in annualized revenue.

Automotive

Ford Drives into Amazon's Marketplace with Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles

Ford has partnered with Amazon to sell certified pre-owned vehicles on Amazon Autos. Customers can browse local dealer inventories, complete paperwork online, and schedule vehicle pickup through Amazon's website. This partnership allows customers to search for vehicles by model, trim, color, and features, as well as secure financing and e-sign paperwork via Amazon Autos.

Certified pre-owned vehicles sold on Amazon Autos come with a money-back guarantee, allowing customers to return the vehicle within 14 days or 1,000 miles. Initially, Ford vehicles on Amazon Autos will be offered in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas.

Business and Technology

Cisco Enhances Collaboration Platform with EzDubs Acquisition

Cisco has acquired EzDubs, a Y-Combinator-backed startup specializing in real-time translation services. The acquisition aims to integrate EzDubs' technology into Cisco's Collaboration platform, enhancing features like live translation in Webex video calling and messaging. EzDubs, founded in 2023, had raised $4.2 million in seed funding from investors including Venture Highway, Replit CEO Amjad Masad, and others.
EzDubs is sunsetting its consumer apps by December 15 to focus on integrating its technology with Cisco. Cisco plans to leverage EzDubs' capabilities to empower AI-driven collaboration, potentially making the translation tech available to partners and developers. The acquisition follows other recent moves in the translation space, highlighting the demand for translation services in the enterprise communication market.

Automotive Industry

Volvo Cancels Contract with Luminar Amidst Financial Troubles

Swedish automaker Volvo has cancelled a five-year contract with Luminar due to Luminar's failure to meet contractual obligations. This escalation occurs as Luminar faces financial difficulties, including defaulting on loans and a potential bankruptcy. Luminar has laid off 25% of its staff and is exploring a sale of the company.

The relationship between Volvo and Luminar was previously beneficial, with Volvo investing in Luminar and integrating its technology into their vehicles. However, Volvo has decided to limit its supply chain risk exposure due to Luminar's performance. Luminar has made a claim against Volvo for significant damages and suspended further commitments of Iris sensors.

Volvo stated that its products can deliver high levels of safety with or without lidar, but the situation has affected some customer orders. Luminar has also stopped spending money on Iris sensors, leading to a breach of agreement with its supplier.

Cybersecurity

Protei Breach: Surveillance Tech Firm Hacked, Data Exposed

Russian telecom company Protei, a developer of web surveillance and censorship technology, suffered a data breach and website defacement.
The company, headquartered in Jordan, provides surveillance equipment and web-filtering products to phone and internet providers in numerous countries.
The hack, which occurred around November 8, resulted in the theft of 182 gigabytes of data, including emails. The hacker defaced Protei's website with a message referencing deep packet inspection (DPI) and SORM, the Russian lawful intercept system.
Protei's technology is used for surveillance and censorship in regions with limited freedom of speech, and the company has been linked to Iranian telecoms for internet traffic logging and website blocking.

Travel and AI

Google Expands AI Travel Planning Features Globally

Google is expanding its AI-powered travel planning features, including the "Flight Deals" tool, to over 200 countries and territories, supporting more than 60 languages.
The AI Mode now integrates with the Canvas tool, enabling users to create and organize travel plans with real-time data for flights, hotels, and local information.
Agentic capabilities in AI Mode are being rolled out to more users, allowing for AI-assisted booking of restaurant reservations and event tickets.
Future updates will enable booking flights and hotels directly within AI Mode, providing comprehensive information and comparisons.

Semiconductors

PowerLattice Secures Funding for Revolutionary Energy-Efficient Chiplet Technology

PowerLattice, a startup founded in 2023 by electrical engineers from Qualcomm, NUVIA, and Intel, has emerged from stealth with a $25 million Series A funding round. The company is developing a chiplet that reduces the power needs of computer chips by more than 50%.

The funding round was led by Playground Global and Celesta Capital, bringing the total funding to $31 million. Pat Gelsinger, former CEO of Intel and general partner at Playground Global, expressed strong support for PowerLattice's technology.

PowerLattice's first batch of chiplets is being produced by TSMC, in partnership with an unnamed manufacturer for testing. The company plans to make its product available for testing by other customers in the first half of 2026, targeting major chip manufacturers like Nvidia, Broadcom, and AMD.

PowerLattice competes with Empower Semiconductor in addressing the energy problem. However, Gelsinger believes PowerLattice's 50% energy efficiency gain is an "extraordinary" result, expecting a larger funding round to follow.

Artificial Intelligence

Open Source AI: A Race Between the US and China

Databricks co-founder Andy Konwinski warns that the U.S. is losing its edge in AI research to China, posing a threat to democracy and U.S. AI labs. He highlights that Chinese AI innovation benefits from government support and open-source practices, fostering broader development.

Konwinski contrasts this with the U.S., where he observes a decline in open scientific exchange, with major AI labs prioritizing proprietary innovations and attracting top talent with high salaries. He advocates for open-source AI to foster innovation and ensure the U.S. remains a leader in the field, emphasizing the importance of freely exchanged ideas.

Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI's Financial Scrutiny Intensifies: Revenue vs. Inference Costs Revealed

Leaked documents reveal insights into OpenAI's financials, particularly its revenue and compute costs. Microsoft received $493.8 million in revenue share payments from OpenAI in 2024, jumping to $865.8 million in the first three quarters of 2025. OpenAI shares 20% of its revenue with Microsoft, but Microsoft also shares revenue with OpenAI from Bing and Azure OpenAI Service. Based on a 20% revenue-share, OpenAI's revenue was at least $2.5 billion in 2024 and $4.33 billion in the first three quarters of 2025. OpenAI may have spent roughly $3.8 billion on inference in 2024, increasing to roughly $8.65 billion in the first nine months of 2025. These numbers suggest OpenAI could be spending more on inference costs than it earns in revenue.