News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
Anthropic appoints Surajj Gurav to strengthen enterprise AI growth in India's BFSI sector The Mainstream
Anthropic has expanded its India go-to-market (GTM) team with the appointment of Surajj Gurav to its Enterprise GTM team. He will work with banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI) organisations to accelerate the responsible adoption of enterprise AI. Surajj joins Anthropic's India GTM team led by Irina Ghose. In his new role, Surajj will partner with leading BFSI enterprises to help them adopt Anthropic's trusted AI capabilities while addressing the industry's regulatory, security, and governance requirements. His appointment supports the company's focus on enabling the safe and responsible adoption of AI across enterprises. Before joining Anthropic, Surajj served as Director - Sales, BFSI at Snowflake, where he led strategic engagements with financial institutions, helping organisations modernise data platforms and accelerate cloud-based digital transformation. Earlier, he was Chief Revenue Officer (India) at Snapwork Technologies, where he drove enterprise growth, customer acquisition, and revenue expansion across the Indian market. Prior to that, Surajj spent more than 3 years at Microsoft as Specialist - Business Applications, working with leading BFSI organisations to support digital transformation through Microsoft Dynamics 365, Power Platform, low-code application development, robotic process automation, and AI-enabled customer experience solutions. Over the course of nearly 3 decades, Surajj has also held leadership roles at MicroStrategy, Equifax, IBM India Pvt. Ltd., Oracle India, Sun Microsystems India, Pre-emptive Systems, Velocis Systems, Redington India Ltd., Team Computers Pvt. Ltd., Momentum Infocare Pvt. Ltd., SSI Limited, and Datapro Infoworld Ltd. His experience spans enterprise software, cloud platforms, analytics, AI, digital transformation, middleware, business applications, and enterprise technology sales. Throughout his career, he has partnered with organisations across banking, financial services, telecom, manufacturing, and the public sector to deliver large-scale technology transformation initiatives. With deep expertise in enterprise AI, cloud technologies, analytics, digital transformation, customer experience, and strategic enterprise sales, Surajj will play a key role in supporting Anthropic's continued growth across India's BFSI sector. Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat Do Follow: The Mainstream LinkedIn | The Mainstream Facebook | The Mainstream Youtube | The Mainstream Twitter About us: The Mainstream is a premier platform delivering the latest updates and informed perspectives across the technology business and cyber landscape. Built on research-driven, thought leadership and original intellectual property, The Mainstream also curates summits & conferences that convene decision makers to explore how technology reshapes industries and leadership. With a growing presence in India and globally across the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, the USA, the UK and Australia, The Mainstream carries a vision to bring the latest happenings and insights to 8.2 billion people and to place technology at the centre of conversation for leaders navigating the future.
Anthropic Claude India Pricing announced: Check what users will have to pay for Claude services
Anthropic Claude Cost India: Anthropic now offers its Claude AI assistant with pricing in Indian rupees. This move simplifies payments and removes currency conversion fees for users. India has become Anthropic's second-largest global market after the United States. The company recently opened an office in Bengaluru to support its growth. Localized pricing is crucial for competing in India's tech market. Anthropic has quietly done something Indian users have been asking for: it has started charging for its Claude AI assistant in rupees instead of US dollars. The switch means anyone signing up for a paid Claude plan in India will now see prices in familiar currency, without the extra math or the surprise dollar conversion charges that usually show up on the credit card bill. What Changes for Anthropic UsersIndian subscribers browsing Claude's web and mobile apps will now find rupee price tags on every paid tier. Gone is the need to route payments through international cards or absorb currency conversion fees, a hurdle that has long kept budget-conscious users away from foreign AI subscriptions. Anthropic Claude India Pricing: The New Price TagsClaude Pro: Rs 2,000 a month if billed yearly, or Rs 2,399 a month if paid monthly Claude Max: Two new tiers at Rs 11,999 and Rs 23,999 a month, built for developers, researchers and anyone who burns through AI credits quickly Claude Team: Starts at Rs 2,399 per user per month on annual billing, aimed at businesses Claude Team Premium: Rs 11,999 per user per month for companies wanting higher limits All these figures already include GST, so there are no hidden add-ons at checkout. Why Anthropic Is Betting Big on IndiaThe numbers explain the urgency. India now makes up 5.8% of Claude's entire global user base, enough to place it just behind the US in Anthropic's rankings. Growth has been sharp too. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said Anthropic's revenue run rate in India had doubled in just four months, a pace that has clearly caught the company's attention. That kind of momentum is hard to ignore, and it explains why Anthropic has been laying down roots rather than just testing the waters. Anthropic Setting Up Shop in BengaluruThe rupee pricing is the latest step in a broader India push. Anthropic opened its first Indian office in Bengaluru back in February, giving it a direct line to the country's massive developer and enterprise community. It has also teamed up with homegrown fintech player Razorpay, making it easier for Indian businesses to plug Claude into their own products and services. A Crowded BattlefieldAnthropic is not the only one eyeing India's AI appetite. OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Perplexity have all ramped up their India game with new launches, partnerships and enterprise deals of their own. Local pricing gives Anthropic one less excuse for price-sensitive Indian users to look elsewhere, and one more reason to believe the country is no longer just another market on the map, but a genuine growth engine for the company.
