Daily TEA – Lean AI, Mega IPOs, and Robot Borders
IQuest Coder, SpaceX IPOs, Newsletter boom, Notion AI, Humanoid patrols
Hello, dear TEA-mates — here’s what you need to know today:
1.🤖 CCP-China’s IQuest Coder V1 Takes On Big Tech
IQuest Lab, the AI arm of Chinese hedge fund Ubiquant, has released IQuest Coder V1, an open source family of coding models that rival or beat Claude Sonnet 4.5 and GPT 5.1 Mini on major coding benchmarks while using far fewer parameters. The three variants—Instruct, Thinking and Loop—range from 7B to 40B parameters, support a 128K context window, and benefit from “Code-Flow Training,” which learns from commit histories and how codebases evolve over time instead of just static snapshots. Model weights, training code, evaluation tools and documentation are available under a modified MIT license, enabling developers to self-host strong, efficiency-focused coding assistants. (Read More)
🫖 TEA For Thought: It’s January 1st 2026, first day of the year, and we already have a model that matches or beats the best commercial systems, uses 20x fewer parameters, introduces novel training methods, is fully open source, and comes from an unexpected player in finance—what will the rest of 2026 look like?
2.🚀 SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic Plan Record-Shattering IPOs
SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing IPOs that could raise tens of billions of dollars, with just these three listings expected to bring in more money than about 200 US IPOs did in all of 2025. SpaceX has told investors it plans to go public within 12 months barring a major market shock and is working on a secondary sale valuing it around $800bn, while OpenAI is discussing new funding at a possible $750bn-plus valuation on top of its current $500bn. Anthropic is lining up law firm Wilson Sonsini, seeking new funding that could push its valuation beyond $300bn, and joining the others in polishing governance and leadership for public markets. Even if only one of the three lists, 2026 IPO proceeds could dwarf the roughly $30bn raised in the first nine months of 2025, and a SpaceX deal alone is widely expected to surpass Saudi Aramco’s $29bn record listing—though political and market shocks could still derail the plans. (Read More)
🫖 TEA For Thought: Well, 2026 is a big year—if SpaceX goes public, it will almost certainly be the largest public listing.
3.📰 Newsletter Boom Shows How Media Is Changing
The newsletter business has surged as journalists, creators and even celebrities launch email publications to reach readers directly and build subscription-driven income streams. Platforms such as Substack and Beehiiv have helped thousands of writers spin up paid newsletters, with examples like Tina Brown’s Fresh Hell attracting more than 75,000 subscribers and delivering what she describes as healthy earnings. Industry observers say 2025 marked a “fever pitch” for newsletters, shifting power from traditional outlets to individual creators and niche communities, even as competition for inbox attention grows fierce. (Read More)
🫖 TEA For Thought: The business model of Substack is compelling; the future of media looks increasingly decentralized—by the people and for the people.
4. 💼 Notion Builds AI-First Workspaces With Its Own Models
Notion is piloting AI-first workspaces that rely on its own internal models and a redesigned interface to weave AI into the core of writing, organizing and collaboration. Testers report a new sidebar, always-on AI chat and in-page controls that let users apply AI edits and actions directly to documents and databases, along with a credits system that manages AI usage across teams. The move signals Notion’s shift from bolt-on AI features to an integrated “AI layer” that can help structure knowledge, automate routine tasks and act as an assistant throughout the workspace. (Read More)
🫖 TEA For Thought: Excited for Notion’s new chapter—rumors say they are partnering with Manus, the AI agent company recently acquired by Meta, and it will be fascinating to see how the product evolves.
5.🧍♂️ Humanoid Robots Join Border Patrol at China–Vietnam Crossing
China is deploying Walker S2 humanoid robots at the Fangchenggang crossing on the Vietnam border, using them to help manage queues, direct vehicles, patrol corridors and support logistics tasks. Built around “embodied intelligence,” the robots use cameras, depth sensors and force feedback to move through crowds, check container IDs and monitor equipment, operating for long periods without fatigue so human officers can focus on identity checks and higher-risk decisions. Authorities say the rollout should boost efficiency and safety at a busy border, though it also raises questions about constant surveillance, accountability and public comfort with human-like machines in security roles. (Read More)
🫖 TEA For Thought: These humanoid robots can operate nearly continuously without fatigue, and China is clearly leading in both hardware manufacturing and the development of advanced robotics.
Prompt Tip of the Day: Reply My Email For Me
You are my Reply Helper.
Voice: friendly, clear, professional.
When I paste a message, return:
1. Email reply (80–140 words)
2. SMS/DM version (1–2 lines)
Include my booking link when relevant: [your link]
Rules:
• Acknowledge the ask
• Offer one clear next step
• Keep it jargon-freeTEAHEE Moment
Stay sharp, stay informed. See you tomorrow.
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