If you have time to read more this holiday season, give it a try. Excerpt from a page from Bill Gates’ book.
For his annual holiday reading list, the billionaire recommended five books, covering everything from fiction to memoir to science. One of the books, Amazingly bright creaturesa story about aging, grief, and an unlikely friendship with a Pacific octopus, will be made into a movie on Netflix next year (and is also a personal favorite of this author).
Gates’ previous recommendations were made in 2012. better angels of our nature Written by Steven Pinker, sales of this book increased by 2,000%.
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First
Google’s parent company Alphabet’s market rise continued to enrich its founderson Tuesday, Sergey Brin surpassed Oracle’s Larry Ellison to become the third richest person in the world. Alphabet’s stock price has risen more than 75% since hitting a low in August, with reports that Meta is considering using Google’s AI chips for its data centers and cloud infrastructure further boosting the stock.
more: AI darling Nvidia fell on Tuesday even as the overall stock market rose on reports that Meta may be using Google’s chips. The company continues to suffer losses It started at the beginning of the month. Nvidia remains the world’s most valuable company, but Google’s AI chip business could help take away 10% of Nvidia’s annual revenue, The Information says.
Business + Finance
Ahead of delayed federal jobs data being released next month, a report from payroll firm ADP shows private sector job losses are accelerating. private sector employers Average of 13,500 jobs cut per week In the four weeks ending Nov. 8, what ADP chief economist Nella Richardson called a “C-plus, B-minus labor market” grew nearly 20% sequentially.
Bitcoin has posted its worst monthly performance since the crypto crash three years ago, and U.S. exchange-traded funds are tracking the cryptocurrency’s price. Lost a record $3.7 billion in November. Bitcoin has fallen more than 35% from its October high, reversing its post-election rally.
Consumer confidence has reached its lowest level since April, when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs, according to a report from the Conference Board. of Consumer confidence index falls more than expected Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board, said respondents were “significantly pessimistic” about their outlook for the economy six months from now.
wealth + entrepreneurship
Longtime portfolio manager David Greene’s $767 million Hotchkiss & Wiley Value Opportunities Fund is taking a contrarian stance. Look for companies that have been abandoned by investors at unreasonable prices Support the AI boom. Mr. Green has been quietly buying up obscure companies such as software maker Workday, telecommunications equipment giant Ericsson and transportation and storage giant Uhaul, focusing on companies with overwhelming competitiveness, strong balance sheets and valuations that have been battered by high market conditions.
money and politics
Aloysio Mauricio/ZUMA Press/Newscom
facing legal problems, Cryptocurrency investors and other related companies seem to sense an opportunity About a dozen people have worked with President Donald Trump in the White House, donating to his political organizations, partnering with crypto ventures or investing in his companies. This has put the president in an advantageous position, but spending money on Mr. Trump could invite future congressional scrutiny of these companies.
Travel + Lifestyle
The Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday a price increase for foreign tourists. Access the most visited national parksThe measure will allow U.S. residents to “continue to enjoy affordable access,” the administration said. Starting January 1, foreign tourists will have to pay $250 to purchase an annual park pass, while those without an annual pass will have to pay an additional $100 per person on top of the standard price to enter popular parks such as Yosemite and the Grand Canyon.
daily cover story
Google’s hot new AI coding tool was hacked the day after its release
Illustration by Macy Sinreich for Forbes magazine. Photo credit: happyphoton/Getty Images; Null Photo/Getty Images
Within 24 hours of Google releasing its Gemini-powered AI coding tool Antigravity, security researcher Aaron Portnoy discovered a serious vulnerability. Install malware by rewriting AI rules on the user’s computer.
The anti-gravity vulnerability is the latest example of the current state of enterprise Pushing out AI products without thorough stress testing Due to security weaknesses. This has created a cat-and-mouse game for cybersecurity experts who look for such flaws and warn users before it’s too late.
“The rate at which we are now discovering critical flaws is like hacking in the late 1990s,” Portnoy wrote in a report on the vulnerability. forbes ahead of its public release on Wednesday. “AI systems are shipped with enormous trust assumptions and almost no hard boundaries.”
Mr. Portnoy reported his findings to Google. The tech giant did not respond to requests for comment, but said it had launched an investigation into his findings. As of Wednesday, there were no patches available, and Google is aware of two other vulnerabilities in its Antigravity software.
Google is not alone in rushing to release AI tools that contain vulnerabilities. Gadi Evron, co-founder and CEO of AI security company Knostic, said AI coding agents are “very vulnerable, often based on outdated technology, unpatched, and insecure by design based on behavioral needs.” They are given broad access to data from corporate networks, so A valuable target for criminal hackerssaid Ebron. forbes.
Why is it important? “Companies are rushing to do all kinds of business. AI tools that can be exploited to provide secret backdoors Connecting to the corporate network forbes Senior Writer Thomas Brewster. “Programmers are especially vulnerable because they are typically the early adopters of such technology. Additionally, because AI tools are automated by design, in the wrong hands they can accelerate and scale cyberattacks like never before. This is a dangerous combination.”
more AI hacks AI: Cybercriminals unleash AI-powered self-replicating botnets
facts and comments
One of the key issues in the recent government shutdown was that Affordable Care Act grants expired in January, and Republican leaders are reportedly considering plans to address future shortages. When the subsidy ends, ask millions of people to pay large sums of money Insurance premium:
Over 24 million: According to an analysis by KFF, a health policy research firm, the number of people currently enrolled in marketplace insurance is largely eligible for tax credits.
two: Number of years Republicans are reportedly considering extending the credit instead of imposing new income limits.
December 15th: Enrollment Deadline for 2026 ACA Plans Purchased Through Healthcare.gov
strategy + success
Gratitude should not be reserved for the Thanksgiving table. It’s also important for leaders to express gratitude within their organizations throughout the year. show that you are grateful When employees do well, they help build psychological safety, which is the biggest indicator of performance. Getting into the habit of expressing gratitude in public will lift your and your team’s spirits.
quiz
A major record label has settled a lawsuit accusing controversial AI music company Suno of training its models using copyrighted material, and the two companies announced a partnership. which label is that so?
A. Universal Music Group
B. Warner Music Group
C. Sony Music Entertainment
D. Sub Pop Records
Check your answer.
Thanks for reading!This issue of Forbes Daily was edited by Sarah Whitmire and Chris Dobstaff.