SpaceX Stock Drops 25% From IPO as $18.5 Billion Revenue Fails to Calm AI Bubble Fears
* SpaceX shares fell near IPO price amid technology sector weakness. * Starlink generated $11.4 billion revenue despite continued company losses. * AI valuation concerns pressured technology stocks and market sentiment. * Investors questioned whether AI spending justifies current company valuations. SpaceX shares have declined roughly 25% since the company's initial public offering, extending losses as the broader technology sector comes under pressure from concerns that AI-related valuations have outpaced earnings growth. The stock recently fell to $149.47, its lowest level since listing, leaving it within striking distance of its $135 IPO price. The decline reflects growing investor caution over richly valued AI and technology companies despite continued optimism from Wall Street. While SpaceX remains the dominant commercial launch provider and its Starlink satellite business continues to expand, investors are weighing persistent operating losses, elevated capital expenditure and broader concerns that the AI investment boom could resemble previous technology bubbles. SpaceX Stock Extends Decline Despite Strong Revenue Growth SpaceX shares fell another 4.45% in the latest trading session, bringing the stock closer to its IPO price after losing nearly 28.7% from its post-listing high during its first week of trading. The decline has also affected founder Elon Musk's wealth, with his estimated net worth falling below $900 billion as the company's market value contracted. Financial results continue to divide investors. SpaceX reported more than $18.5 billion in revenue last year but posted a net loss of nearly $5 billion, highlighting the significant investment required to expand its launch, satellite and artificial intelligence businesses. Starlink Growth Offsets Concerns Over Profitability Despite the recent sell-off, investors remain encouraged by the continued expansion of Starlink, which has become SpaceX's largest commercial business. The satellite internet division generated approximately $11.4 billion in revenue during 2025, underscoring the company's growing recurring revenue base beyond launch services. Some analysts also view SpaceX's AI initiatives as an emerging growth driver, particularly in terrestrial applications rather than long-term space exploration. Others remain cautious, arguing that the company's valuation continues to reflect aggressive assumptions regarding future AI commercialization and ambitious space development projects. AI Market Correction Weighs on Technology Stocks SpaceX's decline comes amid a broader retreat across AI-linked equities as investors reassess whether corporate earnings can justify unprecedented spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure. In early July, the S&P 500 fell 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite declined 1.2%. Samsung Electronics dropped 6.9%, and several members of the "Magnificent Seven" technology group also retreated after reaching record valuations. Economic data point to the scale of the current AI investment cycle. U.S. AI investment reached 11.33% of gross domestic product in the first quarter, according to the analysis cited, approaching the 11.49% peak recorded during the dot-com era. Meanwhile, real business fixed investment increased 5.5% last year, reflecting continued spending on AI infrastructure despite mounting concerns over future demand. Market Concentration Raises Bubble Concerns Several valuation metrics suggest investors are becoming increasingly concerned about concentration risk within U.S. equity markets. The Buffett Indicator, which compares total U.S. stock market capitalization with GDP, stood at approximately 236%, a level historically associated with elevated market valuations. At the same time, the 10 largest companies account for roughly 40% of total U.S. market capitalization, exceeding the 26% to 29% concentration seen during the peak of the dot-com boom. Nvidia remains one of the largest beneficiaries of the AI investment cycle, with a market capitalization of around $5 trillion, making investor sentiment toward AI infrastructure companies increasingly influential on broader market performance. Semiconductor Spending and Private AI Valuations Remain in Focus Some investors have warned that AI infrastructure spending may be outpacing sustainable demand. Investor Michael Burry, known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, has questioned long-term returns on AI investments, citing the relatively short two-to-three-year replacement cycle for AI chips and significant insider selling among semiconductor companies. Memory manufacturers have also benefited from the AI boom. Companies including SK Hynix and Micron Technology have roughly tripled revenue over the past year as demand for high-bandwidth memory accelerated. However, new fabrication plants typically require at least three years to become operational, raising the risk of excess capacity if AI demand weakens before new production comes online. Meanwhile, private-market enthusiasm for AI companies remains strong. As reported earlier by IBTimes.sg, Anthropic has reached a reported valuation of $1.2 trillion, ahead of OpenAI's $908 billion, even as OpenAI is reportedly considering delaying its IPO until 2027. The contrast between rising private-market valuations and declining public-market share prices highlights a growing divide in investor sentiment. As public markets increasingly demand stronger earnings to support premium valuations, SpaceX's post-IPO performance has become a closely watched indicator of how investors are reassessing companies positioned at the intersection of AI infrastructure, advanced technology and long-term growth.
