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By Stephanie Palazzolo

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Recent Editions

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Photo via Getty.

Anthropic Pulls Ahead in the AI Agent Race

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 23, 2024 7:00am PDT

In the tight race between well-funded developers of conversational AI, Anthropic has suddenly made some real gains.The startup on Tuesday announced new software that completes tasks for people, such as building a website or editing a spreadsheet. The feature, called “computer use,” means that Anthropic’s Claude model can actually view users’... In the tight race between well-funded developers of conversational AI, Anthropic has suddenly...

Photo via Getty

How AI Dealmakers Are Sidestepping Regulators

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 22, 2024 7:15am PDT

Attention: AI startups. What’s the best way to sell your company without the prying eyes of antitrust regulators? Make yourself so small you won’t attract attention!We’re serious, kind of. We’re hearing that a lesser-known loophole to the rules determining when companies have to notify antitrust regulators about an acquisition is based on the... Attention: AI startups. What’s the best way to sell your company without the prying eyes of...

Photo by Getty

What OpenAI’s Leadership Team Is Missing

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 21, 2024 7:00am PDT

A rare piece of OpenAI personnel news: a leader coming back to the company rather than leaving.Senior leaders expect Greg Brockman, co-founder and president, to return to OpenAI in the next month or so, following a sabbatical that started in August. While Brockman had said he would return at the end of the year, his decision to take a break had... A rare piece of OpenAI personnel news: a leader coming back to the company rather than leaving....

Mistral's CEO, Arthur Mensch. Photo via Getty.

Why Mistral is a Takeover Candidate

By Kalley Huang · Oct 17, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Mistral's CEO, Arthur Mensch. Photo via Getty.

Why Mistral is a Takeover Candidate

By Kalley Huang · Oct 17, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

Earlier today, we published our Generative AI Takeover List of 78 startups that could be acquisition targets. The list includes companies that develop their own models or robots, haven’t raised funding in at least two years, or both. These companies are most likely to face a cash crunch and be open to takeover offers.My colleagues Stephanie and... Earlier today, we published our Generative AI Takeover List of 78 startups that could be...

Photo via Getty

Chip Boom Strains Nvidia’s Relationship with its Most Important Supplier

By Amir Efrati · Oct 16, 2024 7:00am PDT

Nvidia and OpenAI may get the headlines, but their microprocessors and artificial intelligence wouldn’t be possible without the good people of Taiwan—specifically, more than 70,000 employees and leaders of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.A few years ago, my colleague Wayne took readers into the deep relationship between TSMC and Apple,... Nvidia and OpenAI may get the headlines, but their microprocessors and artificial intelligence...

Photo via Getty.

OpenAI’s Charity Could Soon Be Worth $40 Billion

By Rocket Drew · Oct 15, 2024 7:00am PDT

Score one for OpenAI? Before we get to today’s column, we should flag Aaron’s scoop yesterday about OpenAI hiring one of Microsoft’s most prominent artificial intelligence researchers. It must be a welcome relief for OpenAI to be on the receiving end of such a move for a change.Onto today’s issue…Between headlines about OpenAI’s... Score one for OpenAI? Before we get to today’s column, we should flag Aaron’s scoop...

Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI. Photo via Getty.

OpenAI’s Newest Possible Threat: Ex-CTO Murati; Google’s Mini-ChatGPT Moment

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Erin Woo · Oct 14, 2024 8:00am PDT

When it comes to recruiting and retaining artificial intelligence researchers, OpenAI has faced tougher competition this year from old and new rivals. Now it’s facing pressure from a very recent former employee: ex-chief technology officer Mira Murati.Murati, whose last day was Friday, October 4 and now is as an advisor to the company, has been... When it comes to recruiting and retaining artificial intelligence researchers, OpenAI has faced...

Geoff Hinton. Photo by Getty.

