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- AI's Bosses Split Over How Fast Is Too Fast
AI's Bosses Split Over How Fast Is Too Fast
Plus: Costco Raises the Price of Its Motor Oil
Matt Davis
September 17, 2026
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Table of Contents
What’s the Stock Market Up To, Eh?
Companies Mentioned in Today’s Newsletter
AI's Bosses Split Over How Fast Is Too Fast
(Google)
AI safety sparked division at Salesforce’s $CRM ( ▼ 2.0% ) Dreamforce conference in San Francisco. On one side, Anthropic $ANTHZZX ( ▲ 1.15% ) CEO Dario Amodei, fresh from his essay begging the industry to slow down. Amodei urged leaders “to set an example, to say that everyone can always be better.”
He wants a three-step plan to temper the rapid expansion of model capabilities. OpenAI $OPEAZZX ( ▲ 0.31% ) CEO Sam Altman echoed the caution later in the day. He insisted that safety monitoring must precede raw capabilities. He rejected conditional commitments, too, saying: “There should be no qualifier on that.”
Then came Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, head of the world's most valuable company, who sees no reason to tap the brakes. To Huang, framing speed against safety is absurd: “It’s a false choice. You could definitely have both at the same time."
His prescription for developers was simple: “Run as fast as you can.” Using his chips, of course. Huang suggests taking a pause only if a product feels out of control. Huang even reassured Donald Trump over speakerphone. Trump phoned in, worried about opposition to AI data center construction. Huang told him: “We’re not going to let that happen, sir.”
Meanwhile, host Marc Benioff offered a shrug. He told reporters: “If they feel like they should slow down, then they should slow down. If they feel they should speed up, they should speed up."
Just as long as they keep coming to his fancy conference to talk about it, of course.
Quote of the Day
We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible.
SpaceX Sets Its Starship Date With Orbit in Sight
SpaceX's new Starship test will mark the rocket's first attempt to reach Earth orbit. Set for September 22, the flight will circle the planet six times at an altitude of 275 kilometers.
It's a lot more ambitious than Starship's July flight, which flew a suborbital trajectory before returning to Earth. Pending regulatory approval, the spacecraft will fly for nearly 10 hours before making a controlled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile.
SpaceX also plans to use the flight to deploy the very first batch of Starlink V3 satellites. It will use its reusable orbital launch system, too.
Exciting! No? No?
The firm’s stock is down 9.78 since floating on the stock market.
Costco Raises the Price of Its Motor Oil
If you thought global conflicts only affected geopolitical summits and gas pumps, your weekend oil change is about to deliver a rude awakening. The holy grail of suburban frugality—Costco’s $COST ( ▼ 0.84% ) Kirkland Signature full-synthetic motor oil—has nearly doubled in price. A two-pack of five-quart jugs that sold for approximately $30 just last year now commands around $58. To make matters more dystopian for DIY mechanics, Costco is treating motor oil like scarce prescription medicine, imposing a strict weekly ration of two boxes a week per membership.
The horror. This explains why I took my Honda Odyssey to Take 5 yesterday and had them do the oil change for $155. Because who can be bothered to waste their own energy saving dimes and getting greasy when you can pay an expert? I'm a job creator!
Over 40% of the base oils used for synthetic motor oil are imported from the Middle East. With Brent crude surging past $109 a barrel and an attack leaving an important Saudi pipeline out of service for weeks, according to regional officials, global supply lines are choking.
To make matters worse, oil refiners are making a cold economic calculation: Massive global demand means turning crude into gasoline and diesel yields far higher profits than making motor oil. As a result, refiners are choosing to make less motor oil altogether. Still, the hotdogs are still $1.50.
Song of the Day: The War on Drugs, ‘Who’s That’
Experience a stunning blend of cinematic nostalgia and raw emotion with The War on Drugs. Their music feels like a road trip soundtrack, layering lush 1980s synths, driving heartland rock rhythms, and mesmerizing guitar solos that build into pure euphoria. So, it’s just like this newsletter.
(Google)
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a 13-bill legislative package taking direct aim at the tech industry’s most compulsive tricks to hook kids this week.
The centerpiece is Assembly Bill 1709, which outlaws features “intended to maximize engagement that foreseeably lead to compulsive use” for kids under 16. That means a strict ban on infinite-scroll feeds and algorithmic autoplay. California also instituted a four-year moratorium on manufacturing or selling toys equipped with AI companion chatbots.
As Newsom said: “We want our children — and every California kid — to grow up in a world where technology supports their wellbeing, rather than exploits their vulnerabilities.”
The legal and economic fallout is already hitting balance sheets, with Meta agreeing to pay as much as $18 billion over the next decade to settle state civil claims over youth addiction. Yet critics aren't entirely sold on the digital curfew. The Electronic Frontier Foundation blasted the legislative package, warning it creates “a massive privacy and free speech nightmare.”
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Canada Wants to Become Part of Europe Now
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is supporting Canada's mission to become an "associate member of the European Union."
Pressed by trade wars and shifting global dynamics, western liberal democracies are scrambling to re-engineer global alliances. As von der Leyen explained, “This is not a partnership against anyone else, but for our common strength” because Brussels and Ottawa “see the world with the same eyes.”
Although obviously it's designed to annoy America's president. Her proposal envisions an “Alliance for the Future” integrating defense industrial bases, AI, energy security, and joint Arctic projects. In short, von der Leyen declared, “We want to bring the relationship with Canada to the highest level possible."
Of course, the EU has no existing framework for associate membership, meaning all 27 member states must unanimously approve the concept. Also, the existing EU–Canada trade deal, CETA, remains unratified by 10 European nations nine years after being signed. So, don’t hold your breath. But it’s a nice idea, huh?
Should You Check Your 401(k) Today?
👍️
Sure.
Poll of the Day: Motor Oil $$$
Is $58 too much for two jugs of Costco Motor Oil? |
Poll of the Day: From Russia With…Gloves?
We asked: Do you think the Russian oligarch who paid for Donald Trump, Jr.'s wedding shindig was expecting something in return?
You answered:
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes. (630)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No. (16)
646 Votes via @beehiiv polls
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