Post-training turns LFM2.5-24B-A2B-Base into the agentic LFM2.5-24B-A2B in a five-stage pipeline as illustrated below: (1) Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT), (2) Teacher Specialization, (3) non-agentic and (4) agentic Multi-Domain On-Policy Distillation (MOPD), and (5) Agentic Reinforcement Learning (Agentic RL), training the example inner delegate harnesses, specified as OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Pi, and OpenCode.

Abdulrahman Alfozan loved Saudi Arabia.

One day before arresting the erstwhile OpenAI engineer on charges of bugging the office, the Justice Department concerned he would escape rear to his residence country. Alfozan, his wife, and another family associate had already booked one-way tickets, the division stated in a court filing.

It wouldn't be different for Alfozan's thoughts to come back to the Gulf. The idea of moving rear had followed him through his years operating in tech. It inspired him to established a nonprofit that connects Silicon Valley endowment alongside Saudi companies, and to associate a WhatsApp group alongside another Gulf professionals.

But he stayed in the US for one big reason, he stated in a translated interview released in September, in which he detailed his existence and work.

"The finest location for me to build specialized ability was Silicon Valley," Alfozan said. "You study from the source, afterward bring those skills and experiences rear home."

Now, concerning a twelvemonth following Alfozan took a job at OpenAI, the business stated that it established a recording device "concealed in toilet paper." The equipment was placed on the rear of a tv in an administrator gathering room, according to a grievance submitted in the Northern District of California. OpenAI wrote on X that it fired the employee — unnamed at the period — and referred the case to the FBI.

The Justice Department arrested Alfozan, who is 35, on October 9 and charged him alongside using an digital equipment to obstruct oral communications.

Alfozan has not yet submitted a plea. His lawyer, William Pernik, stated in a declaration that the allegations "appear entirely out of character for him."

"Mr. Alfozan came to this nation years ago as a young individual alongside a dream," Pernik said. "He spent years studying, operating and contributing to an American scientific field that leads the world, a field built in ample part by immigrants akin him."

From Saudi Arabia to Silicon Valley

Alfozan grew up in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, anywhere he went to academy through elevated school. His begetter taught at a specialized university in Dammam, and he introduced Alfozan to device discipline professors and students, Alfozan stated on the September podcast.

A turning item was whenever Alfozan got into Mawhiba, Saudi Arabia's program for gifted students, he said. He bonded alongside his device discipline teachers who would "stay following academy or during breaks answering questions that had nothing to do alongside the curriculum," he said.

His archetypal trip to the US was through Mawhiba, he said, whenever he went to Texas for an Olympiad training program in 2008. Alfozan continued traveling to the US before college, posting on X concerning his trips to NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

He had an entrepreneurial soul since elevated school. On the podcast, he described observing family members in genuine asset log everything manually in spreadsheets. He built a scheme to oversee it, gave it to his relatives for free, and afterward began marketing it to another genuine asset offices, he said.

Alfozan got into the gifted pupil program at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. He was accepted to MIT, anywhere he studied device discipline and engineering. Alfozan remained a proponent of the important throughout his period at OpenAI, calling it the "most suitable admission point" in another translated interview posted on YouTube.

While at MIT, Alfozan interned at Akamai Technologies, SAP, and Microsoft, according to his LinkedIn. On the September podcast, he stated he spent one winter interrupt operating on a 30-megawatt power factory in Ghana.

Before his graduation, Alfozan asked himself a big question: "Should I come back to Saudi Arabia immediately, or should I remain in the United States and continue construction experience?" He stated he fielded multiple offers and decided on Facebook since of its talent density.

In many ways, he fit correct into the Valley's tech culture. He stated that his function example was Elon Musk and trumpeted X as the finest phase for tech professionals. He maintained an energetic GitHub profile, contributing to a assortment of projects. He sent congratulatory notes on social media concerning fundraising rounds and startup launches. He called one founder's post concerning how Alfozan had helped preserve his startup inspiring, saying they "took the idea of vibe coding and pushed it to the extreme."

Missing home

A few years into his Facebook job, Alfozan was homesick.

"How can we contribute to the Kingdom during we're motionless living abroad?" he remembered asking himself on the September podcast. "We were physically in California, but certainly there had to be ways to assistance from a distance."

He and several allies created a nonprofit consulting group, Saudi Silicon Valley, which listed alums of Palantir and Apple in its deck. The group's email was disconnected, and leaders did not react to requests for comment.

Alfozan additionally had a WhatsApp collection conversation alongside concerning a dozen professionals from the Gulf called "Sunday @ 6," he stated in an discussion alongside the Arab Gulf States Institute. That collection met on Sunday nights to conversation innovation in Arabic, he said.

Eventually, Alfozan said, he became a founding engineer at Nash, a Y Combinator-backed startup. He additionally entered the project chief space, becoming a partner at RAED Ventures. Neither institution responded to requests for comment.

In 2025, he took a job at OpenAI. After a twelvemonth in the AI lab, he told the YouTube interviewer that there were so many developments that he couldn't figure them. The product team that he worked on had fair launched its archetypal merchandise that September, he said.

