Top stories today:

1. Midjourney v6 brings photorealism to text-to-image AI
2. Stripe's revenue +35% to $1B in Q3
3. Principal engineers are getting $1M at Meta
4. Apple stops selling Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 in U.S. online store

0. Data and calendar

1. Midjourney v6 brings photorealism to text-to-image AI

• The best text-to-image AI we've seen, including OpenAI's DALL-E 3, which was the #1 in this category.

• Midjourney has $200M+ in accumulated revenue with $0 external funding.

2. Stripe's revenue +35% to $1B in Q3, adjusted operating profits at $150M

Likely still unprofitable on an unadjusted (i.e. realistic) basis:

4. Principal engineers are getting $1M at Meta

Jane Street is paying $325K for entry-level engineers

SF, Seattle, and NYC lead software engineering pay

5. Apple stops selling Watch Series 9, Ultra 2 in U.S. online store

• Older models also cannot be fixed in the U.S., given the ITC ban related to a patent dispute with Masimo.

6. Interesting videos, posts, and memes

7. Other headlines

AI

• Sam Altman: what I wish someone had told me.

Tech

• Microsoft kills Windows VR, won't update HoloLens glasses.

• Hyperloop One to shut down after raising $450M.

• Jeff Bezos, Cerberus seeking to buy United Launch Alliance.

• Tesla acquires land for Shanghai Megapack battery factory.

• Beeper gives up on bringing blue bubbles to Android.

• Chartr (500K subscribers) sold to Robinhood's Sherwood Media.

• Flexport aims to 3x revenue while cutting costs.

• GTA 6 hacker sent to hospital indefinitely by judge, unfit to stand trial.

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

• Synthesis: AI tutor for kids from SpaceX's incubated edtech startup.*

*Sponsored.

Tech & law

• China publishes anti-gaming rules, Tencent -13%.

• Semiconductor supply chain review to be started by Commerce Dept.

• Meta concerned about India's telecom law, private emails show.

Biotech

• Fauna Bio gets $494M obesity collaboration with Lilly.

• FDA approves AstraZeneca's treatment for ATTR-PN.

• Knownwell, anti-obesity health tech, raises $20M, launches teen program.

• ImpriMed, AI dog cancer startup, seeks to expand into humans.

• Existing geroprotective drugs may not interact well with exercise.

Business

• Top 11 big trades of 2023.

• News media in 2024: interviews with 18 business leaders.

• U.S. Steel's $14.1B sale deserves “serious scrutiny”: White House.

• Nike lowers FY revenue guidance to +1%, stock -12%.

• IRS offers ERC tax credit fraudsters deal to return 80%, avoid civil penalties.

• Robert Solow, economic growth Nobel prize winner, dies at 99.

• Pornhub agrees to pay $1.8M in sex trafficking settlement.

• Ozy sues Buzzfeed, Ben Smith for alleged trade secret theft.

Crypto

• Solana nears $100, briefly becomes #4 cryptocurrency.

• Coinbase gets France's crypto license.

• Circle gets conditional registration from France.

• Prometheum receives FINRA approval for digital assets clearing.

U.S. politics

• Border security executive orders urged by Speaker Johnson to Biden.

• Trump pressured 2 GOP members not to sign 2020 certification in MI.

• Giuliani files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after $148M order.

• No Labels plots winning with coalition ticket, unbound electors swaps.

World

• Israel now OK with reformed Palestinian Authority running post-war Gaza.

• U.S. may sign UN Security Council resolution on Gaza.

• North Korea running 2nd nuclear reactor: UN.

• Japan to send U.S. Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

• $300B Russian assets frozen by U.S. could be given to Ukraine.

• Prigozhin killed by Putin's right-hand man Patrushev: WSJ.

• Russia's mobilization to be digitized, as Putin says no more draftees needed.

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