December 2, 2025 · 24-Hour AI Briefing: Samsung's TriFold Gamble, Qwen-Image Goes Free, Apple’s AI Shake-Up, and Coupang’s Massive Data Breach
The last 24 hours delivered another wave of major AI and tech developments — from Samsung’s ultra-premium TriFold phone and Alibaba’s aggressive push into free AI image generation, to Apple losing its AI chief and Coupang facing one of Korea’s biggest data breaches. Here’s everything you need to know.
1. Samsung launches Galaxy Z TriFold at $2,499; semiconductor unit refuses long-term DRAM deal
Samsung Electronics unveiled its first tri-fold smartphone Galaxy Z TriFold, priced at around $2,499, featuring a 10-inch unfolded display. The device launches in Korea on December 12 and enters the U.S. market in Q1 2026.
Meanwhile, Samsung Semiconductor refused to sign a long-term memory chip contract with Samsung’s mobile division, agreeing only to a Q4 DRAM supply deal.
Commentary：
Samsung’s strategy looks split: on one hand, it proudly introduces a $2,499 tri-fold flagship to signal ambition in mobile innovation; on the other, its semiconductor division refuses to subsidize the smartphone business with long-term low-price DRAM contracts.
Since Q3 2025, DRAM prices have surged for three consecutive quarters thanks to AI server demand, PC recovery, and smartphone inventory restocking. But Samsung Mobile continues to struggle with thin profit margins. Signing long-term cheap DRAM deals would effectively force the semiconductor unit — which has suffered losses for years — to transfer value to a low-margin sibling business.
With DRAM finally in an upswing, Samsung Semiconductor clearly prefers high-margin customers rather than “working for free” for its own mobile division.
Will the Galaxy Z TriFold become a hit?
2. Alibaba updates Qwen-Image — now unlimited and free inside the Qwen app
Alibaba announced a major update to its Qwen-Image generation and editing model. The new version shows notable improvements in multi-view generation, multi-image fusion, and multi-modal reasoning. It is now fully integrated into the Qwen App with unlimited free usage.
Commentary：
Alibaba is openly using Qwen-Image as a “user acquisition weapon.” While Meta, Adobe and others push a paid “Pro-tier” model, Alibaba is doing the opposite — offering unlimited free image generation to aggressively expand its consumer AI footprint.
But this also means enormous GPU consumption on Alibaba Cloud. Whether “free unlimited generation” is sustainable, and how Alibaba eventually monetizes these users, remains an open challenge.
3. Apple’s SVP of Machine Learning & AI Strategy resigns — Apple won’t replace the role
Apple confirmed that Giannandrea, its Senior Vice President of Machine Learning & AI Strategy, will leave the company. He joined Apple seven years ago from Google and reported directly to CEO Tim Cook. Apple will not appoint a successor for the role.
Commentary：
This departure is more than a routine executive shuffle — it signals Apple's AI struggles. Despite hiring Giannandrea as a high-profile “fix,” Apple’s AI progress remained slow. Siri stagnated for years, internal AI teams stayed fragmented, and Apple Intelligence arrived only in 2024 — far behind Google Gemini, Meta Llama, or Microsoft Copilot.
The question is whether Apple will reboot its entire AI strategy or continue relying heavily on external models from OpenAI, Baidu, and Alibaba.
4. Coupang suffers massive breach affecting 33 million users; leaked key linked to former employee
Korean e-commerce giant Coupang reported a major data breach impacting over 33 million users. Investigations suggest the incident began June 24 through offshore servers and went undetected until November 18 — nearly 147 days.
A former China-based employee’s high-privilege access key was allegedly not revoked after departure. Stolen data includes names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and portions of order histories.
Commentary：
A 147-day breach window with no detection indicates serious gaps in Coupang’s security operations. Allowing a former employee’s privileged key to remain active points to inadequate access revocation procedures.
The fact that a single credential could expose full user data suggests a highly centralized storage architecture with broad access pathways — a risky design in today’s AI-driven data economy.
In the age of AI and big data, user information is not just an asset — it’s a liability. The strength of your defenses determines how long customers trust you. How much will Coupang ultimately have to compensate?
Past 72 Hours — Key AI Events
• Multi-Cloud Breakthrough, SME Copilot Push, and Tesla Faces Talent Drain
Read the full briefing here:
Microsoft–AWS multi-cloud breakthrough & Tesla talent drain — December 1
• Windows 11 Breakdown, Tesla Expands Robotaxi Fleet, Apple vs India’s New Competition Law
Full analysis here:
Windows 11 crash, Tesla Robotaxi expansion, Apple’s regulatory challenge — November 29
Closing Thoughts
From Samsung’s internal power dynamics to Alibaba’s aggressive AI strategy and Apple’s leadership shake-up, the global AI landscape continues to shift quickly — and unpredictably. As innovation accelerates, so do the risks, from massive data breaches to strategic missteps by tech giants.
Stay tuned — tomorrow’s headlines may look completely different.