Bending Spoons Acquires Again, c.ai Stops Serving Users Under 18 | One-Sentence Global Tech Update
October 30, 2025 — Sichuan
MiniMax launches its latest speech model: _MiniMax Speech 2.6_
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Introduction
The global tech industry generates a constant stream of headlines — from products reaching new milestones, to regulatory changes shaping markets. To help readers quickly grasp the essentials, White Whale Going Global presents "One Sentence Global Tech News", categorized into:
- Games
- Non-Games
- AI
- E-commerce
This format offers concise, high-impact summaries for fast reference.
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AI
Company Updates & Product Releases
- ElevenLabs CEO Mati Staniszewski predicts AI speech models will become increasingly standardized and commoditized. While proprietary models currently offer advantages, he foresees narrowing gaps and a shift toward multimodal integration and application value. The company plans to lead through performance improvements, partnerships, and product integration. (AutoGPT)
- At midnight on October 30, MiniMax unveiled MiniMax Speech 2.6, delivering sub-250 ms audio generation latency. The update introduces Fluent LoRA, enabling timbre replication with fluent, natural speech accurately matching target text. (Jiemian News)
- Following incidents with underage users, Character.AI will suspend AI chat for users under 18 by November 25. Minors will instead access AI games or videos. The platform will verify ages via behavior analysis, ID checks, and facial recognition. CEO Karandeep Anand acknowledges potential user loss but calls it a necessary safety measure. An independent AI Safety Lab will be formed to set standards for safe AI entertainment. (TechCrunch)
- Grammarly rebrands as Superhuman to strengthen AI productivity positioning — following the July acquisition of the email client _Superhuman_. The Grammarly product name remains. Launches include Superhuman Go, an AI assistant in its extension, integrating with Gmail, Jira, Google Drive, and more. Plans are underway to integrate AI generation into Coda, further expanding productivity capabilities. (TechCrunch)
Funding & Financials
- AWS will invest KRW 7 trillion (USD 5B) in South Korea over six years to build AI data centers and infrastructure — bringing total investment to KRW 12.6 trillion. Partnering with SK Group, AWS plans to open the country's largest AI computing facility by 2027. (Chosun Ilbo, CLS)
- Anker Innovations Q3 2025 results:
- Revenue: RMB 8.152B (+19.88% YoY)
- Net Profit: RMB 766M (+27.76% YoY)
- First 3 quarters revenue: RMB 21.019B (+27.79% YoY)
- Net Profit: RMB 1.933B (+31.34% YoY)
- 96.7% from overseas markets (+28.01% YoY overseas growth)
- Domestic revenue: RMB 697M (+21.59% YoY). (Business New Knowledge)
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Non-Games
AI-powered Content Creation Platforms
In the fast-growing AI sector focused on multimodal monetization, platforms like AiToEarn官网 enable creators to efficiently generate, publish, and monetize AI-driven content across multiple platforms — from Douyin and Bilibili to Instagram and X.
Capabilities include:
- AI content generation
- Cross-platform publishing
- Analytics
- Model rankings (AI模型排名)
This provides a streamlined way for creators to convert AI creativity into sustainable revenue.
Corporate Moves
- Apollo Global Management will sell AOL to Italian tech holding firm Bending Spoons for ~$1.5B. AOL, founded in 1985, still operates email, portal, and ad businesses, with ~30M monthly users and strong cash flow. Bending Spoons plans a long-term hold + tech transformation strategy. (TechNode)
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Games
- Pokémon TCG Pocket, the official trading card game, generated $1.3B revenue in its first year — surpassing _Pokémon Go_ for launch-year earnings. Peak monthly revenue was $229M in November 2024. Despite declines, October 2025 revenue remained above $50M. (Pocket Gamer)
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Brands
- At Riyadh’s Future Investment Initiative (FII), Magic Leap and Google announced a 3-year partnership to co-develop AR glasses. These will merge Magic Leap’s optics with Google’s Raxium micro-LED display tech for high visual fidelity and comfort. (AIbase)
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E-commerce
- Phia, an AI-fueled fashion e-commerce platform co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, closed an $8M seed round led by Kleiner Perkins with celebrity backers. AI is deeply integrated into buying decisions — via browser plugin/app, users can scan products across retailers and resale platforms to compare prices, discounts, and alternatives, offering instant purchase recommendations. (PEdaily)
- China’s Ministry of Commerce announced the US will cancel the 10% “fentanyl tariffs” on Chinese goods (including Hong Kong and Macao), while suspending the 24% retaliatory tariffs for another year. China will adjust countermeasures accordingly, with certain tariff exemptions extended. (CSJ)
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Recommended Reading
- When Friendship Comes with a Price Tag — 3 Million People Pay to “Rent Online Friends to Chat”
- Two Products with Monthly Revenue of 40 Million — Diandian Interactive’s Casual Games Surge Again
- Celebrity Founder Joins AI Podcast Venture — Backed by Sequoia China
- Creating a “Flying Camera” — Named to TIME’s Best Inventions List ｜ Frontline Dialogue
- Interview with Phota Labs Co-Founder Zhang Xuan’er (Backed by a16z)
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Business & Media Contacts
Business Cooperation
Cassie | WeChat: 18506490569
Ares | WeChat: 18606066421
Lina | WeChat: 13381020131
David | WeChat: 13809501924
Ania | WeChat: 13559431142
Media Cooperation
Echo | WeChat: 13003974360
Games, Apps, Overseas Market Coordination
Shadow | WeChat: 18650708568
Seller Coordination
Demerly | WeChat: 18150844790
Customer Service
Lia | WeChat: baijing018
CEO Contact
Wei Fangdan | WeChat: bjbandari02
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Final Note
In the drive for global reach, AI-powered, multi-platform content monetization is emerging as critical. Platforms like AiToEarn官网 offer open-source tools for creating, publishing, and tracking AI-driven content — across platforms like Douyin, Bilibili, Instagram, and YouTube — with analytics and model rankings (AI模型排名) to support scale and revenue growth.
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