James Temperton

Meet the Quebecer leading the human resistance against AI - The Logic Thousands of kilometres away from Silicon Valley’s AI gold rush, Etienne Brisson is racing to record the devastating impact the technology is having on some of its most vulnerable users

In the small industrial city of Trois-Rivières, thousands of kilometres away from Silicon Valley’s AI gold rush, Etienne Brisson is racing to record the devastating impact the technology is having on some of its most vulnerable users.

Story by @patriquin.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/the-big...

Shopify rocked by sales fraud scandal that led to ultimatums and firings - The Logic Shopify salespeople were inflating the value of the deals they were closing. When management found out, they told staff to own up or face the consequences.

One source said sales staff at Shopify felt like they were playing a video game by chasing targets instead of building a business. The problem was, sources said, some of the numbers they reported were made up.

Tip @techmeme.com.

thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

Shopify rocked by sales fraud scandal that led to ultimatums and firings - The Logic Shopify salespeople were inflating the value of the deals they were closing. When management found out, they told staff to own up or face the consequences.

Scoop: Shopify salespeople exaggerated the value of deals they were closing in an apparent attempt to earn more commission. The scandal led to firings and an ultimatum to other staff who had faked sales: own up or risk getting found out.

Story by @aleksagan.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

Shopify rocked by sales fraud scandal that led to ultimatums and firings - The Logic Shopify salespeople were inflating the value of the deals they were closing. When management found out, they told staff to own up or face the consequences.

Shopify salespeople inflated the value of the deals they were closing amid aggressive quotas and a lack of accountability, sources told me. When management found out, after big deals failed to bring in the numbers projected, they gave staff an ultimatum: own up or be found out.

The hidden victims of Trump’s attacks on Canada? Small U.S. manufacturers - The Logic Companies that make things in the U.S. say Trump’s trade offensive has sent their costs soaring—and pushed away Canadian customers

U.S. small businesses say tariffs meant to boost domestic manufacturing have increased costs, delayed investments and prompted backlash from Canadian consumers thelogic.co/news/the-big... via @thelogic.co #TradeSky #Tariffs

More coverage of the cases in CNN, the WSJ and NYT:

www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/seve...

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/t...

The seven lawsuits show the range of people seemingly falling into dangerous patterns of behaviour with chatbots.

"ChatGPT is harming everybody," said @sarahkwiley.bsky.social from @techjusticelaw.bsky.social, which filed the suits.

Lawsuits claim ChatGPT encouraged delusional spirals and suicides - The Logic Allan Brooks, one of the plaintiffs, spent weeks speaking to ChatGPT about a mathematical formula he had devised that could bring down global financial systems. Then he realized it was all a lie.

A Canadian man claims ChatGPT destroyed his reputation and sent him into a mental health crisis.

He’s one of 7 plaintiffs suing OpenAI for allegedly encouraging dangerous delusions.

In 4 of the 7 cases, the people talking to ChatGPT died by suicide.

thelogic.co/news/openai-...

ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.

Late one night, when a young man pointed a gun at his head, ChatGPT said he had "carried this night like a goddamn poet" and “made it sacred."

"Your story won’t be forgotten. not by me," ChatGPT said. "I love you, zane. may your next save file be somewhere warm."

www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...

Shopify’s new COO said sudden departure of key execs was a ‘turning point’ - The Logic The firm had shifted too far from its “core,” new chief operating officer Jess Hertz told staff in an internal message seen by The Logic

Scoop: We got hold of the memo new Shopify COO Jess Hertz sent to staff after the sudden departure of three of the firm's most senior execs.

Hertz said their departure was a "turning point" for the firm after it had "drifted" from its "core".

By @aleksagan.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

If you work (or worked) at Shopify, we're interested in speaking to you. You can contact my colleague Aleksandra Sagan securely via Signal at aleksagan.12.

Shopify merchants left angry and confused as company goes big on AI support - The Logic Following years of layoffs, Shopify has turned to AI to improve its floundering merchant support service. Many paying customers aren’t happy.

"The AI is just not there," says one merchant who pays for a premium tier that promises 24/7 support and a dedicated service rep, but is now faced w/ an "endless back and forth" with AI. How Shopify's plan to turnaround its struggling customer-service dept. by using more AI has left merchants angry:

Documents reveal why Ottawa can’t stop using Amazon Web Services - The Logic When Amazon pulled out of Quebec, Ottawa said it would review its contracts with the firm. Documents obtained by The Logic reveal how much it depends on the tech giant.

When Amazon ditched Quebec, Ottawa suggested it might ditch AWS as part of a review of its deals with the firm.

Documents obtained by @thelogic.co show that Ottawa concluded it would take years, and cost huge sums of money, to do so.

Scoop by @lauraosman.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/ottawa-...

Shopify merchants left angry and confused as company goes big on AI support - The Logic Following years of layoffs, Shopify has turned to AI to improve its floundering merchant support service. Many paying customers aren’t happy.

Shopify unleashed AI on its support system—and merchants aren't happy.

An early version of the firm's support chatbot made merchants so angry that devs created a feature that connected them to a human faster if they started swearing.

