🧨 CEO fired 80% for resisting AI—says he’d do it again

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☀️ On this day: On August 18, 1947, William Hewlett and David Packard officially incorporated Hewlett-Packard Company (HP), nine years after launching their business in a Palo Alto garage. HP would go on to become one of the world’s leading technology firms, pioneering innovations in computing, instrumentation, and printing. The incorporation marked a significant milestone in the rise of Silicon Valley as a global tech hub.

What’s happening:

• 🧨 CEO fired 80 percent of staff for resisting AI shift

• 📱 ChatGPT app hits $2B with $2.91 per install

• 🧠 Brain implant reads thoughts with 74% accuracy

• 🔄 Meta’s 4th restructuring of AI team in 6 months

• 🧸 AI-powered stuffed animals are coming

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

🧨 CEO fired 80 percent of staff for resisting AI shift ↗️LINK

• What: IgniteTech CEO Eric Vaughan cut nearly 80 percent of his team between 2023 and early 2024 after employees resisted the company’s push toward generative AI. Despite heavy investment in training, many workers refused to adapt or sabotaged efforts.

• Why: Vaughan believed AI adoption was critical for survival. He launched “AI Mondays” where staff focused only on AI projects and dedicated 20 percent of payroll to learning initiatives. Technical staff were the most resistant.

• Impact: Vaughan stands by the decision. The move shows how AI urgency is creating deep divides between leadership and employees in today’s workplaces.
  

📱 ChatGPT app hits $2B with $2.91 per install ↗️LINK

• What: ChatGPT’s mobile app has generated $2 billion in consumer spending since launching in May 2023. That’s roughly 30 times more than rivals like Claude, Grok, and Copilot. So far in 2025, it has made $1.35 billion, up 673% year-over-year.

• Why: The app averages $193 million per month and earns $2.91 per install globally. In the U.S., it earns $10 per download. High traction and early launch advantage helped cement its lead.

• Impact: With 690 million installs and dominant revenue figures, ChatGPT is far ahead of competitors. The data highlights its strong consumer appeal and mobile monetization power.
  

🧠 Brain implant reads thoughts with 74% accuracy ↗️LINK

• What: A new brain–computer interface (BCI) can decode a person’s internal speech with up to 74% accuracy, but only after the user thinks of a preset password. This prevents unwanted decoding of private thoughts.

• Why: Internal speech BCIs are useful for people with paralysis or speech loss, but raise privacy risks. The password trigger adds a simple safeguard, ensuring only intended thoughts are translated.

• Impact: Published in Cell, the study marks a major step toward secure, real-world BCI use. It combines neural decoding with privacy, addressing a key concern as mind-reading tech advances.
  

🔄 Meta’s 4th restructuring of AI team in 6 months ↗️LINK

• What: Meta is undergoing its fourth AI restructuring in six months. Its Superintelligence Labs will be split into four groups: a TBD Lab, a product team (including Meta AI), an infrastructure group, and the FAIR research lab.

• Why: The shake-up follows internal challenges, staff exits, and lukewarm reception of its Llama 4 model. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pushing aggressively toward artificial general intelligence and long-term AI revenue growth.

• Impact: Meta is ramping up spending, aiming to invest hundreds of billions in AI data centers. This restructuring reflects high pressure to stay competitive in the AI race while managing rising costs.

🧸 AI-powered stuffed animals are coming ↗️LINK

• What: AI-powered plush toys like Grem and Grok are marketed as screen-free companions for kids. Startups like Curio claim these toys foster curiosity and interaction without the need for tablets or TVs.

• Why: Critics, like New York Times writer Amanda Hess, argue these toys risk replacing parental interaction rather than just limiting screen time. Hess removed Grem’s voice box before letting her kids play with it.

• Impact: While these toys appeal to tech-wary parents, concerns are growing about how AI may shape children’s emotional development and redefine parent-child dynamics.

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Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

Should kids under 18 be allowed to use AI companions at all?

• A) No – They’re too emotionally vulnerable - 51% 🏆

• B) Yes – With safeguards in place, it’s okay - 49%

Reader’s opinion:

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