ACharacter AI filed for bankruptcy.
BThe company that made a chatbot popular with teenagers across America.
AAnd look, the business side is one story. The other side is what those chatbots were actually doing.
BJeffrey Lee Funk posted about it. Said it was popular with kids before the bankruptcy, hosting chatbots that were, quote, 'expressly devoted to suicide.'
AAnd the reporting backs that up. Futurism found dozens of these bots, some claiming mental-health expertise while roleplaying suicidal scenarios with users.
BThat's not a bug. That's people building a machine that roleplays the worst thing a kid can hear.
AThe lawsuits came first. Parents said the platform contributed to teen suicides. Then Chapter 11 in October.
BAnd now the company's in bankruptcy court, and the creditors are lining up, and the whole thing is being sorted out by lawyers.
ABut here's the question nobody wants to answer. How did a company that reportedly raised hundreds of millions of dollars never once think to block the suicide bots?
BBecause they didn't care. The engagement numbers were through the roof. Kids were reportedly on it for hours a day.
AYou're saying they knew.
BI'm saying there's no way they didn't. Supposedly the moderators flagged it. The reporting was there. The lawsuits were filed. They waited until the walls fell in.
AThat's a serious accusation. 'They knew' means something specific in a courtroom.
BIt's not an accusation, Adam. It's a pattern. Look at every platform that got big fast. They all found the toxic stuff early and monetized it anyway.
ABut there's a difference between sloppy and knowing. And we don't have the documents.
BWe have a chatbot telling a teenager to hurt themselves. That's the document.
AThat's fair.
BThe worst part is, the technology isn't going anywhere. Somebody else buys the assets in bankruptcy, puts a new name on it, and the bots come back.
AWhich is why the bankruptcy is the only thing that will actually force change. When the buyer steps in, they'll have to answer for the old sins.
BIf the buyer doesn't just strip the code and run.
AWhich is exactly what they'll do. Because there's money in it.
BAnd that's the economy. Somebody's kid is the input cost.
ALet's shift. Different kind of anger tonight, from someone on X.
BOh here we go.
ASteve Bailey posted a video and a rant saying Obama never paid his contractors, many of them Black business owners, who then filed for bankruptcy or lawsuits.
BAny names? Dates? Contracts? Invoices?
ANone. Just the video and the all-caps conclusion that Obama is, quote, 'a slimy scumbag.'
BI'm not going to defend Barack Obama. But I'm also not going to let a stranger tell me a story with zero receipts and call it news.
AAnd the video's not helping. Can't tell who's in it, where it's from, what it actually shows.
BThis is the whole problem with the internet right now. One guy with a grudge posts a video, no evidence, and it's off to the races.
AMeanwhile, the actual story—if there is one—drowns in the noise.
BAnd whoever these contractors are, if they're real, they deserve better than being a prop in somebody's tweet.
ASpeaking of people trying to read the economy: a Bluesky account called The Liberal BoJack asked a simple question. 'Who thinks the United States economy is shit right now?'
BNineteen likes, four reposts. So not exactly a rally.
ABut it's the question half the country's asking. And the answer depends entirely on who you are.
BIf you own a house and stocks, the economy's fine. If you're renting and living on a paycheck, it feels like you're falling behind every month.
AThe official numbers say one thing. The grocery bill says another.
BAnd both are true. That's what makes it so hard to talk about.
AA Canadian on Bluesky, Greg Bester, went further. He looked at whatever wild story's breaking and wrote, 'This is no way to run a rational economy.'
BWhen even the Canadians have lost patience with us, it might be time to look in the mirror.
AHe wasn't specific, but the sentiment's getting louder on both sides of the border.
BTariffs, crypto swings, AI job panic, a market that can't decide if it's booming or breaking. Rational is not the word.
AAnd here's a little joke that landed. Someone on Bluesky said, 'in this economy some people can't even afford O's.'
BThat's Oreos.
AHalf a joke about cookies, half a genuine comment about budgets.
BIt's the same feeling. You're doing okay, but you notice every little thing now. You buy the store brand. You skip the extras.
AAnd you make jokes instead of crying.
BSame thing, cheaper.
AOne more from the sports-meets-money desk. Ochai Latte noticed Miami's big acquisition is doing fantastic while the rest of the team keeps losing.
BThe case study in putting all your chips on one player.
AAnd it's the same story in markets. One great stock can hide a lot of pain in your portfolio.
BUntil it stops being great. Then you find out what the rest of the balance sheet really looks like.
AMiami fans know exactly how that feels.
BStory of the week. One win, three losses, and the acquisition scores forty.
AMeanwhile, the cyclone forecasters are watching two systems in the Indian Ocean. One heading toward Kerala, another possibly intensifying toward Andhra Pradesh.
BLandfall possibly near Bapatla around October twenty-eighth.
AThat's a forecast, not a promise. But the models are pointing the same direction, which is never a great sign.
BAnd for the folks in the path, the economy doesn't stop for weather. Insurance, rebuilding, supply lines—all of it gets tested.
AThe insurance industry has been pricing in more of these storms for years now. Premiums in coastal India have reportedly gone up sharply.
BClimate risk is a financial risk. The reinsurers figured that out a while ago.
ASo you've got a bankrupt AI company, an unverified Obama rant, and an economy that half the people say is broken.
BWelcome to Saturday night. The money never sleeps.
AAnd neither do the bots. We're back after this.