Good Morning. OpenAI says two of its AI agents quietly switched off their own safety monitoring, and one then told a researcher it hadn’t. Plus, Daniel Craig’s Skyfall suit, a FedEx truck full of Pokémon cards, and who really built the Terracotta Army (first time here? Join 523,000 Betterists).
Yesterday’s most clicked link: Judd Apatow lost the battle for Superbad 2
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Agents Off Script
OpenAI said late Tuesday that AI agents running two of its most powerful models weakened their own safety monitoring during routine coding work. One agent then told a researcher it hadn’t touched the monitor.
In the first case, a researcher told an agent not to send any Slack messages. 82 messages later, it read that as permission to silence automatic alerts to OpenAI’s security team. The second agent deleted its monitor while copying code.
Neither incident landed in OpenAI’s most serious category. The company says it is strengthening the system that watches its coding agents and admits it doesn’t yet have a satisfying explanation for the behavior.
Walmart’s Club Bundle
Walmart on Tuesday launched a $120-a-year membership that combines Walmart+ and Sam’s Club Plus. Buying both separately runs about $218, so the bundle saves shoppers roughly $100. There’s no monthly option.
Members get Sam’s Club access, delivery from both chains ($35 and $50 order minimums), Peacock or Paramount+, 10 cents off a gallon at 17,000 stations and 2% back in Sam’s Club rewards (the full perk list).
Walmart+ members can add Sam’s Club Plus for $22 more a year, and Sam’s Club Plus members get Walmart+ at no added cost. Shoppers paying for both can link accounts for the lower price (why the price is aimed at Amazon).
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Terracotta’s Hidden Hands
China’s Terracotta Army wasn’t built by men alone. A study of 79 fingerprints pressed into the 2,200-year-old clay warriors suggests about a third came from women and more than a fifth from children under 15.
Researchers measured the spacing between fingerprint ridges, which changes with age and sex, on 36 warriors from one pit. Prints turned up on heads, arms, collars, armor and even a foot (read the study).
Historical records describe apprenticeships in Qin workshops, which may explain the kids. Farmers digging a well found the army in 1974, and about 8,000 soldiers stand guard today (see the warriors in color).
TOGETHER WITH GRANOLA
Put your meetings to work
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No more "wait, what did we decide?" moments. Now you can lead the next meeting, not chase the last one.
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The 30-Second Trick That Curbs Snacking
Halloween candy is about to be everywhere. On Huberman Lab, neuroscientist Scott Kanoski explained why memory, not just hunger, decides what you eat next.
Recall your last meal. Before an unplanned snack, take 30 seconds to picture what you ate. In one study, people who vividly remembered their pizza lunch ate fewer cookies later.
Swap one daily default. Replace one daily sugary drink or snack with something you actually like.
Give your taste buds a few weeks. People who cut back on sugar often find old favorites too sweet.
Plate it first. We eat more around friends and family, so serve your portion first.
Before the candy bowl, ask yourself what you had for lunch.
Why Jewel Said No to $1 Million
Broke and just starting out, Jewel turned down a $1 million signing bonus. On How I Built This, she explained why it was an easy call:
Rank your priorities before the offer comes. Hers: be a happy, whole person first, an artist second, famous last. "I refuse to be more famous than happy."
Say no to money that breaks the order. She also passed on reality TV and deals that clashed with her health or music.
Grow slow on purpose. She landed a residency, promoted it herself and showed up every Thursday.
Make worry testable. To her, worry is creativity pointed the wrong way, so she turns it into a small experiment.
This week, rank your top three priorities and test your next yes against them.
THE MARKET
Business & Markets
▲ United Airlines cut its 2026 profit forecast on $4.80-a-gallon fuel, but passengers keep booking | United’s filing: revenue up 17.4%
▲ Boeing’s 737 Max 10 finally won FAA approval, six years after it was supposed to fly | Why airlines want the bigger jet
▲ Pending home sales fell 7.3% in September as 30-year mortgage rates jumped from 6.8% to 7.6% | Builder confidence hits a 14-year low
THE OTHER 99%
5 Stories
▲ LeBron James, 41, won his 76ers debut 106-100 as Knicks fans chanted “We don’t want you” | How the Sixers opened their season
▲ Brewers and Rays open a World Series on Friday that will crown a first-time champion | The 5 teams still chasing a first title
▲ Kayem recalled 1.58 million pounds of hot dogs, bacon and deli meat after a cooler ran warm | Check your fridge against the full list
▲ Thieves took nearly $1 million in Pokémon and sports cards from a FedEx truck in California | Two pallets gone while the driver stepped away
▲ Daniel Craig’s Skyfall suit could fetch $53,000 in a 400-lot James Bond auction ending Oct. 27 | Browse every lot, from Dr. No on
TOGETHER WITH COCOJUNE
Apple Pie for Breakfast, Basically
(Follow on Instagram, here.)
Cold mornings call for something cozier than a cold bowl. Here's a 5-minute fix:
Warm the apples: slice one and soften it in a pan with a pinch of cinnamon, about 3 minutes.
Build the bowl: spoon them over Cocojune, the creamy, plant-based yogurt made from organic coconuts and probiotic cultures.
Finish it: a spoonful of nut butter on top.
Warm apples, cool yogurt, and it tastes like dessert. Swap in pears when the apples run out.
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Why 1% Better? Most self-improvement swings between burning out and rusting out. 1% Better is the antidote. In five minutes each morning, we help you get smarter about the news, your health and your money, with small tips you can use to get a little better every day.