Retail Investors Piled Into SpaceX While Dumping Tesla, Apex Data Shows - FinanceFeeds
SpaceX's long-awaited public listing became the defining retail investing story of the second quarter, attracting demand from every generation while triggering a broader rotation away from energy, commodities and Tesla toward the companies building artificial intelligence infrastructure. According to Apex Fintech Solutions' Q2 2026 Investor Pulse report, the newly listed SpaceX generated approximately $1.25 billion in net buying across nearly 2.2 million trades after its 12 June market debut, making it the largest net purchase of the quarter by a considerable margin. At the same time, retail investors aggressively accumulated memory-chip manufacturers while reducing exposure to many of the year's strongest-performing commodity and energy stocks. The report provides one of the broadest snapshots of U.S. retail investor behaviour, drawing on trading activity across millions of brokerage accounts supported by Apex's clearing and custody infrastructure. SpaceX Became The Quarter's Biggest Retail Trade The public debut of SpaceX proved to be more than another high-profile IPO. According to Apex, the company immediately entered the Top 25 holdings across all four investor generations, a rare achievement for a newly listed stock. SpaceX ranked 13th among Gen Z investors, 15th among both Boomers and Gen X, and 16th among Millennials. It also quickly became one of the ten most widely held stocks among Boomers. In total, the stock attracted around $1.25 billion in net buying across almost 2.2 million trades, nearly doubling the second-largest net purchase recorded during the quarter. Apex Chief Executive Bill Capuzzi said the listing demonstrated that demand extended well beyond younger retail traders. "The SpaceX listing answered it. In a matter of weeks, it became the largest net buy of the quarter and a new top holding for Boomers and Gen Z alike. That demand wasn't generational -- it was cross-generational." Retail Investors Rotated Into AI Infrastructure While SpaceX dominated trading flows, the report suggests the broader investment theme during the quarter centred on artificial intelligence infrastructure rather than AI software. Micron became a top-five holding across every generation after climbing seven to eight positions in portfolio rankings. SanDisk and Western Digital also recorded strong buying, while Intel and Marvell ranked among the largest net purchases during the quarter. Rather than concentrating on a handful of mega-cap technology companies, retail investors broadened their exposure across the semiconductor supply chain, particularly businesses expected to benefit from rising demand for memory and AI computing infrastructure. The trend also appeared in generational preferences. Younger investors expressed the AI theme through higher-growth names such as Rocket Lab, Nebius and AST SpaceMobile alongside SpaceX, while Boomers favoured established semiconductor companies and large-cap industrial and financial stocks including Caterpillar, ExxonMobil, Eli Lilly and JPMorgan Chase. Tesla Became Retail's Biggest Source Of Funding One of the report's most notable findings is what investors sold to finance those purchases. Tesla recorded the largest net selling activity of any stock during the quarter despite remaining one of retail investors' most widely held companies. Investors also reduced positions in many of the energy and commodity stocks that had benefited from geopolitical tensions earlier in the quarter, including Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Newmont and silver-related investments. According to Apex, the pattern suggests retail investors were not indiscriminately buying AI stocks but actively reallocating capital away from sectors that had already outperformed. "Retail didn't just chase the AI trade; it funded it, selling the commodity and energy winners from the spring and trimming Tesla while leaning into memory and infrastructure," said Mike Treacy, Vice President of Risk at Apex Fintech Solutions. The Rotation Mirrors A Changing Market Narrative The quarter began with heightened geopolitical uncertainty following conflict involving Iran, which drove oil prices sharply higher and initially favoured energy producers, commodity companies and defensive assets. As markets recovered and equity indices returned to record highs, investor attention shifted back toward long-term structural growth themes, particularly artificial intelligence and semiconductor infrastructure. Memory-chip manufacturers emerged as some of the largest beneficiaries of that change in sentiment as investors increasingly viewed memory capacity as a critical bottleneck for next-generation AI systems. The report suggests retail investors participated in that rotation with unusual discipline, systematically reducing exposure to previous winners rather than simply adding new technology positions. What It Means For Future IPOs For investment banks and private technology companies, the success of SpaceX's listing could prove equally significant. According to Apex, the IPO demonstrated that blockbuster private companies can attract sustained demand across every demographic rather than relying primarily on younger, speculative investors. That could strengthen expectations for future listings involving large artificial intelligence companies and other late-stage private technology businesses. Capuzzi specifically pointed to the possibility of future listings by companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, suggesting the SpaceX experience may reshape expectations for how retail investors engage with major technology IPOs. Why This Matters The second quarter illustrates how quickly retail investor preferences can shift as market narratives evolve. Rather than simply chasing momentum, Apex's data suggests investors actively recycled capital from geopolitical winners into businesses positioned to benefit from the long-term expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. SpaceX's immediate success also demonstrates that retail investors remain willing to commit significant capital to high-profile technology listings, potentially providing a favourable backdrop for the next generation of AI-focused public offerings.
