Author: Editor-In-Chief
OpenAI launched its first piece of hardware last week, a fancy little keypad built to pair with ChatGPT. Developed in collaboration with keyboard specialist designer Work Louder, the Micro is essentially an artisanal workplace novelty that many tech enthusiasts will love, while others may find it a little confusing. OpenAI’s entry into the hardware market did not come without drama. A few weeks ago, Apple sued AI Labs for trade theft, starting what is sure to be a long and smoldering legal battle. Meanwhile, news of another smart home product being developed by OpenAI has also raised eyebrows. That’s because…
A_Karina | iStock | Getty ImagesUS Treasury yields fell on Friday as oil prices fell following reports that Pakistan is exploring ways to restart peace talks between the US and Iran.yield of 10 year US bond Interest rates, a key benchmark for mortgages, auto loans and credit card debt, last fell more than 2 basis points to 4.681%. It was above 4.7% on Thursday, the highest level since January 15, 2025, before the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.of 2 year Treasury bill The yield, which is more closely tied to the Federal Reserve’s short-term interest rate policy, also…
Prentice, a new AI research lab focused on computational models co-founded by serial entrepreneur Retankar Das and tech executives Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, is in talks to raise $100 million at a valuation of $1 billion, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Founded in April, Prentis trains models that learn how office workers navigate daily workflows across documents and systems, with the goal of building AI agents that can control computers to automate those tasks. Prentice is ostensibly developing an agency that can meet the needs of these customers without the need for humans to hunt for…
This report is from this week’s The Tech Download newsletter. Is it what you see? You can subscribe here.Last week, when OpenAI’s rogue model launched a cyberattack against startup Hugging Face, the company used another AI model to defend against it and fight back. It’s a sci-fi-inspired tale of autonomous hacking, and one of the most talked-about technology stories of the week. But the origin of Hugging Face, a model used to combat rogue AI, has also attracted attention.The startup used GLM 5.2, an open weight system created by Chinese company Z.ai.Ultimately, it succeeded where its major American rivals had…
One down, three to go. Alphabet released its Big Tech earnings this week, telling Wall Street that it plans to spend even more on artificial intelligence than previously expected. Now, the question is whether other members of the same club, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft, will follow suit in next week’s report. “Capital spending trends will be the biggest focus,” the club’s portfolio director, Geoff Marks, said at Friday morning’s meeting. That’s because investors are no longer allowing companies to free ride on skyrocketing capital spending, and are increasingly demanding that all infrastructure investments be monetized, or at least have…
The delay, filed in court Friday, could cost Paramount $1.7 billion in fees if the deal is not completed by next June.Published July 24, 2026July 24, 2026Paramount Skydance has agreed to suspend its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery until a federal judge rules on state challenges to the deal, according to court documents.The delay, filed in court Friday, could cost Paramount Skydance about $7 million a day in fees it has agreed to pay to Warner Bros. shareholders if the merger is not completed by Sept. 30.Recommended stories list of 4 itemsend of listA Paramount spokesperson said: “We…
The head of Gus, one of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever discovered, was photographed during a press preview at Sotheby’s Breuer Building in New York on July 1, 2026.Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter by Robert Frank, a weekly guide for high-net-worth investors and consumers. Sign up to receive future editions directly to your inbox.Major auction houses posted nearly $10 billion in sales in the first half of the year, giving the year its best start ever as a rally in financial stocks gave wealthy investors…
Investors are increasingly concerned about the amount of capital needed to make building artificial intelligence a reality. This event is unfolding in real time in the bond market, with big name stocks getting involved in the riot. google, Amazon and Meta -Credit spreads are widening as bond investors seek higher returns for lending to companies.Yields rose this week after Alphabet raised its capital spending outlook, raising concerns that other hyperscalers will follow suit.One reason capital spending budgets are increasing is the rising cost of electricity. Energy is a big expense for all the hyperscalers who are building massive data centers…
People watch the Doris Ocean container ship depart from the Port of Los Angeles on May 28, 2026 in Los Angeles.Tama Mario | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump’s global “Emancipation Day” tariffs have been invalidated in court, shattering the foundation of his trade agenda. Some trade experts say his new role, which has already faced its first legal challenge, could suffer the same fate.The Trump administration on Friday imposed sweeping tariffs on products from more than 80 countries, citing a failure to effectively ban the use of forced labor practices.The latest tariffs, which apply to trading partners that cover 99.4% of…
On Friday, Anthropic launched the Opus 5 model, the latest version of its long-standing heavyweight model. Although this model is smaller than Fable 5, it is cheaper and less restrictive than Fable, so we believe it is preferred for most use cases. Notably, Opus 5 actually outperforms Fable 5 on many of the benchmarks included in the announcement. Opus 5 is released just two months after Opus 4.8, which became available on May 28th. Mythos 5, Fable 5, and Sonnet 5 were all released in June, and only the lightweight Haiku model is still waiting to upgrade to the 5…