Alfozan appeared in national court on Tuesday, according to a declaration from the Justice Department. While he did not refuse the allegations, Alfozan's attorney cautioned against jumping to conclusions, noting that he was charged alongside violating a national record statute, not alongside stealing commerce secrets or acting as a abroad agent.

"There is no evidence to propose alternatively at this period that has been shared alongside us," stated Pernik, the lawyer. "Where person was delivered is not evidence of anything."

Alfozan's one-way tickets to Saudi Arabia would have been one of many trips. He stated on the September podcast that he returned residence three or four times a year. He additionally stated he advised multiple Saudi startups.

The podcast presenter jumped in, calling Alfozan a extend between the East and the West. "Exactly," Alfozan responded.

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Federal prosecutors stated a erstwhile OpenAI engineer accused of planting a record device had a one-way ticket booked to Saudi Arabia.

In newly unsealed court documents, it was revealed that the national authorities feared its case against Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national, power be jeopardized if data concerning it leaked.

"The defendant, his wife, and a third family associate have booked one-way tickets from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia (via Istanbul) for Monday, October 12, 2026," the prosecutors, including US Attorney for the Northern District of California Craig Missakian, wrote in an October 8 court filing.

The prosecutors wrote that Alfozan had "the means—and volition have an incentive—to escape the United States sooner if he learns concerning this case before he is arrested."

On October 9, the FBI arrested Alfozan. He made his first court appearance on Wednesday whenever the authorities unveiled its case against him. Alfozan has been charged alongside "use of an electronic, mechanical, or another equipment to obstruct oral communications," a felony that carries a maximum of five years in prison.

According to the offender grievance against Alfozan, the business established a USB equipment surreptitiously placed on the rear of a tv located in an "executive gathering room." The equipment was hidden in toilet paper, the grievance said.

Alfozan's attorney did not immediately react to a petition for comment from Business Insider.

OpenAI earlier stated in a declaration that it used "our models to comprehend the equipment and anywhere it had arrive from, identifying that a particular employee had planted it a few days earlier."

“Networking.”

Perhaps no another term inspires specified panic in the introvert’s heart. The idea of position about in a soulless inn ballroom, trying to deftly balance a small dish of food during shaking hands alongside person alternatively trying to do the same? A nightmare. 

I get it. For years, I avoided it, too. I told myself I was too occupied construction Jotform to expend an evening selling endeavor cards alongside strangers. In reality, I fair didn’t akin it. 

What I did like, however, was construction connections. I cherished the emotion of talking shop alongside like-minded people, hearing concerning their latest projects and telling them concerning mine; forwarding an part to a long-time acquaintance that reminded me of a conversation we’d had; congratulating a erstwhile coworker on a new venture; or complimenting a chap originator on a prosperous merchandise release. 

That’s whenever I realized that networking doesn’t have to be making stilted small talk during you quietly measure the feasibility of escape via air vent. Nor does it have to be a numbers equivalent anywhere you tremble as many hands as possible. 

It can, in fact, be as uncomplicated as talking to group you discover interesting, and being consenting to attain out whenever you have item to say. Done right, it doesn’t have to awareness akin activity at all. 

Why “networking” is the incorrect term

Some words fair naturally motivate a profound awareness of ick. Through no error of its own, “networking” has rotate into one of them, placing it on par alongside another disquieting conditions akin “moist” and “synergy.” It implies a cheap, transactional nature; item to discard formerly it stops producing value. 

But there’s no regulation that says these relationships have to be cheap or temporary. In fact, several of my most fruitful connections started out in extremely network-y ways, and quickly blossomed into item much additional durable. 

I really think my introverted nature has item to do alongside that. I don’t ask questions if I don’t desire to comprehend the answer. Nor do I discarded period on conversations that don’t genuinely involvement me. I’m not built for small talk, so I just…skip it. 

Networking direction frequently centers on a sequence of tricks, akin repeating someone’s name twice in the conversation, or dropping in a well-timed individual anecdote. But the fact is, group can inform the difference between person operating the area and person who’s really listening. There’s not a lot of value in a shallow, unmemorable interaction. 

Instead, ask the inquiry you actually desire to ask. Have the conversation you desire to have. If the individual you’re chatting alongside isn’t on the identical leaf or doesn’t appear engaged, there’s no logic to power yourself to keep going. Give yourself approval to end the communication tactfully and move on. 

The power of feeble ties

In 1973, a Stanford sociologist named Mark Granovetter conducted a study that may create you rethink your beliefs concerning informal acquaintances — I cognize they forced me to rethink mine. 

Granovetter established that, contrary to famous belief, it’s really our most peripheral acquaintances — what he calls “weak ties” — who end up serving as our most crucial sources of new data and ideas. 

You power assume that your closest connections (otherwise known as “strong ties”) would be the most precious whenever it comes to finding a new job or sourcing a new hire, but that’s really not the case. Those closest to us are fair that — too close. There’s too much overlap between the data they have and the group they cognize to be really helpful. Weak ties, on the another hand, recommendation caller perspectives and a pond of data we don’t already have. 

