TECHNOLOGY
Zipline’s culture chief on why ‘brilliant jerks’ are a liability
What does a human resources leader at one of the most impactful startups operating in Africa look for when hiring? “You can have the best engineer in the world who has a brilliant jerk attitude and just disrupts your whole company,” says Juliet Oshagbemi, Zipline’s Chief People & Culture Officer, Africa.
For a drone technology company where technical skills are critical, Oshagbemi says character and attitude can take precedence.
This can range from a talent’s humility and vulnerability, the kind that encourages taking responsibility for mistakes, to being entrepreneurial, curious, and willing to share informed and direct feedback without stripping a person of their dignity. When she asks for your past career experience in an interview, it’s less about where you’ve worked or for how long, and more about how you articulate those past experiences. For a global company with distributed teams, the ability to articulate and communicate your work and output is crucial.
At Zipline, she looks for people who are “able to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty” across various roles, in typical startup fashion. It’s grit, resilience, and being “good at collaborating cross-functionally.”
“I think the other piece is looking [for] someone who has leadership potential, someone that could lead a team in the future,” Oshagbemi says. “At Zipline, we’re very quick to identify people that could lead and give you the skills you need to lead.”
Finding purpose in uncertainty
More than two decades ago, long before Zipline, Oshagbemi sat before a recruiter at Blue Arrow, a recruitment agency for seasonal workers in London, to find out if any jobs had shored up. She’d dropped her resume at the agency a week earlier, on her way home from a part-time job at Marks & Spencer, eager for an inroad into a more stable career path. Already, she’d left behind studies in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “I just couldn’t deal with not being in control of the outcome,” she says of her time in the medical sciences.
Just minutes before she’d walked into the agency, however, the recruiter had trashed her resume. “I just threw your CV away!” Oshagbemi recalls the recruiter telling her before reaching back into the trash to retrieve the resume and attempt to straighten it out.
She was asked to sit and, within half an hour, was placed in a supporting role for the recruitment team at the Metropolitan Police. At the station, she was tasked with putting together recruitment packs for individuals who’d expressed interest in the police force. There was nothing particularly exciting about this job, but Oshagbemi recalls doing it with fervour: listening to music from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. at the station along Brook Street, sorting some 30 pages of recruitment information, gathering them in a file, sending it off to a would-be police officer, repeat.
Someone was taking note. Three weeks in, she says, the station’s recruitment manager bumped her into the recruitment team where she was tasked with hiring police officers who respond to 999 calls.
“I absolutely did not like it,” she says.
It was too routine, like checking the same items off the same lists over and over. So a year and a half later, she moved into generalist HR and climbed the ranks, from deputy HR manager to a HR manager responsible for about 900 staff. She was around 23.
You won’t be remiss to say her foray into personnel management was accidental, but nearly a decade later, Oshagbemi says seeking out the best talent in Africa and creating work environments that allow them to thrive has become a life’s mission.
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A life-changing experience
After eight years at the Met Police, Oshagbemi truly cut her teeth as an HR professional at the Dangote Group. At the time, she did not know she was interviewing for a role at the conglomerate until late in the process. After interviewing with an all-male hiring panel in fishnet tights and a forwardness not often expected of women in corporate settings, she was surprised to learn she’d been hired.
“I think it was August 31st, 2009. I walked into Marble House, and I was responsible for learning and development for the group,” she says.
At the time, the conglomerate was looking for disruptors, a leader who could transform the group’s approach to personnel management. They’d appreciated the forwardness she’d brought to the interviews, her refusal to respond in ways “people wanted to hear”, and were confident that she could drive the change the company needed.
“Apparently, they were deadlocked. I think out of the panel—there were six—four wanted me to be hired, two did not,” she says. Those two would later tell her that “they were happy that they agreed in the end.”
At Dangote Group, Oshagbemi truly grew as an HR leader. From maintaining a high-quality talent pipeline, identifying and budgeting for personnel learning and development to recruiting, relationship building and succession planning, the size and complexity of the business presented a rare opportunity to work across every aspect of human resources management.
But after more than a decade working across those subsidiaries, Oshabegemi says she was ready to move on to newer opportunities. It was in the process of figuring out what this next move was that she was head-hunted by Zipline.
Oshagbemi says she’d never heard of the company when she was approached to join the team. She Googled them, of course, and took a preliminary conversation with the recruiter, “and I still wasn’t very convinced.” For one, the company had about a tenth of the staff capacity at Dangote, and it was going to be a significant downgrade in the scale of responsibilities she’d been handling for almost 13 years.
“Of course, another lesson learned for me was, just don’t look at the number of employees. Look at other things,” she reflects.
That ‘other thing’ took a visit to one of Zipline’s distribution centres in Ghana.
“When I walked into that distribution centre, and I heard the drone being launched, I think that was like a life-changing moment for me.”
Oshagbemi lost her father in 1999. Tragically. He’d been shot six times in the stomach, she recalled. At the hospital, five of the bullets were extracted, but the lone remaining bullet was lodged in his intestine, and he was losing so much blood that they couldn’t save him.
“Now imagine me, fast forward to many, many years later, at a facility where they were putting blood into a drone to send it to a hospital to save a life,” she says quietly.
She knew for sure that she was going to join the Zipline team then, to continue a career trend of working in companies whose impact is often ubiquitous and central to everyday survival.
At the time, the company was scouting for someone to lead learning and development, but after conversations with the recruiter and realising they needed more human resources structures in place, the role broadened in scope. She joined Zipline as its Chief People & Culture Officer in March 2022.
Culture as currency
Long gone are the days when a human resources leader’s role entailed payroll management, hiring, and firing. Today, human resources leaders are not only maintaining a healthy talent pipeline, establishing and fostering healthy work cultures, and handling change management, but they’ve also become, according to Oshagbemi, critical business partners to a company’s leadership. To contribute meaningfully, HR leaders of today must understand the numbers, how they influence decision-making, how profit and loss (P&L) works, how balance sheets work, and, for companies like Zipline that are heavily regulated, how regulation impacts business operations.