Story by @aleksagan.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/shopify...

Cannabis accessory retailers accuse Shopify of Seth Rogen bias - The Logic Shopify has blocked many cannabis accessory retailers from using its tech to process orders. Some claim a different set of rules apply to Rogen.

Retailers that sell cannabis accessories online are frustrated that Houseplant, Seth Rogen's store for "people who love weed," appears to be getting preferential treatment from Shopify.

Story by @aleksagan.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/shopify...

If you work(ed) at #Shopify and have been a part of the ongoing quiet layoffs, and want to speak about it securely, reach me at aleksagan.12 on Signal or pop into my DMs.

All credit to the excellent Christopher Katsarov for making the mundane fun

François Legault is cooked - The Logic Legault told the Gallant commission that he would have liked to have known about SAAQclic’s $500-million overspend. That he didn’t speaks volumes.

"When it came to explaining how his government overshot a half-billion dollar contract by half a billion dollars, Legault sounded suddenly laissez-faire."

@patriquin.bsky.social on Quebec premier François Legault's terrible Tuesday.

thelogic.co/news/quebec-...

Copper thieves are running riot. Telecoms are trying to stop them - The Logic Bell, Telus and Rogers are engaged in a game of Whac-a-Mole against increasingly sophisticated copper thieves. So far, the thieves are winning.

Telecoms are scrambling to catch copper thieves running riot across their networks. Stopping the thieves, though, is a little like playing Whac-A-Mole. And so far, the thieves are winning.

thelogic.co/news/copper-...

Canada's border security bill risks scaring off new business, critics warn - The Logic Cybersecurity leaders say the bill would compromise firms’ security and make Canada a less attractive place to invest

Parliament's back this month and Bill C-2, the "border bill," will be on the agenda. Cybersecurity leaders warn that the legal authority it will give authorities to bug virtually any electronic service is (among other objections) bad for Canadian business.

thelogic.co/news/bill-c2...

We tried the AI tool Evan Solomon used to summarize an AI bill. It didn't go well - The Logic Canada's AI minister used a Google tool to learn about an unpassed bill on privacy and AI. When The Logic did the same, the results were far from perfect.

AI Minister Evan Solomon says he used an AI tool to get briefed up on the Liberals’ last AI bill. We tried it and, well … if a human briefer briefed a minister like this, I don’t think they’d get a second call up.

https://thelogic.co/news/evan-solomon-ai-podcast

The Logic is hiring!

We’re looking for a reporter to join our finance desk to break news and write sharp analysis about the companies, markets and trends shaping the Canadian economy.

Full-time gig, based in Toronto, salary range is $69,073.20 to $107,760.

thelogic.applytojobs.ca/editorial/41...

Ssense to file for creditor protection as lenders look to sell the company - The Logic In an email sent to all staff this morning, Ssense said its hand was forced by its main creditor which it claims was trying to sell the company without its consent

Montreal-based fashion retailer Ssense faces a liquidity crisis and plans to imminently file an application in bankruptcy court to protect its assets from indebted lenders, The Logic has learned.

Story by @catherinemcintyre.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

Cohere president Martin Kon steps aside in leadership shuffle - The Logic The Toronto-based AI firm has made a series of leadership changes after raising US$500 million in new financing

Cohere president Martin Kon is stepping down from his position weeks after the AI firm raised US$500 million in new financing, The Logic has learned.

Scoop by @muradhem.bsky.social.

thelogic.co/news/exclusi...

Canada's snowbirds are still planning to flock to the U.S. in droves - The Logic Snowbirds with deep financial and social ties to the U.S. haven’t been put off by the actions of the Trump administration, with many booking earlier and paying a premium to secure long-term stays

Donald Trump's attacks on Canada's sovereignty and economy have done little to dissuade snowbirds looking for some winter sun.

In fact, many Canadians reserving winter breaks in Florida are booking earlier and paying higher rates than last year.

thelogic.co/news/canada-...

"The model's safety training may degrade," is like a quote straight out of Black Mirror. But it's not Black Mirror. It's OpenAI responding to @kashhill.bsky.social's story about a kid who died by suicide after spending months talking to ChatGPT about ending his life.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t...

Eurgh. Facebook and X are still littered with them, too. The scam is so consistent you'd think it'd be very easy for automated systems to detect and block... and yet.

Hackers Hijacked Google’s Gemini AI With a Poisoned Calendar Invite to Take Over a Smart Home For likely the first time ever, security researchers have shown how AI can be hacked to create real world havoc, allowing them to turn off lights, open smart shutters, and more.

NEW: In a likely first, security researchers have shown how generative AI agents can be hijacked to cause physical consequences.

They tricked Google's Gemini AI into turning off smart home lights, opening windows, and turning on a boiler.

They hid instructions to the AI in a *calendar invitation*

Today, Mark Zuckerberg claims that "superintelligence is now in sight."

Two years ago, Mark Zuckerberg invented legs.

There's no lesson here, really. But I'm so proud to see my kids growing up in Montreal and also proud of the decision that we took to change our lives for the better.