🤖 Big layoffs as Amazon doubles down on AI

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Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here:

☀️ On this day: On October 29, 1969, computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock and his team at UCLA sent the first message over the ARPANET, the experimental network that would become the Internet. The message, sent to Stanford Research Institute, was intended to be the word “LOGIN,” but the system crashed after just two letters — “LO.” This marked the birth of the Internet as we know it.

What’s happening:

• 💼 Amazon cuts 14,000 corporate jobs amid AI push

• 🧒 Senators move to ban teens from AI chatbots

• 💸 PayPal joins ChatGPT as first payment wallet

• 🎨 Google debuts Pomelli for branded AI marketing

• ✍️ Grammarly rebrands as ‘Superhuman’ with new AI tool

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

💼 Amazon cuts 14,000 corporate jobs amid AI push ↗️LINK

• What: Amazon is cutting 14,000 corporate jobs—about 4% of its white-collar workforce—as it boosts investment in AI and cloud infrastructure. Impacted staff have 90 days to find new roles or will receive severance and benefits.

• Why: CEO Andy Jassy says AI will reshape nearly every customer experience. Amazon has 1,000+ AI projects and is investing $10B each in new data centers to compete with OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft.

• Impact: The cuts mark Amazon’s biggest since 2023, signaling a shift from human labor to AI-driven efficiency amid slowing global growth.

💸 PayPal joins ChatGPT as first payment wallet ↗️LINK

• What: PayPal signed a deal with OpenAI to integrate its wallet into ChatGPT, letting users purchase items directly through the chatbot using linked cards, bank accounts, or balances. The system will also include package tracking.

• Why: The partnership aims to simplify AI-driven shopping by offering secure, one-click payments within ChatGPT.

• Impact: For sellers, PayPal will handle payment validation and routing, opening a new AI-commerce channel without requiring merchants to register on ChatGPT.

🧒 Senators move to ban teens from AI chatbots ↗️LINK

• What: Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal introduced the GUARD Act, which would ban anyone under 18 from using AI chatbots. The bill requires companies to verify users’ ages via government ID or other methods like face scans and mandates chatbots disclose they’re not human every 30 minutes.

• Why: Lawmakers cite growing concerns over kids’ exposure to manipulative or unsafe chatbot interactions, including sexual or suicidal content.

• Impact: If passed, it could reshape how AI tools operate nationwide, forcing stricter identity checks and new compliance costs for tech firms.

🎨 Google debuts Pomelli for branded AI marketing ↗️LINK

• What: Google Labs launched Pomelli, an AI-powered marketing assistant that helps businesses create brand-consistent content for social media, ads, and websites. It generates campaign ideas and editable assets tailored to a company’s identity.

• Why: Many small and mid-size businesses struggle to maintain a unified brand voice across platforms due to limited marketing resources.

• Impact: Pomelli could make high-quality marketing more accessible, reducing costs while keeping content professional and on-brand.

✍️ Grammarly rebrands as ‘Superhuman’ ↗️LINK

• What: Grammarly has rebranded its parent company as Superhuman after acquiring the email client of the same name. Alongside the rebrand, it’s launching Superhuman Go, an AI assistant built into Grammarly’s extension that gives writing feedback, drafts emails, and connects with tools like Gmail, Jira, and Google Drive.

• Why: The shift marks Grammarly’s push to evolve from a grammar tool into a full productivity and communication suite.

• Impact: With Superhuman Go, the company aims to rival Notion, ClickUp, and Google Workspace in the AI productivity race.

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Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

Would you want to “think” commands directly to ChatGPT?

• A) Yes – It’d be revolutionary for productivity - 33%

• B) No – I prefer keeping tech outside my head - 67% 🏆

Reader’s opinions:

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