The Daily Seat | Weekend Watch
Friday, September 26, 2025 — 8:00 AM
Good morning, Kala here — welcome to The Weekend Watch. Before we head into the weekend, here’s what’s on my radar. By Monday, we’ll have plenty to catch up on.
TikTok: Qualified Divestiture or Power Play?
The president signed an executive order yesterday calling TikTok’s U.S. deal a “qualified divestiture.”
- TikTok’s U.S. operations will spin into a joint venture headquartered in America, with Americans holding 6 of 7 board seats.
- ByteDance’s stake falls below 20% (CNBC reported 19.9%).
- Oracle will invest and oversee data storage and privacy.
But questions remain: what happens to the massive trove of U.S. data already in China? And the recommendation algorithm—the app’s secret sauce—will now be retrained and monitored on U.S. soil.
Valuation is another mystery. VP JD Vance put TikTok’s worth at $14B, shocking investors. Analysts say the real number is closer to $40–50B. The lowball may be a strategy: hammer on risks to drive down perception of value, then reframe the buyout as “rescuing a liability” instead of paying a premium. Classic power move.
Big Tech on the Move
- OpenAI: Expanded a $6.5B cloud deal with CoreWeave, added a 10-gigawatt NVIDIA commitment, and launched a $100M Databricks enterprise rollout. That’s compute, distribution, and adoption—locked in. Expect heavy coverage next week.
- xAI vs. OpenAI: Elon Musk escalated with a new lawsuit in California, accusing OpenAI of poaching engineers and stealing trade secrets. He also pulled Apple into the fight. For context: xAI has ~64 monthly users vs. OpenAI’s 700M weekly. The gap is massive, and Musk is playing catch-up.
- Amazon: Agreed to a $2.5B FTC settlement over Prime subscription “dark patterns.” Eligible customers could see ~$51 refunds. The bigger story: regulators are treating manipulative UX as fraud.
- Intel: Seeking support from Apple and TSMC as it struggles in advanced chips. With Washington holding a 10% stake, the company’s comeback is now industrial policy. Why Intel? Fabs, engineers, or just symbolism? Either way, worth watching.
Trade Turbulence
New tariffs take effect October 1:
- Pharmaceuticals up to 100%
- Furniture 30%
- Heavy trucks 25%
The fallout: higher pharma costs, supply chain strain, and truck price hikes feeding into logistics and consumer goods. Pharma stocks already dipped overseas.
Defense & Aerospace
Boeing is embedding Palantir’s Foundry platform into its Defense, Space & Security lines—covering fighter jets, satellites, spacecraft, missiles, and weapons. With Ukraine, Gaza, and Taiwan all simmering, AI-driven efficiency in defense supply chains is a story to watch.
Government Gridlock
HHS is in turmoil under RFK’s leadership as the Tylenol–autism controversy drags regulators and pharma into court battles. Meanwhile, agencies prepare contingency plans for a possible shutdown. Markets are hedging, and Trump has floated mass layoff directives if it drags on.
All Too Human: Football Weekend
Week 4 of football is here, rivalries are heating up, and yes—I’ll be watching my Buckeyes. Sports remind us why we track all this in the first place: competition, community, and joy. The best prep for Monday is to live the weekend well.
That’s the Weekend Watch.
Stay safe, enjoy the weekend, and we’ll be back Monday with your Morning Rundown.
— The Press Co.
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