What Actually Happened (Oct 25-31, 2025)

1. Google Willow: Quantum Computing Achieves Verifiable Breakthrough (Oct 22) : Google's Willow quantum chip ran an algorithm 13,000x faster than the world's fastest supercomputer—and the results are verifiable and reproducible, a first in quantum computing history.
→ Bloomberg | Google Official Blog | Nature Paper Coverage

2. Mercor Hits $10B Valuation at Age 3 (Oct 27) : Three 22-year-old college dropouts raised $350M at a $10B valuation. Their AI startup connects 30,000+ domain experts (doctors, lawyers, scientists) with AI labs for model training, paying out $1.5M daily.
→ TechCrunch | CNBC | Forbes Coverage

3. Claude Desktop Goes Live (Oct 31) : Anthropic's privacy-first desktop agent launched with deep integrations to GitHub, Slack, AWS, and Notion. Local-first automation without sending everything to the cloud.
→ Anthropic Official (Check their blog for official announcement)

4. PayPal × ChatGPT: Chat-to-Checkout Goes Mainstream (Oct 28) : PayPal embedded its wallet into ChatGPT. Send money, pay merchants, manage subscriptions—all inside the chat thread. Launches 2026, connects tens of millions of merchants.
→ PayPal Press Release | TechCrunch | CNBC

5. Apple M5 MacBook Pro Ships (Late Oct) : New MacBook Pros with M5 chip deliver substantial jump in AI performance and speed for creative and professional users.
→ Gear Patrol Tech Roundup

6. India Proposes AI Labeling Law (Oct 25-31) : Draft regulations require all AI-generated content to be clearly labeled to combat deepfakes. Public feedback open until Nov 6.
→ The AI Track

7. US Law Schools Make AI Literacy Mandatory (Oct 25-31) : American law schools now require AI training to graduate—tech ethics, legal AI tools, and algorithmic bias are core curriculum.
→ National Centre for AI

8. AI Venture Funding Surpasses 50% of All VC Dollars (2025 Data) : For the first time, AI startups captured over half of global venture investment, per Economic Times analysis.
→ Economic Times

💸 The Money Reality

AI Infrastructure Spending in 2025:

• Meta: $72B (going higher in 2026)

• Amazon: $118B in AI/cloud infrastructure

• Google: $85B capex forecast

• Microsoft: $30B in Q1 alone

The pattern: The companies winning the AI race are burning the most cash. Smaller players can't compete at this scale. Open-source might be the only path for everyone else.

Meanwhile, AI is eating white-collar jobs:

• Amazon: 14,000 cuts (Oct 28)

• Microsoft: 15,000 this year

• Intel: 22,000

• UPS: 14,000 over 22 months

• Total tech layoffs in 2024: 120,000+

Hiring shift: AI adopters keep senior roles, slow junior hiring. If you're early-career, upskill fast or get left behind.

Google x Startups — Grants, credits, and co-build programs are opening up; plus community lift via Founders Live + partner incubators to get teams from demo → deployment.

Vibe coding = intent → feedback → iteration. You sketch the outcome; the agent scaffolds; you tune feel (pace, tone, style) until it’s on-brand. With Atlas/Apps/Claude Desktop, the loop compresses to brief → generate → tweak → publish → measure—without tool-hopping.

🔥 Fireside Chat this Week

1. Can anyone compete with the Big 4 in AI?
Meta, Google, Microsoft, Amazon are each spending $70B+/year. If you're not spending at that scale, can you even stay in the race? Or is open-source the only path for everyone else?

2. Should AI-generated content be labeled?
India's pushing for it. Creators say it stifles innovation. Regulators say it fights deepfakes. Where do you land?

3. Is quantum computing overhyped again?
Google says 5 years to practical apps. Skeptics say we've heard this before. Bitcoin holders are nervous. Are you?

Micro-experiments (5–10 min):

• Ask your model: “List 3 ways you’ll fail here; now avoid them.” Did outcomes change?

• Atlas memory: save → recall → delete a “browser memory.” Did deletion truly wipe it?

• Run one agent in shadow mode. Did the step log match your mental model?

Tools to Try

The Ultimate Prompt Corner

Optimise your SEO strategy with this ChatGPT prompt, designed for expert keyword research and analysis.

Adopt the role of an expert SEO analyst tasked with conducting comprehensive keyword research. Your primary objective is to identify high-traffic, low-competition keywords for a specific website or business in a structured, tabular format. To accomplish this, follow these steps:

1. Analyze the website or business niche to understand the target audience and relevant topics.
2. Use SEO tools to generate a list of potential keywords related to the niche.
3. Evaluate each keyword for search volume and competition level.
4. Identify long-tail keywords that offer high traffic potential with lower competition.
5. Consider user intent behind each keyword to ensure relevance.
6. Analyze competitor keywords to find gaps and opportunities.
7. Prioritize keywords based on their potential impact and relevance to the business goals.

Take a deep breath and work on this problem step-by-step.

#INFORMATION ABOUT ME:
My website/business: [INSERT WEBSITE/BUSINESS NAME]
My target audience: [DESCRIBE TARGET AUDIENCE]
My primary products/services: [LIST MAIN PRODUCTS/SERVICES]
My geographic focus: [SPECIFY GEOGRAPHIC AREA IF APPLICABLE]
My industry: [SPECIFY INDUSTRY]

MOST IMPORTANT!: Present your findings in a markdown table format with three columns: Keyword, Search Volume, and Keyword Difficulty. Include at least 20 keywords in your analysis, sorted by potential impact (considering both search volume and keyword difficulty).

Bonus Drops this Week

• Apple’s Pico-Banana (10 words): tiny on-device image model; faster, cheaper, private creativity on phones.

• Google Pomelli — SMB tool to generate scalable, on-brand social campaigns.

• Adobe Firefly — introduces layered image editing (non-destructive, maskable, pro-grade).

• Perplexity at Work — team research with citations, admin controls, Slack/Drive ties.

Feature Drops (creative)

• Canva “Creative OS” — prompts → fully editable, on-brand designs (slides, posts, video); designers refine instead of rebuilding.