Especially for startups, an HR leader may need to wear more than one hat—Oshagbemi supports procurement, logistics, and security efforts at Zipline—and must embed themselves into the companies they work with to truly understand how to advocate for staff.
“You need to know what people are doing, what their pain points are,” Oshagbemi says. “You need to do a day in the life of someone in operations so that when you’re making that policy or when you are aligning on a decision at [the] board level, you have the right data points.”
At Zipline, “operations is our bread and butter,” she adds. “I need to understand what operations need, what are their priorities, or even speak the operation language.”
This capacity and intent to place oneself in the shoes of staff members with the aim of understanding their motivations and pain points are captured by the principle of ethical leadership. To create an enabling environment in which human capital thrives, where talent has the freedom and encouragement to do their best work, as well as the psychological safety to fail and learn without reproach, an ethical leader leads by example and with integrity. They embody the traits and cultures they want to see in their organisations and empathise with the limitations of those tasked with bringing the company’s vision to life.
“I can sit here and talk to you about performance management, talent management, chain management, and all those things,” she says. “But I think without having [an] enabling environment, all those things are just, you know, words.”
Though some studies show limitations, this style of leadership is largely regarded as beneficial. According to Legal Research Network’s Benchmark of Ethical Culture, which surveyed more than 8,500 full-time employees across 13 industries and 15 countries (African countries not included), companies with strong ethical cultures outperform companies without by about 50% across metrics such as customer satisfaction, adaptability, innovation, growth, and employee loyalty. This style of leadership fosters, perhaps crucially, psychological safety—a term coined in 1999 that describes an environment where staff can speak up without fear of embarrassment or retribution when things go awry.
For some leaders, empathy and ethical behaviour might be innate, while for others, especially younger leaders and middle managers, they have to be learned, Oshagbemi says.
In addition to ethical leadership, enabling work environments are corporate cultures that favour expertise over the personal preferences of a single, often top company leader, according to Vivian Offodile-Adukwu, a human resources expert with over a decade of experience, including in tech startups.
“I always say that if you recruit me or if you bring me on board your team, it means that you have value or trust in the experience that I bring,” Offodile-Adukwu says.
In other words, great benefits and pensions are no longer enough to keep a multigenerational talent pool truly committed. “When I was in the police force, you’d have people wanting to work there for 30, 35 years because there was a great pension and there were great benefits. That has changed now,” Oshagbemi says. At Dangote, people stayed on for a decade, two, more, “because they were growing, because they were given opportunities to do other things.”
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The “brilliant jerk” trap
The concept of ethical leadership—modelling healthy culture and empathy towards staff—is especially critical in startups where entrepreneurs often zero in on product and marketfit, fundraising, and scaling, while people management falls to the side.
“People will probably hire the CTO before they hire an HR person. Or the CFO. But why are you not looking at people person first and being able to build a solid culture for your company from the beginning, [rather] than making it an afterthought?” Oshagbemi asks.
Offodile-Adukwu agrees, adding that when founders fail to establish healthy corporate culture strategies and protocols from the start, there’s a higher chance that the culture will become unhealthy and toxic, leading to high attrition rates. And when fixes are eventually pursued, often without expert change management personnel or processes in place, the same results occur: talent leave.
“Your policies, your structure, reporting chain, modus operandi, everything has to reflect the culture that you see your company or startup [looking] like in the next 5, 10 years,” Offodile-Adukwu says.
When companies place greater emphasis on technical skills, which Offodile-Adukwu argues can be taught or developed, they can miss out on soft skills that often can’t be taught or are harder to teach in adulthood, but which have dire consequences for a team when they’re absent.
Global corporate culture and legacy
Zipline’s drone technology enables the company to deliver essential medical supplies, food, and other consumer products with speed and efficiency. The company was founded in America and now operates in eight countries across four continents. Bridging the gap between different corporate cultures and aligning them with the central global strategy is another critical part of Oshagbemi’s job.
“My role and the role of the other people partners in the company is to be a bridge, right? It’s to educate people on the cultural differences,” she says.
To do this requires cultural intelligence and awareness of how simple things like salutations, language, and sociocultural norms can creep into the ways people work and do business. It means communicating these nuances across the company’s various markets or organising cultural awareness workshops for American staff coming to Africa and vice versa to make cross-cultural interactions less nerve-racking and more beneficial.
Why does all of this work matter to Oshagbemi?
Africa has great talent, and many go undiscovered or unsupported to reach whatever summits they dream of in their careers, she argues. In addition to her role at Zipline, she works as a career coach, “because people do make wrong career decisions” and sometimes need assistance to get things right.
But when she looks back at her career in years to come, Oshagbemi says a worthwhile legacy is one that reflects her contributions to developing ethical leaders whose personal and company impact is felt beyond their individual companies, across entire industries and for years to come.
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Disney has agreed to invest $1bn (£740m) in OpenAI as part of a deal which will let people use many of its iconic characters in the chatbot ChatGPT and video-generation tool Sora.
It is the first major studio to license parts of its catalogue to the tech giant, in a move which could have major implications for the studio’s future plans.
It means fans will be able to generate and share pictures and videos of more than 200 characters from Disney’s franchises, including Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.
The move comes as OpenAI faces mounting questions about how its rapidly advancing tech is used – and as anxiety in Hollywood increases over the impact of AI on the creative industries.
According to a blog post announcing the news, the list of eligible characters include those from Disney films Zootopia, Moana and Encanto – as well as characters like Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker and Marvel’s Deadpool.
It, of course, also includes Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
But quite how the characters will sound remains unclear, as Disney said the agreement “does not include any talent likenesses or voices”.
“The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry,” Disney boss Bob Iger said.
