Unusual Whales

Altman Told Samsung Executives AI Demand Has Been "Double Counted"

A Warning, Delivered in Private Sam Altman told Samsung executives that AI demand has been "double counted," according to Korea's Financial News. In a closed-door session with about 50 Samsung presidents on October 31, Altman reportedly said only OpenAI and Anthropic are driving major demand

taxes

America's 706 Biggest Corporations Paid an Average Federal Tax Rate of Just 10.4%

Half the Statutory Rate America's 706 biggest corporations paid an average federal tax rate of just 10.4% on $1.88 trillion in US profits last year, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. That is the lowest rate in more than 40 years of the

Politics

Trump Says the US Does Not Need a Deal With Iran

A Door Closed, Out Loud President Trump has said the United States does not need a deal with Iran. The statement is short, but its audience is large: Tehran, which has to decide whether negotiation is still a channel at all; Israel, whose prime minister reportedly had a shouting match

nvidia

Huang and His Wife Own About 800 Million Nvidia Shares Worth Roughly $135 Billion

The Scale of the Huang Position Jensen Huang and his wife Lori jointly own about 800 million Nvidia shares worth roughly $135 billion, held through a complex web of trusts and LLCs, according to SEC filings. Huang directly owns about 70 million shares in his own name, valued at about

nvidia

88% of Nvidia Employees Want Huang to Stay as CEO, Blind Poll Shows

The Staff Broke the Other Way 88% of Nvidia employees surveyed on the anonymous workplace app Blind want Jensen Huang to remain CEO, according to a poll of 232 verified employees. The result is a rare, quantified look inside a company whose board spent the same week concluding the opposite.

taxes

IRS Raises 2027 Standard Deduction to $16,600 for Single Filers, $33,200 for Couples

The 2027 Numbers The IRS has raised the 2027 standard deduction to $16,600 for single filers and $33,200 for married couples filing jointly. That is up from $16,100 and $32,200 this year. Heads of household will claim $24,925. Tax brackets rise about 3% with inflation.

nvidia

Jensen Huang Resigns as Nvidia CEO, Effective Immediately

The End of the Huang Era Jensen Huang will have no role at Nvidia going forward. Huang resigned as Nvidia's president, CEO and board member, effective immediately, the company said Thursday, ending his 33-year run at the chipmaker he co-founded in 1993. The board thanked him

Politics

Whistleblowers Say Interior Department Is Destroying Records Tied to Trump's Construction Projects

Destruction Ahead of the Investigations Whistleblowers have told House Democrats that the Interior Department is destroying records tied to President Trump's construction projects ahead of expected investigations, according to CNN. Several whistleblowers spoke in recent weeks with staff on the House Natural Resources Committee, the panel with jurisdiction

nvidia

Retail Traders Bought a Record $111 Million of Nvidia in 30 Minutes After Huang Resigned

The Dip Buyers Arrived on Schedule Retail traders rushed in to buy Nvidia shares following Jensen Huang's resignation, and they did it at a scale the data has never shown before. In the first 30 minutes of Thursday's regular session, individual traders bought a net $111

nvidia

Companies Tied to Alice Huang Invested in DeepSeek and Promised It Nvidia Chips, The Information Reports

Equity, Not Just Smuggling Companies tied to Alice Huang invested in DeepSeek and promised to supply it with Nvidia chips, according to The Information. The firms reportedly took part in DeepSeek's latest funding round, valued at about $15.8 billion, as part of a pitch to help the

nvidia

Huang Had an Intimate Relationship With a Second Nvidia Employee, Reuters Reports

A Second Relationship, Reported by a Second Outlet Jensen Huang had an intimate relationship with a second Nvidia employee, according to two sources cited by Reuters. The report, published Thursday, lands on the same day Huang's resignation as president, CEO and board member took effect, and it deepens

anthropic

Anthropic Announces Claude Meetings in Beta, an AI That Joins Your Video Calls

The AI Joins the Call Anthropic has announced Claude Meetings in beta, a product that lets teams add the AI directly to their video calls. Once in the meeting, Claude takes notes, drafts action items with owners and dates attached, answers questions in the chat, and creates documents live while

tesla

SpaceX and Tesla Are Making Progress in Merger Talks, Bloomberg Reports

The Musk Empire, Consolidated SpaceX and Tesla are making progress in merger talks, and a deal could be announced as soon as December, according to Bloomberg. The report takes an idea Elon Musk has mused about publicly for years and puts a timeline on it. The logic of the combination

