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Economy & Finance

Bitcoin

Bitcoin soared past the $100,000 milestone late Wednesday, reaching as high as $103,844 before retreating to $99,140 by Thursday afternoon following profit-taking. The surge coincided with President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement to nominate pro-crypto Paul Atkins as SEC chair, a move signaling potential regulatory changes and fulfilling campaign promises to the crypto industry. Institutions like BlackRock and Fidelity have driven demand through Bitcoin ETFs. Despite its volatile history, Bitcoin’s anti-establishment origins have evolved into broader institutional acceptance.

Technology

OpenAI

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Pro, a $200/month subscription offering enhanced access to its advanced o1 reasoning model, which excels in tasks like coding and math. Pro users get "o1 pro mode," promising more accurate, detailed responses by extending the model's reasoning time. The o1 model also gains new capabilities, including image analysis and upcoming features like web browsing and file uploads. This plan targets power users despite its steep cost, as OpenAI faces financial pressures, with projected $5 billion losses this year. The move highlights OpenAI’s focus on monetization amid rising operational expenses.

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