OpenAI Engineer Arrested Over Hidden Recorder; 151 Apps Reject Doubao Automation

OpenAI found the device during a routine security check about two weeks earlier and reported it, but did not alert the suspect, the report said. The company secretly installed a camera in the meeting room. On Oct. 5, Alfozan entered the room and was recorded. The device had been in place for about two days before it was found. There is no indication he accessed the model weights that power OpenAI's AI tools. Alfozan worked on OpenAI's product team for more than a year. He is accused of using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.

In China, Doubao's mobile assistant published a list of 151 apps that have refused GUI screen automation, including WeChat, DeepSeek, Taobao, Kuaishou and Meituan, according to the report. The refusals came after the 30-day public notice period for the Screen Automation Declaration Protocol ended. Doubao said it will gradually open third-party GUI automation only for apps that have not declared refusal, and developers can still opt out later. The refusal does not prevent the apps from being installed or logged into on Nubia M153 and Nubia NaviX Ultra phones, and users can still open them manually. What developers reject is Doubao's ability to recognize the graphical interface and simulate taps and swipes on their behalf.

Tencent quietly launched Lu Pao Pao Short Drama, a free short-drama mini-program from WeChat's short-drama content center, the report said. The product uses WeChat's brand green and lets users watch without downloading a separate app. Its homepage includes a Friends Are Watching recommendation section, giving it a strong social component rather than a pure algorithmic feed. The move directly targets ByteDance's Hongguo Short Drama. As of July 2026, Hongguo's standalone app had 168 million daily active users, up 107% year on year, exceeding the combined daily active users of Tencent Video, iQiyi, Youku and Mango TV, according to the report.

At the 2026 Paris Motor Show, Xpeng Chairman He Xiaopeng announced that the company will open its smart-car technology cooperation globally, covering vehicle platforms, modular technologies and a full toolchain. The vehicle platform includes vehicle architecture and electrical/electronic architecture. Modular technologies cover smart driving, AI BOX, chips, batteries and electric drives. The toolchain includes remote XCP calibration, vehicle EOL and AI diagnostics. Xpeng will also open full-domain commercial solutions for its physical AI ecosystem, including humanoid robots, Robotaxi, flying cars, Turing AI chips and physical-world foundation models. He said Xpeng's Robotaxi business is in deep talks with several leading European mobility platforms and that progress is expected to be announced soon.

Apple's iPhone Duo foldable phone for mainland China, model A3721, completed a certificate change on Sept. 29 and added filing numbers corresponding to Apple Intelligence, Tongyi Wanxiang and Tongyi Qianwen, the report said. The device had received a trial approval license on Sept. 2. Tian Keyu, fired by ByteDance in 2024 over an attack on large-model training, denied model poisoning in a podcast and said he used violence against violence after an intern arbitrarily stopped other people's programs and team leaders did not intervene. He has founded an AI lab focused on world models and raised nearly $30 million at a $200 million post-money valuation. Former colleagues later published a lengthy rebuttal urging partners and investors to verify; Tian had not responded.

WM Motor's official WeChat account published an article titled Day One: B-Energy Auto, Please Pay Us Our Wages, but deleted it shortly after. Its official app could no longer be found on Apple's App Store, and owners have reported login failures since late June. Baoneng Auto customer service said WM Motor is now taken over by Shenzhen Xiangfei Auto Sales and confirmed a link to Baoneng, calling the wage demand a historical issue owed by WM Motor in the past. WM Motor, founded in 2015, raised more than 41 billion yuan, fell into losses from 2021, halted production in 2023 and entered restructuring in March 2024 with 20.367 billion yuan in liabilities, according to audit reports cited in the case.

ChaBaiDao said late on Oct. 14 that Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission had suspended trading in its H shares from 9 a.m. on Oct. 13 over concerns that its IPO may have been manipulated to create an appearance of demand. The company said it was urgently seeking legal advice and would cooperate with the SFC, adding that business operations remained normal. Hang Seng Indexes also announced that evening that ChaBaiDao shares were subject to regulatory action.

Other developments included a final 500,000 yuan damages ruling against a Genshin Impact tester who leaked undisclosed content to an overseas Telegram channel; StepX's launch of the 3,999 yuan STEPX Neo agent phone in Shanghai; Faraday Future's agreement for FFR to acquire its robotics business in an all-stock deal and list independently; and Alibaba's Qwen Office e-commerce edition opening for testing. The topic Hongguo Short Drama Lowers Intelligence also trended, with a doctor saying dense reversals stimulate dopamine and can temporarily worsen focus rather than cause a real drop in intelligence.