Issue #94

AI judges your face for job success, family pays 180k to make baby a gentleman, tech layoffs hit 2003 levels, and more.

News from November 6 - November 13 2025

Saudi's Mega-City Grinds to a Halt

Saudi Arabia's futuristic linear city, Neom, has effectively stopped construction after years of delays and cost overruns.

The Line, a mirrored skyscraper meant to stretch 105 miles and house nine million people, has been scaled back from 20 modules to just three. Early concepts promised the first residents would move in by early 2025, but construction crews have only started work on foundations.

Foreign investors have pulled out, with one senior construction manager saying the project has become "uninvestable." Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shut down an internal audit in 2023, with former employees comparing the working culture to "The Emperor's New Clothes." Saudi Arabia-based urban planning expert: "I think as a thought experiment, great. But don't build thought experiments."

‍Source

AI Judges Your Face for Job Success

University of Pennsylvania researchers claim AI can predict career success by analysing facial features, raising concerns about algorithmic discrimination in hiring and lending.

The team used machine learning to extract personality traits from 96,000 MBA graduate headshots on LinkedIn, then matched them against their actual career outcomes. They claim extraversion is the strongest predictor of high compensation, while openness indicates lower earnings.

The technology is already being deployed. US states use AI to verify driver's licenses, causing problems for people with facial differences, while the UK's Met Police secured record arrests using facial detection software with a 0.5% false-positive rate. University of Pennsylvania researchers: "Widespread adoption of facial recognition technology in the future may motivate individuals to modify their facial images using software or even alter their actual appearance through cosmetic procedures."

Source

US Overtakes China in African Investment

The United States invested $7.8 billion across Africa in 2023, overtaking China as the continent's biggest foreign direct investor for the first time since 2012.

The investment is led by the US International Development Finance Corporation, established in 2019 to counter China's presence in strategic regions. The focus is securing access to critical minerals like lithium, cobalt and rare earths needed for tech devices, electric vehicles and AI data centres.

However, Trump's tariffs on African nations may have undermined US efforts. Economist Sepo Haihambo argues African countries must negotiate assertively and push for local processing facilities rather than simply exporting raw materials. Sepo Haihambo: “To expect [the Americans] to show up and negotiate and propose clauses that are in Africa's best interests on Africa's behalf would be unrealistic.”

Source

Bulletin Board

• UK Unemployment Hits Four-Year High. Britain's unemployment rate rose to 5% in the three months to September, up from 4.8%. The Office for National Statistics reported 1.8 million unemployed, the highest since January 2021. Youth unemployment surged to nearly 1 million not in employment, education or training, a decade high. Institute of Chartered Accountants economics director Suren Thiru: "These figures suggest that the UK's labour market is suffering from pre-budget jitters." Source
• Family Pays £180k To Make Baby A Gentleman. A north London family is recruiting a tutor for their one-year-old son to teach him "British gentleman" traits, offering £180,000 annually. The tutor must speak with received pronunciation, have attended elite schools, know how to ride horses and enjoy the arts. Hundreds have applied. Blue Education CEO Peter Cui: "Cultural identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must come from within." Source
• Tech Layoffs Hit 2003 Levels. US tech companies cut 33,281 jobs in October alone, up from 5,639 in September, according to analyst firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Tech layoffs have reached 141,159 this year, surpassing 2024's figures and hitting levels not seen since 2003. CG&C report: "Some industries are correcting after the hiring boom of the pandemic, but this comes as AI adoption, softening consumer and corporate spending, and rising costs drive belt-tightening and hiring freezes.” Source
• Phone Bans Make Schools Fun Again. New York State's school phone ban is forcing students to talk face-to-face, with 89% of teachers reporting enhanced school environments and 76% seeing better class participation, according to a New York State United Teachers survey. Students are passing notes, writing cards to crushes, and taking Polaroid pictures instead of scrolling social media. High school student Jimena Garcia, 15: "Sometimes I would take naps in the lunchroom, but now I can't because of the noise. But it's fun." Source
• Wall Street Doubts AI Spending. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 3% this week, its worst performance since Trump's April tariff announcement, as investors questioned AI investments. Palantir dropped 11%, Oracle fell 9%, and Nvidia lost 7%, despite Meta and Microsoft announcing continued heavy AI spending. The tech-heavy Nasdaq underperformed the S&P 500 and Dow Jones, which declined 1.6% and 1.2% respectively. Cresset Capital's Jack Ablin: "Valuations are stretched. Just the slightest bit of bad news gets exaggerated." Source

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