Top stories today:

1. Copilot Pro, AI for Microsoft 365 consumers, launches
2. Trump wins Iowa GOP race with 51%, vs. 53% expected
3. Vision Pro likely to have demos lasting 25 minutes
4. Tesla’s Optimus robot prototype folds shirt in video
5. 235M iPhone shipments in 2023, ahead of Samsung’s 227M

0. Data and calendar

1. Copilot Pro, AI for Microsoft 365 consumer users, launches at $20/user/month

• Direct competition with ChatGPT Plus, as has been common with Microsoft <> OpenAI.

• Copilot for Microsoft 365 (enterprise version) now available for all businesses (rather than only those with 300+ employees), still at $30/user/month.

2. Trump wins Iowa GOP race with 51%, vs. 53% expected on RCP average

• Trump now a 87% favorite to win the GOP nomination.

  • 43% favorite to become President.

• Networks called election 30min after caucuses opened.

• Vivek quit his campaign after 4th place finish and endorses Trump.

4. Vision Pro likely to have demos lasting 25 minutes

• Demo to include: viewing 3D spatial photos, videos, and movies, using the device as a computer replacement (Safari, etc.), and using 3rd party apps.

• 100s of employees being directly trained in Apple HQ in California.

• Comfort a potential issue, as many employees are reporting tired heads after 30 minutes of use.

• Belkin developing a clip to hold the battery of the Vision Pro.

Our view: this highlights how early AR is and how widespread global adoption is many years away

• We’re in AR’s equivalent of the Palm, the first portable device that pre-dated the iPhone.

• Vision Pro is useful, significantly better than Meta’s headsets, but still far away from being the dream of the lightweight AR glasses that can be worn 24/7.

5. Tesla’s Optimus robot prototype folds shirt in video Elon posted

• “Important note: Optimus cannot yet do this autonomously, but certainly will be able to do this fully autonomously and in an arbitrary environment (won’t require a fixed table with box that has only one shirt).”

Elon also said he is “uncomfortable growing Tesla to [be leader in AI,] robotics without having ~25% voting control”

Read more: CNBC.

6. 235M iPhone shipments in 2023, ahead of Samsung’s 227M

7. AI affects 40% of world labor, 60% of advanced economics with “high exposure”: IMF paper

The differences between regions are mostly explained by differences in the types of jobs

8. Economists most bullish on Southeast Asia, bearish on Europe, as Germany’s GDP -0.3% YoY

• German GDP: -0.3% YoY in Q4, in line with expectations, from +1.8%.

9. Blur, OKX lead NFT trading rankings, as OpenSea promises 2.0

• OpenSea 2.0 to provide “improved differentiation” between types of NFTs, such as gaming tokens, tickets, etc.

• Meanwhile, GameStop is shutting down its NFT exchange.

10. Anthropic study: backdoors can persist on LLMs even with current safety training

Read more: Techcrunch.

11. Interesting videos, posts, and memes

12. Other headlines

AI

• Microsoft, Vodafone agree to 10-year, $1.5B deal across AI, payments.

• Gen. AI will lead to job cuts this year: CEOs.

• Thomson Reuters in talks with OpenAI, others on licensing deal.

• Apple to shut down 121-person San Diego AI team.

• OpenAI explains policies for 2024 elections.

  • Removes military, warfare prohibitions from legal policies.

Tech

• Apple Watch 9 unban likely coming via disabling blood oxygen.

• Apple giving rare discount on iPhone in China.

• TSMC prep expansion of 2nm production.

• Apple Podcasts’ app changes lead to ~40% fewer downloads.

• Artifact, Instagram co-founders’ new app, shutting down.

• SpaceX satellites to link John Deere’s equipment to internet.

• WhatsApp finally starting to dominate in U.S.

• Garry Tan: founders “sort of have to be in SF.”

• Sidebar: accelerate your career in 2024.*

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Tech & law

• App Store to be split into 2 ahead of EU requirements.

• South Korea unveils plan by Samsung, others to invest $470B by 2047.

• China’s chip imports -15% YoY to $349B in 2023.

• China’s military, universities manage to buy NVIDIA chips despite ban.

• Carta’s former CTO countersues CEO.

• Apple knew AirDrop users could be tracked in 2019: researchers.

Business

• China’s GDP +5.2% in 2023: Premier Li says at Davos.

  • Keeps base rate unchanged at 2.5%.

• Emmys 2024: winners list.

• The CEO Report: become a better leader by subscribing, 100% free.*

• Arrived: learn how to invest as little as $100 in fractional real estate, which has outperformed the S&P500 over the past 20 years.*

• Masterworks: invest in shares of paintings by Banksy and Picasso.*

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Crypto

• HashKey Group, exchange operator, raises $100M at $1.2B.

• Google removes Binance, Kraken, others from Play Store in India.

• Binance losing market share in India after crackdown on foreign exchanges.

• Genesis reaches settlement with NY, to forfeit BitLicense, pay $8M.

U.S. politics

• Congress unveils bill to avert shutdown until Mar. 1.

• Biden raises $97M in Q4, has $117M in cash.

World

• Iran attacks alleged Israeli spy base in Iraq.

• Houthis continue to attack commercial vessels, as U.S. warns on risks.

  • Xi remains on the sidelines.

• Taiwan’s diplomatic relations down to 12, as China presses countries.

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