Here’s my direction on expanding and maintaining these valuable connections: 

Cast a wider net than feels natural

Strong ties lean to form on their own. You don’t have to try alongside the group you already see all week. Weak ties obtain a deliberate push.

That method saying “yes” to the coffee alongside person exterior your customary circle. Talking to the individual at the gathering who plant in a entirely distinct industry than yours. The goal isn’t necessarily to befriend everyone; it’s additional ensuring that your circle includes a few group who see the earth alternatively than you. 

Give before you need anything

The fastest way to slay a feeble tie is to lone appear whenever you desire something. Rather than continually popping up alongside an ask, attain out before you need a favor. Send the part you think they’d like, or congratulate them on a initiate alongside no agenda attached.

I do this continually alongside group I’m not particularly near to. Most of the time, nothing comes of it directly. Every so often, that small motion is the logic person thinks of me archetypal whenever an chance comes along.

Let the association remain light

A feeble tie doesn’t necessitate monthly check-ins to survive. It fair needs to not go entirely cold. This can be an easy, introvert-friendly lift — a comment on item they posted, a quick answer whenever they attain out. None of it have to be dense to keep the association alive.

The force to “maintain” a association is part of what makes networking awareness so taxing. Weak ties don’t ask that much of you. The lone necessity is that you display up occasionally, and average it whenever you do. These ties may remain loose, and that’s entirely okay. They may additionally blossom into several of your most precious relationships. 

Ukraine's admission to Starlink net assistance was abruptly disrupted for unidentified reasons, interfering alongside armed forces operations, sources in the country's defence ministry and a top presidential adviser stated Wednesday morning.

Serhii Beskrestnov, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated in a social media article that Elon Musk's SpaceX had implemented speed limits for Starlink terminals overnight. Beskrestnov stated the limitation throttles the procedure of Starshield, the company's dedicated moon network for armed forces services, at speeds complete 100 miles per hour, or approximately 161 kilometers per hour.

Sources in Ukraine's defence ministry confirmed the disruption and told Business Insider that SpaceX had restricted the Starshield operations without alert the military. They stated several units have informed a defeat of association whenever drones attain speeds as low as 45 mph.

The sources stated that the disruption has complex military operations, particularly drone missions. This includes mid-range strikes, front-line logistics, and air defence intercepts, several of Ukraine's most crucial drone missions.

Because Starlink does not activity inner Russia, the disruption is constricted to drone operations inside Ukrainian district and Russian-occupied territory.

Later in the day on Wednesday, the Ukrainian defence ministry reported that SpaceX continues to enforce a speed bounds of 161 km/h, although restrictions were considerably tighter before in the day. Communication norm has since improved at speeds up to 160 km/h.

Ukraine has stated it is in communication alongside the US, SpaceX, and NATO partners and is operating to instal backup communication channels.

Amid questions concerning the Starlink assistance disruptions, Musk responded to erstwhile Ukrainian defence curate Mykhailo Fedorov's concerns and gratitude for partial restoration on social media, saying that "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government."

"Any limits on speed or use are decided by the US armed forces and ultimately POTUS," he said.

"Starlink is a business assistance owned and controlled by SpaceX," Musk said. "Usage of Starlink is constricted to noncombatant or protective activities and cannot be used for insulting armed forces action, as doing so would be inappropriate for a business company."

Critical in combat

As the innovation has in armed forces and manufacturing sectors worldwide, SpaceX's Starlink has rotate into critically important to Ukraine's military.

Kyiv has adopted it as a battlefield communications tool and additionally uses it in drone warfare. Drones armed alongside Starlink dishes, which can be controlled remotely by pilots hundreds of miles distant and adapted to new targets mid-mission, have rotate into among the country's most potent weapons in the battle against Russian forces.

Ukraine's dependence on Starlink has made it reliant on Musk and SpaceX, however.

As Business Insider lately reported, Starlink has provided Musk a critical origin of power and gentle power that stretches the globe. In 2023, the world's richest man stated he refused a petition from Ukraine's armed forces to activate Starlink to assistance a Ukrainian assault on Crimea, and Reuters reported final twelvemonth that SpaceX jeopardized a 2022 Ukrainian counteroffensive by cutting Starlink admission to front-line troops.

Recently, Musk has proven to be additional supportive. In February, SpaceX clamped downward on Russian forces' use of Starlink terminals in Ukraine following Ukraine's then-defense minister made a individual petition to the billionaire CEO, a move that allowed Ukrainian forces to pay a prosperous counteroffensive.

'It is apparent this act is not coincidental'

Musk has not yet addressed reports of Starlink disruptions in Ukraine.

On Saturday, he reignited former criticisms of Zelenskyy alongside a post on X that the Ukrainian chairman had "gone too far" alongside his strikes on Russian refineries.

