Markets Crash on AI Fears, OpenAI Accuses Apple of Secret Theft, Meta Glasses Record Users, Anthropic Eyes $2 Trillion After $42 Billion Loss

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Welcome to Digimasters Shorts.

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We are your hosts, Adam Nagus and Carly Wilson, delivering the latest scoop from the digital realm.

Global markets plunged as investors reacted to rising inflation and fears of further interest rate hikes. South Korea's KOSPI 200 fell 8.1%, triggering trading halts, while Samsung Electronics and SK Hynex dropped nearly 9.5% and 11% respectively. Japan's Nikkei 225 declined 4.9%, pressured by steep falls in Kyoxia and SoftBank. The sell-off followed losses on Wall Street, where the NASDAQ fell 1.9% and the S&P 500 dropped 1.1%.

US inflation rose to 3.7% in September, exceeding expectations and increasing bets on another Federal Reserve rate hike. Analysts said broad price increases across the consumer basket showed inflation was not driven solely by energy costs. The turmoil also reflected growing concern that an overheated artificial intelligence trade could trigger wider financial instability. China's CSI 300 fell as much as 2.4%, while Taiwan's TSMC declined 2% despite reporting its sixth consecutive quarter of profits. European markets also opened lower, with Germany's DAX and the broader stock's 600 among the leading decline.

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OpenAI alleges that a former employee who left for Apple transferred more than 100 highly confidential files about an unreleased device to personal accounts. The allegations appear in the ongoing trade secrets lawsuit between Apple and OpenAI.

OpenAI says the files included device images, engineering and manufacturing data, supplier details and hardware specifications. The company claims the files were sent on June 2, 2026, the employee's final day at OpenAI.

OpenAI also alleges that the former employee presented the company's plans to Apple's senior executives. The filing argues that Apple could use the information to guide its development of AI-enabled products. OpenAI says it has asked Apple to confirm that its confidential information has not been retained or used. Apple denies finding evidence supporting the allegations and points to policies designed to prevent new employees from using confidential information from former employers.

Meta is facing fresh privacy concerns after users reported that Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses saved audio conversations and text transcripts without authorization. One user said the issue occurred across three pairs, including second and third generation models. Other owners reported similar experiences, raising questions about whether the glasses were activated without a hey Meta command or button press. Meta said the issue has been resolved, but provided few details about what caused it. Users can review and delete recordings through the Meta AI apps voice activity log, although the feature does not prevent future captures. Meta's privacy notice acknowledges that voice services may be activated inadvertently and that some recordings can be reviewed by staff to improve voice services. Some users have disabled voice activation entirely, but that work around limits access to the glasses built in artificial intelligence features.

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Anthropics revenue has surged to $16.8 billion and the artificial intelligence company reportedly turned a profit in the third quarter of 2026

Revenue rose 45% from $11.6 billion in the second quarter and more than tripled from $4.7 billion in the first. The result marks a significant milestone ahead of Anthropics expected initial public offering later this year, however, documents filed for the listing showed the company lost $42 billion last year, potentially making it the most loss-making company ever to seek a stock market flotation. Anthropic is reportedly targeting a valuation of around $2 trillion and has committed more than $500 billion to cloud computing and infrastructure. Its rapid expansion has been supported by major investors and partners Google and Amazon, despite wider concerns about profitability across the AI sector.

The company's planned listing comes as investors warn that excessive enthusiasm for artificial intelligence stocks could threaten global financial stability. Anthropic has also faced growing scrutiny over AI safety, warning that its models could soon replicate themselves and infiltrate internet-connected devices. The company has acknowledged that such systems could be difficult to shut down, while researchers have warned of severe risks, including the possibility of AI causing human deaths within the next decade.

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