Tekin Morning: OpenAI's Free Trial Counter-Attack, Battlefield 6 Reclaims the Throne, and the Dishwasher-Safe Flagship (Dec 17 Analysis)

1. Introduction: A Wednesday of Contradictions

Welcome to December 17, 2025.
Today is a strange day in the technology calendar. On one hand, barriers to entry are crumbling—companies are making advanced AI easier and cheaper to access than ever before. On the other hand, security firms are screaming from the rooftops that this very accessibility has created the largest cyber-vulnerability crisis in history.
We woke up to a world where a smartphone can survive a 70°C cycle in a dishwasher, yet a massive cloud server can be brought to its knees by a single line of AI-generated code. In this edition of "Tekin Morning," we connect the dots between marketing stunts, sales records, and security warnings to give you the full picture.

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2. The Subscription Wars: Why is ChatGPT Plus Free?

Hours ago, users in the United Kingdom were greeted with a surprising banner on the OpenAI homepage: "Try ChatGPT Plus Free for 1 Month."
For a company that spent 2023 and 2024 with massive waitlists, giving away their premium product seems counter-intuitive. However, if we look at the market dynamics of late 2025, the reason is crystal clear.

2.1. The "Gemini Effect" and User Churn

With the aggressive rollout of Gemini 3.0 Pro by Google (which we covered in last night's report) and the cult-like following of Claude Opus 4.5 among developers, OpenAI is feeling the heat.
Internal reports suggest that the "Churn Rate" (the rate at which subscribers cancel) for ChatGPT Plus has spiked in Q4 2025. Power users are migrating to Claude because it writes cleaner code, and casual users are drifting to Gemini because it is deeply integrated into their Gmail and Docs ecosystems. OpenAI is no longer the only game in town.

2.2. The "First Dose is Free" Strategy

This pilot program in the UK (rumored to expand to Canada and Australia next week) is a classic retention strategy. By removing the $20 barrier, OpenAI hopes to hook users on the exclusive features of the o1-preview models and the hyper-realistic Advanced Voice Mode.
The catch? You must enter your credit card details to claim the trial. It relies on the inertia of human behavior—users are likely to forget to cancel, converting a free trial into a paid subscription in Month 2.

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3. The 2025 Cloud Security Report: Code Red

If you think AI is just a helpful assistant that writes poems or refactors your CSS, think again. A chilling new report released yesterday by Palo Alto Networks exposes the dark underbelly of the "AI Boom."

3.1. The Terrifying Stat: 99% Breach Rate

The "State of Cloud Security 2025" report surveyed thousands of CTOs. The findings are staggering:

• 99% of organizations admit to using "AI-assisted coding tools" (like Copilot, Ghostwriter, or Codeium).
• Almost all of them (99%) experienced at least one successful attack on their cloud infrastructure in the past year.

The problem isn't that the AI is malicious; the problem is Velocity vs. Security.
Development teams using AI are deploying code 10x faster than before. However, security teams are still working at human speeds. Only 18% of teams can patch bugs as fast as they are deployed. The other 82% are pushing vulnerabilities directly into production environments.

3.2. Rogue Agents and the API Threat

Another analysis by Thales points to a new concept called "AI Fault Lines."
Attacks on APIs have grown by 41% year-over-year. Why? Because we are now deploying "Agentic AI"—autonomous bots that can handle payments, manage emails, or access databases.
Hackers have realized they don't need to break into the server; they just need to hijack the Identity of the Agent. Once they compromise an Agent's API token, they can move laterally through the cloud network, turning a helpful bot into a malicious insider spy.

3.3. Follow the Money: Blackstone & Cyera

This fear is driving massive capital flow. The Wall Street Journal reported this morning that financial giant Blackstone has led a $400 million investment round in Cyera, an Israeli cybersecurity startup.
Cyera specializes in DSPM (Data Security Posture Management). It uses AI to autonomously scan an organization's cloud to find where sensitive data is hidden and who (or what bot) has access to it. It’s an industry born out of necessity: we are using AI to protect us from the mess AI created.

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4. Gaming: The Redemption of DICE

Let’s pivot from the scary world of cyber-warfare to the digital battlefields of entertainment, where one of gaming’s biggest redemption arcs has just concluded.

4.1. Battlefield 6: The King Returns

After the disaster that was Battlefield 2042, many wrote off the franchise. However, sales data from December 2025 confirms that Battlefield 6 has officially become the best-selling game of the year across Console and PC, dethroning long-time rivals.
How did DICE fix it? By listening to the players:

• Return of Classes: No more "Heroes." The classic Assault, Medic, Engineer, and Recon structure is back.
• Levolution 2.0: Real-time, physics-based destruction that actually alters the map flow.
• Free-to-Play Royale: A standalone Battle Royale mode that rivals Warzone, acting as a funnel for the main game.

4.2. December's Heavy Traffic

IGN has updated its "New Games of December" list, reminding us that the year isn't over yet. The holiday break will be packed with heavy hitters:

• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: The game Nintendo fans waited a decade for is finally here, showcasing the power of the Switch 2.
• Terminator 2D: No Fate: A surprise hit. This pixel-art, arcade-style shooter captures the vibe of the 90s movies perfectly and has become a darling of the Steam Deck community.
• Ashes of Creation: The ambitious MMORPG is finally entering open beta, promising a player-driven economy that actually works.

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5. Mobile Tech: When "Waterproof" Gets Serious

In a mobile market where every glass rectangle looks the same, OnePlus has decided to differentiate through sheer durability.

5.1. OnePlus 13 Ultra Aqua

Android Central ran a headline today that garnered a lot of clicks: "The Best Phone of 2025 Can Go in the Dishwasher."
They are referring to the OnePlus 13 Ultra "Aqua Edition." This device boasts a military-grade build and an IP69K rating.
IP69K is vastly superior to the standard IP68 found in iPhones. It means the phone can withstand high-pressure, high-temperature (80°C) water jets. OnePlus is marketing this to chefs, mechanics, and parents, explicitly stating that you can wash the phone alongside your dirty dishes to sanitize it. At $200 less than the S25 Ultra, it’s a compelling niche.

5.2. Flagship Market Check

Speaking of competitors, TechRadar reports that holiday discounts are in full swing as we approach the January launch of the Galaxy S26:

• Google Pixel 10: Now heavily bundled with Pixel Buds, pushing the Gemini AI ecosystem.
• Galaxy S25 Ultra: Still the productivity king with its S-Pen, now seeing price cuts of up to 15% in major retail chains.

All three major brands (Apple, Google, Samsung) have pivoted entirely to On-Device AI using dedicated NPUs, moving away from cloud reliance for privacy reasons.

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6. Conclusion: Security Requires Skill

What is the through-line connecting today's news?
Technology is advancing at breakneck speed. We have bots that write code (OpenAI), phones that survive boiling water (OnePlus), and games that simulate hyper-realistic war (Battlefield).
However, the missing link in all these stories is the Human Element.
As the Palo Alto report warns, AI tools are just that—tools. If a developer uses ChatGPT to write code but lacks the skill to secure it, the AI becomes a liability. If a company deploys an Agentic AI but forgets to lock down its API, they are handing the keys to hackers.
At Tekin Game, our mission is to help you navigate this. Later today, look out for our technical guide on "Securing AI-Generated Code."