Anthropic reveals why Claude gives different answers in Hindi and English
Anthropic has unveiled new research showing that Claude's behaviour changes depending on both the AI model and the language used. Based on more than 3,00,000 anonymised conversations, the study identifies four behavioural dimensions that could help explain why users in different languages experience the chatbot differently. As artificial intelligence systems become increasingly central to work, education and decision-making, ensuring they behave consistently across users has emerged as a growing challenge. Anthropic's latest research suggests that consistency is far more complex than simply translating responses into different languages. The AI company has published a new analysis examining how its flagship chatbot, Claude, expresses different values depending on the model being used and the language in which users interact with it. Drawing on more than 300,000 anonymised conversations, the study introduces a framework that measures subtle behavioural differences across Claude's responses, offering fresh insight into how AI systems adapt -- or drift -- across cultures and product versions. According to Anthropic, these patterns do not necessarily indicate that Claude holds different beliefs. Instead, they reflect variations in how the assistant communicates, balances competing priorities and responds to users in different contexts. Four behavioural dimensions shape Claude's responses Anthropic's researchers identified four recurring dimensions that explain a significant share of the behavioural variation across Claude's responses. The first, Deference vs. Caution, measures whether the assistant tends to accommodate a user's request or prioritise warning against potential risks. Warmth vs. Rigor captures the balance between empathy and encouragement on one hand, and factual precision and critical evaluation on the other. The remaining two axes focus on communication style. Depth vs. Brevity reflects whether Claude expands on a topic beyond what was explicitly requested, while Candour vs. Execution measures the extent to which the chatbot acknowledges uncertainty instead of delivering polished, confident answers. Anthropic says these four dimensions account for roughly 15% of the observable variation in Claude's expressed values across conversations, providing a structured way to compare behavioural differences between models and languages. The framework also appears to align with how users already perceive Claude's different model families. Sonnet 4.6, for example, consistently displayed greater warmth and a stronger tendency to affirm users, while Opus 4.7 was more likely to prioritise accuracy, challenge assumptions and introduce caution when discussing potentially risky topics. Language plays a surprisingly large role One of the study's most striking findings is that Claude's behaviour changes noticeably depending on the language used during a conversation. Among the 20 most common languages on Claude.ai, the largest differences emerged along the Warmth vs. Rigor and Candour vs. Execution dimensions. Conversations conducted in Hindi and Arabic tended to feature more supportive, encouraging and emotionally expressive responses. By contrast, English and Russian interactions more frequently emphasised analytical reasoning, correction of inaccuracies and requests for supporting evidence. Other patterns also emerged. Claude showed its greatest level of deference when responding in Arabic, whereas English conversations leaned more towards caution. English interactions also tended to produce more detailed explanations, while Arabic responses were generally more concise. Dutch conversations displayed greater openness about uncertainty, whereas Indonesian responses more often focused on confidently completing the requested task. Anthropic argues that these differences are likely influenced by several factors, including variations in multilingual training data and broader linguistic and cultural norms. The company notes that previous evaluations had already identified differences in how Claude handled knowledge and sensitive requests across languages, making value expression a logical area for further investigation. The implications extend beyond academic research. Anthropic points to a hypothetical example in which two users ask Claude to review the same business proposal, one in Hindi and another in Russian. Even if the underlying assessment remains similar, the framing could differ enough to leave each user with a different impression of the proposal's quality. Why the findings matter The research arrives as Anthropic rapidly expands Claude's presence across enterprise platforms including Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud and Microsoft's AI ecosystem, where businesses increasingly expect predictable behaviour regardless of geography or language. Understanding these behavioural shifts could help developers evaluate whether differences reflect appropriate cultural adaptation or inconsistencies that require further training. It may also provide a more systematic way to measure changes introduced through future model updates. The timing is significant for Anthropic itself. The company has experienced rapid growth in recent months, securing a $65 billion funding round in May 2026 that valued the AI laboratory at $965 billion. Its latest models, including Claude Opus 4.8 and Mythos-class Fable 5, have positioned the company among the industry's leading developers in reasoning and autonomous AI capabilities. A new tool for building trustworthy AI Anthropic says the value-axis framework is intended to become more than a research exercise. Future work will examine how these behavioural differences affect user trust, decision-making and overall satisfaction, while also exploring whether training techniques or system prompts can produce more consistent outcomes across languages. The findings also contribute to a broader debate surrounding responsible AI deployment. As regulators and enterprise customers place greater emphasis on transparency and fairness, developers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate not only what their models can do, but also how they behave in different contexts. Rather than aiming for identical responses across every language, Anthropic's work highlights the more nuanced challenge facing modern AI developers: creating systems that remain culturally responsive without compromising consistency, reliability or shared ethical standards.
