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Daily Tech News Roundup - 2025-12-21

1. Google and Apple reportedly warn employees on visas to avoid international travel
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/20/google-and-apple-reportedly-warn-employees-on-visas-to-avoid-international-travel/
Summary: Law firms representing Google and Apple have reportedly warned that employees who need a visa stamp to re-enter the United States should avoid leaving the country due to longer-than-usual visa processing times.

2. ‘It felt so wrong’: Colin Angle on iRobot, the FTC, and the Amazon deal that never was
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/20/it-felt-so-wrong-colin-angle-on-irobot-the-ftc-and-the-amazon-deal-that-never-was/
Summary: The iRobot founder opens up about the 18-month regulatory process that he says doomed the Roomba maker -- and what it means for American innovation.

3. OpenAI allows users to directly adjust ChatGPT’s enthusiasm level
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/20/openai-allows-users-to-directly-adjust-chatgpts-warmth-and-enthusiasm/
Summary: ChatGPT users can now tweak the chatbot’s warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use.

4. The Verge’s 2025 holiday gift guide
Source: https://www.theverge.com/tech/809421/holiday-gift-guide-2025
Summary: The holidays have a way of sneaking up on us. One minute you're trick-or-treating with your kids, and the next you're panic shopping in a Buc-ee's gift aisle. But it doesn't have to be that way. With the right cheat sheet, you can keep the holiday spirit high and stress levels low. Fortunately, we did […]

5. Sony’s XM5 headphones and the latest Kindle round out this week’s best deals
Source: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/848353/sony-wh-1000xm5-headphones-amazon-kindle-deal-sale
Summary: If you’re feeling the stress of having procrastinated on your holiday shopping — and you missed out during Black Friday and Cyber Monday — we’ve got you. We’ve found a variety of gadgets on sale that make for great gifts, many of which will ship in time for the holidays. One of the standouts is […]

6. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signs RAISE Act to regulate AI safety
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/20/new-york-governor-kathy-hochul-signs-raise-act-to-regulate-ai-safety/
Summary: The bill will require large AI developers to publish information about their safety protocols and report safety incidents to the state within 72 hours.

7. The best last-minute Christmas gifts you can grab for under $50
Source: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/848134/best-last-minute-christmas-gifts-under-50-2025
Summary: Holiday shoppers, it's time to finish knocking out that seasonal wish list. At this point, your online purchases may not arrive in time unless you're willing to pay extra for priority shipping - or you happen to get lucky. Still, gifting anything at all is awfully nice of you, regardless of when it arrives. If […]

8. The LCD Steam Deck is done
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/848595/the-lcd-steam-deck-is-done
Summary: The most affordable Steam Deck, the $399 LCD model, is not available in the US. And, according to the Steam Deck site, it won't be coming back. Underneath the listings for the various models is a note that says: We are no longer producing the Steam Deck LCD 256GB model. Once sold out, it will […]

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