THE DEFOOR REPORT AS OF OCTOBER 31, 2026  ·  TODAY'S REPORT →  ·  ALL DAYS

Nvidia weighs playing the cosigner for Nscale’s AI data center in West VirginiaOllie, a privacy-focused AI assistant, is shutting downApple Intelligence is finally coming to China with iOS 27.3
Open-weight model GLM 5.3 built full Firefox exploit chains with zero human input in under 48 hours
DEFOOR REPORT

AI · ROBOTS · MONEY · JOBS · FOOD · SECURITY  |  UPDATED OCT 31, 2026 12:08 AM ET

A DeFoor Innovations publication  ·  Advertise

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

BIGGEST AI RAISES THIS WEEK

  1. SpaceX $40B · Debt Financing
  2. Kling AI $3B
  3. Fractile £577M
  4. FuriosaAI $620M
  5. Bedrock Robotics $600M · Series C
  6. Upwind $400M · Series C

TOP INVESTORS · 30 DAYS

  1. Y Combinator 4 deals · $154.9M in rounds
  2. Abstract Ventures 3 deals · $202M in rounds
  3. South Park Commons 3 deals · $72M in rounds
  4. EQT Ventures 2 deals · $137M in rounds
All investments & investors →

CRYPTO

BITCOIN, ETHEREUM, STABLECOINS AND THE RULES

BTC $77,136 ▼0.9%ETH $2,239 ▲0.6%SOL $96.27 ▼0.4%XRP $1.25 ▲0.5%24 hr · CoinGecko

Maple locks $280M in XRP collateral and upcoming maturity dates threaten liquidationsBinance hackers raced to move billions before it could be frozenInside the largest crypto hack on record: How attackers breached Binance for $6.3 billionBinance Hack Shows Why Offshore Exchanges Need US Oversight, CFTC Chair SaysPresident Trump says they’re looking into Binance hack as calls grow for crypto rulesMore crypto news →Binance hackers deploy never-seen-before laundering tactics to conceal $6.3 billion theftWorried About Crypto Hacks? Buy Bitcoin Proxies in Stock Market Instead, Say Wall Street FirmsExperts divided over Binance hack asset freezes, warn recovery is another matterBinance gives 48-hour withdrawal target while Bitcoin deposits remain openTether’s excess reserves nearly double to $8B as Q3 profit hits $1.5B

AI AGENTS

DOTS · MUSE · GROK BOT · INSTINCT · GEMINI SPARK · OPENCLAW

DOTS I gave ChatGPT Dots access to my email, calendar, and tasks, and it started helping without being askedMUSE Don’t use Muse? Meta’s AI agent can still access your private messages – here’s howBasically no one is using AI agents for their DoorDash ordersZest’s new AI agent finds restaurants and books reservations over textDoorDash said it’s only received ‘several hundred’ orders from AI agents

WHO WILL FEED US?

AG TECH, FOOD AND THE MONEY BEHIND THEM

AI Inside food and beverage’s AI-powered futureAI Ecorobotix adds potato model and targets yellow nutsedge with AI spot sprayingFUNDING German Cell-Based Milk Startup Senara Expands to Netherlands with Govt FundingAI 3 ways Google DeepMind is using AI to reshape the food systemFUNDING IntegriCulture Bags $635,000 as Part of Series A Extension to Scale Cellular Agriculture in JapanMore farm & food news →AI Savor Partners with Helios AI to Help Decarbonise the Fat IndustryFUNDING AgriFood Signals: DoorDash to buy Instacart, Terradot lands $34m, Biosphere wins Pentagon contractAI AI-powered crop insurance could lower premiums on low-risk fieldsROBOTS From Demo to Deal: FIRA USA Connects Pacific Northwest Growers With Ag Robotics and TechROBOTS Robots in the Orchard: Why Fruit Thinning Is the Next Big Test for Agricultural Automation

ESSAYS & BLOGS

THE WEEK'S AI WRITING, ONE POST PER WRITER

NOTABLE ESSAYS

  1. Software 2.0Andrej Karpathy · Nov 2017IN TODAY'S NEWS: AI AND CODING
  2. ReflectionsSam Altman · Jan 2025IN TODAY'S NEWS: OPENAI
  3. Situational AwarenessLeopold Aschenbrenner · Jun 2024IN TODAY'S NEWS: NATIONAL SECURITY
Was I wrong about open models & cyber risks?The Pulse: Anthropic kills the coding interviewMore essays and blogs →Sharp Tech on Video: Anthropic’s S-1 and What It Means for Meta and Muse, You Can See Everything, and Brewers!Anthropic’s financials are surprisingly strongAI #192: Anthropic Is Going PublicNew Study: Anthropic Just Gave You a Reason to Stop Working With AI🤖 Microsoft is making room for machinesThe AI election that wasn'tWhat Anthropic left out of their draft S-1Import AI 478: Math for alignment; ProgramBench; and Mirendil shows what RSI means