“Through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling.”
People are expected to be able to begin making the videos and images in Sora and ChatGPT in early 2026.
The deal comes amid reports Disney lawyers sent Google a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday accusing the tech firm of infringing its copyrights “on a massive scale”.
The BBC has asked Google for a response.
Joel Smith, intellectual property partner at law firm Simmons & Simmons, said Disney’s OpenAI deal showed “rights owners and major AI developers are moving fast to strike collaborative licensing deals to access content for training and future use”.
Equity, the entertainment trade union, says actors’ rights need to be protected. The group is currently balloting thousands of performers asking if they are willing to refuse being digitally scanned on set to push for stronger AI safeguards.
Cathy Sweet, Equity’s head of TV and Film, said the deal between Disney and OpenAI reinforced “exactly why our members are fighting for AI protections”.
“The recorded material that will be sold on as part of this eye-watering big money deal are the result of creatives’ professional work, and their rights must be protected,” she said.
Sora’s hyper-realistic videos have proven to be popular in the US, but there have been significant criticisms from those claiming it has also led to some people creating offensive deepfakes of dead public figures.
In October, OpenAI paused the video tool’s ability to generate images of Dr Martin Luther King Jr after the app produced “disrespectful” depictions of the civil rights leader.
The firm acknowledged the need for stronger safeguards after clips emerged showing him saying offensive things, prompting a public outcry.
Other similar videos of President John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II and physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking also circulated widely.
In some cases, family members called on OpenAI to stop allowing videos to be made.
Zelda Williams, daughter of the late comedian Robin Williams, urged people to stop sending her AI-generated videos of her father.
In November, Warner Music Group announced plans to launch an AI music venture with technology start-up Suno, a year after it sued the firm in a landmark case.
Elon Musk, a former self-described atheist, has revealed more about his apparent spiritual awakening in recent years, saying he has come to believe God exists.
The SpaceX and Tesla CEO, who had previously said he didn’t believe in God or an afterlife, declared during a podcast interview on Tuesday that he looked up to the creator of the universe and specified that ‘God is the Creator.’
‘I believe this universe came from something. People have different labels [for God],’ Musk explained while appearing on the Katie Miller Podcast.
It’s the latest comments from the billionaire tech entrepreneur that have revealed a major shift in the former agnostic Musk’s beliefs.
Since 2022, Musk, now 54, has openly spoken multiple times about a growing respect for core Christian values, and has even admitted he was a ‘fool for not appreciating its profound wisdom.’
Last year, he went so far as to call himself a ‘cultural Christian,’ praising Jesus’ teachings of love, kindness, and forgiveness for their wisdom and societal value.
During Tuesday’s podcast, however, Musk added that our creator could be simply running a massive computer simulation, with our lives being nothing more than ‘somebody’s video game.’
He also speculated that our world could be an ‘alien Netflix series,’ saying that the purpose of life would therefore be to keep humanity excited to increase our ‘ratings’ and prevent our creator from turning the computer off.
Elon Musk (Pictured) revealed to Katie Miller that he has come to believe in a creator being which was responsible for the formation of the universe and humanity
Musk credited the teachings of Jesus for their value in spreading love, kindness, and forgiveness throughout society. He called himself a ‘fool’ for previously rejecting those beliefs (Stock Image)
‘Are the ratings good?’ Miller asked. ‘Yeah,’ Musk declared immediately.
‘If you apply Darwin [the theory behind the survival of the fittest] to simulation theory, then only the most interesting simulations will continue,’ he continued during the December 9 podcast.
‘Therefore, the most interesting outcome is most likely because it’s either that or annihilation. So, really, we have one goal. Keep it interesting.’
Musk’s evolution on religion has come at the same time as his political shift to the right, which has seen him support President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, form the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and openly speak out against so-called ‘woke’ culture.
Musk has posted repeatedly on X that the ‘woke mind virus’ had essentially become its own religion for those on the political left and was in conflict with Christianity.
‘Woke is a religion that filled the void that Christianity left,’ he posted on August 25.
‘There seems to be an innate need for religion. Many atheists simply adopt another belief system (e.g., wokeness) that is essentially a religion,’ the current owner of X previously wrote in September 2023.
Musk has also publicly blamed ‘woke’ culture for influencing his estranged transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson (formerly Xavier Alexander Musk), to transition.
Katie Miller (Pictured) previously worked as an advisor and spokesperson for the Trump Administration before leaving the White House to briefly work for Musk in 2025
The nearly hour-long interview was hosted by Katie Miller, the wife of current Trump deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
She was also a former advisor and spokesperson for DOGE before leaving the administration in May to work full-time for Musk in the private sector.
The new interview has already been viewed more than 346,000 times, making it the most successful episode of the podcast since Miller left her position with Musk to launch the show in August.
During the wide-ranging chat, Musk also revealed his regrets over leading DOGE, colonizing Mars, time travel, and the existence of alien life.
‘I don’t know of any aliens. People have asked me if there’s there are aliens. I have seen no evidence of aliens,’ Musk said.
The billionaire added that he has asked his senior leaders at SpaceX if the company has seen any evidence of extraterrestrials during their rocket launches, but nothing has been revealed.
As for seeing UFOs, Musk noted that this was actually a separate conversation from finding alien life, claiming that what people are typically seeing in the sky are military prototypes being tested.
‘UFOs could be like some new weapons program or whatever. That’s some hypersonic missile or something like that. That would be technically a UFO, but it’s just basically some weapons prototype. That’s not like aliens.’
Google is updating its AI try-on feature to let you virtually try on clothes using just a selfie, the company announced on Thursday. In the past, users had to upload a full-body picture of themselves to virtually try on a piece of clothing. Now, they can use a selfie and Nano Banana, Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model, to generate a full-body digital version of themselves for virtual try-ons.
Users can select their usual clothing size, and the feature will then generate several images. From there, users can choose one to make it their default try-on photo.
