📱 Your number is next

Let’s kick this Monday off strong, {{first_name | friend}}. The guy running ChatGPT dropped out of Stanford at 19, was running the startup accelerator behind Airbnb, DoorDash and Reddit by 28, then cofounded OpenAI with Elon Musk to build AI that would "benefit all of humanity." The company's now worth $300 billion.

Back on Nov. 17, 2023, Sam Altman checked his phone, saw a Google Meet invite from the board and was fired on the spot. No warning. Then something happened that never happens in corporate history.

After Altman was fired, what percentage of OpenAI’s employees reportedly threatened to quit if he wasn’t brought back? A) About 25%, B) About 50%, C) About 75% or D) About 95%? Answer’s at the end!

🎯 You’re a major target right now. Scammers don’t have to guess how to trick you anymore. They just buy your phone number, home address and family details directly from data brokers. It is exactly why your phone keeps ringing with spam. I use Incogni to wipe my profile from their databases automatically. Take back your privacy and get 60% off with code KIM60. More below.* — Kim

📬 Someone forwarded this to you? Smart friend. Want it in your own inbox instead of waiting on them? Sign up here. It’s free, and I promise not to spam you.

⚡ TL;DR (THE SHORT VERSION)

📖 Read time: 2.5 minutes

Your phone number is the most dangerous number you own. Not your Social. Not your bank account. Those 10 digits are tied to your email recovery, your bank login, your two-factor codes, your health portal and your Amazon account.

And a criminal can steal it in minutes.

A scammer calls your carrier, pretending to be you. They use details scraped from data breaches or social media to pass security questions, tell the rep they got a new phone and need the number transferred. Done.

Your phone goes dead. No signal. No texts. 

Meanwhile, the criminal is getting every two-factor code meant for you. They reset your passwords, drain your accounts and lock you out of your own digital life. The whole thing can take less than three minutes.

These settings are not turned on by default. That’s the problem. I walked through every one of these steps myself. Depending on your device or app version, things might look slightly different. Poke around. You’ll find them.

Set a SIM PIN on your phone (this is different from your screen passcode). It blocks access if someone physically removes your SIM card. 

Switch your important accounts (bank, email, crypto) from text message 2FA to an app like Google Authenticator. SMS codes are the exact thing criminals steal in a SIM swap. Authenticator apps live on your device and can’t be intercepted. Learn more on my site here.

Did Meta knowingly addict your child to Instagram? That’s what a jury is deciding in a landmark trial in Los Angeles that could change how your family uses the internet forever.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.

🎭 Hire today, gone tomorrow: That little video glitch during a Zoom interview? It might not be bad Wi-Fi. Scammers are using deepfake AI to fake their entire face on camera, land the job, then steal company data from the inside. One security CEO watched a candidate's face literally melt when he moved. Amazon's blocked 1,800 fake applicants. It takes 70 minutes to build a convincing fake candidate. If you're hiring remotely, ask them to wave a hand two times across their face. Real people don't glitch.

$30 Billion oops: The U.S. wasted that much money swapping textbooks for laptops and tablets. The result? Gen Z is the first generation to score lower on standardized tests than their parents. A neuroscientist told the Senate that unlimited screen time in classrooms didn't boost learning, it destroyed it. Turns out the best upgrade for a kid's brain is still a book. Guess you could say that experiment didn't compute.

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🌍 Peace Corps is back: Need an adventure? The new "Tech Corps" will send AI-trained volunteers to foreign countries to help with farming, healthcare and education. STEM grads and AI pros get housing, a stipend and up to 27 months abroad.

🚗 Backseat driver 2.0: Your CarPlay is about to get way smarter. Apple's letting AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini work right from your dashboard, hands-free. It won't replace Siri and can't control your car, but you can ask it to explain something you heard on the radio or brainstorm dinner on your drive home. I already do this. Until now, CarPlay was maps, music and calls. Let's hope it doesn't start arguing with you about directions. That sounds about right.

