Subj : xAI leaked financials 💰, Tim Cook's successor 🍎, Grok Build 👨‍💻 To : All From : TLDR Date : Fri Jan 09 2026 11:23 am --GGE48Zth Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable xAI's losses are mounting as it spends to build data centers, recruit tal= ent, and develop software that will eventually power humanoid robots= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80= =8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0= =E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2= =A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C=C2=A0=E2=80=8C= =C2=A0 Sign Up [1] |Advertise [2]|View Online [3]=20 =09=09TLDR= =20 TLDR 2026-01-09 =F0=9F=93=B1=20 BIG TECH & STARTUPS MU= SK'S XAI BURNS ALMOST $8 BILLION IN CASH, REVEALS OPTIMUS PLAN (6 MINUTE = READ) [4]=20 xAI's losses are mounting as it spends to build data cente= rs, recruit talent, and develop software that will eventually power human= oid robots. The company reported that it spent $7.8 billion in cash in th= e first nine months of last year. Its revenue nearly doubled quarter-ov= er-quarter to $107 million for the three-month period ending in September= .. xAI expects to do more deals soon to continue building out its Colossus= data center site in Memphis, Tennessee.=20 THE MAN WHO COULD BE APPLE'= S NEXT CEO (11 MINUTE READ) [5]=20 John Ternus, Apple's head of hardwar= e engineering, could be next in line to replace Tim Cook as CEO if he ste= ps aside. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, is known for his attention to= detail and knowledge of Apple's vast supply network. Apple began acceler= ating planning for Cook's succession last year after Cook told senior lea= ders he would like to reduce his workload. Cook will likely become the ch= airman of Apple's board should he step down as CEO.=20 =F0=9F=9A=80 = SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY FORMER GOOGLE CEO PLANS TO SING= LEHANDEDLY FUND A HUBBLE TELESCOPE REPLACEMENT (6 MINUTE READ) [6]=20 = Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, have announced major= investments in four telescope projects. Each of the telescopes brings a = new novel capability online. The most intriguing instrument is a space-ba= sed telescope named Lazuli that is designed to be a more capable and mode= rn version of the Hubble Space Telescope. The Schmidts' investment, estim= ated to be worth half a billion dollars, has enormous potential to advanc= e the study of astronomy and astrophysics.=20 HOW DID TVS GET SO CHEA= P? (12 MINUTE READ) [7]=20 TVs today are vastly cheaper than they were = 25 years ago, even before adjusting for inflation. The price per area-pix= el has fallen by more than 90%. It's not surprising that the cost of the = technology declined. Virtually all of the major mechanisms that can drive= efficiency improvements have occurred.=20 =F0=9F=92=BB=20 PROGRAMM= ING, DESIGN & DATA SCIENCE LLM PREDICTIONS FOR 2026, SHARED WITH OXID= E AND FRIENDS (9 MINUTE READ) [8]=20 This post shares predictions Sim= on Willison made on a recent podcast. The predictions cover what he think= s will happen in the next 1, 3, and 6 years in the tech industry. There h= as never been so much uncertainty about what's coming in the next year. T= he significant advances in coding agents in just the last two months indi= cate that things will change significantly, but it is unclear what those = changes will be.