Rolfe Winkler

Covering Apple for WSJ. rolfe dot winkler at wsj dot com. Anonymous document share via Signal at 847-380-0751

[Farnaz Fassihi @farnazfassihi]

EXCLUSIVE: Our investigation into Israel's secret operation to cultivate Ahmadinejad and turn him into an asset. His trips to Budapest were a front to meet Israelis, including Mossad chief David Barnea. Gift link w/ @MarkMazzettiNYT @julianbarnes @ronenbergman

https://t.co/0lcWXPfB9F

[Rohan Paul @rohanpaul_ai]

Jevons Paradox is about to hit AI harder than almost any industry we have seen before.

People once thought faster internet would simply let us load the same websites more quickly.

That was not even close to what happened.

Faster connections created video streaming, cloud software, online gaming, video calls, social media, and entire businesses that could not exist on slow internet.

Every increase in speed created new reasons to use more bandwidth.

AI will work the same way. Today, we mostly use models for chat, coding, search, writing, and a few business workflows.

But once intelligence becomes cheap enough, fast enough, and reliable enough, it will be built into every process that involves a decision.

The biggest AI workloads probably do not exist yet.

They are waiting for the cost of intelligence to fall.

It will create millions of new tasks that are currently too slow, too expensive, or simply impossible.

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

More here:

https://t.co/jwcSzaceBC

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

Closer reading of Apple suit suggests strong evidence against Chang Liu, but thinner against Tang Tan, per sources. Bringing “actual parts” to an interview not uncommon, for instance, as that’s an engineer’s resume. Question is how sensitive were the parts? Are they essential pieces of unreleased products? Apple doesn’t know. Liu is their license to go fishing for more (ie seek discovery).

Bottom line, the claim that OpenAI’s hardware team is “rotten to its core” isn’t backed up from what is presented thus far. But Tim Cook doesn’t want to wait for OpenAI to release a device before Apple sues (by the time Jobs went after Android, it was too late: products were being sold by the millions).

Cook/Ternus want to put OpenAI on notice early so they don’t get close to the line. And also discourage poaching.

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

Liu and Tan have not responded to comment requests. OpenAI says it has “no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.”

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Apple’s suit against OpenAI under Tim Cook echoes a familiar playbook, betting that litigation can delay a rival from upending the iPhone era. https://t.co/grbKyILKBd

[Spiros Margaris @SpirosMargaris]

I keep thinking about how AI is changing the balance of power across the tech industry.

It's no longer just about building better models. It's about who owns the customer relationship.

That may be the bigger battle ahead.

[Ben Edelman @bgedelman]

Shopping plugin Phia is forcing clicks and dishonoring stand-down. Clear violations of affiliate network rules. My article provides video and packet log evidence. https://t.co/s5T0lvemIR

[Anissa Gardizy @anissagardizy8]

SCOOP: Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s No. 2 executive, plans to step down from her full-time role after an extended medical leave.

w/ @berber_jin1 for @WSJ

more: https://t.co/9o6UiWbmnY

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

SBF got 25 years, Elizabeth Holmes 10, Charlie Javice and Rishi Shah 7. Ruthia He, whose business was connected to patient deaths, got 6.

[TJ Parker⚡️ @tjparker]

“Done”

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

A Starlink-branded phone would make for a VERY interesting new entrant.

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

New competition for Apple from @elonmusk

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

https://t.co/JhR1F5meO3

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

New competition for Apple from @elonmusk

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

Tim Cook calls a 100-year flood, @nicnguyen calculates $200 price increases likely, and WSJ reports hikes coming to Macs and iPads soon. Markets: 🤷‍♂️

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

More here: https://t.co/TgSe8GeUNX

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

Tim Cook says the memory guys are at fault for Apple raising prices. A Micron executive I interviewed last night pointed the finger right back.

[Rolfe Winkler @RolfeWinkler]

Question is are the memory guys investing enough now? Making 85% margins? Micron says yes, Capx tripling over three years to more than $45 billion in 2027. And they’re signing long term customer agreements to lock in pricing and break the memory business cycle and make it predictable

[Mark Gurman @markgurman]

Regarding Apple price hikes, have to imagine these are fairly imminent. No other reason to flag them now. I’d also note that Apple back to school sale is very imminent, and it could make sense to tie these together as a buffer. Either way this is happening soon. Not a fall thing.

[Robbie Whelan @RWhelanWSJ]

President Trump confirms WSJ's #scoop about Intel signing up Apple as a major customer:

https://t.co/YchKJQ6bDb

My story with @RolfeWinkler from May breaking the story:

https://t.co/bT5xI1RqgX