The Starlink disruption comes following a sequence of Russian ballistic missile attacks against Kyiv on Monday and Tuesday nights. Ukrainian officials stated that in the two cases, global partners did not provision an advancement alert concerning their launch, breaking from norm practice.

Asked by reporters before the assault on Tuesday if the US would cut intellect alongside Ukraine complete its strikes on Russian energy sites, President Donald Trump stated that Washington continued to portion it.

Zelenskyy's adviser suggested that the Starlink disruption could be connected to tensions between the US and Ukraine.

"It is apparent that this act is not coincidental and is connected to the current governmental situation," Beskrestnov stated on Telegram, according to a translation of his statement. The cause, however, remains unclear.

I motionless recall position in the galley area at work, being pressured to sign that appreciate you card. It was National Boss’s Day and my boss’s administrator aide had a cardstock she wanted us to all sign. It was to appreciate our chief for being a awesome boss. The forefront of the cardstock said, “The earth needs additional bosses akin you!” I felt ill to my stomach, barely scrawling my name inside. The irony was that this chief was among the worst bosses I had always worked for.

My erstwhile chief was the bully boss. He reminded me of the playground intimidate who teased and taunted and mocked others. This intimidate chief additionally publically and privately humiliated me. He called me a rat. He told me no one wanted me on their squad but lone he took a chance on me. When he established out another chief at the business wanted me to rotate onto their team, he screamed at me and stated I could depart his squad lone whenever he stated I could. 

As several of us commemorate and regard National Boss’s Day, it’s an crucial instant to recall that not everyone has a fine association alongside their boss. Some of us are struggling alongside a chief who undermines us, makes fun of us, and equal threatens to blaze us. For anyone struggling alongside a intimidate boss, current are three crucial steps I desire I had taken rear then.

1. Don’t normalize the behavior fair since it’s your boss

When you are operating for person who is a bully, we may use power dynamics as an excuse. We tolerate things from a chief that we wouldn’t tolerate from a colleague. And of course, we may be frightened of losing our jobs, so we normalize this behavior. If a intimidate chief shuts you down, calls you names and makes inappropriate jokes, and consistently crosses boundaries, this isn’t them fair having a bad day. This is a form of bad, bullying behavior.

I recall rationalizing his behavior. “Well, that’s fair how he is,” and “Maybe I’m being too sensitive,” and “This is the cost I pay to have this big heading and paycheck,” or “He is fair under a lot of stress.” Just since they are the chief doesn’t average they can behave this way. Ask yourself if you would authorize a coworker to treat you this way? Chances are you wouldn’t.

2. Document what’s happening

I desire I had documented what was happening at activity during this time. Some days I idea it would get better. Some days I idea I was imagining things. Some days I idea I could shove through. Some days, I felt myself disappearing. My confidence was entirely shaken.

Document what’s happening. As I conversation in my book, The Devil Emails at Midnight: What Good Leaders Can Learn from Bad Bosses, anywhere there’s smoke, there’s fire. A chief who bullies you formerly volition do it again and again, evaluation your boundaries. And if they are bullying you, chances are, they have harassed others too. Make certain to keep your documentation off your activity laptop and preserve screenshots of texts, emails and Slack messages. Keep a document of the facts: whenever it happened, what happened, if anyone alternatively was current and how it affected your work. You volition desire to use this records in the forthcoming if you decide to communication an occupation lawyer. And, for now, you can assessment what’s happening and prompt yourself that you are not the problem. You are, in fact, the mark of bullying.

3. Know your rights

When your chief is the bully, speaking up can awareness really risky. I desire I had known my entitlements and I desire I knew rear afterward silence wasn’t my lone option. That’s where Lift Our Voices, founded by Gretchen Carlson and Julie Roginsky, is an priceless resource.

Lift Our Voices is operating to difficulty office silencing mechanisms and assistance workforce improved comprehend their rights. It’s LOV Where You Work AI Tool is a game-changing liberated asset designed to assistance workforce create awareness of occupation agreements. The tool can assistance you acknowledge provisions that would power your capability to conversation up. You can upload your occupation agreement and onboarding documents to this tool. It volition assistance provision you a improved awareness of what you signed and what entitlements and options are accessible to you if you are the mark of office bullying. You may additionally decide to conversation to trusted allies and mentors, and consult an occupation attorney.

For some, National Boss’s Day is a day to appreciate the chief who makes activity better. But if your chief is the logic you dread going to work, you don’t owe them a cardstock or a mug or a appreciate you. You owe yourself a plan. Understand and validate what you are experiencing. Document what’s happening. Finally, map out your options. Remember that having a chief doesn’t average giving up your voice. It method learning whenever and how to use it.

I motionless recall position in the galley area at work, being pressured to sign that appreciate you card. It was National Boss’s Day and my boss’s administrator aide had a cardstock she wanted us to all sign. It was to appreciate our chief for being a awesome boss. The forefront of the cardstock said, “The earth needs additional bosses akin you!” I felt ill to my stomach, barely scrawling my name inside. The irony was that this chief was among the worst bosses I had always worked for.

