AI Development - Google announces Gemini 3 Flash, a new AI model prioritizing speed and margins over model prestige [1] - Gemini 3 Flash is designed for real-world applications within Google's products like Search, Ads, and Gmail, where speed and cost are crucial [2] - Google's ability to run AI at both ends of the market is attributed to its superior models and ownership of the AI pipeline [3] Autonomous Driving - Waymo - Waymo is in talks to raise over $15 billion at a valuation as high as $110 billion, more than double its last valuation [4] - Alphabet is leading the funding round, allowing outside investors to participate, providing Google with financial flexibility and potential for a future spin-off [5] - Analysts do not fully factor in Waymo's value into Alphabet's overall valuation, unlike the high expectations embedded in Tesla's forward PE multiple [6] - Waymo is delivering 450,000 rides per week without safety drivers, indicating a significant lead in the robo-taxi market [7] - Waymo's autonomous driving miles logged are significantly ahead of Tesla's [8] - Despite Tesla's vertical integration advantages, Waymo is currently demonstrating incredible scale [9]

Core Insights - Waymo, the robotaxi startup backed by Alphabet, is experiencing significant growth and could soon reach a valuation of $100 billion [1] Company Overview - Waymo is a leader in the autonomous vehicle industry, focusing on robotaxi services [1] - The company has made substantial advancements in technology and market presence, contributing to its rising valuation [1] Market Potential - The potential market for autonomous vehicles and robotaxi services is expanding rapidly, indicating strong future growth prospects for Waymo [1] - Investors are increasingly optimistic about the scalability and profitability of Waymo's business model [1]

The biggest one was our original investment in Whimo. So we invested in early 2020. We were the only VC fund that invested in Whimo and it was extraordinary.I mean the product was magic even at the time. We did demo rides. This is obviously well before they were everywhere on the road.It could drive smoother than a human. They could do unprotected laughs. They could avoid construction sites.They they could do all these like really special things that you wouldn't think that an autonomous car could do. But a ...

Market Overview - The three major U.S. stock indices opened mixed, with the Dow Jones up 0.11%, Nasdaq up 0.06%, and S&P 500 down 0.01% [1] - Most popular Chinese concept stocks rose, with the Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index up 0.79%, Baidu up over 2%, Bilibili up over 1%, and Alibaba up nearly 1% [1] - Netflix rose 1.6% as some investors bet on its potential victory in the acquisition battle against Warner Bros [1] - Oracle fell over 3% due to setbacks in its $100 billion data center project [1] - Oil stocks strengthened, with BP rising over 2% [1] Company Developments - Apple is reportedly in preliminary talks with Indian chip manufacturers to assemble and package components for its iPhones [2] - Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google's DeepMind, warned of a potential "bubble" in AI funding, particularly among early-stage startups with high valuations [3] - Tesla faces new challenges in the U.S. market as a California judge ruled that its marketing of Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems is misleading, leading to a 30-day suspension of its sales and manufacturing license in California [4] - Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous driving subsidiary, is reportedly negotiating a $15 billion funding round, aiming for a valuation of up to $110 billion, significantly up from $45 billion last October [5] - Warner Bros. board urged shareholders to reject Paramount's hostile takeover bid of $108 billion, labeling it as "illusory" due to the lack of personal guarantees from Larry Ellison [6]

Group 1 - OpenAI has launched a new image generation model, GPT Image 1.5 [1] - Tencent has officially released its mixed reality model, Mixed Yuan World Model 1.5 [1] - Tencent's large model team has undergone structural adjustments, with former OpenAI researcher Yao Shunyu taking on a key position [1] Group 2 - Xiaomi has open-sourced its large model, MiMo-V2-Flash [1] - Jieyue Xingchen has announced a comprehensive upgrade of its GUI Agent, including the full launch of the cloud model Step-GUI and the opening of the GUI-MCP protocol [1] - Adobe Firefly has added a new video editing feature based on prompts [1] Group 3 - OpenAI is reportedly in talks with Amazon for an investment exceeding $10 billion, utilizing Amazon's AI chips [1] - Alphabet's autonomous driving company, Waymo, is negotiating a new round of financing, with a valuation potentially exceeding $100 billion [1]