If desired, users still have the option to use a full-body photo or select from a range of models with diverse body types.
The new capability is launching in the United States today.
Image Credits:Google
Google first launched the try-on feature in July, allowing users to try on apparel items from its Shopping Graph across Search, Google Shopping, and Google Images. To use the feature, users need to tap on a product listing or apparel product result and select the “try it on” icon.
The move comes as Google has been investing in the virtual AI try-on space, as the company has a separate app dedicated specifically to that purpose. The app, called Doppl, is designed to help visualize how different outfits might look on you using AI.
Earlier this week, the tech giant updated it with a shoppable discovery feed that displays recommendations so users can discover and virtually try on new items. Nearly everything in the feed is shoppable, with direct links to merchants.
The discovery feed features AI-generated videos of real products and suggests outfits based on your personalized style. While some may not be fond of an AI-generated feed, Google likely views it as a way to showcase products in a format that people are already familiar with, thanks to platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Scientists have discovered an incredible planet that looks like something out of a sci-fi blockbuster.
Just like Tatooine from Star Wars, the sky of this distant world is lit by the glow of twin suns.
Located 446 light-years from Earth, the planet, dubbed ‘HD 143811 b’, orbits a ‘binary system’ where two stars swirl around a central point.
Scientists believe the planet is a gas giant, mainly made of hydrogen and helium, with a mass roughly six times larger than that of Jupiter.
Compared to planets in our own solar system, HD 143811 b is extremely far from its suns, sitting at a distance 80 times greater than Earth is from the sun.
This means it takes the planet 300 years to complete a single orbit, even while the binary stars race around each other once every 18 days.
Although that sounds far, the planet is actually six times closer to its suns than any other previously discovered exoplanet in a binary system.
And, despite orbiting at a distance greater than that of Pluto, the surface of this strange world is still a roasting 730°C (1,346°F).
Scientists have discovered a planet located 446 light-years from Earth that orbits two stars
Just like Tatooine from Star Wars, this exoplanet orbits a binary star system. This means two stars orbit a central point, with the planet pulled around them both in a wider orbit
This incredibly rare discovery gives scientists an ‘unprecedented look’ at how planets form and move around multiple stars.
Of the 6,000 exoplanets, planets outside our own solar system, just a tiny fraction orbit binary star systems.
Out of those few planets, an even smaller number have ever been directly imaged.
HD 143811 b was discovered not by new observations but by trawling through years-old data collected by several different telescopes.
In two independent studies, one led by astronomers at the University of Exeter and another led by researchers at Northwestern University, scientists re-examined data collected between 2016 and 2019.
Although they weren’t expecting to find anything new, the scientists from Northwestern University found something strange as they traced the movement of hundreds of distant stars,
The researchers discovered that there was a faint object that appeared to be following the movement of a star.
Senior author of the American study, Dr Jason Wang, of Northwestern University, says: ‘Stars don’t stand still in a galaxy, they move around.
This planet, dubbed ‘HD 143811 b’ is a gas giant, mainly made of hydrogen and helium, with a mass roughly six times larger than that of Jupiter
‘We look for objects and then revisit them later to see if they have moved elsewhere. If a planet is bound to a star, then it will move with the star.’
This alone didn’t prove that the glowing object was a planet, since it could also be a more distant star ‘photobombing’ the image.
At the same time, British scientists, looking through the data independently, found the same strange object.
Dr Vito Squicciarini, lead author of that study, says: We could see a previously unidentified source close to the location of the two stars, but we needed another observation to confirm that it was orbiting the two stars.
‘So, we pitched for telescope time in Chile, and in July this year, we obtained further imagery. Within an hour, we had confirmed that it was indeed a new planet.’
Based on these findings, researchers have been able to reveal some incredible details about this strange world.
Perhaps most surprisingly, the astronomers discovered that the planet formed just 13 million years ago.
Dr Wang says: ‘That sounds like a long time ago, but it’s 50 million years after dinosaurs went extinct.
The planet hugs its twin stars more closely than any exoplanet that has been directly imaged before, sitting six times closer to its stars than any planet known to science
Despite being close to its suns for an exoplanet, HD 143811 b is still eight times further from its stars than Earth is from the sun. This means it takes 300 years to complete a single orbit
‘That’s relatively young in universe speak, so it still retains some of the heat from when it formed.’
Since exoplanets around binary stars are so rare, the scientists still aren’t sure exactly how HD 143811 b formed.
However, it is most likely that the binary system of stars formed first, with the planet forming around them sometime later.
In the future, researchers are hoping that this rare discovery could help solve some of the mysteries surrounding these Tatooine-like worlds.
Dr Squicciarini adds: ‘The importance of this find is that it could help us establish a benchmark for how such planets are formed.
‘And following on from this, the question is whether planets like the Earth could be found in this kind of system?
‘Maybe in a few years, with more discoveries like this, we will be able to answer these fundamental questions.’
Scientists study the atmosphere of distant exoplanets using enormous space satellites like Hubble
Distant stars and their orbiting planets often have conditions unlike anything we see in our atmosphere.
To understand these new world’s, and what they are made of, scientists need to be able to detect what their atmospheres consist of.
They often do this by using a telescope similar to Nasa’s Hubble Telescope.
These enormous satellites scan the sky and lock on to exoplanets that Nasa think may be of interest.
Here, the sensors on board perform different forms of analysis.
One of the most important and useful is called absorption spectroscopy.
This form of analysis measures the light that is coming out of a planet’s atmosphere.
Every gas absorbs a slightly different wavelength of light, and when this happens a black line appears on a complete spectrum.
These lines correspond to a very specific molecule, which indicates it’s presence on the planet.
They are often called Fraunhofer lines after the German astronomer and physicist that first discovered them in 1814.
By combining all the different wavelengths of lights, scientists can determine all the chemicals that make up the atmosphere of a planet.
