Evening links — October 13, 2026

Character.AI has filed for Chapter 11 and may shut down without a buyer—a reminder that keeping people chatting also keeps the AI bill running. [Ivan Mehta]

Bending Spoons’ acquisition machine keeps producing pink slips: it says a “large part” of Airtable’s team is being laid off a month after the purchase. [Emma Roth]

Luxury brands raised prices until some of their aspirational customers could only aspire; HSBC now expects sector organic sales growth below 3% in Q3, down from 7% the quarter before. [Daphne Howland]

David Solomon says he’s “really enjoying the job” and denies that a Goldman Sachs succession transition or timeline is underway, despite reports naming John Waldron as his likely replacement. [CNBC]