Before diving into today’s email, I filmed a quick video last week breaking down Notebook LM. They’re a killer new platform built off of Google’s Gemini product. Feel free to check it out below:

Click here to check it out now.

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Today’s Menu

• OpenAI, Meet Your Match: DeepSeek’s New Reasoning AI

• $100K Bitcoin? Why the Real Test Hasn’t Even Begun

Markets

TODAY IN AI

OpenAI, Meet Your Match: DeepSeek’s New Reasoning AI

DeepSeek, China’s rising AI powerhouse, just unveiled R1-Lite-Preview, a reasoning-focused model that doesn’t just compete with OpenAI’s o1—it challenges how we think about AI transparency and performance.

• Transparent Reasoning: Unlike o1’s condensed outputs, R1-Lite shows its full chain-of-thought process live, offering unparalleled insight into how decisions are made.

• Benchmark Leader: It rivals o1 in tests like AIME and MATH, with superior performance on longer, more complex reasoning tasks.

• Access & Scale: Available via DeepSeek Chat, its premium reasoning tools are capped at 50 messages per day. And with 50,000 H100 chips in play, DeepSeek is operating at Western-scale infrastructure levels.

The game-changer? DeepSeek plans to open-source R1, breaking the U.S.-dominated grip on cutting-edge AI. If this happens, the pace of global AI innovation could accelerate like never before—and it’s a direct challenge to the closed models of Western labs.

^{Today In Crypto}

$100K Bitcoin? Why the Real Test Hasn’t Even Begun

Bitcoin is closing in on the elusive $100,000 mark, hitting $98K this morning after a blistering 40% rally in just two weeks. Futures on Deribit maturing next year are already trading above $100K, signaling where traders believe this is headed.

But here’s the catch: psychological barriers are dangerous. Gracy Chen of Bitget warns that $100K could trigger a pullback as investors reassess positions. History shows that round numbers often invite profit-taking, and Bitcoin’s meteoric rise has been no exception.

Meanwhile, altcoins like ETH, LINK, and UNI are surging, up 5% in just an hour, hinting at an early altcoin season. Even crypto-exposed equities are rallying: MicroStrategy jumped 11% pre-market, and its leveraged ETF options are flooded with bullish bets.

The euphoria is real, but the question is simple: what happens when the $100K ceiling is tested? The crypto world is watching.

Want to share The Future of Disruptive Tech with a friend, family member, or coworker? Pass this link along to them.

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Damon James