OpenAI Turns a Profit…in 2029 Maybe; Post-Murati Personnel Moves; Hinton Shades Altman

By Amir Efrati and Rocket Drew · Oct 10, 2024 7:00am PDT

Geoff Hinton. Photo by Getty.

OpenAI Turns a Profit…in 2029 Maybe; Post-Murati Personnel Moves; Hinton Shades Altman

By Amir Efrati and Rocket Drew · Oct 10, 2024 7:00am PDT

Howdy! Amir and Rocket here. Before we get to today’s column, please read this phenomenal piece from Aaron about Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s market analysis methods. Hint: they involve an absurd number of meetings and calls with people outside his company. It’s a leadership masterclass.Onto today’s issue…When we told you in July that ... Howdy! Amir and Rocket here. Before we get to today’s column, please read this phenomenal...

Speakers at The Information's 2024 WTF conference. Left to right: Liz Reid, VP and Head of Search at Google; Jennifer Tejada, CEO and Chairperson at PagerDuty; and Daniela Amodei, President and co-founder of Anthropic. Photos by Erin Beach for the Information.

Confronting the Challenges of AI

By Kalley Huang · Oct 9, 2024 7:05am PDT

Welcome back! Kalley here, reporting from The Information’s Women in Tech, Media and Finance Summit in Yountville, Calif., on Monday and Tuesday. Artificial intelligence was a major theme this year, unsurprisingly. Our speakers wrestled with some of the biggest questions gripping the industry: how developers will make money after... Welcome back! Kalley here, reporting from The Information’s Women in Tech, Media and Finance...

Photo via Getty.

The Startups Helping Businesses Decode AI Decisions

By Rocket Drew · Oct 8, 2024 7:00am PDT · 2 comments

First off, check out my colleagues’ story this morning about how OpenAI is growing impatient with Microsoft’s ability to provide it with enough servers to run its technology, prompting OpenAI to take greater control of its own data center, chip and power planning.Onto today’s issue…Venture capitalists have recently funded half a dozen or so... First off, check out my colleagues’ story this morning about how OpenAI is growing impatient with...

OpenAI's canvas toolbar. Art by The Information.

OpenAI’s Attempt to Catch Up With Anthropic Could Cannibalize Its Business

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 7, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

OpenAI closed out its big week of fundraising news with a rather understated product announcement: the release of Canvas, a new ChatGPT interface that makes it easier for users to draft documents and code.That might not sound like a big deal. But it has bigger implications for the company’s position in the AI race and its relationship with its... OpenAI closed out its big week of fundraising news with a rather understated product...

Photo via Getty

OpenAI Needs to Raise More Money Again Soon

By Kate Clark and Kalley Huang · Oct 3, 2024 7:00am PDT

Photo via Getty

OpenAI Needs to Raise More Money Again Soon

By Kate Clark and Kalley Huang · Oct 3, 2024 7:00am PDT

OpenAI just raised one of the biggest private pools of capital in Silicon Valley history. Ironically, one of the biggest questions is how soon it will try to raise that kind of money again, thanks to its high cash burn.Its $6.6 billion financing capped a convoluted and sometimes chaotic process that spanned continents. Investors are valuing... OpenAI just raised one of the biggest private pools of capital in Silicon Valley history....

OpenAI Plugs the Holes In its $1 Billion App-Developer Business

OpenAI Plugs the Holes In its $1 Billion App-Developer Business

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 2, 2024 7:00am PDT

Before we get to OpenAI’s new products for customers of its artificial intelligence models, we wanted to flag the plans of Barret Zoph, one of three key technical leaders who unexpectedly resigned last week.Zoph previously led the OpenAI team responsible for preparing AI models for release, known as post-training, and has told people that he... Before we get to OpenAI’s new products for customers of its artificial intelligence models, we...

Sam Altman at Italian Tech Week last Wednesday in Turin, Italy. Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty.

