Happy Wednesday.
The current thing in tech and business is thousands of frontier lab employees calling on the US government to support an international effort to “pace the frontier.”
Today’s LineupOdd Lots Host Joe Weisenthal at 11:30 AM
Chip Motors Co-Founder & CEO Jameson Detweiler at 12:00 PM
DoorDash Co-Founder & CPO Stanley Tang at 12:40 PM
Replit Co-Founder & CEO Amjad Masad at 12:55 PM
Weave Co-Founder & CEO Adam Cohen at 1:10 PM
US Government Bans Chinese Humanoids
FCC Chair Brendan Carr | AlamyThe U.S. is banning new imports of foreign-made humanoid robots, quadruped robots (robot dogs), and power inverters, citing cybersecurity and national security concerns. The restrictions, announced by the Federal Communications Commission today, apply to new versions of those products. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said the move is intended to “secure America’s critical supply chains.” China, meanwhile, has condemned the decision as protectionism.
The move comes as Chinese companies have established a commanding lead in humanoid robotics. Of the roughly 15,000 humanoid robots shipped worldwide in 2025, China’s Unitree and Agibot each delivered more than 5,000 units. By comparison, U.S. companies including Tesla and Figure shipped only a few hundred robots each, if that. China is also estimated to control about 85% of the global humanoid robotics market.
According to the Associated Press, the restrictions are expected to add new tension to U.S.-China relations ahead of a planned September meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. The FCC argues the measures are necessary to reduce potential risks posed by connected foreign-made devices that could become part of critical American infrastructure.
Clip Spotlight: Tae Kim says the AI takeoff is imminentTae Kim believes the next six to nine months could be the biggest period of AI progress yet because of RSI.
“The next six to nine months are going to be bigger than anyone believes... It’ll be dramatically better for AI than the last two years in terms of advancements in capabilities.”
“RSI is a lot closer than people think... If RSI actually happens, and I think it sounds like both frontier labs think it’s going to happen very soon, that’s going to soak up an unbelievable amount of compute.”
HeadlinesReuters: Trump administration bans new Chinese humanoid robots, to protect US AI buildout
Dwarkesh: Why compute might get 10x+ more expensive in coming years
WSJ: Mark Zuckerberg Says U.S. Should Accelerate AI Development, Not Restrict It
FT: Google DeepMind dismantles Nobel-winning AlphaFold team in strategy shift
NYT: Ross Douthat Joins ‘60 Minutes’ as a Correspondent
WSJ: Even $64 Billion in Quarterly Profit Is a Disappointment for Chip Investors
The Information: OpenRouter Financials Suggest Steep Price For Possible Acquirer Stripe
Bloomberg: SpaceX Starship Heat Shield Can’t Support Rapid Flights, Experts Say
FT: Elon Musk settles long-running legal battle with X advertising group
WSJ: Philip Morris Opens $1.2 Billion Manufacturing Campus to Grow Zyn Brand
The Hollywood Reporter: HBO Max Dips Toe Into Vertical Video With ‘HBO Max Shorts’
DoorDash announces DoorDash Air
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