My erstwhile chief was the bully boss. He reminded me of the playground intimidate who teased and taunted and mocked others. This intimidate chief additionally publically and privately humiliated me. He called me a rat. He told me no one wanted me on their squad but lone he took a chance on me. When he established out another chief at the business wanted me to rotate onto their team, he screamed at me and stated I could depart his squad lone whenever he stated I could. 

As several of us commemorate and regard National Boss’s Day, it’s an crucial instant to recall that not everyone has a fine association alongside their boss. Some of us are struggling alongside a chief who undermines us, makes fun of us, and equal threatens to blaze us. For anyone struggling alongside a intimidate boss, current are three crucial steps I desire I had taken rear then.

Netflix is in a slump — and it's not fair since you can't discover a hot new display to watch.

The streaming titan's shares are downward 42% in the final 12 months and have been nearly cut in fractional from their all-time elevated final summer. Netflix had its biggest circular of layoffs in four years on Wednesday, cutting concerning 1,000 employees, approximately 6% of the company.

So, what's going wrong?

Netflix's viewership growth has slowed as liberated competitors akin YouTube acquire momentum, and initiatives akin games and podcasts have yet to rotate into breakout hits. Add in the company's astonishment bid for Warner Bros., which it afterward abandoned, and several investors are emotion on edge.

Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters stated in a memo that entertaining the earth "requires us to be disciplined concerning anywhere we prioritize our group and resources" but added that the business is motionless on track to attain its financial goals this year.

Many of Netflix's struggles aren't distinctive to the "Stranger Things" maker, which disrupted Hollywood by pioneering paid TV streaming and has a important power complete culture.

"Even the top streaming companies are not immune to stagnation and financial difficulties," stated Ross Benes, a media expert at EMARKETER, Business Insider's sister company.

Other amusement giants like Disney and NBCUniversal have turned to layoffs recently.

Here are five of the biggest challenges facing Netflix correct now.

1. Engagement growth is slowing

Although Netflix is still expanding revenue at a fit gait during generating billions in profits, Wall Street is concerned concerning its viewership trends.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told Bloomberg at an event final duration that "we're not expanding as accelerated as I desire us to, and we're operating on making that move faster."

Netflix grew earth viewing hours by 2% twelvemonth complete twelvemonth to 97 milliard in the archetypal fractional of 2026. The streaming elephantine additionally announced final fourth that it would portion its involvement study lone formerly a year, downward from twice a year.

When announcing the move, Netflix told investors that "engagement is not fair the amount of perspective hours, but additionally refers to the norm and assortment of our offering."

Investors are concerned that slowing involvement growth could hurt Netflix's capability to keep customers and convince them to pay more, although the streamer has an industry-low cancellation rate.

Engagement is additionally "the aureate compass for advertisers" since higher use helps them attain broader audiences, stated Brandon Katz, an expert at Greenlight Analytics. If Netflix keeps expanding viewership, it could accusation advertisers higher rates.

The deficiency of a new breakout hit is additionally troubling for Netflix analysts. "Stranger Things," the platform's biggest display ever, ended final year, and the streamer needs to discover new franchises and buzzy hits that can substitute it.

"Entertainment is an inherently subjective and streaky industry," Katz said.

2. Competition is heating up from liberated streamers and social media

While Netflix is motionless foremost its paid peers in viewership and profits, liberated streaming services akin YouTube, Tubi, and The Roku Channel are gaining popularity, particularly among younger audiences.

YouTube's viewership portion on US TVs was 14.2% in July — nearly twice Netflix's 7.8% share, according to Nielsen.

Roku's liberated streamer and Tubi are additionally formidable competitors alongside shares of 2.9% and 2%, respectively. These no-cost services have grown as paid streamers akin Netflix have raised their prices.

Netflix is considering starting a liberated offering in several markets, co-CEO Greg Peters has said.

Then there's the fame of social media platforms akin TikTok and Instagram, which are hoovering up viewership hours.

Netflix is looking to oppose social-media foes by investing in video podcasts and creators to addition involvement and nexus alongside younger viewers without breaking the bank.

"With force mounting, Netflix volition appearance to rotate the tide by getting a boost from low-cost content," Benes said.

3. The Wall Street narrative soured following Netflix's unsuccessful bid for Warner Bros.

Netflix spooked several shareholders by making an $82.7 milliard bid for the Warner Bros. studio and streaming assets. Paramount Skydance eventually bought the entire company.

Although adding HBO Max and the Warner Bros. studio could have stated Netflix a boost, investors concerned that its leaders had run out of ideas for growth since Netflix hasn't historically turned to important dealmaking. Besides that narrative, shareholders were concerned concerning Netflix taking on a enormous debt burden and going through a complex integration process, Katz said.

Even although Netflix pocketed a $2.8 milliard breakup fee whenever the agreement cut apart, the inventory never completely recovered.

4. Games and podcasts haven't rotate into runaway hits

Netflix has made major pushes into games and podcasts, although neither has been a equivalent changer so far.