AI IN HEALTH

MEDICINE, WELLNESS, HOSPITALS AND THE FDA

A Claude model autonomously chose a gene therapy and operated on a mouse brain with no human decision-makingSTAT+: FDA, CMS scramble to avoid regulatory logjam as more states look to test AI in clinical settingsPopular AI models get medication doses wrong, some dangerously: DoximitySTAT+: Why every health care AI company must face EpicZocdoc invites AI agents to book appointments on behalf of patientsMore AI in health →The sleep framework: A new way for LLMs to retain knowledge in continual learningHow AI Is Changing the Pace of Discovery for Millions Living With DementiaA Market, Not a Mandate, Is the Fastest Way to Bring AI Into HospitalsOpinion: Could long-term AI use lead to isolation? We need to find out — but researchers need better access to data

AI LABS

Image: AWS Machine Learning

Managing Amazon Bedrock costs end to end: A playbook for FinOps and platform teams Preview web apps live as your coding agent builds them with Amazon Bedrock AgentCore runtime nemotron-halloween How Worldwide Express automated freight exceptions with Amazon Bedrock Things That Go Beep in the Night: Agentic AI Joins the Search for Extraterrestrial Signals
Community safety report and new protections for teens Fair use benefits everyone An updated Model Spec for more capable and beneficial AI More AI labs news →Into the Omniverse: How Developers Turn Ideas Into Simulations With Frontier AI Agents Granite Switch 4.1.1 — Update models like you update software
Le Chonk: Built for Coders, Trusted by Defenders. How we detect frontier model misalignment How Ropes & Gray is developing AI for transactional diligence Credit Saison achieves 954% ROI in a ChatGPT Enterprise pilot Announcing Project ProtoStar: Making Publicly Funded Science AI-Ready
Welcome Le Chonk: Mistral Large 4 on Hugging Face Thin, Light and Built for Everything: NVIDIA RTX Spark Windows Laptops Gain New Models, Agent Tools and Games The sleep framework: A new way for LLMs to retain knowledge in continual learning Genie 4: A new generation of world simulation How AI Is Changing the Pace of Discovery for Millions Living With Dementia

THE LLM WARS

ANTHROPIC · OPENAI · GOOGLE · GROK · CHINA · OPEN MODELS

CHINA DeepSeek Website Code Points to Cyber, a Dedicated Cybersecurity Model in Limited TestingANTHROPIC Anthropic expected to receive high ‘junk’ rating from credit agencies following IPO, FT report saysANTHROPIC How a Contractor’s Claude Agent Got Into the PentagonANTHROPIC Anthropic VS code extension on Cursor backdoored for nearly 12 hoursOPENAI Sam Altman says it’s better for RAM to be in a data center than on your deskMore LLM news →OPENAI OpenAI sets new behavioral guidelines for AI models that have already proven hard to controlGOOGLE Google's AI Mode doesn't drive traffic "for anybody," Reddit CEO Huffman warns the entire webOPENAI Sam Altman sympathizes with mathematicians, but says OpenAI’s math onslaught won’t stopCHINA Tencent Opens Its Internal Data Tool Beacon AI to the Public for Plain-Language Data AnalysisCHINA Tencent’s WorkBuddy adds remote control, letting users manage AI tasks from their phonesOPEN Paris-based Mistral releases "Le Chonk," a strong coding model that still trails China overallOPEN US antitrust regulators are scrutinizing Nvidia's Hugging Face deal and sales practicesGOOGLE Google AI gets cagey when asked who won the 2020 electionsGOOGLE Gemini 4 Carbon: Our next frontier model

WHO GOT HACKED

Critical Linux kernel flaw allows remote root attacks on MPTCP serversFashion retailer Resolve says hackers stole payment card informationChinese Hackers Use AI-Powered ARTEX to Target Over 200 Organizations WorldwideFlorida warns that 4.9 million people had Social Security numbers leaked in financial aid site breachTeamViewer Flaw Lets Remote Computers Attack Users Who Connect to Control ThemMore hacks & breaches →PHP2Shell Attacks Root Palo Alto Firewalls but Fail Against WordPressIn Other News: Anthropic Breach Dispute, UEFI Flaw Hits Most Servers, Cloudflare AI Data Leak