The key is that what is missing, provides the clues to find out what is present.
It is vitally important that this is done by space telescopes, as the atmosphere of Earth would then interfere.
Absorption from chemicals in our atmosphere would skew the sample, which is why it is important to study the light before it has had chance to reach Earth.
This is often used to look for helium, sodium and even oxygen in alien atmospheres.
This diagram shows how light passing from a star and through the atmosphere of an exoplanet produces Fraunhofer lines indicating the presence of key compounds such as sodium or helium
Four years ago, Ford and South Korean battery maker SK On struck a deal to form a joint venture and spend $11.4 billion to build factories in Tennessee and Kentucky that would produce batteries for the next generation of electric F-Series trucks.
The factories live on; the joint venture will not.
SK On, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, said Thursday it reached an agreement with Ford to end the joint venture. The two companies will divide the assets: Ford will take ownership and operation of the twin battery plants in Kentucky, while SK On will operate the factory at the massive BlueOval SK campus in Tennessee.
SK On said it will maintain a strategic partnership with Ford centered on the Tennessee plant, according to Bloomberg.
When reached for comment, a Ford spokesperson told TechCrunch the company was aware of SK’s disclosure and had nothing further to share at this time.
The joint venture was created when the industry was investing billions of dollars to ramp up electric vehicle production. While EV sales have risen over the past several years, demand has not kept up with the industry’s lofty projections. The end of the federal EV tax credit has also dampened the pace of sales.
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Lately, it’s getting harder to tell a budget phone from a proper mid-ranger, and that’s not an exaggeration. Take the newly released Realme P4x that recently rolled out; it comes with a battery capacity you’d more likely expect in phones such as the Oppo Find X9 Pro. At the same time, the newly launched Poco C85 5G shows up with a screen size and presence that can easily go toe to toe with top midrange devices. What used to be clear lines, bigger battery, smoother performance, better displays are blurring.
That means you can now buy a phone that feels premium without paying premium prices, but it also makes choosing harder. Do you pick the C85 for its display and balance, or the P4x for endurance and value? We’ll unpack how they match up in real use so you can pick the one that actually fits your day.
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Voting polls for the Techloy Readers’ Choice Smartphone Awards 2025 are now live across the site. You can access them by tapping the pop-up on the right.
/1. Design
Both phones come with IP64 dust and water resistance, so everyday splashes and dusty pockets aren’t a concern. Where they start to part ways is in how they present themselves and how they settle in your hand.
The Poco C85 5G leans into a softer, more playful identity. The quad-curved back tapers gently into a slim 7.99mm frame, giving it that smooth, almost cushiony feel when you pick it up. The dual-tone finish adds a bit of flair without trying too hard, and the oversized camera deco feels intentional rather than loud. It comes in Mystic Purple, Spring Green, and Power Black colours that give it a light, youthful character. You get the sense that Poco wanted something that feels easygoing and approachable from the moment you see it.
The Realme P4x, on the other hand, carries itself with more weight, literally and visually. It’s a touch thicker at around 8.39mm and has a firmer, more planted feel when you grip it. The matte finishes — silver, elegant pink, and lake green — lean toward a cleaner, more refined aesthetic. Nothing flashy, nothing dramatic, just quiet confidence. That extra thickness makes room for its much larger battery and cooling system, so the phone feels built with purpose. It gives off the impression of a device meant to last longer sessions and take heavier workloads without fuss.
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Verdict: Poco leans more on style and premium finish, while Realme emphasizes functional design for performance and heat control.
/2. Display
When it comes to the display, both phones sport panels that feel worth their price. In the case of the Poco C85 5G, you’re getting a large 6.9-inch HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and brightness levels of 660 nits (typ) and 810 nits in HBM. It’s a big, easygoing screen that works well for everyday media, long scrolling sessions, and casual viewing. The size alone gives it a more cinematic feel, and the high refresh rate keeps things smooth.
But over on the Realme P4x 5G, the front sports a 6.72-inch FullHD+ LCD with a 144Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits. It’s clearly tuned for gaming and outdoor use, offering a sharper, brighter, and faster experience than what you get on the Poco. Everything from text to motion looks a bit more refined here, especially when you’re outside or playing fast-paced content.
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Verdict: Realme takes the edge here with its higher resolution, faster refresh rate, and superior brightness.
/3. Performance
The Poco C85 5G ships with different chips depending on the market — India gets the MediaTek Dimensity 6300, while the global model uses a MediaTek Helio G81-Ultra octa-core. Both, combined with HyperOS 2.0 on Android 15, make the phone snappy for day-to-day use: web browsing, social apps, and casual gaming. It also promises two Android upgrades and four years of security patches, which is a pleasant surprise at this price.
The Realme P4x 5G steps things up with the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultra (6nm), a chipset that pushes benchmark scores into territory you usually see on pricier phones. Realme backs that with software tricks up to 18GB of virtual RAM and storage expansion up to 256GB, and a large vapour chamber to keep temperatures in check during long gaming or heavy multitasking sessions.
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Verdict: For everyday users who want reliable performance and long software support, the Poco is more than capable. If you need extra headroom for gaming, multitasking, or future-proofing, the P4x clearly leads.
/4. Cameras
Poco C85 5G rocks a 50MP AI dual rear setup and an 8MP front camera. That 50MP sensor captures decent detail in good light and is perfectly fine for social posts, quick snaps, and the occasional wide scene.
The Realme P4x 5G also uses a 50MP main camera and adds 4K video recording support. Realme hasn’t made the P4x a camera-first phone; instead, it keeps things reliable while focusing on performance and battery. The P4x produces crisp daytime shots, and the 4K option is a useful bonus if you record a lot of video or want more room to crop in editing. Autofocus is snappy, and colours tend to be a touch more natural compared with the Poco’s slightly punchier processing.
