Firefox AI kill switch, SpaceX sats, xAI merger, Notepad++ hack + more! - TechLinked

TechLinked Podcast Summary – February 3, 2026

Episode: “Firefox AI kill switch, SpaceX sats, xAI merger, Notepad++ hack + more!”
Host: Linus Media Group
Main Theme:
A fast-paced roundup of the latest developments in tech and gaming culture, featuring topics ranging from Mozilla’s AI policy to bizarre satellite plans, hacking incidents, surprising Apple changes, and wacky hardware breakthroughs.

1. Mozilla Firefox’s AI Kill Switch

[00:00–03:05]

Topic Overview:
Mozilla fulfills its promise of a user-controlled “AI Kill Switch” in Firefox v148, arriving February 24.
- New Feature: "Block AI Enhancements" toggle in Settings, allowing users to disable all present and future AI functions.
Community Context:
After Mozilla announced plans to become a “modern AI browser,” backlash from AI skeptics prompted assurances about optional AI controls.
Mozilla’s Broader AI Plan:
Mark Sermon, president of Mozilla Foundation, is building a “rebel alliance” of startups and developers to foster a trustworthy, open-source AI ecosystem by 2028, in opposition to big tech’s closed models.
Notable Quote:

"The goal is to make AI more open and trustworthy and build a mainstream open source AI ecosystem by 2028, which maybe won't blow up the AI Death Star, but might blow up the shield generator stationed on AI Endor." (A, 02:13)

2. Microsoft Walks Back AI Push

[03:06–04:10]

Background:
Following negative reception, Microsoft is reconsidering its aggressive AI integration, especially with unpopular Copilot buttons in Notepad and Paint. The much-criticized Recall feature is being re-evaluated.
Contextual Highlight:
Reference to recent comments by Pavan Davaluri, Windows President, about 2026 as a year focused on “rebuilding trust.”
Notable Quote:

"Copilot buttons in Notepad and Paint are under review and they're currently exploring ways to evolve the recall feature, as they currently consider it to be a failure along with most other people." (A, 03:33)

3. SpaceX’s Bold Satellite Data Center Plans

[04:11–06:31]

Major News:
SpaceX filed with the FCC to launch up to 1 million satellites, forming orbital data centers primed for AI workloads.
- Current total satellites: ~15,000 worldwide (~10,000 are Starlink).
- Aiming to increase this number by a factor of 100.
Purpose:
Data center satellites would orbit 500–2,000 km, use lasers to communicate, and dissipate heat into space, avoiding ground-based environmental stresses.
Kardashev Civilization Reference:
The plan is painted as a step towards “Kardashev Level 2” status—a civilization that can harness all energy from its star.
Company Moves:
SpaceX is acquiring xAI (which previously absorbed X/Twitter), merging platforms, rockets, and satellites under one roof ahead of a possible $1+ trillion IPO.
Notable Quote:

“This would be an incredibly reasonable 100 times increase because according to the filing, it's a first step towards becoming a Kardashev two level civilization, which is evidently a civilization that can harness the sun's full power.” (A, 04:42)

4. Notepad++ Targeted by State Hackers

[06:32–08:12]

Incident:
Notepad++ was compromised in the last six months of 2025.
- Actor: Chinese state-affiliated group “Lotus Blossom” breached update servers and selectively redirected targeted users to malware.
Timeline:
- Compromise began: June 2025
- Briefly lost access: September (due to an update)
- Regained access: via unused, unrecycled credentials
- Discovery and patch: December; fixed in v8.8.9
Scope:
Mostly affected government and infrastructure users in Southeast Asia and Central America. All users advised to update as precaution.
Notable Quote:

“Even if you don't live there, you never know when Chinese state hackers are gonna decide to ruin your day. So you should probably make sure your Notepad is fully patched…” (A, 08:03)

5. Apple’s Custom Mac Building and Privacy Enhancements

[09:12–10:43]

Online Store Redesign:
Customers now configure Macs component by component (display, chip, memory, storage, power adapter, etc.). Price and delivery update live as changes are made.
Host’s Playful Reaction:

“Instead of choosing from preconfigured models, you now build your machine component by component... What company is this?... I love you. Never leave. Not like Barbara did. Barbara.” (A, 10:01)
iOS Privacy Update:
iOS 26.3 adds a toggle for less precise location sharing with cellular carriers (area-level not street-level). Only works on newer devices/supported networks, but seen as a positive privacy step.
Notable Quote:

“Like my carrier doesn't need to know that I went to McDonald's at 2am and then sell that info to advertisers who will serve me ads for late night drive throughs.” (A, 10:33)

6. Amazon Tightens Control Over Fire TV Sideloading

[10:44–11:47]

Changes:
- Blocking sideloaded apps early in the installation process, specifically those offering unlicensed content.
- No exceptions according to Amazon.
- Tied to the forthcoming “VegaOS,” which will block sideloading entirely.
Cultural Commentary:

“Guess now you can't promise your mom that the Shadow the Hedgehog app on your TV is definitely 100%. It's Netflix. It just looks different.” (A, 11:38)

7. Motorola Moto G17’s Loophole on Android Updates

[11:48–12:38]

Device Launch:
Moto G17 ships with Android 15, but with zero promised Android OS updates.
Legal Context:
EU regulation only requires five years of updates if the company chooses to support a device. Motorola will instead provide just two years of security updates, downloadable for five years post-market.
Notable Quote:

“It's all perfectly legal if you kinda squint. And it's also perfectly legal for us to tell Motorola to off…” (A, 12:36)

8. Breakthrough in Fiber Computing

[12:39–13:23]

Innovation:
Scientists in Shanghai (Fudan University) built a computer chip within a fiber strand thinner than a human hair—100,000 transistors per centimeter.
Properties:
Survives washing, heat, and up to 15.6 tons of crushing force—potential for smart textiles, VR, brain-computer interfaces.
Imaginative Aside:

“This is gonna be like an actual functional reason for robots to have hair. And if you cut it off, they lose all their power. It's Samson.” (A, 13:15)

9. Closing Note

[13:24–end]

The episode ends with a whimsical callback to the opening “Alphabet soup” bit and encouragement to tune in for the next show.

Memorable Quotes

[02:13]

“...might blow up the shield generator stationed on AI Endor. We took this analogy way too [far].” — Host
[04:42]

“...a first step towards becoming a Kardashev two level civilization, which is evidently a civilization that can harness the sun's full power.”
[10:33]

“Like my carrier doesn't need to know that I went to McDonald's at 2am and then sell that info to advertisers who will serve me ads for late night drive throughs.”
[13:15]

“This is gonna be like an actual functional reason for robots to have hair. And if you cut it off, they lose all their power. It's Samson.”

Key Timestamps

[00:00] Firefox AI Kill Switch, Mozilla’s AI vision
[03:06] Microsoft backpedals on AI integrations
[04:11] SpaceX/Elon Musk’s satellite data center ambitions, xAI merger
[06:32] Notepad++ hack by Chinese state actors
[09:12] Apple’s online Mac configurator, iOS privacy tweak
[10:44] Amazon’s crackdown on Fire TV sideloading
[11:48] Motorola’s Moto G17—update loophole
[12:39] Super-tough computer chip in a hair-thin fiber
[13:24–end] Fun closing remarks

Summary Tone:
Sarcastic, playful, enthusiastic—expertly balancing inside jokes and technical analysis to keep both tech enthusiasts and newcomers informed and entertained.

Transcript

A (0:00)

