TECH TODAY

CES 2025: Here’s what’s new at the show and what’s what.

Peter Thiel: The Midas touch man backs Venture Debt Firm Tacora.

AT&T and Verizon attacked: Two of the largest U.S. telecom providers, announced they have secured their networks following cyberattacks from the China linked Salt Typhoon espionage group.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 🏁

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HEADLINE NEWS 👀

Advertisers Scared of Words And Newsrooms Are Paying the Price

The Washington Post’s crossword puzzle was flagged as too risky for ads. So was a story about thunderstorms. And one ranking boxed brownie mixes.

Advertisers have long avoided news stories about terrorism, politics, or tragedies. Now, their fear of controversy has widened to include even the tamest content. News publishers, already struggling with shrinking audiences and ad revenue, are desperate to change this narrative.

Ad blocking technology used by brands labels about 40% of the Post’s content “unsafe.” A crossword puzzle, blocked for being “political.” A story about thunder, flagged for mentioning “artillery of the atmosphere.” Brownie rankings, the word “drug” in a retailer reference set off alarms.

Marketers employ massive blacklists of keywords to dodge potential controversy. Microsoft’s list includes over 2,000 terms, everything from “guns” to “sink hole.” Publishers say this blunt approach kills ad opportunities for perfectly harmless stories.

The fallout, less than 5% of ad budgets go to news. Many advertisers prefer safer spaces like sports or entertainment. Efforts are underway to show brands that ads near sensitive stories perform just as well as those beside fluffier content. But change is slow.

For some, like Garden & Gun magazine, even their name creates hurdles. While rooted in Southern lifestyle, the word “gun” scares off brands, prompting the magazine to rebrand some materials as “G&G.”

Publishers and advertisers are experimenting with smarter tools to analyze the context of stories rather than banning keywords outright. Whether this will loosen the stranglehold on news advertising remains to be seen. Meanwhile, journalism continues to wrestle with a world increasingly allergic to its complexity.

Stocks Soar in 2024 Setting Stage For A Better 2025

The stock market ended 2024 on a high, with the S&P 500 surging 23.3 percent, its second straight year of 20+ percent gains, a feat not seen since 1998. Even cautious analysts are optimistic about 2025, with forecasts pointing to a 10 percent rise. Some, like Oppenheimer’s John Stoltzfus, are eyeing a 20 percent jump.

The year began under a cloud of recession fears, sparked by inflation and the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes in 2022. But inflation cooled, the Fed reversed course, and rate cuts in 2024 reignited investor confidence. The economy proved resilient, sidestepping the downturn many had predicted.

Tech giants led the charge. Companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia saw massive gains, buoyed by excitement around artificial intelligence. Broadcom joined the trillion dollar club in December. The Nasdaq soared nearly 30 percent, while smaller companies tracked by the Russell 2000 lagged, gaining 10 percent.

Investors poured $500 billion into U.S. stock funds this year, with a rush in the fourth quarter following rate cuts and November’s election. The incoming Trump administration’s pro business policies, such as potential corporate tax cuts, are fueling bullish sentiment. But risks loom. Tariffs, deportations, and inflation fears could shake markets if policy missteps occur.

For now, Wall Street is betting the rally continues, but there’s little room for error. “The optimism leaves very little margin,” said Alan McKnight of Regions Bank. Investors, for now, are climbing the wall of worry.

AI Shenanigans & Tech Crystal Balls 2025 Predictions

Ah, December, the month when tech prophets don their metaphorical monocles and look ahead to the future. For years, we've gazed into the digital ether, nailing some predictions and, admittedly, missing the mark on a few (who didn't think Harry Potter AR would charm the world;)

But, like every year, this time we’re confident. No, really. 2025 is the year loose ends get tied, long standing promises come true, and the phrase "AI everything" becomes less of a tech buzzword and more of a lifestyle. So, grab a latte (or better when a glass of wine) folks because here’s what’s on the horizon.

Agent Provocateurs AI That Actually Gets Stuff Done

Forget AI as your personal poet or meme generator. The 2025 wave of AI agents is here to do actual work. These digital doers will book your flights, order your groceries, and finally help you snag those sneakers you’ve been eyeing.

Google’s Gemini 2.0, it’s calling itself the “model for the agentic era” (their words, not ours) and can already handle shopping sprees. OpenAI and Anthropic are jumping into the fray with platforms promising AI that clicks, types, and scrolls for you, your digital butler, minus the snark (but accepts tips).

David Singleton of /dev/agents calls the current state of tech “too much effort, not enough magic.” His new AI platform promises to fix that in 2025. And honestly? We’re here for it.