The streamer close downward a brace of equivalent studios this summer and laid off several staffers in October 2024 as well.

Netflix hasn't shared many particulars concerning how its games or podcasts are performing. The business stated in its July shareholder letter that it had successfully launched games akin "FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition" and "Unhinged," and that the kids app Netflix Playground tripled its regular person count, but it didn't define how much period those games generated.

Neither games nor podcasts were on final quarter's involvement report. If either were a significant hit, business guidance would apt desire to portion particular metrics of their achievement to investors enthusiastic to see new growth areas.

Games are "not a bad idea" but apt are "not going to get any subs," stated Alan Wolk, a media expert at investigation resolute TVREV. He added that it "remains to be seen if group volition commencement observing podcasts on Netflix," saying the streamer should modify its mobile app interface to enhance the experience.

Still, podcasts are a cheap way to develop into verticals akin news and are additionally "laundry folding programming" that can form habits, Katz said.

5. Sports entitlements are costly and tied up

Another way Netflix is trying to boost involvement is investing in live sports — including NFL games on Christmas Day and the day before Thanksgiving, the MLB Home Run Derby, and one-off events akin a boxing equivalent between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.

While Netflix executives have stated these events run subscriptions at an unusually elevated rate, sports entitlements are additionally increasingly costly because of bidding wars between TV networks akin ESPN and tech giants akin Amazon and YouTube.

Live sports are an productive acquisition tool and can assistance Netflix measure its budding promotion business.

"Sports are the final vestige of the monoculture and anywhere they can attain all the group who never alternatively see ads," Wolk said.

However, sports aren't cheap and recommendation small to no replay value, making them additional of a impermanent fix for involvement than a long-term controller of viewership.

Netflix additionally have to be imaginative alongside its sports investments since most of the marquee entitlements — from the chief NFL packages to the NBA, university football, NFL, and global football — are tied up for years. The streamer did safe live entitlements to the Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031, which it hopes volition grasp the traditional zeitgeist.

Epic Games is releasing a revamped type of its launcher that the "Fortnite" creator says it vibe coded.

"Programming is hard," the business wrote in an notice on Wednesday. "So, alternatively of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster and additional receptive than the current one, and has a new look."

Epic Games says its new launcher is "light on features" for now and that users should "think of it as a speedboat and not a yacht!"

The announcement, which additionally outlined plans to bring Fortnite to Linux, came days following Epic CEO Tim Sweeney stated there was a important change underway at the company.

"We have a huge pivot underway current at Epic, moving developers about to retool for maximum AI acceleration," Sweeney wrote on X on Monday.

Sweeney stated the business isn't looking to shed developers, but fairly allow them to do more.

"The aim isn't to do the identical material alongside small people, but to allow everyone current to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal," he said.

Epic's chief made akin comments in March whenever the Fortnite maker announced that it was laying off additional than 1,000 employees. Sweeney stated the cuts were not connected to AI.

"Since it's a item now, I should note that the layoffs aren't connected to AI," he wrote in a memo to workforce that the business shared publicly. "To the degree it improves productivity, we desire to have as many notable developers evolving awesome satisfied and tech as we can."

For the former few years, much of the conversation about synthetic intellect in endeavor has centered on productivity: penning emails, creating promotion content, summarizing meetings and analyzing spreadsheets.

Those applications are useful, but they may portray lone the archetypal phase of AI adoption.

The additional important opportunity for entrepreneurs is emerging deeper inner endeavor operations, anywhere ideas have to be turned into products, decisions have to rotate into processes and concepts have to be translated into instructions that another group can execute.

That change matters since speed of implementation has continually been among the biggest advantages accessible to a small business.

A ample business may have additional employees, larger budgets and established systems. A smaller business can frequently move from an idea to a decision much faster. AI has the possible to create that advantage equal additional pronounced.

AI is moving from the agency to the workflow

The archetypal motion of endeavor AI mostly focused on knowledge work.

An entrepreneur could ask an AI scheme to outline a proposal, summarize client feedback or create ideas for a promotion campaign. These applications reduced the amount of period group spent producing information.

The next chance is additional specialized. Instead of merely generating information, AI is increasingly being unified into particular endeavor workflows.

Consider what happens whenever a business decides to initiate a new bodily product. The procedure doesn’t end whenever person has a fine idea. There may be market research, product development, design, costing, sourcing, manufacturing, norm control, packaging and distribution. Each phase creates data that must be communicated accurately to the next individual or organization.

A bottleneck anyplace in that sequence can postpone the complete launch. This is anywhere specialized AI applications can rotate into considerably additional precious than general-purpose tools.

The endeavor value is in removing bottlenecks

Entrepreneurs don’t necessarily need AI to automate an complete department. Sometimes, improving one bottleneck can have a disproportionate consequence on the business.

Imagine a small apparel business preparing a new collection. The originator may have a apparent imagination for the product, but turning that imagination into manufacturing-ready details requires detailed documentation. Traditionally, this power affect multiple rounds of activity between designers, specialized specialists and manufacturers.

