The Verge’s latest insights into the ideas shaping the future of work, finance, and innovation. Here you’ll find scoops, analysis, and reporting across some of the most influential companies in the world. Our coverage also includes interviews with innovators and policy makers at the frontiers of business and technology on Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel’s Decoder; a behind-the-curtain look at Silicon Valley with Alex Heath’s Command Line; and exclusive reporting on Microsoft’s strategy in Tom Warren’s Notepad.
TikTok is just the latest prize in the Silicon Valley billionaire’s second act as a media mogul.
Current AI spending means the industry needs $2 trillion in annual revenue by 2030, according to estimates from Bain & Co. That’s “more than five times the size of the entire global subscription software market,” write Eliot Brown and Robbie Whelan. But there’s a plan: 1. Build data centers. 2. ???? 3. Profit. Anyway, I’ve been wondering about this for a while now.
Engadget and The Register note that Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman has announced layoffs affecting 30 percent of its workforce, after telling employees in May that “...AI is coming for your jobs. Heck, it’s coming for my job too.”
Millions of businesses around the world already depend on Fiverr to stay competitive, but we know there are even larger opportunities that we have yet to tap into - AI applications, enterprise budgets, and long-term projects.
Yesterday it was reported that the just-merged Paramount Skydance corporation wants to merge a little more, exploring acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery. Or, as one commenter pointed out, it’s all getting a bit medieval.
BlueClouds:
Ah yes, we rejoice that our feudal overlords will unite their great houses under one royal banner!
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The OpenAI chairman, now working on AI agents at his new startup Sierra, on why he’s all in on AI.
Why the EyesOnOpenAI coalition is pushing the AI giant to help humanity instead of chase profits.
Forget toilets, a report by Pablo Torre claims the ex-Microsoft CEO invested $50 million in a fraudulent tree-planting company, Aspiration, passing $28 million to Kawhi Leonard in a fake endorsement deal.
The Clippers called the accusations “provably false,” while Mark Cuban says he’s “team Ballmer,” and that the team was scammed.
But she won’t get the editor-in-chief title that Anna Wintour held for decades — the role is officially called the “Head of Editorial Content.” Editor of Vogue.com Chloe Malle was named to the position this morning.
Malle is something of a safe bet: she’s been at Vogue for 14 years, beginning with a social editor position. Her last name may be familiar: she’s the daughter of director Louis Malle and actress Candice Bergen (she’s also related to perfume industry giant Frédéric Malle).
The GSA and Microsoft announced a discount deal on Microsoft 365, Copilot, Azure, and other services, promising “potential savings of $3.1 billion in the first year” with free access to Microsoft 365 Copilot for one year.
OpenAI and Anthropic already offered similar discounts for AI access, but what’s the price in year two?
Why Amazon AGI Labs chief David Luan thinks solving agents is the next ‘S-curve’ for AI.
Steph “kepano” Ango on why productivity tools need community more than they need AI.
Nick Turley says OpenAI wants to be able to ‘unequivocally endorse’ ChatGPT to ‘a struggling family member.’
During an earnings call on Monday, AMC CEO Adam Aron hinted at plans to use AI for pricing, film scheduling, and customer service. “We’ve actually been talking and are in conversations right now about making small investments in some AI technology-enabled companies whose prospects are related to the movie industry,” Aron said.
After his DC police press conference, an unnamed White House official told CNBC that a new executive order has delayed a 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods for another 90 days. That mirrors the delay put in place on May 12th, and now pushes the deadline into mid-November.
The head of Notion on productivity, LEGO, and what he learned from Kyoto’s craft tradition.
Paramount and Skydance’s controversial merger is now complete, and it doesn’t take a genius (or a Verge commenter) to guess what’s coming next.
GHollister:
“Any time a CEO talks about ‘real efficiencies’ you know a bunch of employees are about to lose their jobs.”
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The head of GitHub says coding with AI is ‘here to stay.’
