Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
Amazon AGI Labs chief defends his reverse acquihire
When Amazon hired the founders of AI startup Adept last year, it was one of the first examples of what became known as a reverse acquihire — a deal where a large company hires key startup team members and licenses its technology, rather than acquiring the startup outright. Adept’s co-founder and former CEO David Luan…
OpenAI warns against SPVs and other ‘unauthorized’ investments
In a new blog post, OpenAI warns against “unauthorized opportunities to gain exposure to OpenAI through a variety of means,” including special purpose vehicles, known as SPVs. “We urge you to be careful if you are contacted by a firm that purports to have access to OpenAI, including through the sale of an SPV interest…
Apple gets ready for AI in the enterprise with new ChatGPT configuration options
As AI technology makes its way into the enterprise, Apple is rolling out new tools that will give businesses more granular control over where and how their employees can tap into artificial intelligence. With the release of Apple’s software updates arriving in September, the tech giant is adding another option for enterprise customers: the ability…
Bluesky blocks service in Mississippi over age assurance law
Social networking startup Bluesky has made the decision to block access to its service in the state of Mississippi, rather than comply with a new age assurance law. In a blog post published on Friday, the company explains that, as a small team, it doesn’t have the resources to make the substantial technical changes this…
Coinbase CEO explains why he fired engineers who didn’t try AI immediately
It’s hard to find programmers these days who aren’t using AI coding assistants in some capacity, especially to write the repetitive, mundane bits. But those who refused to try the tools when Coinbase bought enterprise licenses for GitHub Copilot and Cursor got promptly fired, CEO Brian Armstrong said this week on John Collison’s podcast “Cheeky…
Meta partners with Midjourney on AI image and video models
Meta is partnering with Midjourney to license the startup’s AI image and video generation technology, Meta Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang announced Friday in a post on Threads. Wang says Meta’s research teams will collaborate with Midjourney to bring its technology into future AI models and products. “To ensure Meta is able to deliver the…
OpenAI lawyers question Meta’s role in Elon Musk’s $97B takeover bid
OpenAI is asking Meta to produce evidence related to any coordinated plans with Elon Musk and xAI to acquire or invest in the ChatGPT-maker. The request was made public in a brief filed Thursday in Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI. Lawyers representing OpenAI said they subpoenaed Meta in June for documents related to its…
OpenAI announces New Delhi office as it expands footprint in India
OpenAI has announced plans to open its first office in India, just days after launching a ChatGPT plan tailored for Indian users, as it looks to tap into the country’s rapidly growing AI market. On Friday, the company said it would set up a local team in India and open a corporate office in the…
As India bans real-money games, Dream Sports, MPL start pulling the plug
Top Indian startups in the real-money gaming space have begun shutting down operations after New Delhi effectively banned the sector through new legislation that’s now on the verge of becoming law. On Thursday, the upper house of the Indian Parliament passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 — proposing to completely ban…
Anduril, Blue Origin to study how to transport cargo from orbit to Earth for the Pentagon
Blue Origin and Anduril have landed new study contracts with the U.S. Air Force to explore how their technology, including rockets, could move military cargo around the world. The contracts under the Air Force’s Rocket Cargo program are relatively small — Blue Origin’s comes in at $1.37 million and Anduril’s at $1 million. But they…
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