A tech pack, for example, can bring together data specified as measurements, materials, colors, building particulars and another details required to create a garment.

AI-assisted workflows are now being applied to this category of specialized documentation. For businesses exploring AI tech packs, the broader chance is not merely generating a document faster. It is reducing the conflict between a merchandise idea and the data required to execute that concept.

That difference is important. The value of AI isn’t necessarily the document itself. The value is what happens to the endeavor whenever a earlier dilatory stage becomes faster and additional repeatable.

Small businesses may have additional to acquire from this shift

Large organizations frequently have the resources to assimilate inefficiencies.

A multinational business can keep specialized teams for merchandise development, research, records and operations. A small business may have one individual performing multiple of those roles.

That creates an engaging chance for entrepreneurs. AI can provision a small squad admission to capabilities that earlier required additional people, exterior specialists or important amounts of manual work.

This doesn’t average a five-person business abruptly has the equal of a 500-person organization. It method the five-person business may be capable to expend additional of its constricted individual capability on decisions that really necessitate human judgment.

That difference can be significant.

If an entrepreneur spends small period formatting documents, organizing data and performing repetitive research, additional period becomes accessible for talking to customers, negotiating alongside suppliers, improving products and evolving new opportunities.

Faster doesn’t automatically average better

There is, however, an crucial difference entrepreneurs should keep in mind. AI can create a procedure faster without necessarily making the outcome correct. That is particularly crucial whenever AI is used in specialized endeavor workflows.

A manufacturing specification motionless needs to be reviewed. A financial inspection motionless needs to be checked. A promotion scheme motionless needs to be tested against genuine customer behavior.

AI can accelerate the innovation of an first output, but businesses motionless need group who comprehend the underlying process.

In many cases, this may really addition the value of informed employees. Instead of spending their period producing all archetypal outline manually, specialists can expend additional period reviewing outputs, identifying problems and making higher-level decisions.

The function changes from producing everything from scratch to directing and validating the process.

AI could additionally alter the economics of merchandise development

There is another conclusion that deserves attention: experimentation.

Entrepreneurship has continually engaged uncertainty. A business rarely knows alongside complete confidence whether a new product, assistance or market volition succeed.

The traditional reply has frequently been to behavior extended investigation before committing resources. AI can possibly create early-stage experimentation cheaper and faster.

An entrepreneur can use AI to examine merchandise concepts, analyze publically accessible information, arrange client feedback, create preliminary records and acknowledge possible issues before investing heavily in production.

This doesn’t eliminate the need for traditional investigation or validation. It can, however, authorize businesses to attain the validation phase alongside small period and small resources.

That changes the inquiry from: “Can we oversee to create this idea?” to “Can we test this idea before making a ample investment?”

For a startup or small business, that can be an crucial distinction.

The rivalrous advantage may change from admission to execution

AI tools are becoming increasingly accessible. That method merely having admission to AI may not remain a meaningful rivalrous advantage for extremely long.

If competitors can use akin models, akin application and akin automation tools, the differentiation has to arrive from location else.

One possible is execution.

A business that has integrated AI into its workflows may be capable to react to client requests faster, test additional ideas, prepared products additional efficiently or procedure data alongside small manual steps.

The innovation itself may be similar. The workflow built about it is not.

This is akin to what happened alongside haze application and digital commerce. Once the innovation became extensively available, rivalrous advantage shifted toward how efficiently businesses implemented it.

AI may prosecute a akin path.

Entrepreneurs should appearance for processes, not trends

One error businesses can create is starting alongside the innovation fairly than the problem.

An entrepreneur hears concerning a new AI tool and immediately asks, “How can we use this?” A improved inquiry may be: “Where are we losing the most time?”

The answer could be amazingly ordinary. Perhaps workforce expend hours preparing repetitive reports. Perhaps salespeople manually arrange information before all client call. Perhaps merchandise teams expend too much period converting concepts into specialized documentation. Perhaps client assistance teams often answer the identical questions.

Those are the areas value investigating. A uncomplicated example is to appearance for processes that are:

• Repetitive
• Time-consuming
• Highly structured
• Dependent on ample amounts of information
• Expensive to execute manually
• Easy for a individual to assessment following an first output is created

These characteristics can signify that an AI-assisted workflow may be value testing.

Start small and measure the result

Businesses additionally don’t need to change everything at once. A additional applicable method is to choose one workflow and established a baseline.

• How lengthy does the procedure currently take?
• How many group are involved?
• How frequently does it necessitate revisions?
• What does it cost?
• What happens whenever item goes wrong?

Then current an AI-assisted procedure and measure the identical variables.

If the workflow takes eight hours and can reliably be completed in four hours alongside suitable human review, the endeavor has item tangible to evaluate.

If norm decreases or the assessment procedure takes longer than expected, the test has produced helpful data as well.

This is a additional disciplined method than adopting AI merely since competitors are talking concerning it.

The next phase of AI acceptance volition be small visible

Some of the most precious AI applications may not be the ones customers see.

