The tech giant is reportedly working on a foldable iPad the size of two iPad Pros slapped together, with a target launch in 2028. The twist? Apple’s gunning for a crease-free design that’ll leave competitors looking, well, wrinkled.

Oh, and heads up—there’s only 1 more edition left for the year. So we went all out with extra resources and a little extra length. You’re gonna want to save this one 👀.

📱 TikTok CEO meets Trump: Shou Chew met Trump at Mar-a-Lago as TikTok fights a U.S. ban; Trump praised its impact with younger voters.

🧑‍💼 Meta names new CRO: Jim Hegeman steps in as Meta’s Chief Revenue Officer to lead growth and AI-powered ad strategies.

🎉 Gen Z ditches holiday parties: Companies are scaling back as younger employees push for more flexible and low-key celebrations.

⚖️ Musk targets OpenAI’s for-profit shift: Elon Musk and Meta urge California to block OpenAI’s transition, citing nonprofit misuse.

💵 Ripple launches stablecoin: Ripple USD (RLUSD), approved in New York, enters the market to challenge Tether and Circle.

📉 Carta under fire for cancellations: Startup founders say Carta makes canceling subscriptions difficult, requiring meetings that often get pushed past renewal dates. Carta calls it a “staffing issue” and promises fixes.

📉 Refinery29 layoffs and CEO exit: Refinery29 cut 10% of staff as CEO Cory Haik departs, marking continued struggles under new ownership.

AI startups went from meh pilot programs to landing million-dollar contracts in record time this year. It’s not just hype anymore—it’s revenue, scale, and speed. If you’re a founder thinking about AI, 2024 sent a clear message: Stop waiting. Start building.

Remember when AI in enterprise felt like a science experiment? Not anymore. This year, those “proof of concept” demos turned into contracts with actual dollar signs attached. Startups are hitting $1M ARR faster than ever, and companies are skipping the long sales cycles because AI tools are showing real ROI.

As YC’s Harge put it: “The time to $100M in revenue is shrinking.” Translation: If you’re solving a problem, people are ready to pay—fast.

When OpenAI launched its store, the hot take was that startups were toast. Wrong. Companies like Perplexity (consumer) and Glean (enterprise) proved that startups are building the AI products people actually want.

Here’s what’s working:

The playbook is clear: You don’t need to build the model. Build a killer product that works with the models.

This year, vertical AI tools—industry-specific solutions—dominated. Startups are building razor-sharp tools for niche problems:

Vertical AI is where startups win: focused, targeted, and built to solve one problem really well.

Startups are getting leaner, and AI coding tools are a big reason why. Founders are using platforms like Replit, Cursor, and Anthropic’s Artifact to:

YC’s Gary summed it up: “Founders are automating first, hiring later.” Fewer people, faster builds, more agility—what’s not to love?

Self-driving cars are fully deployed in cities like San Francisco, proving the tech works. Now startups are exploring AI-powered robots for tasks like household automation and manufacturing. LLMs (large language models) are becoming the “brains” of robots, and the question is: Will cheap, off-the-shelf hardware be enough, or do we need fully integrated systems? Either way, it’s a massive opportunity.

2024 proved that AI startups aren’t just surviving—they’re thriving. From vertical tools to robotics and open-source innovation, the window to build is wide open.

As YC’s Harge said: “Things are moving so quickly—now’s the time to build.”

Startup CEOs are feeling the pinch, with average salaries dropping to $132,000—down from $142,000 last year, per Kruze Consulting.

Salaries jump after funding:

Salaries for engineers vary:

Hiring costs 25–35% more than base salaries when factoring in benefits, taxes, and equipment like laptops.

Founders: Budget smart—payroll is still your biggest burn.

Big players like Amazon are pushing strict return-to-office policies, but smaller companies are doubling down on flexibility to attract talent. As we head into 2025, structured hybrid work—averaging 3 days in-office—is becoming the new norm.

Tech and insurance lead with flexible options, while food services and real estate stick to full-time office work. AI tools are improving remote collaboration, putting pressure on rigid employers to adapt or risk losing top talent.

The takeaway: Flexibility isn’t gone—it’s just evolving. For workers, small and agile companies will be the best bet next year.

Today’s top founder & startup reads.

🤔 10 interesting startup deals you may have missed this year.

☕️ Don’t reinvent user profiling during onboarding. This is what it should look like.

📁 Workplace gender equality rose slightly across the Europe Union, with one exception.

👀 The Airbnb leaders charged with reigniting growth.