Policies
U.S. to Mandate Biometric Data Collection for All Foreign Travelers by Year-End
The new system aims to enhance border security, detect visa overstays, and identify potential threats, according to a DHS filing in the Federal Register.
The Left Shift Bureau
Acquisition
Figma Weaves AI Into Design with Weavy Acquisition
The move expands Figma’s capabilities beyond traditional interface design into full-scale media creation.
Databases
Databricks Launches Public Preview of Zerobus Ingest to Streamline Event Data Ingestion
Zerobus Ingest is designed to simplify infrastructure and accelerate insights by eliminating intermediary systems like Kafka.
AI Startups
Perplexity Cancels Campus Partner Programme in India After Widespread Fraud
The programme offers students free access to Perplexity Pro, referral bonuses, and the chance to earn unlimited rewards for driving new user sign-ups to its Comet browser and AI products
Partnerships
Delhi Metro Partners with Mappls MapmyIndia to Bring Real-Time Metro Data to Commuters
Commuters across Delhi-NCR will soon be able to access real-time metro information.
AI Startups
OpenAI Unveils “Aardvark”—A GPT-5 Powered Agentic Security Researcher in Private Beta
Aardvark uses LLM-powered reasoning and tool-use to scan repositories, build threat models, monitor commits, and validate exploitability in a sandboxed environment.
Acquisition
CoreWeave Acquires Marimo to Streamline AI Developer Workflow
CoreWeave said the move brings together its high-performance infrastructure with Marimo’s developer tools to accelerate AI model development and deployment.
Big Tech
Amazon Employees Publish Open Letter Demanding Ethical AI Amid 14,000 Job Cuts
The group argues that sensors, drone software, and cloud services that enable mass surveillance raid the boundaries of what Amazon says it stands for.
Partnerships
Universal Music Group and Stability AI Form Strategic Alliance to Develop Professional AI Music Tools
The collaboration aims to empower artists, producers and songwriters globally with generative-AI solutions trained on licensed data and designed to support creative workflows.
Culture
Snowflake CRO’s Viral Instagram Interview Spurs Emergency SEC Filing
Mike Gannon, Snowflake CRO, appeared in a viral Instagram interview predicting the company would hit $4.5 billion in revenue this year
Partnerships
TCS Partners with Tata Motors to Accelerate Sustainability Transformation with AI-Powered Platform
The solution will digitise ESG data, automate compliance reporting, and provide real-time sustainability insights across Tata Motors’ operations.
AI Startups
Character.AI to Ban Minors From Chatting With AI Bots After Backlash
Character.AI announced new safety measures for young users, including removing open-ended AI chat for those under 18 by November 25.