A client may never cognize that AI helped prepared a specialized specification, arrange investigation or streamline an inner workflow. That’s absolutely fine.

Businesses don’t need AI to be apparent to customers for it to create value. In fact, several of the strongest applications may run quietly in the background, assisting workforce complete complex processes additional efficiently.

For entrepreneurs, this represents a broader opportunity. The goal isn’t to add AI to all part of the company. It is to acknowledge the points anywhere improved information, faster execution or reduced manual attempt can enhance the economics of the business.

The companies that method AI this way may detect that the biggest chance isn’t generating additional satisfied or adding another chatbot. It is shortening the extend between an idea and execution. And for an entrepreneur, that extend has continually mattered.

Google lately introduced “The Non-Canonical Cabinet,” a Search Central YouTube sequence discussing border case specialized SEO issues. On Oct. 14, they published the archetypal video of this new series, which addresses items that may and may not be included inside a domain name or URL way (such as emojis) as fine as whether using keywords inside URLs affects hunt rankings.

Gary Illyes and Cherry Prommawin are hosting this series. Google announced the sequence by posting a teaser video on Oct. 6, and asked all viewers to provision their own edge-case questions in the comments division of all post.

What The Series Is

A trailer released by Google on Oct. 6 says that the display “The Non-Canonical Cabinet” is a sitcom-style wit based off particular questions asked by website owners and the SEO industry. Here is how the event clarification puts it:

“These are questions that don’t pertain on a norm FAQ leaf but are motionless helpful for Search and generative AI features.”

In supplement to this Illyes hosted “How Search Works,” a five part video sequence on Search Central from 2024. This video sequence took users through the procedure of crawling, indexing and serving. “The Non-Canonical Cabinet” nevertheless starts alongside users asking questions concerning search, alternatively of starting alongside the basics.

Domains And URL Paths Follow Different Rules

ICANN and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) have established the specialized guidelines for domain names. The IETF’s guidelines (RFC 1035, RFC 1123) contain allowing letters, numbers, and hyphens inside domain names; Prommawin stated that Google adheres to these identical standards.

The supplement of scripts to assistance languages another than Roman-based scripts (Chinese, Arabic) allows users to use domain names written in native scripts. These Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) are translated into Punycode (“xn--“), a cord that starts alongside ‘xn--‘. Browsers volition normally display IDNs in their native script. However, Illyes mentioned that several IDN scripts merge akin characters to those in another languages, which can confuse group and browsers. For example, a Cyrillic letter is extremely near in appearance to an English “p”.

According to him, the current net standards for domains do not authorize “emojis in the domain name.” A 2017 ICANN Board Resolution states that emoji are “disallowed by the current specialized standards for Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs).” The resolution does note that during emoji characters are prohibited under current standards, they can motionless be registered in certain country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) at the second level.

The URL way has small limits. Illyes stated Googlebot volition crawl a way that contains an emoji, and “our scheme volition really procedure it.” Browsers percent-encode those characters, so the episode’s poultry emoji becomes %F0%9F%90%94 in the path.

He stated not all browser or social media app volition display the emoji, and several display “a cord of gibberish” in its place. Google’s URL construction documentation already covers the way side. It recommends percent encoding for non-ASCII characters and uses emoji in one of its examples.

Keywords And Word Separators

Illyes called keywords in a URL “an incredibly small signal.” “It really lone matters whenever we have entirely nothing alternatively to go on,” he said, giving the example of a location that’s seconds old alongside no content. Once Google sees content, keywords in the domain and URL “become basically irrelevant,” he said.

John Mueller called URL keywords a “very small ranking factor” in 2016 and a “very extremely lightweight factor” in 2021, statements I gathered whenever I looked at URLs as a ranking factor in 2023.

On separators, Illyes stated Google treats words joined by underscores in a URL way “as one lengthy word.” He added that this is sometimes fine, since Google may motionless be capable to use the words, and that Google recommends hyphens as the average term divider throughout the web. Google’s records gives the identical advice. It cites “historical reasons,” since underscores frequently grade concepts meant to remain together, specified as function names in programming.

Why This Matters

The archetypal Non-Canonical Cabinet event provides you alongside Google’s on-record responses to clients’ inquiries concerning emojis, non-English characters, and keywords in URLs. The way direction provided is redundant alongside the URL construction documentation, hence websites that are currently adhering to this document volition need no modifications.

The keyword reply from Illyes can be used as a citation for whenever your client desires URLs alongside elevated keyword density. He has indicated that there would be several value connected alongside specified pages lone if Google knew entirely nothing alternatively concerning them. In supplement to the complete information, the episode’s concluding recap tells viewers to halt trying to equivalent hunt results by including ample amounts of keyword data into their URLs.

The comments division of all video provides a forum anywhere you may bring up additional border cases that have not been covered inside the authoritative documentation.

Looking Ahead

The next Non-Canonical Cabinet event covers robots.txt. Neither video clarification gives a publish schedule, and the trailer and archetypal event went up eight days apart.

Featured Image: Screenshot from Google Search Central/YouTube, October 2026.