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👋 Good Morning. WhatsApp is getting ads, Trump launched his own phone plan, and your credit card bill might soon come with a comma.

Whether it’s platforms squeezing new revenue or brands going full personality cult, the lines between tech, politics, and business are blurring fast.

Let’s break down what actually matters (and what’s just noise) in today’s edition.

Also, if you ever have feedback, spot a great story, or want something added in the newsletter — shoot me an email. I read and reply to every single one.

What’s Merging Today:
• 💬 WhatsApp opens the door to ads
• 📱 Trump Mobile enters the telecom arena
• 💳 Amex & Chase cards get premium price bumps
• 🎯 New AI tools to scale your SEO
• 🤯 Your brain glows, and magenta isn’t real

MERGE MINDBLOWERS

🧠 Brain electricity could power a lightbulb
Your brain generates roughly 20 watts of electrical power while awake—enough to light a dim bulb. But don’t try to plug in.

🌋 There’s a hidden ocean beneath Earth’s crust
Scientists found a massive reservoir of water 3x the volume of all surface oceans trapped inside a mineral called ringwoodite, 400 miles underground.

🥩 Humans glow in the dark—sort of
Our bodies emit a faint glow caused by metabolic reactions, especially around the face. It’s 1,000x weaker than the human eye can see, but cameras can detect it.

🛰️ GPS satellites account for Einstein’s theory daily
If they didn’t adjust for relativity, GPS satellites would drift 10 kilometers per day—because time moves differently at orbit vs. Earth’s surface.

🎨 The color “magenta” doesn’t exist
It’s not in the spectrum. Magenta is your brain filling in the gap between red and violet wavelengths—basically a made-up color.

TODAY IN AI

WhatApp ditches its no-adds policy

WhatsApp will soon run ads in its “Updates” tab, reaching ~1.5 billion daily users, while keeping chats and calls encrypted and ad-free. Ads in those updates will be based on age, region, language, followed channels, and engagement—not your private conversations. Plus: paid subscriptions for exclusive channel content and promotional tools for business accounts.

Why it matters:
Meta’s finally monetizing WhatsApp—with caution. Ads could drive revenue from a massive, underutilized user base. That said, backlash over ad creep is possible. Watch whether user engagement stays high or starts to erode.

TODAY IN TECH

Trump Mobile drops its first call

In peak 2025 energy, the Trump Organization just launched Trump Mobile, a MAGA-flavored wireless carrier wrapped in American flags and nostalgia. It’s a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that resells access on existing towers, bundled with fringe perks like telehealth, roadside assistance, and its flashy $499 “T1 Phone” made in the U.S. The base “47 Plan” costs $47.45/month—on-brand pricing if nothing else.

While specific carrier partnerships weren’t disclosed, the site promises nationwide coverage, “unwoke tech,” and optional gold-plated phones.

📦 What’s included:
• Unlimited talk, text, and 4G/5G data
• The T1 Phone (Android-based, custom branding)
• Patriot points, exclusive deals, and yes—Trump stickers

📉 Why it matters:
Trump Mobile is part telecom play, part political statement, part culture war marketing machine. It could draw strong demand from his base—but whether that scales into a viable business is another story. With no infrastructure of its own and vague details on manufacturing and tech specs, the move looks more like a loyalty grab than a serious disruption. Still, it's a vivid reminder: in 2025, everything is branding—including your phone plan.

TODAY IN BUSINESS

The $1K credit card is here to stay

American Express and Chase are doubling down on premium. According to internal leaks, the Amex Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve will both get massive benefit overhauls in Q4—along with steeper annual fees, potentially hitting the $1,000 mark.

Amex is calling its refresh the “largest single investment in card experience in its history.” Chase is expected to follow suit with expanded travel concierge, luxury hotel programs, and AI-powered fraud and budgeting tools.

💰 Coming soon:
• Premium restaurant and lifestyle perks
• AI travel assistants baked into apps
• Custom rewards programs for creators and freelancers
• Bigger lounge access and concierge-style services

📊 Why it matters:
Credit card issuers are targeting high-spending Millennials and Gen Z with luxury offerings that feel like a membership, not just a card. But they’re playing a dangerous game. Consumers are already fee-fatigued, and only those who fully use the perks will break even. This evolution signals one thing clearly: the future of consumer banking is loyalty through lifestyle.

MERGE TOOLS

AI tools worth your time

🎯 Alignmate 
Discover your professional strengths and growth areas through real‑life, AI‑powered personality analysis.

🐸 TopFrog 
Collaborate in real‑time with multiple AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more)—all in one seamless interface.

📚 Study Space 
Master any subject with custom AI-generated study materials, homework help, and goal‑oriented learning plans.

📊 SEOJuice 
Automate internal SEO linking site‑wide: AI finds keywords, inserts links, and saves you hours.

🤖 scalerX.ai 
Launch advanced AI agents trained on your own knowledge base, in minutes, no code required.

🛠️ Want More? Check out our Top 50 AI Tools.

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WHAT ELSE IS MERGING

Beyond the feed

🚧 Will AI Take Your Job?
The answer could depend on the 4 S’s: speed, scale, scope, and sophistication. Which human roles will thrive, and which might disappear?

🌀 Milky Way’s Black Hole is Facing Earth
AI-powered simulations have found that our galaxy’s black hole spins almost at top speed, is pointed toward us, and challenges current theories.

🚨 Inside the Alarming Odds of AI Disaster
As superintelligent AI nears reality, experts say there's up to a 25% chance AI could threaten humanity’s existence, making international cooperation crucial.

⚠️ The Deadliest Threats AI Brings Right Now
Geoffrey Hinton, AI’s founding father, finally speaks up: AI could genuinely threaten humanity’s existence, and nobody's truly prepared.

🌐 AI Bots Are Quietly Taking Over Web Traffic
With AI retrieval bots rapidly becoming the main consumers of content online, publishers must rethink monetization strategies or risk being left behind.

QUICK POLL

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Until next time,

Matt & The Morning Merge team.