Core Insights - Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL) has shown strong performance in 2025, with stock surging 69% and reaching an all-time high of 328.83 on Nov. 25, 2025, amid a focus on artificial intelligence [1][3] - Alphabet's valuation now exceeds $3.8 trillion, making it one of the top companies in the AI sector, alongside Nvidia and Apple [3] - The company is leveraging its AI capabilities across various sectors, including search, advertising, cloud computing, and self-driving technology [4][10] Financial Performance - Google reported Q3 earnings that exceeded expectations, with cloud-computing revenue climbing 33.5% to $15.16 billion, surpassing estimates of $14.70 billion [9][10] - The order backlog for Google Cloud increased by 82% year-over-year to $155 billion, indicating strong demand for its services [10] - Capital spending for 2025 has been increased by 8% to $92 billion, primarily directed towards AI cloud infrastructure [9] AI Developments - Google has introduced its latest AI system, Gemini 3, which enhances capabilities in coding, searching, and image creation, positioning it against competitors like OpenAI's GPT-5 [7][8] - AI Overviews have been deployed in the U.S., attracting over 1.5 billion monthly active users, which may impact Google's search ad revenue growth [6] Competitive Landscape - Despite competition from OpenAI's ChatGPT and other emerging platforms, Google maintains a dominant position, powering 90% of global internet searches [2][5] - The introduction of AI Overviews and the Gemini app aims to retain users and enhance engagement within Google's ecosystem [6][8] Strategic Moves - Berkshire Hathaway has disclosed a new position in Alphabet valued at approximately $4.3 billion, indicating confidence from major investors [5] - Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving unit, is expanding its services to new cities and integrating with public transit networks, which could enhance its market presence [14][15] Market Position - GOOGL stock holds a Relative Strength Rating of 95 and an Accumulation/Distribution Rating of A-plus, reflecting strong institutional buying [16][17] - The stock's IBD Composite Rating stands at 99, indicating exceptional strength in both fundamental and technical metrics [17]

All right, welcome back to Worldwide Exchange. As we close on the 6 a. m.hour, a check on a few big stories that we're following this morning. Sources tell CNBC Open AI is in talks to raise at least $10 billion from Amazon and use its chips. Open AAI has so far declined to comment.A deal could value OpenAI at more than $500 billion and see it adopt Amazon's Tranium chip, a story that we're continue to follow throughout the morning. All right, Whimo is in talks to raise $15 billion in funding in the new year ...

Group 1 - Warner Bros. Discovery's board plans to reject Paramount Skydance's hostile takeover bid, while Jared Kushner's Affinity Partners has backed out of the deal [2] - The EU has reversed its post-2035 combustion-engine ban and is easing regulatory burdens on European automakers [3] - Oil futures have increased by more than 2% following President Trump's blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, marking a significant escalation in U.S.-Venezuela tensions [3][4] Group 2 - Approximately 30% of Venezuela's oil shipments are at risk due to U.S. sanctions, with tankers exporting nearly 590,000 barrels per day last month [5] - Chevron remains the only company exporting crude from Venezuela without delays, with its operations representing about one-third of Venezuela's total oil production [6] - Venezuela's oil customers are demanding deeper discounts and revised contracts due to rising costs associated with U.S. military actions in the Caribbean [5]

Group 1 - Waymo plans to raise funds with a valuation of at least $100 billion, with the financing amount expected to be in the tens of billions, potentially exceeding $10 billion [2][5] - The previous funding round in October last year raised $5.6 billion at a valuation of $45 billion, indicating a potential doubling of valuation in the upcoming round [3][6] - Waymo has completed 14 million ride-hailing orders this year and aims to achieve 1 million autonomous ride-hailing services per week by the end of 2026 [3][6] Group 2 - The new funding round will support Waymo's expansion efforts across the U.S. and globally [3][6] - Despite starting to charge passengers for autonomous ride-hailing services, the business is currently estimated to be operating at a significant loss [3][6] - Competitors like Tesla and Amazon's Zoox are also intensifying their efforts to deploy autonomous vehicles in major U.S. cities [3][6]

>> GOOD MORNING, HAPPY WEDNESDAY. THESE ARE THE STORIES THAT SET YOUR AGENDA. THE DOLLAR EDGES HIGHER, TREASURIES TRIM RECENT GAINS.TWO RATE CUTS NEXT YEAR AND THE U.S. LABOR MARKET CONTINUING TO COOL. OIL REBOUND FROM ITS LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 2021 AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP ORDERS A COMPLETE LOCATE OF SANCTIONED TANKERS GOING INTO AN OUT OF VENEZUELA. BLOOMBERG LEARNS THAT WARNER BROS.IS PREPARING TO REJECT PARAMOUNT'S HOSTILE BID AS THE U.S. PRESIDENTS SON-IN-LAW WITHDRAWS FROM THE TAKEOVER BATTLE. AFTER MIXED P ...