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Canada government warns country's largest financial institutions and banks on Anthropic's Claude Mythos and other AI models; says: New technology can ...
Canada's federal banking regulator has warned the country's largest financial institutions about the risks posed by Anthropic's Claude Mythos and other advanced AI systems, according to a report by Reuters. In an April email obtained by Reuters, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) cautioned that frontier AI models could increase cyber threats and compress the time banks have to identify and fix the vulnerabilities. The email, sent to chief technology, information security, and risk officers across Canada's financial industry, outlined practices to enhance risk identification and response. "Advanced artificial intelligence models, such as Anthropic Claude Mythos, significantly compress the timeframe for effective risk mitigation," OSFI wrote.Following Reuters' inquiries, OSFI published a public bulletin emphasising its technology-neutral, risk-focused approach. The regulator said its concern is not the technology itself but how institutions govern and manage risks associated with its use.Cybersecurity experts have described Mythos as extremely capable at finding and exploiting vulnerabilities, raising alarms for legacy banking systems. The warning comes after U.S. regulators, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and then-Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, convened urgent meetings with bank CEOs earlier this year to discuss similar risks.Canada's big six banks -- Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC, and National Bank -- have all disclosed AI initiatives ranging from chatbots to internal tools. RBC's AI Group Head Bruce Ross said Mythos underscores a shift in the cyberattack landscape: "The way we're dealing with it is building our own AI defenses... we'll continue to do that."The Canadian government has said it has access to Anthropic's Project Glasswing, which enables companies to use Mythos, though it remains unclear which banks are deploying it. The Canadian Bankers Association noted that institutions have invested heavily in cybersecurity and comply with OSFI's robust requirements for risk management and incident reporting.Recently, Anthropic revealed that its AI model Claude uses a small enterable workspace to hold and manipulate ideas without expressing them in words. The said that this structure, dubbed 'J-Space', shows intriguing similarities to how humans consciously access thoughts. According to a report by Axios, in a video demonstration, Anthropic explained, "We can see Claude silently perform reasoning steps in its head -- noticing bugs in code, identifying images, and more." The J-Space operates separately from the "chain of thought" reasoning Claude shares with users, allowing the model to plan strategies unrelated to its immediate task.Anthropic's findings also highlight a division between deliberate reasoning and the larger volume of automatic computation beneath it. In the research paper the company used a word "conscious" more than 200 times, though it stopped short of claiming Claude is conscious. The discovery adds fuel to ongoing debates over machine consciousness and whether advanced AI systems are approaching AGI.
Samsung to produce custom AI chips for Anthropic: report
https://www.manufacturingtodayindia.com/anthropic-explores-samsung-partnership-for-custom-ai-chip Samsung Electronics' foundry division has reportedly agreed to manufacture custom AI chips for Anthropic, according to local media sources. This development, reported by social media account @WhaleInsider, suggests a significant partnership between the South Korean tech giant and the AI startup known for its advanced models such as Sonnet 5 and Opus 4.8. While this news seems to confirm earlier reports of negotiations, authoritative sources had previously described the talks as preliminary, with no finalized commitments. The deal, if confirmed, would position Samsung as a fifth silicon supplier for Anthropic, complementing existing partners like Nvidia and Google. Key Takeaways * Reports suggest that Samsung Electronics' foundry division has agreed to produce AI chips for Anthropic, indicating potential collaboration. * The news appears consistent with Anthropic's strategy to diversify its silicon suppliers, alongside Nvidia, Google, and Amazon. * Market pricing implies this development could positively influence Anthropic's valuation prospects, with potential increases in the company's market perception. What to Watch Observers should monitor for official confirmations from Samsung or Anthropic, as such announcements would clarify the status of the agreement. Additionally, any updates on Anthropic's chip specifications, integration plans, or performance targets could further influence market perceptions. As the situation develops, shifts in the odds of Anthropic's valuation reaching $1.25 trillion by December 31 may provide additional insights into market sentiment. Get live prediction-market analysis, powered by Vera. Sign up for Vera.
