Elon Musk's companies are trending towards convergence. SpaceX is
considering a potential merger with Tesla as well as xAI
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TLDR
TOGETHER WITH [Contextual] [4]
TLDR 2026-02-02
AI FOR WHEN IT _IS_ ROCKET SCIENCE (SPONSOR) [4]
AI still fails at complex, specialized work. Sure, it can draft
emails — but does anyone really trust it to review overnight
hot-fire test results or answer advanced technical questions?
Contextual AI built Agent Composer [4] specifically for complex tasks.
Here's what it's already done [4]:
* An advanced manufacturer reduced root-cause analysis from 8 HOURS
TO 20 MINUTES by automating sensor data parsing and log correlation.
* A tech-enabled 3PL provider achieved 60X FASTER ISSUE RESOLUTION
by diagnosing problems across WMS logs and supplier APIs.
* A test equipment maker generated test code IN MINUTES INSTEAD OF
DAYS by translating procedures into control logic.
Get up to $50 in credit and start building [5]
📱
BIG TECH & STARTUPS
ELON MUSK'S RELENTLESS AI PURSUIT HAS HIM ON THE HUNT FOR CAPITAL (13
MINUTE READ) [6]
Elon Musk's companies are trending towards convergence. SpaceX is
considering a potential merger with Tesla as well as xAI. A tie-up
would consolidate cash flow while bringing together capabilities in
energy, manufacturing, satellite production, and rocket launches under
one roof. xAI is currently burning around $1 billion a month, forcing
Musk to further blur corporate boundaries, pool capital, and rethink
whether largely independent moonshots should stay separate.
THE $100 BILLION MEGADEAL BETWEEN OPENAI AND NVIDIA IS ON ICE (5
MINUTE READ) [7]
A plan for Nvidia to invest $100 billion into OpenAI, announced last September, has stalled after some inside Nvidia expressed doubts about
the deal. Nvidia plans to push ahead with a separate large investment
in OpenAI that will amount to $100 billion from multiple partners. The
original $100 billion agreement was nonbinding and not finalized.
OpenAI is laying the foundation to go public by the end of 2026 - the
stalled pact is a blow to this effort.
🚀
SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY
BLUE ORIGIN SHUTTERS NEW SHEPARD ROCKET PROGRAM TO FOCUS ON MOON
LANDER DEVELOPMENT (2 MINUTE READ) [8]
Blue Origin is pausing flights of its New Shepard rocket for at least
two years to focus on efforts to build a moon lander for NASA. The
company has a $3.6 billion contract with NASA to build a lunar lander
to send US astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade. New
Shepard has launched dozens of paying passengers and research
experiments towards the edge of space since 2021. It was Blue Origin's
first rocket, debuting back in 2015.
SPACEX EYES 1 MILLION SATELLITES FOR ORBITAL DATA CENTER PUSH (3
MINUTE READ) [9]
SpaceX has filed a request with the FCC to launch up to one million
satellites to create a network of orbiting data centers around Earth.
The company's Orbital Data Center system would deliver the compute
capacity required for large-scale AI inference and data center
applications for billions of users. They will be solar-powered and use
optical links to connect to Starlink. The filing claims that orbital
data centers are the most efficient way to meet the accelerating
demand for AI computing power.
💻
PROGRAMMING, DESIGN & DATA SCIENCE
THE NEW AGENT COMPOSER BRINGS AI TO EXPERT-LEVEL ENGINEERING WORK
(SPONSOR) [10]
Most AI tools lack the context to help with high-complexity tasks
such as root cause analysis. Agent Composer [10] by Contextual AI is
built for high-stakes environments like: semiconductors, aerospace,
logistics, and finance. Early adopters are using it to compress hours
of complex engineering work into minutes. Want to see how? Join launch
event on February 5. [10]
CODE IS CHEAP. SHOW ME THE TALK (23 MINUTE READ) [11]
Large language model coding tools have fundamentally changed software development. Reading and critically evaluating code has become more
important than learning syntax and typing it out line by line.
Developers who can imagine, articulate, define problem statements,
architect, and engineer have a massive advantage over those who can't,
now more disproportionately than ever. Knowledge of specific language,
syntax, and frameworks is no longer a bottleneck. Developers now need
good critical thinking and foundational human skills, and competence
to run the machinery.
HOW X DECIDES WHAT 550 MILLION USERS SEE (10 MINUTE READ) [12]
X recently open-sourced its algorithm. This post dissects the code to
find out how it works. The algorithm tries to maximize positive
engagement and minimize negative engagement while prioritizing quality
over quantity. Controversial content persists despite penalties
because volume overwhelms penalty. Rage bait works when the engaged
audience vastly outnumbers the offended minority. Early engagement
matters because of feedback loops, not because of any multiplier for
fast likes.
🎁
MISCELLANEOUS
MOLTBOOK IS THE MOST INTERESTING PLACE ON THE INTERNET RIGHT NOW (7
MINUTE READ) [13]
OpenClaw is an open-source implementation of a digital personal
assistant pattern. Moltbook is a social network where these digital
assistants can talk to each other. These agents have been used to buy
cars by negotiating with multiple dealers over email, understand voice
messages by using multiple tools, and more. The demand for these tools
is clearly here, but the security challenges still remain.
LOYALTY IS DEAD IN TECH (3 MINUTE READ) [14]
It used to be that early employees who took the risk along with the
founders shared the outcome. That is no longer the case, with founders
leaving companies and employees in acquihires that license the
technology and abandon the rest. Employees are starting to learn that
a 'mission' is just a recruiting pitch. There are still some founders
who would rather go slower than abandon the people who believed in
them - finding them has never mattered more.
⚡
QUICK LINKS
RUNABLE: AI SUITE FOR EVERYONE (SPONSOR) [15]
Stop juggling tools. Runable 2.0 creates finished slides, websites,
reports, and videos – all from one prompt. Edit sections without
burning credits. 300,000 users joined last month. Start creating [15]
INSIDE CHINA'S REAL ADVANTAGE: MANUFACTURING AT SCALE (17 MINUTE
READ) [16]
This post looks at how China manufactures at scale, how new energy
moves through factories and supply chains, and what execution looks
like on the ground.
BANKER CLAIMS ORACLE MAY SLASH UP TO 30,000 JOBS, SELL HEALTH UNIT TO
PAY FOR AI BUILD-OUT (2 MINUTE READ) [17]
Equity and debt investors are increasingly questioning how Oracle
will finance its $300 billion, five-year contract with OpenAI.
THE CRYPTO CEO WHO'S BECOME ENEMY NO. 1 ON WALL STREET (13 MINUTE
READ) [18]
Brian Armstrong, head of Coinbase and a powerful voice in industry
debates, has attracted a lot of criticism from leaders in traditional
finance.
AI AFTER DRUG DEVELOPMENT (28 MINUTE READ) [19]
If AI could help lower drug failure rates, it would make it far more economical for pharmaceutical companies to take more shots.
IN PRAISE OF –DRY-RUN (3 MINUTE READ) [20]
Dry runs let users see what happens if commands are run without
making any changes.
THE AI BOOM IS COMING FOR APPLE'S PROFIT MARGINS (4 MINUTE READ) [21]
Apple is seeing constraints in its chip supplies, and memory prices
are increasing significantly.
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