That new new thing

Every morning, we’ll deliver a quick and smart read on the biggest stories in tech. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and—with Elon as our witness—you’ll never be bored. 

We hope you like it. —Andrew Nusca and the Fortune tech team

(Want to send thoughts or suggestions to Data Sheet? Drop a line here.)

The president doesn’t like your Shein, Temu habits

There may be a U.S. presidential election underway, but the current White House occupant isn’t sitting pretty. He’s going after croissant lamps.

Joe Biden is targeting Chinese retailers Shein and Temu with new rules to cut off their “overuse and abuse” of a trade loophole that they allegedly used to ship millions of dollars worth of cheap clothing (and faddish home goods that more than resemble pastries) directly to Americans with little oversight.

It’s called the de minimis rule and it allows packages shipped to the U.S. to dodge import duties if they’re worth less than $800. The rule’s been around a long time, but the category has taken off in the last decade…and it’s no secret why.

The move is the administration’s latest in a series of tough-on-China trade policies, which have more recently targeted high-tech categories like computing chips and electric vehicles. 

Temu told CNBC its business “does not depend on the de minimis policy.” But the heart wants what it wants. And that is puff pastry in the living room. —Jenn Brice

Waymo takes an Uber to Austin, Atlanta

Last week, a San Francisco bus driver and I got stuck at a four-way stop when an autonomous car decided it was okay to drive before the bus completed its (wide) turn. You can guess what happened next: confusion, amusement, and a bus driver yelling out the window to me, “It figured out reverse! Hahah!”

If you live in Austin or Atlanta, get ready for such jolly scenes: Waymo, the Alphabet-owned company responsible for the situation above, is heading to both cities in early 2025. 

The vehicles—Waymo-ized versions of Jaguar’s all-electric I-PACE model—will be dispatched only via Uber and expand a partnership that already exists in Phoenix. Uber will handle cleaning and repairs; Waymo will handle roadside assistance and rider support.

I’m sure everyone will be very happy and friendly to the Waymos. Just like they are in San Francisco and Phoenix. Of course. —Kali Hays

These cybersurveillance documents will self-destruct

Apple is reportedly considering dropping its hacking lawsuit against NSO Group, the Israeli surveillance company whose software has, in a detail seemingly stolen from a lost Mission: Impossible sequel, enabled governments to monitor journalists and activists alongside criminals and terrorists.

Back in July, the Guardian reported that Israeli government officials took documents about NSO’s Pegasus spyware from the company’s offices so that it wouldn’t be able to hand the documents over in a U.S. lawsuit against Meta’s WhatsApp. 

On Friday, Apple told the court that it’s concerned it won’t be able to make a very good legal case without those documents, putting an end to its years-in-the-making litigation to block NSO surveillance on its smartphones…and any chance of Ethan Hunt pulling off one more job. —JB

OpenAI drops it like it’s nonprofit

What’s the word for when something makes no sense, and everyone knows it makes no sense, but the person making no sense insists that was the point?

Sam Altman, the CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI, told staff recently that his massive generative AI business, that is somehow a nonprofit despite doing everything it can to make money and drum up a massive private valuation and investment, will change up its corporate structure. 

Tired: A nonprofit arm in control of a for-profit arm, which itself has control of a holding company, which controls another for-profit entity. 

Wired: Well, we don’t know yet. Altman didn’t say, promising only that it would happen sometime next year.

Whatever happens, expect OpenAI (reported valuation: $150 billion) to dispatch with the nonprofit control. Investors and lovers of logic rejoice. —KH

Y Combinator doubles down in 2025

Now you can get rejected from Y Combinator four times a year instead of just twice. 

Starting in 2025, the iconic startup accelerator will reportedly double its annual cohorts to four, according to Bloomberg. 

It’s one of the latest changes that YC president Garry Tan has made since he started running the show last year, including moving its headquarters to San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood and cutting its late-stage investing. 

Tan told Bloomberg that the new cohorts will now be a lot smaller—about half as many companies as the last batch, which numbered 256—so don’t expect admittance to get any easier. —Jessica Mathews

More data

23andMe settles its lawsuit for $30 million. Last year’s data breach affected 6.9 million customers, so that’s, what, about $4 each? Don’t spend it all in one place, champ.

Venture capital has dried up in China. More than 50,000 startups were founded in 2018. A tiny fraction of that was founded last year.

Spotify tests parent-managed accounts for kids under 13. This is not an excuse to limit your kid’s access to your favorite Death Cab record, OK?

Annapurna Interactive staff quit. Two dozen or so employees of the games division of Megan Ellison’s entertainment company bail after a deal to spin them off falls through.

Study: Chatbots can persuade people to stop believing in conspiracy theories. Finally, a bot we can get on board with. —AN

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