=20 EARLY LOOK AT GROK BUILD, UPCOMING VIBE CODING AGEN= T FROM XAI (2 MINUTE READ) [9]=20 Grok Build is a coding agent from x= AI that can be accessed both on the web and through a CLI. It currently s= upports local agents, with remote environment support marked as coming so= on. There are options for users to configure agents and custom environmen= ts. A video previewing the feature is available in the article.=20 = =F0=9F=8E=81=20 MISCELLANEOUS CHINA WARNS AI STARTUPS SEEKING TO E= MULATE META DEAL: NOT SO FAST (6 MINUTE READ) [10]=20 China is review= ing Meta's recent acquisition of AI startup Manus, a warning to Chinese e= ntrepreneurs interested in Silicon Valley riches. The review is part of b= roader consideration by China on how it can build fences around its AI kn= ow-how. The government is identifying standout companies and technologies= with the aim of adding those of strategic importance to an export-contro= l list. Manus' parent company was set up by Chinese co-founders in China,= but it moved its headquarters to Singapore last year to expand its globa= l user base.=20 AWS IN 2026: THE YEAR OF PROVING THEY STILL KNOW HOW TO= OPERATE (11 MINUTE READ) [11]=20 AWS isn't dying - it isn't even str= uggling in any conventional sense. However, its era of unchallenged domin= ance is over. The company is navigating a transition that would challenge= any organization. It has made the right strategic moves, but its success= will depend on whether it can retain the people who know how to deliver.= =20 =E2=9A=A1=20 QUICK LINKS LOVE WHAT YOU DO (1 MINUTE READ) [= 12]=20 The key to longevity is learning to love the work and the life a= round it.=20 MUSK, OPENAI LAWYERS TRADE BARBS AS LAWSUIT HEADS TO TRI= AL (5 MINUTE READ) [13]=20 Elon Musk's lawsuit alleges that OpenAI's = leadership made knowingly false assurances to Elon Musk about its charita= ble mission that they never honored in favor of their personal self-enric= hment.=20 GOOGLE ANNOUNCES AI OVERVIEWS IN GMAIL SEARCH, EXPERIMENTAL= AI-ORGANIZED INBOX (3 MINUTE READ) [14]=20 Google is rolling out a n= ew AI feature that will let AI Pro and Ultra subscribers ask natural lang= uage questions about their email inboxes.=20 THE 1,000 COMMITS PROBLEM = (4 MINUTE READ) [15]=20 Anthropic recently shipped code that broke the = entire CLI.=20 WHY AI IS PUSHING DEVELOPERS TOWARD TYPED LANGUAGES (5 M= INUTE READ) [16]=20 Type systems have become a common safety feature = for developers working with AI because static types ensure that code is m= ore trustworthy and more maintainable.=20 CREATORS SAY SPOTIFY PAYS U= P TO TWICE AS MUCH AS YOUTUBE FOR VIDEO PODCASTS (10 MINUTE READ) [17] = Spotify's dynamic ads will let hosts resell ad slots forever to ma= ximize their inventory.=20 Love TLDR? Tell your friends and get rewards!= Share your referral link below with friends to get free TLDR swag! = https://refer.tldr.tech/66662a80/ [18]=20 =09=09 Track your refer= rals here. [19]=20 Want to advertise in TLDR? =F0=9F=93=B0 If your= company is interested in reaching an audience of tech executives, decisi= on-makers and engineers, you may want to ADVERTISE WITH US [20].=20 Wa= nt to work at TLDR? =F0=9F=92=BC APPLY HERE [21], CREATE YOUR OWN ROL= E [22] or send a friend's resume to jobs@tldr.tech and get $1k if we hire= them! TLDR is one of INC.'S BEST BOOTSTRAPPED BUSINESSES [23] of 2025. = If you have any comments or feedback, just respond to this email! = Thanks for reading,=20 Dan Ni [24] & Stephen Flanders [25]=20 Man= age your subscriptions [26] to our other newsletters on tech, startups, a= nd programming. Or if TLDR isn't for you, please unsubscribe [27].