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1.	Apple CEO Succession Plans Accelerate By Aaron Tilley Source: Financial Times

Apple’s succession plans for its next chief executive have accelerated, with its board and senior executives preparing for current CEO Tim Cook to step down potentially next year, according to the Financial Times.

Any announcement of succession likely won’t happen until after late January when the company announces its holiday-quarter earnings, the news outlet reported. John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is expected to replace Cook.

Over the past year, there have been a number of big changes in Apple’s top executive ranks. Chief operating officer Jeff Williams, long rumored as a potential Apple CEO candidate, recently departed. Apple chief financial officer Luca Maestri, who was close with Cook, has stepped back.

2.	Elon Musk’s xAI Delays Grok 5 Release to Next Year By Theo Wayt Source: The Information

XAI plans to release its next-generation Grok 5 artificial intelligence model in the first three months of next year, CEO Elon Musk said on Friday. That’s later than a deadline Musk had previously set of releasing the model by the end of 2025.

In an interview with the investor Ron Baron, who has backed several Musk companies including xAI, Musk said that Grok 5 would be released “in Q1 sometime.” Musk had previously said on X this August that Grok 5 would be out before the end of 2025. During Friday’s conversation with Baron, Musk also said that Grok 5 will have 6 trillion parameters, a key measure of the size of large language models, an increase from 3 trillion parameters for its predecessors Grok 3 and Grok 4.

Additionally, Musk said Friday that Tesla is still interested in building its own chip fabrication plant, an idea he also raised at the company’s shareholder meeting last week. Musk said that Tesla’s existing chip suppliers like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Samsung would have to build “100, 200 billion AI chips a year in the timeframe that we need them” in order for Tesla to not need its own fab. Musk said he needs the chips for Tesla’s vehicles and the Optimus robot.

3.	Berkshire Hathaway Takes $4.3 Billion Stake in Alphabet By Miles Kruppa Source: Regulatory filing

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway purchased shares in Google parent Alphabet worth $4.3 billion at the end of the third quarter, a vote of confidence in the search giant after its shares have surged this year.

The investment, disclosed in a quarterly regulatory filing, adds to Berkshire’s exposure to the tech industry, which Buffett once shied from. The firm also owned a $60.5 billion stake in Apple and a $2.2 billion stake in Amazon. Buffett, 95, said in May he would step down as CEO by the end of the year, appointing Greg Abel as his successor.

Shares in Alphabet have risen 45% this year as investors warm to the company’s artificial-intelligence bets. The stock rose about 1.6% in after-hours trading following the Berkshire disclosure. Berkshire also pared its Apple position during the third quarter.

4.	Walmart CEO to Step Down By Ann Gehan Source: The Information

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon will retire in January, the company said Friday. He’ll be succeeded by John Furner, who is currently the CEO of Walmart’s U.S. business.

McMillon, who has held the top job since 2014, has overseen a period of dramatic change for the retail giant. During his tenure, the company has greatly expanded its e-commerce business and has moved into other areas like digital advertising. It’s also sought to compete more aggressively with Amazon by expanding its online marketplace, Walmart+ membership program and grocery delivery service. More recently, Walmart has also been trying to take advantage of growing user adoption of artificial intelligence, including a partnership with OpenAI to sell products through ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature.

McMillon will remain on Walmart’s board until June and will serve as an adviser to Furner through early 2027. Walmart said it will name a new head of its U.S. business by early next year.

5.	OpenAI Pilots Group Chats in ChatGPT By Stephanie Palazzolo Source: The Information

OpenAI said Friday it has begun piloting group chat capabilities in ChatGPT for people in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. The move confirms The Information’s report from June about the feature, which could eventually help OpenAI’s chatbot compete more directly with Microsoft and Google in collaboration software and other productivity apps.

The announcement comes as OpenAI also is using product strategies favored by older tech giants like Meta Platforms for boosting revenue and usage. These include a new TikTok-like video app and ecommerce capabilities, as well as more controversial additions such as allowing users to generate erotica using ChatGPT.

With the new chat feature, people can use a ChatGPT group chat to plan a trip or draft a paper together. Group chats with underage users come with additional safety restrictions, according to an OpenAI blog post.