NEW IN HAVE I BEEN PWNED

AfD: 345,439 accountsAssurance Retraite: 70,372 accountsGîtes de France: 117,574 accountsCrunchbase: 559,908 accounts

Breach data: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)

AI POLICY

LAWS, RULES AND GUIDANCE FROM GOVERNMENTS

Faster planning decisions as new rules and AI tackle delaysOpenAI sets new behavioral guidelines for AI models that have already proven hard to controlThousands of “ghost students” use AI to steal millions in student loans, DOJ saysTrump’s AI use to inform military operations questioned by House duo

INTERNATIONAL

CHINA Lenovo Brings Tianxi AI 4.5 to AI PCs, Letting Phones and Tablets Hand Off Tasks to a DesktopCHINA Alibaba's Qoder Lets One Desktop Client Send Coding Tasks to Another Machine Without SSHINDIA Big Tech returns smallest share of cash to shareholders in 15 years, given AI spendingINDIA October ends with a thud for Intel, Reddit, AI stalwartsUK Credit where it’s due to AI for uncovering the PHP flaw – and discredit to the leaker | LettersMore international news →CANADA Coveo buys Y Combinator alum to bolster AI commerce searchUK Ghost in the machine: how AI is haunting the search for the supernaturalEUROPE Nvidia CEO sees Kazakhstan as potential AI hub for Europe

DAVID AND GOLIATH

SMALL TEAMS TAKING ON THE GIANTS

ADOBE AI-powered clones challenge Adobe and Microsoft, stoking 'SaaSpocalypse' fearsADOBE The free vibe-coded Photoshop and Lightroom clones impressed me, but Adobe is safe for nowADOBE AI built a Photoshop clone in a day. I asked experts what happens nextMICROSOFT Meta AI director Rohit Patel leaves company after eight years; plans startup to take on Microsoft Office and Google Workspace; says adding AI to spreadsheets ‘kills my…’GOOGLE 'Scrcpy' is an open-source alternative to Phone Link for Android mirroring that barely uses any RAMMore David and Goliath stories →OPENAI Hob - Open-source, on device alternative to Claude Cowork and ChatGPTMICROSOFT Denmark gives up on replacing Microsoft Office, for now

AI NEWS

Photo: Intel Corporation / TechCrunch

Intel’s stock crashes, knocking $12B from government’s stake The Work Moves Outward Supersonic airliner in doubt as company shifts to powering AI data centers Last-minute Halloween costumes for tech nerds Cracks are emerging in the AI spending boom
The biggest names in AI are backing a new way to opt out of scraping Google’s satellite AI server transmits its first response to Earth Fujifilm to boost tape production 5x as AI fuels archiving demand More AI news →Starbucks wants to use AI to show you a ‘personalized digital menu’ at the drive-thru Google’s first data center satellite is online and writing poetry
Pope Leo calls for the disarmament of AI: ‘Machines are tools, not persons’ OpenAI doubles usage limits on Pro plans as competition with Anthropic heats up Experts adopt AI agent's random opinions and think they're their own, Anthropic study finds Trump declares robot imports a national security threat The ‘Pain in the Ass’ Math That Could Save Vibe Coding From Itself
Mistral Says Its AI Model ‘Le Chonk’ Has Leapfrogged China in the Open-Weight Race We urgently need to monitor AI agents’ actions in real time I Gave My Blood to the AI Death Clock Creating AI value with enterprise context Pairing industrial AI autonomy and human control
Industrial Intelligence: The next growth opportunity for manufacturing

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AI AND JOBS

WHO'S HIRING, WHO'S CUTTING, AND THE WORK ITSELF

Midterm US elections, earnings, jobs data loom for AI-wary stock marketAxios live: How employers are rethinking AI's role in entry-level workLose your job to AI? Here’s what to do if a company wants you backAI-driven layoffs are creating a new class of boomerang employees—companies are realizing they pulled the plug too quicklyCompanies Are Hiring AI Agents to Save Time. Who’s Checking Their Work?Goldman says AI layoffs are starting to leave a ‘long-lasting’ scar, just like the last 40 years of historyLaid Off By Big Tech? 6 Tips To Snag A Higher-Paying AI JobCompanies are not saving money with AI, Gartner findsMore AI and jobs news →What to consider if a company that made AI-related job cuts wants you backAI at work: Employees, employers may not be on the same pageAI Layoffs Are Boomeranging—6 Moves If Your Old Boss CallsAs AI threatens entry-level jobs, Gen Z is souring on if another degree can help—U.S. business school applications have plunged 25%United CEO Scott Kirby says he had an 'epiphany' after hiring an AI tutor and vibe-coding a sports betting tool10 Jobs AI Agents Are Making Redundant In 2027AI helped me automate some of my wealth advisor job. Here's why I'm not worried about it stealing my edge.