=20 = =20 Links: ------ [1] https://tldr.tech/signup?utm_source=3Dtldr [= 2] https://advertise.tldr.tech/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&u= tm_campaign=3Dadvertisetopnav [3] https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/web-versio= n?ep=3D1&lc=3D265280dc-d4e0-11f0-a661-1b9fa34a893d&p=3D70756170-ed40-11f0-8= fd5-4763df703169&pt=3Dcampaign&t=3D1767957800&s=3D3a73c6d817619a7406ae86871= 3c6c141dce4af269cc6286af01b0b5c37b9b2e2 [4] https://links.tldrnewsletter.= com/xaeHa5 [5] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/eAx8bi [6] https://arst= echnica.com/space/2026/01/eric-schmidt-will-massively-invest-in-private-tel= escopes-including-hubble-replacement/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [7] htt= ps://www.construction-physics.com/p/how-did-tvs-get-so-cheap?utm_source=3Dt= ldrnewsletter [8] https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jan/8/llm-predictions-fo= r-2026/#atom-everything?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [9] https://www.testi= ngcatalog.com/early-look-at-grok-build-upcoming-vibe-coding-agent-from-xai/= ?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [10] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/AlBxot= [11] https://www.lastweekinaws.com/blog/aws-in-2026-the-year-of-proving-= they-still-know-how-to-operate/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [12] https://= boz.com/articles/love-what-you-do?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [13] https:= //www.cnbc.com/2026/01/08/musk-openai-altman-lawsuit-trial.html?utm_source= =3Dtldrnewsletter [14] https://arstechnica.com/google/2026/01/google-anno= unces-ai-overviews-in-gmail-search-experimental-ai-organized-inbox/?utm_sou= rce=3Dtldrnewsletter [15] https://davekiss.com/blog/the-1000-commits-prob= lem/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsletter [16] https://github.blog/ai-and-ml/llms/= why-ai-is-pushing-developers-toward-typed-languages/?utm_source=3Dtldrnewsl= etter [17] https://links.tldrnewsletter.com/MUopNx [18] https://refer.t= ldr.tech/66662a80/ [19] https://hub.sparklp.co/sub_e87ba9c7d7c0/1 [20] = https://advertise.tldr.tech/?utm_source=3Dtldr&utm_medium=3Dnewsletter&utm_= campaign=3Dadvertisecta [21] https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/tldr.tech [22] ht= tps://jobs.ashbyhq.com/tldr.tech/c227b917-a6a4-40ce-8950-d3e165357871 [23= ] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7401699691039830016/= [24] https://twitter.com/tldrdan [25] https://twitter.com/SteveFlander= s22 [26] https://tldr.tech/tech/manage?email=3Dtldrnewsletter%40synchro.n= et [27] https://a.tldrnewsletter.com/unsubscribe?ep=3D1&l=3Dcfa2d55a-b7be= -11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2&lc=3D265280dc-d4e0-11f0-a661-1b9fa34a893d&p=3D70756= 170-ed40-11f0-8fd5-4763df703169&pt=3Dcampaign&pv=3D4&spa=3D1767956459&t=3D1= 767957800&s=3D19bce4ac632f293efa4733f7e99f0eb4bf9fdb3dac9af54eebf0e6194a0d8= 35a --GGE48Zth Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TLDR
xAI's= losses are mounting as it spends to build data centers, recruit talent, an= d develop software that will eventually power humanoid robots =E2=80= =8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80= =8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80= =8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80= =8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80= =8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80= =8C  =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C = =E2=80=8C =E2=80=8C 

