This has been making the rounds. Jokes aside ….. he’s not wrong. The guys who built DeepSeek did it as a side project for their quant fund. Nvidia and all those associated to the closed source OpenAI are looking to have a very rough week ahead in the markets. Also, no relation with “goodalexander”

Not sure what to make of this. The eagle on the Great Seal of The United States during Trump’s speech at Davos is facing the arrows or “war”. I believe that it has always faced the olive branches or “peace”. I would add though that there are some descriptions of the arrows representing “prepared to defend liberty”. That would be more on brand for Trump.

Following all the commentary on DeepSeek is fascinating. For those interested check out this Reddit thread. @gladstein @HoloKat @calle https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/s/v5KlHRbCWz

A final quick comment as I head into the weekend. Biden didn’t pardon SBF.

China Afternoon Missive When it comes to China, there’s no such thing as a “coincidence”. The very week that Trump announces “Stargate” with a price tag set at $500billion, the Chinese announced competitive AI platforms. There was DeepSeek and now ByteDance has released its own AI model; Doubao. These platforms are considered by those using them fast, effective and cheaper. So much for Washington’s “small garden, high fence” policy of containing China’s tech ambitions. No question, at least given my experience, that this was a not so subtle shot across the bow for the new Trump team and perfectly timed for full effect. Have a watch of this CNBC clip and the sense of concern is palpable.

It’s BOJ decision day. As expected rates were hiked by 25bps. Question now is how will markets react over the next several days. So far conditions are pretty docile. The same was the case last August and then, suddenly, everything went off the rails. Bank of Japan hikes policy rates by 25 basis points to highest since 2008

CNBC

Japan hikes rates to highest since 2008 as sustained inflation, rising wages signal 'virtuous cycle' in play

The move comes in line with expectations from CNBC's survey, where an overwhelming majority of economists predicted a hike.

The War for TikTok in America - #3 There continues to be a lot of jockeying for position with Mr. Beast now entering the fray with the quote “unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me. Let’s see if we can pull this off.” Sorry to disappoint Jimmy, but the one “influencer” with more “followers” than you is the Communist Party of China. Also, the CPC will do circles around you and all of those in the Frank McCourt camp. There are a great many other dynamics underling the entire TikTok drama including who actually owns versus controls both the parent (ByteDance) and the platform (TikTok). I’ll return to these dynamics in a separate note at a later date. For now, however, all interested parties must come to terms with what, exactly, the sort of negotiations they are headed into. It is very clear to me that, at the moment, that it remains a mentality of “vulture” investment. That is pure hubris and will end up taking people out (professionally).

Is MrBeast Buying TikTok? Bids Swirl as Trump Vows Deal to 'Save' App

Will TikTok find a U.S. buyer to remain legal? After Trump vowed to make a deal to save the app, MrBeast has emerged as part of a joint bid.

China Morning Missive It is only just beginning. China is set to become the top foreign policy priority under the Trump administration. While there is no question that China should be the top priority, how the Trump teams is choosing to go about working through that process is flawed. Unlike all other geopolitical parties, America will need – and quickly – to come to realization that China has the ability to hit back. Conditions in 2025 are immensely different than in 2017. China has spent the past four years preparing for this very exact scenario. A full on aggressive attack strategy will come with serious consequences. Thus far, I do not see this as being properly recognized by the Trump team. The only solution is for there to be some sort of “Grand Bargain” and this will include American having to give up some ground. https://www.reuters.com/world/us-lawmakers-seek-end-chinas-special-trade-status-import-exemption-2025-01-23/

A lesson for me from today ….. an epiphany if you will. The current President is a CRYPTO DEGEN The next President will be a BITCOIN ANARCHIST

China Morning Missive For #China, the past four years have been about addressing an American “containment” policy. This centered almost exclusively on disallowing China from accessing advanced chips and related technology. What is becoming increasingly clear is that this policy is only slightly delaying the inevitable. For those interested, pay close to attention to the DeepSeek Chinese AI protocol. There’s been growing coverage of the advances (and speed) China had made on this front with DeepSeek proving to be not just comparable with OpenAI in terms of performance, but also more cost efficient. For those interested, this linked article below is great for providing a current state of competitive play.

MSN

You have to laugh at the cope by the New York Times on #rossisfree

There are balls and galas. Ephemeral pomp and circumstance. What should be actually celebrated are days like today. Real, meaningful events that actually have genuine impact. No judgement. Just one man’s perspective.

Today is a very good day everybody. Take a moment to reflect and enjoy. #rossisfree