Anthropic introduces India pricing for Claude as AI race heats up
Anthropic has introduced local pricing for its Claude AI chatbot in India, marking a significant step in its expansion strategy as global AI companies compete for users in one of the world's fastest-growing technology markets. The company has begun displaying Indian rupee pricing for Claude subscriptions on its website and mobile apps for some users. However, unlike OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic has yet to support India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Users need to pay using credit or debit cards or through Apple and Google's app store billing systems. The pricing update addresses a long-standing complaint from Indian users, who previously had to pay in US dollars, often incurring additional currency conversion charges. India has emerged as Anthropic's biggest market outside the United States, accounting for 5.8 per cent of global Claude usage, according to the company. Also Read | Anthropic extends Claude Fable 5 access to paid subscribers until July 19: Here's what changes later Under the new pricing structure, Claude Pro costs Rs 2,000 per month when billed annually. The premium Claude Max plan starts at Rs 11,999 per month, while Claude Team subscriptions begin at Rs 2,399 per user per month. Anthropic says the listed prices already include applicable local taxes, though pricing may vary slightly between the website and mobile apps. The move reflects Anthropic's increasing focus on India. Earlier this year, the company opened its Bengaluru office and appointed former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose to lead its operations in the country. It has also signed partnerships with Indian IT giants Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services to expand enterprise AI adoption. Also read: Anthropic expands Claude Cowork to mobile and web, letting AI agent work across devices India has become a key battleground for AI companies because of its massive developer community and technology workforce. While millions of users are experimenting with AI tools, converting that interest into paid subscriptions remains challenging due to the country's price-sensitive consumer market. Story continues below this ad OpenAI introduced Indian rupee pricing and UPI payments for ChatGPT last year, while Google, Microsoft, and other AI firms continue expanding their services and enterprise offerings across India.
Anthropic's Claude AI Gets India Pricing: Here's What Pro, Max And Team Plans Cost in India
If you have been using Claude AI from India, you might have faced a common annoyance - paying in US dollars and currency conversion charges. That's finally starting to change. Claude AI, the company behind the AI chatbot, has begun to introduce Indian rupee pricing for its paid subscription plans. The rollout is currently limited to some users but the move is expected to make it much easier for Indian developers, students, professionals and businesses to subscribe without worrying about fluctuating exchange rates. The news comes as India is one of the fastest-growing markets for Anthropic. The company said India is the second largest market for the AI chatbot after the United States, making up 5.8% of global usage of Claude. Claude AI Now Has India Pricing Users are starting to see prices in rupees on the website and mobile apps of Claude now. Previously, subscriptions were charged in US dollars, which meant that Indian users had to pay extra because of currency conversion and international transaction charges. Now, users can see the price in Indian Rupees before they subscribe, with the new pricing. But there is one problem. UPI payment is not supported by Anthropic yet, and users have to pay via debit or credit card or through Apple's App Store and Google Play billing systems. Claude AI Subscription Prices in India Here is the price of the paid plans for Indian users on the website of Claude: Prices shown for India include applicable local taxes. Subscription prices may differ slightly on the Claude mobile app due to app store billing policies. What Do These Plans Offer? Depending on how often you use AI, Claude has a tiered subscription structure. The Claude Pro is aimed at everyday users who need higher usage limits, faster responses and access to Anthropic's latest AI models. Claude Max is for power users, developers, and professionals who require much higher usage limits for coding, writing, research, and other intensive AI work. The team plan is designed for businesses and organisations that want multiple users to work under one workspace and collaboration features. Free Claude Fable 5 Offer Gets More Time Anthropic has also expanded its free trial offering for Claude Fable 5. The free access that was scheduled to expire on July 12 has been extended through July 19, 2026. In this promotional period: * Eligible users can use Claude Fable 5 free of charge. * Users can also get a 50% increase in weekly usage limits. The offer is available to users on Claude Pro, Claude Max, Team and premium seats under enterprise plans. Anthropic's support documentation states that the free access and higher usage limits will remain available until 11:59:59 PM PT on July 19, 2026. Why India Matters To Anthropic India has rapidly emerged as one of the world's most critical AI markets. Generative AI tools have been adopted so quickly thanks to a big community of developers, software engineers, startups and students. Anthropic has been building up its presence in the country, seeing an opportunity. The company launched an office in Bengaluru earlier this year and brought in former Microsoft India MD Irina Ghose to lead its India business. It has also tied up with Indian IT majors Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to spur enterprise AI adoption. There Are Still Some Challenges Pricing is going local, but there are still some hurdles. The most significant missing feature is the support for UPI, which has become the preferred mode of payment for millions of Indians. Until Anthropic rolls out UPI payments, users will still have to rely on international card payments or app store billing. In June, the company also drew criticism for temporarily blocking access to some of its newest AI models for users outside the US. Since then, Claude Fable 5 has been available again but Mythos 5 is still not widely accessible to many international users. Why This Update Matters The biggest benefit for Indian users isn't necessarily that Claude has become cheaper. Local pricing also provides more transparency and convenience. Before subscribing, users don't have to figure out the exchange rates or be concerned about hidden fees when doing international transactions. As AI companies scramble to win over India's burgeoning user base, local pricing is fast becoming an important way to make premium AI services more accessible.
