Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley set to take lead on listing
Category: finance
Analog hardware may solve Internet of Things’ speed bumps and bottlenecks
The ubiquity of smart devices—not just phones and watches, but lights, refrigerators, doorbells and more, all constantly recording and transmitting data—is creating massive volumes of digital information that drain energy and slow data transmission speeds. With the rising use of artificial intelligence in industries ranging from health care and finance to transportation and manufacturing, addressing the issue is becoming more pressing.
A research team led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst aims to address the problem with new technology that uses old-school analog computing: an electrical component known as a memristor.
“Certainly, our society is more and more connected, and the number of those devices is increasing exponentially,” says Qiangfei Xia, the Dev and Linda Gupta professor in the Riccio College of Engineering at UMass Amherst. “If everyone is collecting and processing data the old way, the amount of data is going to be exploding. We cannot handle that anymore.”
Ben & Marc: Why Everything Is About to Get 10x Bigger
The media and tech landscape is undergoing a significant transformation driven by advancements in AI, technology, and new structures, enabling entrepreneurs and companies to achieve exponential growth and innovation ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.
Building Your Own Platform.
🚀 Q: How can writers escape traditional media constraints? A: Launch on decentralized platforms like Substack where you build your own brand and business as a “non-fungible writer”, potentially creating organizations 10x larger than traditional media companies you’d work for.
💰 Q: What makes writer-led platforms attractive investments? A: Platforms become cornerstone franchises when writers only succeed by making the platform successful, creating aligned incentives that generate significant returns while enabling top talent to build independent businesses.
📊 Q: What content opportunity exists in decentralized media? A: A barbell market is emerging with mainstream filler content on one end and massive untapped demand for high-quality niche content on the other, creating opportunities across various specialized domains.
Leveraging AI for Business.
OpenAI May Be On The Brink of Collapse
OpenAI is facing a potentially crippling lawsuit from Elon Musk, financial strain, and sustainability concerns, which could lead to its collapse and undermine its mission and trust in its AI technology ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.
Legal and Corporate Structure.
🔴 Q: What equity stake could Musk claim from OpenAI? A: Musk invested $30M representing 60% of OpenAI’s original funding and the lawsuit could force OpenAI to grant him equity as compensation for the nonprofit-to-for-profit transition that allegedly cut him out.
⚖️ Q: What are the trial odds and timeline for Musk’s lawsuit? A: The trial is set for April after a judge rejected OpenAI and Microsoft’s dismissal bid, with Kalshi predicting Musk has a 65% chance of winning the case.
Funding and Financial Stability.
💰 Q: How could the lawsuit impact OpenAI’s ability to raise capital? A: The lawsuit threatens to cut off OpenAI’s lifeline to cash and venture capital funding, potentially leading to insolvency and preventing them from pursuing an IPO due to uncertainty around financial stability and corporate governance.
Sam Altman Cornered by Discovery: Intent & Emails in Elon’s OpenAI Lawsuit
Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and his own ambitious plans for AI and tech innovations, including new devices and massive growth for his companies, are positioning him for a major impact on the tech industry, but also come with significant challenges and risks ## Questions to inspire discussion.
Legal Risk Management.
🔍 Q: How does the discovery process threaten OpenAI regardless of lawsuit outcome?
A: Discovery forces exposure of sensitive internal information including Greg Brockman’s 2017 diary entries revealing intent to become for-profit and violating prior agreements with Elon Musk, creating reputational damage and investor uncertainty even if OpenAI wins the case.
⏱️ Q: Why is lawsuit timing particularly damaging to OpenAI’s competitive position?
A: The lawsuit hits during OpenAI’s massive capital raise preparation, forcing delays in fundraising and implementation that allow competitors like Google and Anthropic to advance while OpenAI falls behind, similar to how Meta became less relevant in the AI race.
What Is Manus? The AI agent that made Meta make a billion-dollar move
Meta Platforms is making one of its boldest moves yet in the global artificial intelligence race. The social media giant has agreed to acquire Manus, a fast-growing AI startup based in Singapore, as it looks to turn years of heavy spending on artificial intelligence into real, usable products and revenue.
For Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, artificial intelligence is no longer just another technology experiment. It has become the company’s top priority. Meta is investing billions of dollars into hiring top researchers, building massive data centers, and developing powerful new AI models. The acquisition of Manus signals a clear shift from long-term research to tools that businesses and everyday users can start using now. Manus is best known for its AI agent, a type of software that can perform tasks on its own once given basic instructions. Unlike chatbots that need constant prompts, AI agents are designed to act more like digital employees. Manus’ agent can screen job resumes, plan travel itineraries, analyse stock data, and carry out research tasks with minimal human involvement.
This practical approach may be exactly what Meta needs. While the company has spent heavily on AI, investors have questioned when those investments would begin to generate meaningful returns. Manus already operates on a subscription model and had an annual revenue run rate of about 125 million dollars earlier this year. That gives Meta a ready-made product that can be sold to businesses almost immediately. The startup behind Manus is called Butterfly Effect. It was founded in China but later moved its headquarters to Singapore, a move that reflects a wider trend among Chinese tech companies seeking a more stable base amid rising tensions between China and the United States. Earlier this year, Butterfly Effect raised funding at a valuation close to 500 million dollars in a round led by US venture capital firm Benchmark. Meta has not disclosed the financial details of the acquisition.
The Singularity Countdown: AGI by 2029, Humans Merge with AI, Intelligence 1000x | Ray Kurzweil
Ray Kurzweil predicts humans will merge with artificial intelligence (AI) by 2045, resulting in a 1000x increase in intelligence and marking the beginning of a new era of unprecedented innovation, potentially transforming human life and society ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.
Preparing for AI Timeline.
🤖 Q: When should I expect human-level AI and what defines it? A: Human-level AI arrives by 2029, defined not by passing the Turing test (which only matches an ordinary person), but as AGI requiring expertise in thousands of fields and the ability to combine insights across disciplines.
🧠 Q: When will the singularity occur and what intelligence gain can I expect? A: The singularity happens by 2045 when humanity merges with AI to become 1000x more intelligent, creating a seamless merger where biological and computational thought processes become indistinguishable.
⚡ Q: How much change should I prepare for in the next decade? A: Expect as much change in the next 10 years as occurred in the last 100 years (1925−2025), with AGI and supercomputers by 2035 enabling merging with AI for 1000x intelligence increase.
Career and Economic Adaptation.
New PDFSider Windows malware deployed on Fortune 100 firm’s network
Ransomware attackers targeting a Fortune 100 company in the finance sector used a new malware strain, dubbed PDFSider, to deliver malicious payloads on Windows systems.
The attackers employed social engineering in their attempt to gain remote access by impersonating technical support workers and to trick company employees into installing Microsoft’s Quick Assist tool.
Researchers at cybersecurity company Resecurity found PDFSider during an incident response and describe it as a stealthy backdoor for long-term access, noting that it shows “characteristics commonly associated with APT tradecraft.”