AI Gadgets - From Your Kitchen to Your Face

This year, it’s less about phones and more about AI powered “things.” Apple’s rumored 6 inch smart home display may be the Siri powered upgrade your kitchen never knew it needed. While Amazon’s Alexa will finally level up with generative AI.

Meanwhile, Meta’s RayBan smart glasses are poised for an upgrade, and Jony Ive (yes, that Jony Ive) is reportedly cooking up a mysterious AI gadget with OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Will it be revolutionary, or just really expensive? Your guess is as good as ours.

TikTok A Time Bomb

TikTok’s fate hangs by a thread, or rather, by a January 19 deadline. If ByteDance doesn’t shed its Chinese ownership, the U.S. could ban the app outright. The Supreme Court and a certain second term president might have their say, but if all else fails, ByteDance could sell. Frank McCourt (yes, the former Dodgers owner and billionaire) is ready to swoop in with $20 billion.

The clock is ticking. Literally.

Forecasts That Don’t Flake

Let’s face it, weather apps are often wrong. But Google’s DeepMind has a new AI model, GenCast, that promises hyper accurate, 15 day forecasts. It’s fast, too, crunching weather data in eight minutes flat.

NOAA isn’t slouching either, boasting its most precise hurricane predictions in 2024. The future is fewer soggy picnics and better prepped disaster responses.

Cleaner Data Centers - Greener Energy

Big Tech’s data centers guzzle power, but in 2025, they’ll do it with a cleaner conscience. Microsoft is buying nuclear energy, Amazon’s experimenting with small modular reactors, and Google’s harnessing geothermal power. The next decade could see solar powered data centers with mega batteries for backup.

Goodbye, coal, say hello to sustainable cloud computing.

Crypto 2.0: - The Bull and the Rollercoaster

Bitcoin shattered $100,000 this month, and crypto friendly policies from the new administration could keep the party going. ETFs now make investing easier, while Wall Street’s former crypto skeptics are all in, before they get left behind.

Will this crypto boom last, or is it just another bubble waiting to pop? Either way, the adrenaline junkies aren’t complaining.

EVs Hit a Speed Bump

Federal EV subsidies might be heading for the chopping block in 2025, and steep tariffs on battery imports could throw another wrench in the works. Even Elon Musk seems okay with subsidies ending, though startups are nervous.

Will domestic battery production rise to the occasion, or will EV prices drop to keep the wheels turning? While the ride could get bumpy in 2025 there will be winners.

From Health Tracking to Longevity Hacks

Why settle for counting steps when you can track your biological age. Apps like FaceAge and January are set to make 2025 the year of longevity tech, analyzing selfies and meals to keep you feeling (and looking) younger.

For those less squeamish, glucose monitors like DexCom’s Stelo can connect your diet, sleep, and stress to blood sugar. The future of health is here, just don’t skip leg day 💪 

Self Driving Cars - Pinkie Promise This Time

Waymo, Zoox, and Tesla are set to make 2025 the year autonomous vehicles finally take the wheel. Waymo’s driverless Ubers will hit Atlanta and Austin. While Amazon’s Zoox expands to Vegas and Miami.

And Tesla, with Musk stationed in Mar-a-Lago, is optimistic about fully autonomous cars by year’s end. Of course, optimism is Tesla’s middle name, so maybe don’t throw out your car keys just yet.

Final Prediction - Humans vs. Tech

If longevity tech lives up to its promise, we’ll be writing these predictions for another 80 years. But for now, here’s to a 2025 filled with AI agents, crypto chaos, and TikTok drama. Cheers 🥂

💰️ Smart Money Matters 💰️ 

Culture Corner

Wardrobe Upgrades May Impress Your Boss

More like what not to wear to impress the boss. Jeans are fine in a casual office, but keep them professional. Straight legs, no rips, no bedazzling, says Callista Gould, etiquette expert. Friday jeans shouldn’t look like Saturday’s chores.

Backless tops and spaghetti straps don’t belong. Laura Handrick recalls lending a sweater to cover one inappropriate outfit, and Karen Russo warns against strapless shirts that make you look naked on Zoom. Add a cardigan or rethink your choice.

Flipflops, are a never choice. Career coach Krista Morris says even fancy ones scream, “Don’t take me seriously.” The same goes for running shoes, keep those for the gym. Sneakers can work if they’re stylish and clean.

Thin leggings, crop tops, or clothes that don’t fit right are a BIG no. Michelle Gomez warns leggings can reveal more than intended, and ill fitting clothes send the wrong message. Jill Gugino Pante recalls a button down that exposed too much at a professional event, it’s a distraction, not a statement.

