💸 SoftBank completes $40B OpenAI investment

🦾Plus: ‍️OpenAI's record compensation 💰

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In today's edition: 🔥

  • Satya Nadella: AI to shift from ‘spectacle’ to ‘substance’

  • 🤖 ChatGPT Android app adds real Thinking mode

  • 💰 OpenAI Is Paying Employees More Than Any Major Tech Startup 

  • 💾 Samsung wins approval for China chip tools

  • 💡 AI Tutorial:How to create on-brand animations with AI

  • 🤖5 AI Tools to check

  • 🖼️ A.I. Generated Image of the Day

SoftBank has reportedly completed its $40B investment in OpenAI, according to CNBC — wiring the final $22B+ last week after months of asset sales and fundraising to pull together the largest single bet on the AI race. To fund the deal, Masayoshi Son sold SoftBank’s entire $5.8B Nvidia stake, $4.8B of T-Mobile shares, and also slowed his Vision Fund dealmaking.

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Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella just shared his 2026 outlook, arguing that AI is entering a phase where we can see between “spectacle” and “substance,” and success will be measured less by model breakthroughs and more by real outcomes. Nadella said AI is shifting from discovery to diffusion, with capabilities outpacing our ability to turn them into real impact, creating a “model overhang.”

OpenAI has rolled out a real Thinking mode for its ChatGPT Android app, giving users control over how long the AI processes a request before responding. The update replaces the earlier toggle that only simulated extended reasoning and now matches the desktop’s “Extended Thinking” feature.

OpenAI's average stock-based compensation for its roughly 4,000 employees is about $1.5 million per employee. The company's equity awards, aimed at helping it keep its lead in the AI race, are inflating its heavy operating losses and diluting existing shareholders. OpenAI recently announced the discontinuation of a policy that required employees to work at the company for at least six months before their equity vests.

The U.S. granted Samsung and SK Hynix annual licenses to import chipmaking equipment to their China facilities for 2026. Samsung and SK Hynix rely on Chinese operations for traditional memory chips, whose prices have surged on AI data center demand and tight supply.

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AI Tutorial

How to create on-brand animations with AI

  • Visit Pomelli and click ‘Get Started.’

  • Add your website or product link to auto-import your brand.

  • Review and tweak your Business DNA (colors, fonts, tone, messaging).

  • Describe your campaign.

Sample Prompt: “Launch an AI writing assistant that saves marketers hours each week.”

  • Pick a generated concept.

  • Edit text, visuals, colors, and resize for any channel. Use Fix Layout to clean it up.

  • Click ‘Animate’ and export your on-brand animation.

What if the biggest unlock for your CPG brand isn’t a packaging refresh or a promo blitz — but creators telling the story your audience actually wants to hear? That’s exactly what happened when this everyday grocery staple shifted from traditional ads to a creator-led, UGC-powered strategy built for scale.

Instead of pushing polished product shots, the brand activated creators across food, lifestyle, and everyday routines - pairing premium gifting with seasonal moments and culturally relevant hooks. The result wasn’t just content; it was momentum. Snack boards, game-day recipes, self-care rituals, and kitchen-counter creativity started taking over feeds, delivering 560K+ views, 247K reach, 9K likes, 2K saves, and $58K EMV - all from authentic storytelling that felt like discovery, not advertising.

More importantly, it became repeatable. Mid-tier creators expanded visibility. Micro-influencers added warmth and trust. And with Creator.co managing recruitment, briefs, and delivery, the brand built a scalable content engine, everything from 71K-view recipe videos to 600+ save snack hacks. As one marketing leader put it: “The team is accessible, easy to work with, and provides frequent updates — all our data was right at our fingertips.”

When UGC becomes the heart of your strategy, your product stops blending in and starts belonging in the lives (and carts) of your consumers.

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🧠AI Research

[arXiv is a free online library where researchers share pre-publication papers]

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⚡️Quick AI News Roundup

🧠 Korea building national AI-ready health data infrastructure.

🔍 2025 was the year AI got a vibe check.

🤖Prompt Engineering

🎯 Youtube video creation

"I need a YouTube video idea that will engage my [ideal customer persona] with a unique and compelling perspective on [subject] and persuade them to take [desired action] on my [website/product]."

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