This is a short week, so here’s a short newsletter. Back to full size next week!

Study shows that 2/3 of companies will slow entry-level hiring due to AI

A new study from global market research firm IDC finds that two-thirds of companies around the globe expect to slow entry-level hiring due to the impact of AI. The study, “AI at Work”, surveyed 5,500 business leaders in 22 countries in a wide variety of industries. The study found that 91% of organizations said that job responsibilities have shifted or disappeared due to AI, with routine tasks being most affected. In a surprising finding, only 5% of organizations said that a university degree was necessary for junior roles, with may respondents focusing more on skills in communication, critical thinking, and technical expertise.

Two-thirds of companies will slow entry-level hiring due to AI

Meta wins big against FTC in landmark anti-trust suit

Social media giant Meta/Facebook has won a stunning victory in a titanic 5-year antitrust lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission and 46 of the 50 US states. Launched in December of 2020 by Biden’s activist FTC Chair Lina Khan (First of her Name), the suit alleged that Meta had stifled competition in social media by buying its rivals, most specifically Instagram and WhatsApp. Despite evidence in emails from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg proving, in plain words, that that was exactly what he was up to, the judge looked at the smoking gun and said… “Nah. ”

The judge’s ruling says that even if Meta used to be a monopoly, crushing the competition or buying them, it’s not a monopoly now because… TikTok. (I swear I am not making this up.) And because Meta’s not a monopoly now, it can’t be punished now, and the FTC can’t make Meta sell off Instagram and WhatsApp. In related news, a man who murdered his parents asked for leniency from the court because he is now an orphan.

Meta wins big against FTC in landmark anti-trust suit

Google offers trip planning from inside Search

Google, so often the object of pity or scorn in the past 3 years for letting OpenAI grab the lead in the AI technology that Google invented, is now on a roll. Last week it released Gemini 3, which is widely acknowledged as the best model in the world at this moment. Google is now embedding Gemini 3 into all of its myriad product offerings, including into its flagship Search. You can now use the Google search bar just like the chat box for ChatGPT or Claude, and get back paragraph answers with citations, instead of links. One of the fun uses of this new AI-powered Search is trip planning. Just ask Google Search to plan an itinerary for a vacation trip, and you will get back a well-formatted multi-day event schedule with comments, explanations, and relevant images. (See below.) Try it!

Google offers trip planning from inside Search

GenZ college students take double majors to AI-proof their careers

As GenZ college students prepare to enter one of the toughest job markets in years, in part due to AI drying up entry level jobs (see our top story above), they are increasingly deciding to enhance their chances by taking on a double major. Enrollment in two majors is seeing an exponential rise, according to the Hechinger Report. The number of double majors has jumped 169% over the past 10 years at UC San Diego, 334% at Harvard, and a staggering 591% at Drexel University. A study from the National Bureau of Economic Research indicates that the most valuable aspect of a double major in the job market is not so much that it increases incomes above those with single majors, but that those with double majors are less likely to be laid off, and tend to spend less time unemployed. Having diverse skills appears to make employees more valuable to their employers, as well as more able to pivot to a different role or job when an economic downturn hits.

GenZ college students take double majors to AI-proof their careers

Chinese humanoid robot sets world record by walking 65 miles nonstop

Chinese robotics company Agibot’s A2 humanoid robot has set a world record by walking 65 miles between two nearby cities in China. The robot set off from the outskirts of Suzhou on November 10, and completed its journey in downtown Shanghai on November 13, averaging around 1 mph walking speed. The robot was never powered down during the trek, showing off Agibot’s hot-swappable battery technology. Agibot’s A2 robot stands approximately 5’ 9” tall, and weighs 121 pounds. In addition to its ruggedness on the road, the company says the robot has the dexterity and precision to thread a sewing needle. Want one? It can be yours for $27,000.

Chinese humanoid robot sets world record by walking 65 miles nonstop

Robots in your bloodstream will deliver drugs on target

Swiss scientists have developed a tiny robot the size of a grain of sand that can be injected into your bloodstream, then guided by magnets to deliver drugs to a precise location. Reminiscent of the sci-fi classic “Fantastic Voyage”, these micro-bots solve a major problem of drug delivery: taking pills or getting an injection exposes the entire body to a drug, when the target tissue needing treatment is only a tiny fraction of the 40 trillion cells in the human body. This is a major source of side effects, when a drug that is beneficial in one organ has a deleterious effect on another. Micro-bots can deliver drugs to a single organ, preventing exposure of other organs to the drug. Currently these tiny robots are in an early stage of development, and it will likely take years of clinical trials before they are a standard part of medical practice.

Robots in your bloodstream will deliver dugs on target