Axios

Adobe products are just too hard to quit, according to an FTC lawsuit.

Zoom in: In a suit filed today by the DOJ on behalf of the regulator, the FTC alleges Adobe "trapped" unwitting customers into annual subscriptions for its popular software products like Acrobat, Photoshop and Illustrator with a payment plan that appeared to be a monthly one.

• It further alleges that when customers tried to cancel subscriptions, Adobe made it difficult — with no direct process on its website and inflicting unnecessary delays with customer service.

McDonald's is killing its experiment with AI drive-thru order handling — at least for now — after social media reports of bizarre mistakes.

Why it matters: The fast-food giant was betting on AI as a way to simplify and expedite the drive-thru experience.

Toncoin, the cryptocurrency from The Open Network, which is closely associated with the giant messaging app, Telegram, hit an all-time high Friday.

Why it matters: Toncoin's blockchain has basically the same features as Ethereum, a speediness akin to Solana and privileged access to one of the biggest apps in the world.

• Notably, crypto people have been heavy users of Telegram since the 2017 ICO boom, when it became the go-to way to communicate with masses of fans.

While it seems like we did this story when Ladan Stewart left the SEC to join the other side, that was a different crypto-focused office.

• Today, another high-ranking attorney focused on the blockchain industry announced he has left the agency.

Driving the news: David Hirsch has been at the SEC for just under nine years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Zoom in: He was in the mix on busting SafeMoon, the cryptocurrency that taxed sellers. Its founders were arrested in November.

• He gave the industry a warning about how far-reaching the crypto crackdown on the industry would be last fall. In particular, that warning seems to have presaged the Uniswap suit that appears to be coming.

China's rise to global economic powerhouse was propelled in part by a historic property boom. Now, a yearslong housing crisis keeps dragging the economy down — a notable reversal in the economic dynamics between the China and U.S.

Why it matters: China's government stimulus measures to shore up its property sector have yet to produce results. Efforts to offset that pain by boosting manufacturing and exports face intense pushback from other global powers, such as the U.S.