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  • Thinking Machines ousts CTO Barret Zoph over alleged “unethical conduct”; he will return to OpenAI

Jan 15, 2026

Thinking Machines ousts CTO Barret Zoph over alleged “unethical conduct”; he will return to OpenAI

Bay Area Times
Bay Area Times
Thinking Machines ousts CTO Barret Zoph over alleged “unethical conduct”; he will return to OpenAI

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Top stories today:

  1. Thinking Machines ousts CTO Zoph over alleged “unethical conduct”
  2. Google’s Gemini adds “Personal Intelligence” for tailored answers
  3. Skild AI raises $1.4B Series C at $14B+ valuation for robotics software
  4. Supreme Court delays ruling on Trump tariffs, leaving fate uncertain
  5. U.S. retail sales +0.6% in Nov., biggest gain since Jul.
  6. TSMC Q4 profit +35% YoY to $16B, revenue +25.5% to $33.1B

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Listen to our AI-generated podcast summarizing today’s newsletter (beware of hallucinations):

1. Thinking Machines ousts CTO Barret Zoph over alleged “unethical conduct”; he will return to OpenAI

  • Soumith Chintala will take over as CTO.

  • Mira Murati announced the move at an all-hands, then posted about it on X.

  • Zoph is returning to OpenAI, alongside Luke Metz and Sam Schoenholz, OpenAI Applications CEO Fidji Simo said.

  • Zoph allegedly shared confidential company information with competitors.

2. Google’s Gemini adds “Personal Intelligence” for tailored answers from Gmail, YouTube history

Google.

  • Launching in beta in the U.S. for paid users.

  • Off by default and won’t train on sensitive data, Google said.

  • Connects Gmail, Photos, YouTube, and Search in a single tap.

  • Pulls details across emails, photos, and other sources to answer questions.

  • Powered by Gemini 3, with support for proactive insights.

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Tomorrow.bio.

  • We provide human cryopreservation, using extremely low temperatures to stop biological processes in the body. Patients are cryopreserved in the expectation that future technology may be able to revive them and treat their underlying cause of death.

  • We’ve improved all aspects of human cryopreservation, including patient storage, by building a secure long-term facility in Switzerland where patients are stored indefinitely until revival may one day be possible.

  • Membership includes cost savings on cryopreservation costs and access to our community and resources. Use code BAY10 for 10% off when you’re ready. Start by learning how cryopreservation actually works on our site.

Learn more

*Bay Area Times partner.

4. Skild AI raises $1.4B Series C at $14B+ valuation for robotics software

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