So I was eating Alphabet soup for breakfast this morning and the letters told me that today is tech news day. So here I am. I always follow the letters Mozilla has officially delivered on their promise of an AI kill switch for Firefox. Starting with Firefox version 148, scheduled for February 24, users will find a new AI Controls section in Settings with a Block AI Enhancements toggle that that nukes all current and future AI features from the browser. This comes after announcements late last year that Mozilla would be turning Firefox into a modern AI browser, prompting enraged AI haters the world over to flood online forums demanding these features be optional, even though it said right there in the blog post that they would be optional. All of this is happening amidst Mozilla's larger AI strategy, which is running counter to a to what most of the tech giants are doing. Mark Sermon, president of the Mozilla foundation, which owns the Mozilla Corporation, which makes Firefox. Anyway, he says he's building a rebel alliance of startups and developers to take on the big tech AI empire. The goal is to make AI more open and trustworthy and build a mainstream open source AI ecosystem by 2028, which maybe won't blow up the AI Death Star, but might blow up the shield generator stationed on AI Endor. We took this analogy way too. Mozilla's not the only one trying to win back the anti AI crowd. Remember last Friday when we talked about Windows President Pavan Davaluri saying that 2026 would be about rebuilding trust? Well, Windows Central is now further reporting that Microsoft is actively walking back their AI push Copilot buttons in Notepad and Paint are under review and they're currently exploring ways to evolve the recall feature as they currently consider it to be a failure along with most other people. But you know what they say the greatest teacher failure is? It's just too bad that Disney hasn't seemed to learn anything from the failure of the sequels. But Anyway, different video SpaceX has filed with the FCC to launch up to 1 million satellites into orbit to serve as data centers for AI, which is frankly going to do nothing to help Elon beat the supervillain allegations. For context, there are currently only about 15,000 satellites circling Earth in total, and about 10,000 of those are already Starlink satellites. So this would be an incredibly reasonable 100 times increase because according to the filing, it's a first step towards becoming a Kardashev two level civilization, which is evidently a civilization that can harness the sun's full power. You know, for some reason I thought we were all worried about egg prices and inflation. I completely forgot we were supposed to be super focused on harnessing the sun's full power. But why data center satellites? Well, they would orbit between 500 and 2000 km up, communicate via lasers and radiate heat into the vacuum of space instead of wreaking havoc on ground based water systems. Which will still happen, but not because of the new space based data centers. This comes as Musk's SpaceX just announced it's acquiring Xai, which already absorbed Twitter, aka X last year. So this is gonna be combining his rockets, Starlink satellites, the x platform and GR, all under one roof ahead of a SpaceX IPO expected to value the company above $1 trillion. All this so we can make GROK better. Which given all the trouble it's been for us. Sub Kardashev Level 1 plebs I fully support hurling into space, but it made a better Wikipedia did it? Notepad, the popular text editor, was compromised for the last six months of 2025, according to the app's developers and Rapid7, a cybersecurity firm who did a follow up investig. Apparently Chinese state affiliated hacker group Lotus Blossom compromised the hosting infrastructure behind Notepad update system and selectively redirected certain targeted users to malicious servers. Not everyone, they just said these users in particular. The campaign began around June 2025. The hackers briefly lost access after an update in September and then got back in using stolen credentials that were never rotated. It wasn't until December that someone finally noticed what was happening, allowing Notepad to patch the issue in version 8.8.9, add proper certificate and signature checks, rotate credentials and move to a new hosting provider. Rapid7 says the affected users were mostly government and infrastructure related targets in Southeast Asia and Central America. But even if you don't live there, you never know when Chinese state hackers are gonna decide to ruin your day. So you should probably make sure your Notepad is fully patched and check out our sponsor Akiflow. It's the ultimate productivity tool for busy professionals. Organize your day with intuitive time blocking. Just drag and drop tasks directly into your calendar and connect Gmail, Slack, Todoist notion and more to see all your tasks in one place. Well, that all sounds great, but it's 2026, so where are the AI features? Well, with AI Copilot, Akiflow learns your habits and assigns tasks automatically, saving you time and keeping you focused. No fuss for plus customize your workflow with color coded projects, morning rituals and AI powered organization. Akiflow helps you stay in control, focused and productive every day. So enhance your productivity today with Akiflow. Use our link below to get started. Sometimes I like to move the Alphabet soup around with my spoon really really fast and see what it spells. And one time it spelled quick bits kind of if you kinda like turned if you were like stupid Apple has completely redesigned how you buy a Mac online, giving customers more options for building the computer they want. Tim, you've changed. I hardly recognize you. Instead of choosing from preconfigured models, you now build your machine component by component. Display, chip, memory, storage, even which power adapter you want. What company is this? Price and delivery time update in real time as you customize. Look, I'm just a CEO standing in front of a customer asking them to configure their own Mac. I love you. Never leave. Not like Barbara did. Barbara and in other surprisingly good Apple news, Apple is adding a new Privacy toggle in iOS 26.3 that lets iPhone and iPad users limit how precisely cellular carriers can track their location. Instead of a street level, pin networks may only see a rough area where without hurting signal quality or emergency services. The catch is that it only works on newer devices and supported carriers. But hey, it's a start. Like my carrier doesn't need to know that I went to McDonald's at 2am and then sell that info to advertisers who will serve me ads for late night drive throughs. That continues a vicious cycle because I'll keep going. I don't know, maybe we can get Tim Cook to just disable tracking altogether by bribing him with some Apple turnovers. My favorite Amazon is tightening its reins on sideloading on Fire TV devices. After first slapping piracy apps with full screen warnings at launch, Amazon has now moved the roadblock earlier, showing an app installation blocked message for apps that are flagged as providing unlicensed content. The company says there are no exceptions and you are absolutely not able to get around it, which somebody's gonna take as a challenge. It pairs neatly with Amazon's plans for a new Fire TV operating system called Vegaos, which promises to block sideloading entirety. It's the feature users want. Guess now you can't promise your mom that the Shadow the Hedgehog app on your TV is definitely 100%. It's Netflix. It just looks different. Motorola just launched the new Moto G17, a budget phone that ships with the last generation Android 15 and somewhat awkwardly, zero promised Android OS upgrades as some tech journalists recently discovered EU rules that sounded like they require manufacturers to provide five years of updates actually contain a loophole in the form of a very big if. If a company chooses to provide updates for a device, then those updates must be available for five years. Motorola has simply chosen not to provide OS updates for the Moto G17 easy. They have chosen to provide two years of security updates, which will, according to EU rules, remain available to download for five years after the phone leaves the market. Does that all make sense? Tldr? It's all perfectly legal if you kinda squint. And it's also perfectly legal for us to tell Motorola to off and scientists in Shanghai just built a computer chip inside a fiber thinner than a human hair. And it's absurdly tough. The team at Fudan University packed about 100,000 transistors per centimeter into a flexible strand that survives washing machines, extreme heat, and being crushed by 15.6 tons. 15.7 tons. It's done. It's aimed at smart textiles, VR gear, and even brain computer interfaces. I just feel like I'm thinking of other things. This is gonna be like an actual functional reason for robots to have hair. And if you cut it off, they lose all their power. It's Samson. But no matter what your hair looks like, I know you have the strength to return back here on Wednesday for more tech news. The soup says you'll be back. The soup doesn't lie. Unlike the cake.