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Verdict: Cameras are fairly even; neither is a standout, but both are respectable for their price points.
/5. Battery and Charging
Battery capacity has become a key selling point for budget phones, and both the Poco C85 5G and Realme P4x 5G make impressive claims. The Realme P4x 5G packs a massive 7,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging and bypass charging support. That combination is built to last through heavy usage and long gaming sessions, so you’re rarely worried about running out of juice.
The Poco C85 5G, meanwhile, isn’t far behind. It houses a 6,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, which can juice the phone to 50% in just 28 minutes. On top of that, it supports 10W wired reverse charging, letting the device double as a portable power bank for your earbuds, smartwatches, or other small devices.
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Verdict: Realme takes a slight edge with its larger capacity and faster charging, especially for power users or gamers.
/6. Storage and Memory
Both phones give you options to balance RAM and storage, though they take slightly different approaches.
The Poco C85 5G comes in 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB variants, using LPDDR4X RAM with eMMC 5.1 storage. It also supports memory extension up to 16GB, which uses available storage to give you extra RAM for smoother multitasking.
Meanwhile, the Realme P4x 5G offers 6GB or 8GB of RAM and supports 18GB of virtual RAM, giving it extra multitasking headroom. Storage expansion is supported up to 256GB, enough for most users, though not as massive as the Poco’s 1TB potential.
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Verdict: Poco leads on sheer storage flexibility and expansion, making it ideal if you want to carry lots of media or apps.
/7. Price and Availability
Poco C85 5G starts at ₹10,999 for the 4GB + 128GB variant, rises to ₹11,999 for 6GB + 128GB, and tops out at ₹13,499 for 8GB + 128GB. It will be available on Flipkart from December 16, making it one of the most affordable 5G options with a large battery and display in India.
The Realme P4x 5G starts higher, at ₹15,499 for 6GB + 128GB, going up to ₹16,999 for 8GB + 128GB and ₹17,999 for 8GB + 256GB. However, Realme is running a launch sale on Flipkart from December 10, where prices drop as low as ₹13,499 for a limited 12-hour window, bringing it closer to Poco’s range.
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Verdict: Poco wins on base affordability and broader accessibility.
Final Verdict
In most ways, the Realme P4x 5G outshines the Poco C85 5G — it packs a stronger chipset, a larger battery, faster 45W charging, and extra multitasking support with virtual RAM. It feels more capable under heavy use and more future-proof if you plan to keep your phone for a few years.
The Poco C85 5G, meanwhile, holds its ground as a budget-friendly, big-screen device that covers all the essentials: smooth daily performance, decent battery life, and a large 6.9-inch display that’s great for media and browsing.
Overall, it comes down to priorities. Pick the Realme P4x 5G if you want speed, endurance, and extra headroom for gaming or heavy multitasking. Choose the Poco C85 5G if you want affordability without compromising on screen size and everyday usability.
OnePlus 15 vs Realme GT 8 Pro
Which flagship should you buy?
Crypto traders hoping for a festive lift have been forced to reset expectations. The long-anticipated Federal Reserve rate cut arrived on Wednesday, a 25-basis-point cut, lowering the federal funds target to 3.50-3.75 per cent, yet it did little to ignite the traditional year-end momentum many in the market were watching for. Instead of a Santa rally, Bitcoin slipped from about $94,000 to below $90,000 within minutes of the Fed’s announcement, with other major coins following the same trend.
The reaction was telling. After a year defined by shifting macro signals and aggressive positioning, the first rate cut of this cycle was expected to offer a psychological boost. It did not. Markets pulled back, and crypto sentiment reset almost immediately. Traders are now looking past December and pinning their hopes on early 2026, where conviction appears far stronger than anything on offer this season.
Adam Chu, chief researcher at the options analytics platform GreeksLive, is quoted by Decrypt as having said that the seasonal liquidity crunch remains a major factor. “With Christmas and year-end settlement approaching, this period historically marks the weakest liquidity conditions in crypto,” he noted. He added that market activity tends to thin out sharply in late December. The result is a narrow window where even positive news struggles to translate into meaningful price action.
Bitcoin slumps despite Fed rate cut
Chu also pointed to a drop in implied volatility, a key metric watched closely by options traders. Lower implied volatility signals fewer expectations for sharp price swings. It is another reason, he said, why the odds of a sustained December rally were always slim. The aggressive positioning seen earlier in the quarter appears to have eased, replaced with caution as traders step back from the market’s most speculative corners.
The crypto market is now looking to 2026 instead
While December has disappointed, the tone for the first quarter of 2026 is far more optimistic. Traders are already shifting capital and risk appetite towards January and beyond, betting that the combination of looser monetary policy and fresh inflows could produce a stronger trend.
Sean Dawson, head of research at the on-chain options platform Derive, said the probability of Bitcoin pushing decisively through the six-figure threshold before Christmas has dwindled. “The chance of Bitcoin reclaiming and settling above $100,000 by Christmas now sits at around 24%,” he said. Only a month ago, those expectations were much higher. The new data shows how quickly sentiment has cooled.
Also read: Coinbase opens up full Solana token trading through in-app DEX for its 120 million users
Yet Dawson sees powerful signals further out. He said bullish traders are now “levering up for an explosive Q1”, pointing to a surge in call-option activity. Contracts at the $130,000 and $180,000 strikes for March 2026 have seen heavy accumulation. For analysts tracking order flow, it is a clear indication that traders believe the real opportunity lies beyond the holiday relative lull.
Several factors support this shift. The broader macro backdrop, while still uncertain, is expected to tilt more supportive as rate cuts stack up over the next year. Institutional flows into Bitcoin-linked products have remained steady. And despite short-term weakness, long-term holders continue to accumulate, reducing available supply on exchanges. Together, these dynamics help explain why bullish conviction has not evaporated but merely migrated to the first quarter.