Clothes you adjust all day, low necklines, jangling necklaces, tugged up skirts, also simply distract. Flame Schoeder advises, if you’re fidgeting with it, your coworkers are noticing it too.

Too much cologne is a no no. Overpowering scents are as bad as inappropriate clothing. Stick to one light spritz, says Pante.

Pajamas, are offensive, as are T-shirts, and anything against company policy. Don’t, just don’t. Even if it’s casual Friday, don’t push boundaries. Matthew Kerr tells of a coworker in a T-shirt featuring a naked woman. It didn’t end well.

Finally, dress for your office culture. Don’t be the most casual person in the room, it’s noticed, even if no one says anything. Christopher K. Lee suggests blending in with your team. Bottom line, comfort is key, but respect the workplace. Save the party clothes for the after hours parties.

ECONOMY

Coffee Shortage Drives Bean Prices To 50 Year High

Coffee’s in a climate crisis, with rising prices and shrinking farms, and Thaleon Tremain isn’t just listening to market trends.

As CEO and co-founder of Pachamama Coffee in California, Tremain insists coffee is a luxury. He prices his beans accordingly so farmers in Peru, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia can earn a living wage. But he’s concerned because coffee prices are climbing for the wrong reasons.

Extreme weather (droughts and floods) have battered global coffee crops, slashing supply. At the same time, demand keeps climbing. Prices hit a nearly 50 year high this month. While they may dip, Tremain sees instability threatening his business and farmers’ livelihoods. For consumers? Higher latte prices are inevitable.

“Supply isn’t meeting demand,” Tremain said.

Coffee is finicky. It thrives in misty, tropical climates with rich, disease-free soil. The U.S., aside from a tiny Hawaiian crop, grows little coffee and imports more than any other country. This reliance makes prices vulnerable to extreme weather.

Brazil, the world’s largest coffee exporter, suffered a severe drought this year, devastating its arabica harvest. Vietnam, the top producer of robusta beans (used in instant coffee), saw crops battered by drought followed by heavy rain.

The result, futures for arabica beans surged to $3.30 per pound in December, breaking a record “Prices will only ease when supply improves,” said David Oxley, a climate economist.

But climate change suggests relief isn’t coming. Rising temperatures and deforestation are shrinking coffee growing regions. Rutgers University’s Kevon Rhiney warns, “The areas suitable for coffee will shrink over time.”

Meanwhile, demand is booming, especially in China, where consumption has jumped 60% in five years. Pandemic era supply chain bottlenecks and inflation haven’t helped. Big players like Nestlé and J.M. Smucker are hiking prices and shrinking packaging.

Independent roasters like Scott Conary of Carrboro Coffee Roasters face tough choices. He raises prices gradually but sees transportation and storage costs skyrocketing. Still, Conary hopes higher prices will make consumers appreciate coffee’s agricultural roots and support smaller producers “People aren’t paying enough for coffee,” he said.

For Tremain and others, the message is clear, coffee is a luxury worth protecting. But as the climate shifts, its future grows increasingly uncertain.

FINANCE

Thompson Reuters Acquires Tax Tech SafeSend For $600M

Thomson Reuters acquired SafeSend, a tax automation company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for $600 million in cash.

SafeSend, founded in 2008, offers cloud based tools that simplify tax workflows, everything from delivering returns and gathering esignatures to automating compliance. Its platform is already used by 70% of the top 100 U.S. accounting firms.

This isn’t Thomson Reuters’ first dive into tax tech. It acquired SurePrep for $500 million last year. Both companies focus on streamlining tax prep with automation and AI. SafeSend recently debuted “SafeSend One,” an AI-powered solution automating the entire tax process.

With SafeSend’s tools already integrating with Thomson Reuters’ software, the acquisition strengthens its grip on the “last mile” of tax preparation. The Canadian company plans to keep SafeSend as a standalone product while continuing to support other tax software providers.

“This acquisition simplifies tax workflows and helps businesses thrive in an increasingly complex tax world,” said Elizabeth Beastrom, Thomson Reuters’ president of tax and accounting professionals.

Thomson Reuters is doubling down on automation to ease tax professionals’ burdens, and it’s not done innovating yet!

POLITICS

Biden’s CHIPS Act Spurs “Tiny Taipei” In The Arizona Desert

Helen Wang clocks out from her shift at the sprawling TSMC microchip plant outside Phoenix and heads home, not to rest, but to cook. Her side hustle? Spicy beef soup and pork noodles for her fellow Taiwanese workers craving a taste of home.

Two years ago, there were almost no Asian grocery stores or Taiwanese restaurants near this suburban edge of the Sonoran Desert. Then the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) arrived, bringing thousands of Taiwanese workers and their families. Now, this corner of Arizona is transforming into a vibrant “Tiny Taipei.”