NOW HIRING

1,349 open AI roles · 379 new this week · most wanted: Solutions & customer · top pay $850K

WELLS FARGO Senior Lead AI Research Scientist – Foundation Models & Agentic AI 7 LocationsHARVEY Staff Software Engineer, Full Stack San FranciscoCITI AI Engineer – Global Rates, APAC Local Markets Sales & Trading Singapore SingaporeCURSOR Solutions Architect - Australia AustraliaMICROSOFT Solution Engineer | Apps & AI Brazil, São Paulo, São PauloAll active AI listings →Hiring for AI? List your jobs →

AI & TECH IN EDUCATION

SCHOOLS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS AND CAMPUSES

What Do Cyber Insurance Carriers Require of K–12 Districts?Opinion: It’s Time to Teach Students to Be Drivers of AI, Not PassengersFive Things You Should Know About New AI Tutor StudyHow K–12 Districts Can Achieve Advanced Cybersecurity MaturityWhat Playgrounds Can Teach Us About AI in SchoolsMore AI education news →Does an AI Pause Protect Students, or Leave Some Behind?Opinion: States Don’t Have to Solve the AI Education Equation Alone. Tennessee Shows HowWatch & Learn: New York Charter School Adopts Smart Building TechnologyThe data retention challenge for online exam platforms

TOP TECH, AI & BUSINESS PODCASTS THIS WEEK

  1. 1Prof G Pod: Republicans are Jumping Ship Days Before the Midterms1.1M views this week · 6 episodes ▲2
  2. 2Lex Fridman Podcast: AI Crisis in Math: Navier-Stokes, Riemann Hypothesis & Complexity Theory947K views this week · 1 episode NEW
  3. 3Moonshots: Anthropic’s $2T Cash Machine, the End of Neoclouds, and Chinese Models Catch Up279K views this week · 1 episode ▼1
  4. 4All-In: Anthropic S-1 Shocker, Greatest Business Ever? Google’s $500B Wipeout, Midterm Predictions197K views this week · 2 episodes ▼3
  5. 520VC: Instinct Worth 30BN? | Microsoft Cuts 27,000 Jobs While Meta Taps Equity Markets for $95B CapEx156K views this week · 3 episodes NEW
Complete list: all 19 shows by weekly rank →

THE ROBOTS ARE COMING!

ROBOT ROLL CALL: where each one stands →Ten humanoid robots side by side, drawn to scaleBleu Robotics raises €5 million to scale humanoid robot deployment in factoriesGlobal Ocean Robotics Day highlights advances in autonomous underwater robotsNew robotic vision system processes event-camera data up to 440 times per secondMaximo Robotics completes 300,000 tasks in utility-scale solar projectsPodcast: Rivian earnings, Waymo partners with Toyota, Ford bets on V2H for Fathom, and moreMore robot news →Humanoid developer Agility now expects to raise $465M in SPAC dealTesla Full Self-Driving becomes main pillar of new Referral ProgramRobot Talk Episode 168 – Advancing robotics with novel electronics, with Zlatka StoevaWaymo picks Toyota bZ4X as its next robotaxi, starting in Japan in 2027Tesla made napping in a Robotaxi easier with its latest update

AI FOR ENTERTAINMENT

HOLLYWOOD, MUSIC, TV AND GAMES

From Universal Music’s $3.90bn quarter to Spotify’s AI remix gamble… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpStudio Atelico launches Atelico AI Engine into Early AccessSuno fights to make Apple testify on whether Apple Music could survive without UMG and Sony, claiming the majors use their catalogs ‘as a cudgel’ to win anti-AI concessionsSuno’s new MCP tool lets users make songs inside ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini – as its developer API gets a sign-in portal but remains in beta

AI AND RETAIL

ONLINE AND BRICK-AND-MORTAR

Consumers feeling duped by products marketed with AIMost consumers aren’t using AI for product discovery, yetGoogle, Glance partner to deliver AI-powered commerce to TVsThe rise of the intelligent store: How edge AI is transforming physical retail

BUILDERS & RESEARCH

dbreunig/nesformer API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions Building a multiplayer game world with autonomous Fable-class models Quoting Ben Hylak Quoting Ted Sanders
GitHub Octoverse 2026