The companies building AI -- OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic -- co-signed a letter on Monday warning that their own technology could trigger an economic transformation larger than the Industrial Revolution, unfolding so fast that existing institutions have no realistic path to keep up without immediate action - Silicon Canals
On Monday, 13 July, a coalition of economists, AI researchers and technology executives issued an unusually compressed warning about the economic consequences of increasingly capable artificial intelligence. The three-point statement says AI may become radically more powerful within ten years and could produce an economic transformation larger than the Industrial Revolution in a much shorter period. One distinction belongs at the top of the story. OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic did not sign as corporate entities. Individuals associated with those organisations signed in their own names, among them OpenAI chief financial officer Sarah Friar, Google senior vice-president and chief scientist Jeff Dean, Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark and several members of Anthropic's economic-research team. That gives the warning the weight of people close to the leading AI laboratories. It does not turn it into a corporate commitment. What the statement actually says The statement, titled We Must Act Now, makes three claims. AI may become much more powerful over the next decade. That progress could bring large-scale job displacement as well as major gains in living standards. Economists, policymakers and technology leaders should therefore begin building the incentives, guardrails and institutions needed to make AI complement people and benefit society. Its grammar matters. "May" and "could" acknowledge uncertainty. The signatories are not saying mass unemployment is certain, nor that existing institutions have no possible way to adapt. They are arguing that the plausible scale and speed of change make waiting for certainty an unreasonable strategy. This is a statement of concern, not an economic model. It offers no forecast of net employment, no timetable for particular capabilities and no estimate of how productivity gains might be divided. Its force comes from the breadth of the coalition and the proximity of some signatories to the systems under discussion. Who signed, and who did not The statement was organised by Stanford Digital Economy Lab director Erik Brynjolfsson, University of Toronto economist Ajay Agrawal, University of Virginia economist Anton Korinek and METR economist Tom Cunningham. A Stanford Digital Economy Lab launch announcement said more than 200 people had signed, including 16 Nobel laureates. The public list includes Daron Acemoglu, Joseph Stiglitz, Michael Spence, Simon Johnson, Paul Krugman and Ben Bernanke, as well as AI researchers Yoshua Bengio and Yann LeCun. Alongside Friar and Dean are OpenAI personnel Ronnie Chatterji, Dean Ball, Noam Brown and Boaz Barak; Anthropic figures including Korinek, Clark, Peter McCrory, Maxim Massenkoff and Zoë Hitzig; and Michiel Bakker of Google DeepMind. Those affiliations are relevant, but the signatures remain personal. They indicate concern among people working inside or near the organisations developing advanced AI. They do not bind those organisations to disclose labour impacts, slow a deployment, fund worker adjustment or support a particular law. This is more than a technicality. Corporate action has budgets, reporting lines and measurable obligations. An open letter has moral and reputational force, but it creates none of those things by itself. The Industrial Revolution comparison is about compressed time The historical comparison is easy to read as a confident claim about magnitude. The wording is more careful. It describes a possible transformation and places most of the emphasis on compression: economic change that unfolded across generations during industrialisation might arrive within years. Speed matters because institutions adjust through slow processes. Education systems revise curricula. Companies redesign jobs. Unions negotiate. Governments legislate. Social-insurance systems expand. Each process depends on information about which tasks are changing, who bears the losses and where the gains are accumulating. Current labour evidence supports concern about broad exposure without establishing a job apocalypse. The International Labour Organization's 2025 global index, built from almost 30,000 occupational tasks and labour data from more than 140 countries, estimated that one in four workers was in an occupation with some exposure to generative AI. It concluded that job transformation was more likely than full replacement because most occupations still contain tasks requiring human input. A June 2026 ILO review of empirical evidence found emerging productivity benefits, but also risks involving inequality, fewer opportunities for younger workers, worker autonomy and job quality. That is a more complicated picture than either frictionless prosperity or the disappearance of work. Exposure is not the same as displacement. A system may perform part of a job without eliminating the job, while still changing hiring, bargaining power, entry-level pathways and the pace at which work is done. Those second-order changes are exactly where slow institutions can fall behind a fast deployment cycle. "Act now" is still not a programme The signatories ask for incentives, guardrails and institutions, but do not specify which ones. The launch material points towards more research, policy development and coordination among economists, governments and technology leaders. It leaves unresolved the distributional questions: who pays for retraining, how workers share productivity gains, what information laboratories must disclose and which protections should exist before systems are deployed. Preparation inside businesses is already uneven. An OECD study of small and medium-sized enterprises in seven countries, published in November 2025, found substantial use of generative AI but also examined gaps in skills and the limited steps many employers had taken to prepare workers. Adoption and institutional readiness do not automatically move together. The statement does not call for a pause in AI development. It asks society to shape the economic consequences while development continues. That position is compatible with very different responses, including worker consultation, stronger social protection, tax changes, disclosure requirements and public investment in education. The coalition has agreed on urgency, not on the political choices that urgency creates. A warning from inside the industry is not accountability It is notable that people linked to AI laboratories are warning about the economic effects of their own field. Their proximity may give them a clearer view of capability trends. It also places them inside organisations with strong incentives to commercialise those capabilities quickly. That tension should not be used to dismiss the statement. It should prevent readers from treating signatures as sufficient. A serious institutional response needs data on deployment, affected tasks, hiring, wages and productivity. Workers, governments and independent researchers also need enough access and bargaining power to test claims made by the companies building the systems. Monday's letter does not establish that an Industrial Revolution-sized change is inevitable. It says that a broad group, including people near the laboratories, considers the possibility serious enough to prepare for now. The next test is whether the warning produces concrete commitments while there is still time to argue over who benefits, who pays and who gets a say.
