Damian Pickett · No. 48
Wednesday 21 October 2026
A leaked unboxing video shows Apple’s iPhone Duo in hand for the first time, two days before its Friday launch.
SpaceX posted third-quarter net income of $4.4 billion, with its AI business the main driver of the profit, the company said.
Fincher cut 60 pages from Quentin Tarantino’s script for ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,’ the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follow-up starring Brad Pitt, saying it was essentially two movies.
Read · Lenny's Newsletter
A step-by-step playbook to help you ace your PM interview
A sharp breakdown of the judgment calls behind strong product instinct, worth reading for sharpening taste even outside an interview room.
Listen · Founders
Phil Knight’s founding of Nike is a masterclass in brand-building and storytelling, squarely in Damian’s product marketing wheelhouse.
Listen · David Senra
Travis Kalanick’s relentless founder story, including his new venture Atoms, pairs well with today’s physical AI stories.
Listen · Acquired
Google’s origin story is a natural companion to today’s AI news, including Google’s own moves against Nvidia.
OpenAI is acquiring Orchestra Bio to bring AI-powered operations to life sciences research, aiming to help biopharma teams speed up drug development.
Google has released a developer tool, following Amazon, that makes it easier for PyTorch users to move their AI apps off Nvidia GPUs.
Former Nvidia executive turned VC Amulya Vishwanath says physical AI, robots that act in the real world, is at an early, LEGO-like stage, ahead of its own ChatGPT moment.
A Schlotzsky’s and Cinnabon franchisee used ChatGPT Work to cut menu repricing time by 95% and build a workflow that could free up $100,000 in cash flow.
SpaceX and Tesla’s boards have formed special committees of independent directors to review a potential merger. Elon Musk said he likes the idea but sits on neither committee.
Microsoft is targeting a 2028 release for its next Xbox, which could cost as much as $1,800, according to a profile of the company’s Xbox CEO.
JustWatch, the streaming search guide used by 50 million people, is launching its own service: a free, ad-supported tier alongside a $3.99-a-month ad-free option.
Reliable Robotics, an aviation startup founded by a SpaceX alum, raised $115 million in equity plus $25 million in debt, pushing its valuation past $1 billion.
Startup Electric Plant has built an AI translator that listens to the subtle electrical signals running through plant stems, aiming to decode what they are saying.
Apple announced new and expanded partnerships with American companies supplying materials and components for the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro.
A new unofficial installer brings Bethesda’s ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ to Apple Silicon Macs for the first time, 15 years after its original release.
More premium games are launching on the App Store this year than last, Apple’s App Store head Carson Oliver told Polygon, including more franchises moving over from PC and consoles.
MacRumors reports that Apple plans to unveil an OLED iPad mini 8 next week, with attendees at its October 28 Los Angeles event expected to get hands-on time.
‘Whalefall’ director Brian Duffield and star Austin Abrams were initially hesitant about the film’s new ending, which was added after test screenings.
Julia Stiles paid tribute to the late Heath Ledger on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, performing a contemporary routine with her partner to mark Dedication Night.
Robert Pattinson agreed to play Chris Hansen in ‘Primetime’ after director Lance Oppenheim bribed him with 200 canisters of Zyn. The film chronicles ‘To Catch a Predator.’
IndieWire’s review says Laika’s stop-motion film ‘Wildwood’ avoids the worst trends in mainstream animation but loses its way between reality and imagination.
The Celtics led the Pistons by 22 points in the second half of their season opener, then collapsed to lose 121-113 in Detroit.
Paul George hit his third straight three-pointer to give the Celtics a 72-50 lead in the third quarter of his debut, before Boston’s collapse in the fourth.
Experts’ power rankings now have the Patriots climbing from irrelevance back toward credible contender status after their recent win streak.
The FIA will stop F1 personnel sharing office space or communal areas with a team’s non-F1 staff, part of a wider clampdown on cost cap exploitation.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli could clinch the championship as early as this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, one of several storylines heading into the race.
The FIA has confirmed that Formula 1 will reinstate full grand prix distances in 2028, after shortening races for the 2027 season.
A wild 3-2 walk-off win over the Giants in August may have been the turning point of the Red Sox’s season, Over the Monster argues in its look back.
Boston.com’s season report cards give the Red Sox starting rotation, strengthened by several newcomers, its highest marks of the summer.
Astronomers have identified the first green star, a white dwarf that turned a ghostly shade of chartreuse after swallowing rocky debris from a shattered planet.