🚀 Space, the final frontier for chemo: Merck's blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda got a massive upgrade, and the secret ingredient is outer space. Treatment that used to take 30+ minutes through an IV now takes about one minute as a simple injection. How? Scientists spent over a decade growing protein crystals on the International Space Station, where zero gravity lets them form bigger and more evenly. Better crystals meant a more concentrated drug. Less time in the chair, more time living your life. That's one giant leap for cancer care and cure. I hate cancer.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Start to write a text and hold down the spacebar on your iPhone keyboard. Go ahead, try it right now. Your keyboard turned into a trackpad. Slide your finger around and watch that cursor glide anywhere you want. No more fat-thumbing your way between words. Works in texts, emails, search bars, everywhere. Android users, this works on Gboard too. I show people this trick in person and they look at me like I pulled a rabbit out of a phone. You're welcome..

🎧 Stop overpaying for a logo: I use audio gear for a living, and you do not need to spend $200 for incredible sound. Raycon Everyday Earbuds deliver the same premium audio and deep bass as the expensive brands for half the price. They actually stay in your ears, and the battery lasts all day. Get 15% off right now.*

Speed up that sluggish mouse: No need for a sore wrist after a day of dragging. On Windows, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mouse > Mouse pointer speed and nudge it up. On Mac, open System Settings > Mouse (or Trackpad) > Tracking speed and slide it higher.

Your AirPods are a camera remote: Stop racing for the self-timer. Connect your AirPods to your iPhone, then go to Settings > tap your AirPods’ name > Camera Remote. Open the Camera app, and press the stem to snap a photo. Works for video, too. Group photos, selfies, content creation. No awkward arm stretch required. Easy.

🖥️ Make your monitor easier on your eyes: Staring at tiny text all day? Your monitor has a fix you're probably not using. On Windows, go to Settings > System > Display > Scale, then bump it from 100% to 125% or 150%. Everything gets bigger without getting blurry. On Mac, go to System Settings > Displays and choose a larger text size option. Phew, that’s much better.

Did you find something on your kid’s phone that changed everything? Other parents need to hear your story. You could help a family you’ll never even meet.

Nothing says Lunar New Year 2026 like a robot doing backflips.

At China’s Spring Festival Gala, widely considered the most-watched TV program on Earth, regularly pulling in hundreds of millions of viewers across China, humanoid robots stole the show. They threw kung fu punches, nailed aerial flips and breakdanced like Boston Dynamics finally enrolled at Shaolin. 

Last year, similar bots were wobbling through folk dances. Now? Intimidatingly athletic.  

China accounts for over 85% of global humanoid installations, and prices can start around $13,500. This feels like a trade show arms race disguised as a talent show.

🔜 Tomorrow: Your iPhone or Android keeps a secret log of every place you visit, how long you stay and when you were there. It's turned on by default. Anyone who picks up your unlocked phone can see it all. I tell you how to find it and turn it off. Be sure to read your newsletter tomorrow.

Open tomorrow’s email to see if you’re my next $250 winner! If you missed one of this month’s newsletters, enter your email here to see if you also missed a winning code.

The answer: D) About 95%. Yep, nearly all of OpenAI’s roughly 770 employees signed a letter threatening to quit and follow Altman to Microsoft if the board didn’t reinstate him. Let that sink in. The board fired the CEO, and almost every single employee said, “Then we’re leaving, too.” 

He shares a birthday with J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, which Altman has mentioned more than once. He compared OpenAI’s mission to the Manhattan Project. 

🛑 Stop the spam at the source. You could try to opt out of these creepy lists yourself, but it takes hundreds of hours of frustrating paperwork. Incogni handles the entire legal battle for you. They force these companies to delete your data, so you do not have to lift a finger. I only partner with brands that I personally use, and this one is a game changer. Get 60% off with code KIM60 right now.*

📅 One day or day one, your call. Make today the beginning of something big. — Kim

Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily

🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is.

Photo credit(s): Gemini, Fanttik, CGTN

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