Strip malls once dominated by taquerias and nail salons now host boba tea shops and stir fry joints. Supermarkets stock Taiwanese noodles and sauces. Mandarin echoes in schools and daycare centers, where 282 Taiwanese students are enrolled.

TSMC’s gleaming, spaceship like factory is a key piece of President Biden’s push to bolster U.S. chip production through the $52 billion CHIPS Act. The company is pouring $65 billion into its Arizona operations, with production slated to start in 2025.

But the factory's success, and the future of its immigrant workforce, hangs in the balance. President elect Donald Trump has criticized the CHIPS Act and raised concerns about foreign workers. A debate over skilled visas and allegations of discrimination within TSMC has only added to tensions.

Inside the plant, cultural clashes simmer. American employees struggle with TSMC’s grueling hours, while Taiwanese workers navigate life in the desert, far from Taiwan’s dense, bustling cities. Outside, the community is adapting. Taiwanese entrepreneurs are opening businesses, from bubble tea cafes to Asian grocery stores, while local churches and organizations help new arrivals learn English and settle in.

“It all happened so quickly,” says Wen Chang, a restaurateur who moved to Arizona to serve the growing community. His Taiwan Bistro, just minutes from the plant, delivers boxed lunches to workers and hosts karaoke nights where Taiwanese engineers introduce American colleagues to dishes like three cup chicken.

For many families, the move offers opportunity but also challenges. Spouses often give up careers, struggling with visas and language barriers. Some, like Kate Yu, turn to entrepreneurship. A former computer engineer, Yu now runs Taiwan Mama, a popular cafe serving braised pork belly and milk tea. “When we came here, we didn’t know what to do,” Yu says. “Cooking gave us comfort.”

Despite the challenges, Taiwanese families are finding their footing. Children join baseball teams and celebrate Lunar New Year at school. Families buy homes with palm trees and backyard pools, blending their heritage with a quintessential American dream.

“This is what we want from America,” says Wang, reflecting on her new life in Arizona. Whether they stay for good or return home, these families are reshaping the desert into something distinctly their own.

THE GRIND FACTORY ⚙️

UNIQUELY INTERESTING

💡 Epiphany Moments

At midnight on New Year’s Eve, the world sings Auld Lang Syne, often with more heart than harmony. But where did this nostalgic anthem come from?

The phrase Auld Lang Syne translates to “old long since” or, loosely, “for old times’ sake.” It’s a toast to friendships and memories. The song’s roots trace back to Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote it down in 1788, claiming he’d heard it from an old man. Its melody comes from traditional Scottish folk music, ensuring its sentimental charm.

Fast forward to the 1920s, Canadian bandleader Guy Lombardo turned it into a New Year’s staple. His orchestra played it every December 31 during radio broadcasts, and by 1929, it became the song for ringing in the new year.

Its magic s in its Simplicity. Auld Lang Syne is a global reminder to cherish the past while welcoming the future. So when the clock strikes twelve, and you belt it out with linked arms, you’re not just singing, you’re part of a centuries old tradition. Cheers to that 🥂 

 🍎 One Smart Apple

Kay Jewelers began in 1916 when two brothers, Sol and Edmund Kaufmann, opened a quirky little shop in Reading, Pennsylvania. Back then, Kay sold more than jewelry, think eyeglasses, radios, and even silverware. But diamonds, as it turns out, really are forever, and the brothers soon pivoted to focus exclusively on fine jewelry.

Fast forward, Kay grew into a national darling for engagement rings 💎 and sparkly sentimentality, powered by its catchy slogan, “Every kiss begins with Kay.” In 1987, it joined the Signet Jewelers family, leveling up into a jewelry giant. Now, with stores everywhere and a thriving online shop, Kay remains America’s go to for marking life’s big moments, one kiss (and diamond) at a time. 🍏 

 HEALTH & LONGEVITY •ᴗ•

Two Life Anchors That Support Longevity

The two most important components of achieving longevity are physical health and mental well being. To successfully achieve your goals of attaining longevity place these two lifestyle components at the top of the priority list.

1. Physical Health: Consistent exercise, a balanced diet rich in whole foods, adequate sleep, and preventive healthcare are essential. These habits reduce chronic diseases, improve cardiovascular health, and support the body’s resilience over time.

2. Mental Well-Being: Stress management, meaningful social connections, and a sense of purpose are critical. A positive mindset and emotional health significantly influence longevity, as they help reduce stress related illnesses and improve overall quality of life.

Together, these components create a balanced foundation for a longer, healthier, more enjoyable life.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR 💋

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