For now, the market must navigate what is typically the quietest period of the year. Liquidity remains thin. Retail participation tends to fall away. And many major players prefer to avoid taking fresh risks before books close.
The lack of a Santa rally may frustrate some, but the data shows a more nuanced picture. Bitcoin has already logged strong gains this year, and the market is behaving more like a maturing asset class than in previous cycles. Sharp rallies on news events are becoming less common. Instead, traders appear more focused on multi-month positioning and macro catalysts that could build momentum through the early months of 2026.
The next few weeks may still deliver surprises, but expectations have shifted decisively. The real story is no longer the December dip. It is the growing belief that early 2026 could set the tone for the next major phase of Bitcoin’s market cycle.
TECHNOLOGY
Disney to invest $1bn in OpenAI, allowing use of characters in video generation tool | Business
Walt Disney has announced a $1bn equity investment in OpenAI, enabling the AI start-up’s Sora video generation tool to use its characters.
Users of Sora will be able to generate short, user-prompted social videos that draw on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters as part of a three-year licensing agreement between OpenAI and the entertainment giant.
A selection of the videos made by users will also be available for streaming on the Disney+ platform.
Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, hailed a deal which paired his firm’s “iconic stories and characters” with OpenAI’s AI technology. It will place “imagination and creativity directly into the hands of Disney fans in ways we’ve never seen before”, he claimed.
But it comes amid intense anxiety in Hollywood over the impact of artificial intelligence on the industry, expression and rights of creators.
Disney will also use OpenAI’s application programming interfaces to build new products and tools, becoming a major customer of the ChatGPT maker. It will also deploy ChatGPT for its employees, the companies said.
“Technological innovation has continually shaped the evolution of entertainment, bringing with it new ways to create and share great stories with the world,” said Iger. “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence marks an important moment for our industry, and through this collaboration with OpenAI we will thoughtfully and responsibly extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.”
Reuters contributed reporting
Two new projects on the site of a former oil refinery could create up to 460 new jobs in the coming years, with the help of cash from the UK and Scottish governments.
Scottish Energy Secretary Gillian Martin said the announcements by two firms of plans to create jobs shows a “long-term, new industrial future at Grangemouth is achievable”.
Scottish biotech firm MiAlgae hopes to create 130 direct full-time jobs over the next five years – and support 180 further posts – by making fish-free Omega 3 supplements using leftover by-products from the whisky production process.
With the proposals announced in the wake of the closure of what was Scotland’s only oil refinery back in April, MiAlgae is being helped with £1.5m of funding from both governments.
The UK government cash is coming from a £14.5m funding pot for the Grangemouth area announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as part of last month’s budget.
With the project also receiving Just Transition Funding from the Scottish government, MiAlgae can now construct its first commercial-scale manufacturing facility.
MiAlgae founder and chief executive Douglas Martin said breaking ground at Grangemouth “marks an exciting new chapter” for his company.
He added: “Our mission has always been to make a meaningful impact, tackling overfishing, reducing waste, and creating sustainable value from industrial by-products.
“This new facility is a huge step towards delivering that mission at scale, bringing new, high-quality green jobs to the local area, and helping Scotland lead the way in this exciting new biotech industry.”
Meanwhile, Celtic Renewables could create up to 149 jobs by 2030 after it received £6.23m of cash from Holyrood ministers towards the planning and construction of a new £120m industrial-scale biorefinery.
This work will see waste products from the food, drink and farming sectors converted into acetone, butanol and ethanol – chemicals used in everyday items such as cleaning products and nail varnish remover.
Celtic Renewables biorefinery at Grangemouth. Pic: Celtic Renewables
Celtic Renewables currently operates a commercial demonstrator biorefinery on a 2.5 acre site at Grangemouth.
Mark Simmers, the firm’s chief executive, said: “This investment is a landmark moment for green technologies and is a significant recognition of the work Celtic Renewables is doing for Scotland’s green economy and the future of Grangemouth.
“With this support from Scottish government, we can progress our plans to upscale our production capabilities in a large-scale biorefinery with 10 times the capacity of our current facility, creating new green job opportunities, to meet the fast-growing demand for low-carbon, bio-based chemicals.”
Read more from Sky News:
Jobs at risk as fast food chain moves to cut restaurants
Burger King UK lands new backing from buyout firm
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said the £1.5m investment will “support MiAlgae’s innovative green technology and boost jobs and investment in Grangemouth”.
He added: “The UK government is backing Grangemouth’s future with real investment and a clear plan.
“We promised to secure the site’s long-term future and create good jobs, and that’s exactly what we’re doing – supporting new industries, creating opportunities, and ensuring this site remains a vital part of Scotland’s industrial heartland for generations to come.”
Scottish government funding of £600,000 is also being given to Scottish Enterprise to support work to ensure Grangemouth is seen as attractive for new investors.
Speaking about the proposals from MiAlgae and Celtic Renewables, MSP Ms Martin said: “Today’s announcement will help to support the creation of up to 460 roles directly and across the supply chain in Scotland, and help to highlight the wide range of viable alternatives for Grangemouth.
“They demonstrate that a long-term, new industrial future at Grangemouth is achievable, and will be vital to support the local workforce and community.
“This funding is only the start of the Scottish government’s support to help safeguard Grangemouth’s role as a leading industrial cluster, and ensure the site continues to support our economy through new, green investment opportunities.”
In Nigeria, students and budget users need durable, reliable laptops without breaking the bank or spending money they don’t have on high-end models. While flagship laptops get all the hype and attention, modern entry-level and mid-range budget-friendly laptops are now built to offer features such as SSD storage, efficient processors, and good battery life.
This guide will focus on the best laptops for students and budget users that deliver the highest value under ₦700,000.00 ($482.53). These utility laptops are suitable for entrepreneurs, remote workers, and students who need a budget-friendly device for everyday use.
The top 5 budget-friendly laptops for Nigerian students and every user.