Politics

White House Is Discussing Whether Lutnick Should Be Fired, Reuters Reports

From Indispensable to Discussed The White House is discussing whether Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick should be fired, according to Reuters. The report moves Lutnick from the administration's dealmaker-in-chief to its most exposed cabinet member in the space of a week. The proximate cause is the Nvidia

anthropic

Anthropic's Seven Cofounders Plan to Sell About $250 Million of Stock Each in the IPO

A Quarter Billion Each, and Hardly a Dent Anthropic's seven cofounders plan to sell about $250 million of stock each in the company's IPO, while keeping stakes worth around $18 billion apiece, according to the IPO filing. Each cofounder holds roughly 232 million to 244 million

AI

Cannabis Growers Are Trying to Sell Their Facilities to AI Data Center Developers

Two Booms, One Building Cannabis growers are trying to sell their facilities to AI data center developers as marijuana prices crash, according to Forbes. It is a trade that only makes sense in 2026: one industry built far more capacity than its market could support, and the other cannot build

nvidia

Senate Banking Chairman Calls Huang and Lutnick to Testify Over Nvidia and China Allegations

Congress Moves From Letters to a Hearing Room The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee has called Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify over the Nvidia and China allegations, according to Politico. The move escalates Congress's involvement from preservation letters and staff briefings to sworn,

Politics

Van Hollen to Challenge Schumer for Democratic Leader, Saying Voters "Called for Change"

A Direct Challenge to Schumer Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland will challenge Chuck Schumer for Democratic leader, saying voters "called for change." The announcement sets up a contested leadership fight inside the Senate Democratic caucus at a moment when the party is still sorting out what its

nvidia

Trump Sold Up to $1 Million of Nvidia Stock in August, and Bought Even More

A Net Buyer, in the Middle of the Warnings President Trump's latest financial disclosure shows hundreds of trades in August, and Nvidia sits near the top of the list. Trump sold up to $1 million of Nvidia stock during the month and bought up to $1.6 million,

nvidia

Huang Reportedly Also Had a Relationship With Nvidia's Vice President of Healthcare, Per NYT

A Second Relationship, This One Internal The first affair put Jensen Huang next to a suspected Chinese spy. The second one puts him next to his own org chart. Jensen Huang of Nvidia reportedly also had a relationship with Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, per the New York

nvidia

Officials Scrutinized Huang for Years, and the Warnings Were Largely Ignored, Per WSJ

The File Existed Long Before the Scandal Jensen Huang's downfall is being told as a sudden collapse. Inside the government, the file on him had been open for years. Trump administration officials for years have been scrutinizing Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, with warnings over his business

nvidia

Nvidia's Board Is Preparing to Oust CEO Jensen Huang, Per WSJ

The End of the Founder Era, on the Calendar The most powerful executive in the AI boom may be down to his last board meeting. Nvidia's board is preparing to oust CEO Jensen Huang, its founder and chief executive, per the Wall Street Journal. The board is planning

Geopolitics

Trump and Netanyahu Got Into a "Shouting Match From Hell" Over the Future of the Iran War, Per NYP

The Alliance, at Full Volume The two leaders who prosecuted the Iran war together are now shouting at each other about whether it is over. President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got into a "shouting match from hell" over the weekend over their different stances on

nvidia

Huang Suspected of Another Affair, This One With Nvidia Healthcare VP Kimberly Powell

A Second Affair, Inside the Building The scandal around Jensen Huang is no longer only about a suspected Chinese intelligence asset in Singapore. It now reaches into his own executive team. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is suspected of having another extramarital affair, this one with a direct report of his

nvidia

Lutnick Repeatedly Held Up Nvidia Chip Export Restrictions, Even After Trump Approved Them Three Times, Per Axios

Three Approvals, Zero Restrictions The president ordered the same crackdown three times. His own Commerce Department has yet to carry it out. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick repeatedly held up restrictions on Nvidia chip exports to China, even after Trump approved them three times, per Axios. At an Oval Office meeting,