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What you’ll read?

• Netflix Raises Prices Across U.S. Plans Amid Subscriber Surge

• Medicare to Negotiate Prices for 15 High-Cost Drugs

• Today in AI & Tech

• Nation Braces for Arctic Blast and Rare Snowfall in the South

  and more…

BUSINESS

Netflix Raises Prices Across U.S. Plans Amid Subscriber Surge

Netflix has announced price hikes for most of its U.S. plans. The standard ad-free plan will rise from $15.49 to $17.99, while the ad-supported plan increases from $6.99 to $7.99, and the premium plan jumps from $22.99 to $24.99. Price increases are also set for Canada, Portugal, and Argentina. Netflix, which recently cracked down on password sharing, added 19 million subscribers in the fourth quarter, surpassing 300 million globally.

Wall Street Booms with Record Trading and Deal Pipeline Growth

U.S. investment banks reported record-breaking quarters fueled by surging trading around the election and increased deal flow, with JPMorgan seeing a 21% revenue rise and Goldman’s equities business hitting $13.4 billion for the year. CEOs from Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs predict a surge in mergers, acquisitions, and IPO activity, driven by growing corporate confidence and favorable regulatory conditions, signaling a profitable period for Wall Street.

Zoox Targets 2025 Robotaxi Expansion Amid Industry Challenges

Amazon’s Zoox plans to expand its self-driving robotaxi fleet and launch public rides in Las Vegas this year, followed by other cities like San Francisco and Miami. Unlike retrofitted vehicles, Zoox’s purpose-built robotaxis lack manual controls and prioritize safety and assertiveness. While aiming to compete with industry leader Waymo, challenges such as high costs, regulatory uncertainties, and business model viability remain key hurdles for commercialization.

Medicare to Negotiate Prices for 15 High-Cost Drugs

The Biden administration announced 15 prescription drugs, including Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, for Medicare price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act. Aimed at reducing costs for seniors, these negotiations will save billions for Medicare beneficiaries by 2027. Despite legal and industry pushback, the program expands yearly, targeting high-cost drugs without generic competition.

TECH

Today in AI & Tech

Microsoft’s Exclusive Cloud Partnership with OpenAI Evolves Amid New AI Ventures

Microsoft, OpenAI's largest investor and primary cloud partner, is no longer its exclusive computing provider. Microsoft retains the "right of first refusal" for additional capacity needs and continues to benefit from a strong partnership. OpenAI has also partnered with Oracle, Arm, and Nvidia for the Stargate Project, committing up to $500 billion in AI infrastructure. Despite signs of strain, Microsoft remains deeply integrated into OpenAI's ecosystem, including a new Azure commitment and IP rights for products like Copilot.

TikTok Temporarily Restored as Trump Plans Ban Extension

TikTok was accessible to some U.S. users on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to sign an executive order delaying the app's federal ban. TikTok thanked Trump for providing clarity to service providers and pledged to work on a long-term solution. The app's future remains uncertain as ByteDance has no plans to divest, despite ongoing legal challenges and calls for U.S. ownership.

Writer RAG tool: build production-ready RAG apps in minutes

RAG in just a few lines of code? We’ve launched a predefined RAG tool on our developer platform, making it easy to bring your data into a Knowledge Graph and interact with it with AI. With a single API call, writer LLMs will intelligently call the RAG tool to chat with your data.

Integrated into Writer’s full-stack platform, it eliminates the need for complex vendor RAG setups, making it quick to build scalable, highly accurate AI workflows just by passing a graph ID of your data as a parameter to your RAG tool.

Learn more about our production ready RAG tooling here.

Other

Global Reactions to Trump’s Return as President

President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House sparks mixed reactions globally. While U.S. allies like Europe and South Korea express concern over his "America First" policy and potential trade tariffs, nations such as Russia, China, and India view his presidency more positively, associating it with reduced global tensions. Analysts predict Trump will wield more power in his second term, shifting global dynamics further.

China's VP Meets Elon Musk, Highlights U.S.-China Trade Opportunities

China’s Vice President Han Zheng met Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. business leaders in Washington, encouraging them to benefit from China’s development and strengthen U.S.-China trade ties. President-elect Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to his inauguration, but Xi sent Han as his representative.

Nation Braces for Arctic Blast and Rare Snowfall in the South

Over 175 million Americans face cold weather alerts as a bitter Arctic airmass sweeps the nation, bringing temperatures 10-40°F below average. The northern Plains and Rockies will experience wind chills as low as -55°F, while rare snow impacts Houston, Mobile, and Pensacola. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic prepare for 2-10 inches of snow, with major cities like New York and Boston under emergency measures. Warmer conditions are expected by week's end, but record lows may persist in some areas.

Unrivaled Basketball League: A Game-Changer for Women’s Sports

Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league, co-founded by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, launches with $35 million funding and partnerships with top sponsors. Featuring six teams in a two-month season, it offers higher salaries than the WNBA and revenue-sharing opportunities for players. Games will air on TNT Sports platforms, aiming to fill the WNBA offseason gap while boosting the profile of women’s basketball. With support from star investors like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Coco Gauff, Unrivaled is positioned to redefine the business of women’s sports and inspire growth across the industry.

It's a Wrap!

Thank you for joining us in this journey through the latest updates and insights. Your engagement and support mean the world to us. We hope you found this newsletter both informative and inspiring. Stay tuned for more exciting news and stories in our next edition.

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Warm regards,
Sarah