Here are the top five budget-friendly laptops for Nigerian students. The laptops are a good choice for students and everyday users on a budget.
HP 250 G10 (13th Gen core i3)
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1315U
- RAM/Storage: 8GB DDR4 RAM / 512GB NVMe SSD
- Price: ₦575,000.00-₦596,000.00 ($396.37-$410.84)
- Display: 15.6-inch
- Battery: 3-Cell, 41 Wh
- Battery Life: Expect around 5-6 hours of real-world web browsing and document editing.
The HP 250 G10 is built for durability. It passed the MIL-STD 810H military-grade tests, meaning it can withstand the bumps, drops, and other rough handling of daily student life better than most.
It features a single USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, an HDMI port, and a headphone/mic port. Its RAM is accessible and upgradable, and it weighs 1.2 kg.
Acer Aspire 3 (AMD Ryzen 3 7320U)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 7320U
- RAM/Storage: 8GB LPDDR5 RAM / 256GB or 512GB NVMe SSD
- Price: ₦550,000.00-₦650,000.00 ($379.13-$448.07)
- Display: 15.6-inch
- Battery: 3-Cell, 40 Wh
- Battery Life: Expect 9-12 hours of continuous web browsing or video playback.
With its AMD Ryzen Mendocino processor, the Acer Aspire 3 delivers outstanding battery life, rivalling many high-end laptops.
The base version weighs 1.6kg and features a single USB Type-C port, two USB Type-A ports, and an HDMI port. The RAM is soldered and cannot be upgraded; instead, buy the 8GB version for efficiency. For peak performance, avoid the 4GB version.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 (AMD Ryzen 5 7520U)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7520U (or similar 7000 series)
- RAM/Storage: 8GB LPDDR5 RAM / 512GB NVMe SSD
- Price: ₦600,000.00-₦700,000.00 ($413.60-$482.53)
- Display: 15.6-inch
- Battery: 3-Cell, 47 Wh
- Battery Life: Expect 7-9 hours of real-world web browsing.
The IdeaPad Slim 3 is an all-rounder and ideal for multitasking, light coding, data analysis, and running complex software.
It features one USB Type-C (Gen 2) port, two USB Type-A ports, and one HDMI port. Like the ACER, its RAM is soldered to the motherboard and can’t be upgraded. The design is slim and weighs 1.62kg.
Dell Vostro 3530 (Core i3)
- Processor: 13th Gen Intel Core i3-1305U
- RAM/Storage: 8GB DDR4 RAM / 512GB NVMe SSD
- Price: ₦535,000.00-₦595,000.00 ($368.79-410.15)
- Display: 15.6-inch
- Battery: 3-Cell, 41 Wh (Note: A larger 54 Wh battery exists but is more expensive)
- Battery Life: Similar to the HP, expect 5-6 hours of typical web browsing.
This is a mini workstation for students or users who prefer a heavy-duty build and want to self-upgrade the RAM, which comes in two standard SODIMM slots, making it easy to upgrade to 16GB.
The laptop also features a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet port. It weighs 1.9kg and passes the MIL-STD durability test.
ASUS Vivobook 15 (12/13th Gen Intel/AMD)
- Processor: 12th/13th Gen Intel Core i3 or AMD Ryzen 3/5
- RAM/Storage: 8GB DDR4 RAM / 256GB or 512GB SSD
- Price: ₦550,000.00-₦650,000.00 ($379.13-$448.07)
- Display: 15.6-inch
- Battery: 3-Cell, 42 Wh
- Battery Life: Expect around 5-7 hours of real-world web browsing.
ASUS is popular for consistently delivering style and value. The Vivobook 15 does not disappoint. It features vibrant displays, a slim design, and, like HP and DELL, it passes the durability test.
The laptop also features a USB Type-C port, USB Type-A ports, and an HDMI port. The base version weighs 1.7kg, and it has upgradable RAM. Most 8GB models have 4GB or 8GB soldered plus one open SODIMM slot, making it easy to upgrade to 12GB or 16GB.
Visual aid: guide to choosing the best value laptops for students and users on a budget
This visual aid focuses on the key differences between these laptops.
LaptopProcessor BatteryBattery life Upgradable RAM?Best for Acer Aspire 3Ryzen 37320U40 Wh9-12 hours NoBattery life Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3Ryzen 57520U47 Wh7-9 hoursNoAll-round performance ASUS Vivobook 15Core i3 /Ryzen 342 Wh5-7 hours Yes (1 slot)Style and durability HP 250 G10Corei3-1315U41 Wh5-6 hours Yes (2 slots) Durability Dell Vostro 3530Corei3-1305U41 Wh5-6 hours Yes (2 slots) Upgradability
Essential checklists before buying value laptops
- There’s no justification for buying a traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Always go for a Solid State drive (SSD)
- 4GB RAM is not enough to operate Windows 11. Buying a laptop with at least 8GB RAM is more prudent.
- Ask if the RAM is soldered or SODIMM. Soldered RAM means it can’t be upgraded, while SODIMM RAM can be upgraded later.
- A large watt-hour (Wh) capacity isn’t the only determinant for a solid battery life. Research the processor and how it saves battery.
- Look for an Intel Core i3 (12th Gen or newer) or an AMD Ryzen 3/5 (5000-series or 7020-series). These modern CPUs are far more powerful and power-efficient.
Finding a reliable and efficient laptop in Nigeria for under ₦700,000 is entirely achievable, as the models highlighted demonstrate. The best value laptop is ultimately the one that meets your specific priorities.
Before you make your final decision, remember the crucial checklist: prioritise a Solid State Drive (SSD), insist on at least 8GB of RAM (and know if it’s upgradable), and select a modern Intel Core i3 (12th Gen or newer) or AMD Ryzen (7020 series or newer) processor. By following this guide, you can confidently invest in a powerful budget laptop that will serve you well through your studies and beyond.