The OpenAI Researchers Who Matter Now

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Oct 1, 2024 7:00am PDT

Before we get to today’s newsletter, just a reminder that OpenAI will be holding its Dev Day event in San Francisco today. (This is just one of three developer-focused events the ChatGPT maker is hosting over the next two months, compared to the one-and-done approach from last year.)For those hoping for GPT-5, don’t hold your breath. Romain Huet... Before we get to today’s newsletter, just a reminder that OpenAI will be holding its Dev Day...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott. Photo by AFP via Getty.

Why Microsoft Will Likely Keep Its Iron Grip on OpenAI’s Future Profits; Newsom’s Strange AI Veto

By Aaron Holmes, Rocket Drew and Josh Koehn · Sep 30, 2024 7:20am PDT

As OpenAI nears a much-needed capital raise, some investors in the company have privately voiced hope that its largest shareholder and benefactor, Microsoft, will relinquish its rights to a large share of OpenAI’s future profits—an arrangement that effectively lowers the value of shares held by newer investors.I wouldn’t bet on it.Microsoft has... As OpenAI nears a much-needed capital raise, some investors in the company have privately voiced...

Photo via Getty

A Flurry of Leadership Departures at OpenAI; Meta Flexes Its Advantage

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Kalley Huang · Sep 26, 2024 7:00am PDT

Photo via Getty

A Flurry of Leadership Departures at OpenAI; Meta Flexes Its Advantage

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Kalley Huang · Sep 26, 2024 7:00am PDT

You know what they say: when it rains, it pours. OpenAI employees experienced that firsthand yesterday, when they received abrupt news of three major leadership departures.Chief technology officer Mira Murati, chief research officer Bob McGrew and head of post-training Barret Zoph are all leaving the ChatGPT maker, leaders told staff yesterday.... You know what they say: when it rains, it pours. OpenAI employees experienced that firsthand...

A still from a Sora-generated video. Photo via OpenAI.

OpenAI is Revamping Sora AI Video

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Sep 25, 2024 7:20am PDT

Between OpenAI’s long-awaited Strawberry launch and its monster ongoing fundraising, it might be easy to forget about Sora, a video-generating model it teased in February to global fanfare. A number of investors told me at the time that the impressive Sora demos cast a worrying shadow over the gaggle of competing AI video startups that had... Between OpenAI’s long-awaited Strawberry launch and its monster ongoing fundraising, it might be...

Photo via Getty

Microsoft AI Chief Suleyman Shuffles Unit Leadership, Pointing to Shift in Strategy

By Aaron Holmes · Sep 24, 2024 7:00am PDT

In case you missed it, my colleagues broke news yesterday about Anthropic’s attempt to draft off OpenAI’s pending fundraising, by looking to do its own funding round. Like OpenAI, Anthropic wants to double its valuation. Whether it can do so despite weaker financials remains to be seen! On to today’s issue… It’s been a while since... In case you missed it, my colleagues broke news yesterday about Anthropic’s attempt to draft off...

Sam Altman. Photo by Getty

Altman's Master Stroke?; Why Google Should Start Worrying About ChatGPT

By Amir Efrati · Sep 23, 2024 7:00am PDT

A lot happened toward the end of last week. For starters, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman showed once again that he's a master of fundraising. Despite what seemed like a lack of investor enthusiasm just a few weeks ago, Altman appears to have gotten enough demand to raise more than $6 billion for the ChatGPT creator, at a roughly $150 billion... A lot happened toward the end of last week. For starters, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman showed once again...

Image via Grok

OpenAI's Miniature Reasoning Model is Mighty—and Affordable

By Amir Efrati · Sep 19, 2024 7:00am PDT

Image via Grok

OpenAI's Miniature Reasoning Model is Mighty—and Affordable

By Amir Efrati · Sep 19, 2024 7:00am PDT

OpenAI’s week of good news keeps getting better.After releasing an initial version of its o1 reasoning model, o1-preview, last week, new details are emerging about a smaller but faster version, o1-mini. OpenAI’s week of good news keeps getting better.After releasing an initial version of its o1...