TLDR

TLDR 2026-01-09

=F0=9F= =93=B1

Big Tech & Startups

Musk's xAI Burns Almost $8 = Billion in Cash, Reveals Optimus Plan (6 minute read)

xAI's losses are mounting as it spends = to build data centers, recruit talent, and develop software that will event= ually power humanoid robots. The company reported that it spent $7.8 billio= n in cash in the first nine months of last year. Its revenue nearly doubled= quarter-over-quarter to $107 million for the three-month period ending in = September. xAI expects to do more deals soon to continue building out its C= olossus data center site in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Man Who Could Be Apple'= s Next CEO (11 minute read)

John Ternus, Apple's head of hardware e= ngineering, could be next in line to replace Tim Cook as CEO if he steps as= ide. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, is known for his attention to detail= and knowledge of Apple's vast supply network. Apple began accelerating pla= nning for Cook's succession last year after Cook told senior leaders he wou= ld like to reduce his workload. Cook will likely become the chairman of App= le's board should he step down as CEO.
=F0=9F= =9A=80

Science & Futuristic Technology

Former Google CEO plans to = singlehandedly fund a Hubble telescope replacement (6 minute read)

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his = wife, Wendy, have announced major investments in four telescope projects. E= ach of the telescopes brings a new novel capability online. The most intrig= uing instrument is a space-based telescope named Lazuli that is designed to= be a more capable and modern version of the Hubble Space Telescope. The Sc= hmidts' investment, estimated to be worth half a billion dollars, has enorm= ous potential to advance the study of astronomy and astrophysics.
How Did TVs Get So Cheap? (= 12 minute read)

TVs today are vastly cheaper than they = were 25 years ago, even before adjusting for inflation. The price per area-= pixel has fallen by more than 90%. It's not surprising that the cost of the= technology declined. Virtually all of the major mechanisms that can drive = efficiency improvements have occurred.
=F0=9F= =92=BB

Programming, Design & Data Science

LLM predictions for 2026, s= hared with Oxide and Friends (9 minute read)

This post shares predictions Simon Will= ison made on a recent podcast. The predictions cover what he thinks will ha= ppen in the next 1, 3, and 6 years in the tech industry. There has never be= en so much uncertainty about what's coming in the next year. The significan= t advances in coding agents in just the last two months indicate that thing= s will change significantly, but it is unclear what those changes will be.
Early look at Grok Build, u= pcoming vibe coding agent from xAI (2 minute read)

Grok Build is a coding agent from xAI t= hat can be accessed both on the web and through a CLI. It currently support= s local agents, with remote environment support marked as coming soon. Ther= e are options for users to configure agents and custom environments. A vide= o previewing the feature is available in the article.
=F0=9F= =8E=81

Miscellaneous

<= /div>
China Warns AI Startups See= king to Emulate Meta Deal: Not So Fast (6 minute read)

China is reviewing Meta's recent acquis= ition of AI startup Manus, a warning to Chinese entrepreneurs interested in= Silicon Valley riches. The review is part of broader consideration by Chin= a on how it can build fences around its AI know-how. The government is iden= tifying standout companies and technologies with the aim of adding those of= strategic importance to an export-control list. Manus' parent company was = set up by Chinese co-founders in China, but it moved its headquarters to Si= ngapore last year to expand its global user base.
AWS in 2026: The Year of Pr= oving They Still Know How to Operate (11 minute read)

AWS isn't dying - it isn't even struggl= ing in any conventional sense. However, its era of unchallenged dominance i= s over. The company is navigating a transition that would challenge any org= anization. It has made the right strategic moves, but its success will depe= nd on whether it can retain the people who know how to deliver.
=E2=9A= =A1

Quick Links

Love What You Do (1 minute = read)

The key to longevity is learning to lov= e the work and the life around it.
Musk, OpenAI lawyers trade = barbs as lawsuit heads to trial (5 minute read)

Elon Musk's lawsuit alleges that OpenAI= 's leadership made knowingly false assurances to Elon Musk about its charit= able mission that they never honored in favor of their personal self-enrich= ment.
Google announces AI Overvie= ws in Gmail search, experimental AI-organized inbox (3 minute read)

Google is rolling out a new AI feature = that will let AI Pro and Ultra subscribers ask natural language questions a= bout their email inboxes.
The 1,000 commits problem (= 4 minute read)

Anthropic recently shipped code that br= oke the entire CLI.
Why AI is pushing developer= s toward typed languages (5 minute read)

Type systems have become a common safet= y feature for developers working with AI because static types ensure that c= ode is more trustworthy and more maintainable.
Creators Say Spotify Pays U= p to Twice as Much as YouTube for Video Podcasts (10 minute read)

Spotify's dynamic ads will let hosts re= sell ad slots forever to maximize their inventory.

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3D"" --GGE48Zth-- .