Meet DeepSeek's Liang Wenfeng, the Chinese entrepreneur who is now world's richest AI founder, surpassing Anthropic's Dario Amodei
DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng's net worth has significantly increased after a recent funding round. He is now the world's wealthiest creator of artificial intelligence models. This surge in valuation makes him a prominent figure in China's tech landscape. His company's success is attributed to early investments in computing power. Liang's substantial equity retention distinguishes him from Silicon Valley peers. DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng has emerged as the world's richest AI model creator after his company's latest fundraising round more than doubled his personal fortune. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Liang's net worth has surged to $36 billion, up from around $16.7 billion, placing him ahead of Anthropic co-founder Dario Amodei and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman among founders of AI model companies. Most of Liang's wealth stems from his ownership of DeepSeek. The company's valuation climbed nearly fivefold from the $10 billion reported in April, driven by strong investor demand. DeepSeek's $7.4 billion funding round in June 2026 valued the startup at $50 billion. During the round, Liang personally invested $3 billion, and despite dilution, he is estimated to retain a 78% stake in the company, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Who is Liang? Liang was born in 1985 in Zhanjiang, in China's southern Guangdong province, where his father was an elementary school teacher. He studied electronic engineering at Zhejiang University, a prestigious college in the city of Hangzhou where he also earned a master's degree in information and communication engineering. Liang created DeepSeek in 2023 as an offshoot of the AI division of his hedge fund, Zhejiang High-Flyer Asset Management, which he set up with two former university classmates. The trio had begun trading as students during the global financial crisis. Chinese engineer Liang Wenfeng rose to prominence in the AI industry after founding DeepSeek, building on the success of his quantitative hedge fund, High-Flyer. As DeepSeek continues to make waves in the global tech industry, here's a look at the man behind the company. He later founded High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund that now manages around $8 billion in assets, making it one of China's largest firms in the space. Liang has cited legendary mathematician and Renaissance Technologies founder Jim Simons as a key inspiration for his investment approach. Recognising the potential of artificial intelligence early, Liang's team began investing heavily in computing infrastructure in 2019, building powerful systems powered by Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs). That early investment laid the groundwork for the launch of DeepSeek, which has since emerged as one of the most closely watched AI startups globally. How did Liang get so rich?Liang Wenfeng stands out from many of his Silicon Valley counterparts for retaining an unusually large ownership stake in his company. Unlike many US AI founders, who often dilute their holdings significantly to raise capital from venture capital firms and technology giants, Liang has maintained a stake of nearly 78% in DeepSeek. That high level of ownership has not only given him greater control over the company but has also significantly boosted his personal wealth. While leading AI firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic boast enormous valuations, ownership in those companies is typically spread across multiple founders, investors and institutional backers, reported Bloomberg. With an estimated net worth of $36 billion, Liang is now China's eighth-richest person, ranking just behind Cambricon Technologies co-founder Chen Tianshi, another prominent figure in the country's AI industry.
Anthropic Reveals Claude AI India Pricing: Claude Pro Starts at ₹2,000, Max Goes Up to ₹23,999
Anthropic has launched Claude AI India pricing in rupees. Claude Pro starts at ₹2,000, Max goes up to ₹23,999, while UPI payments are still unavailable. India has become too important for Anthropic to ignore. In a major move for its growing Indian user base, the company has started rolling out claude ai india pricing in Indian rupees, ending the hassle of paying in US dollars and dealing with foreign exchange charges. The rollout makes Claude subscriptions far easier to understand for developers, students and businesses, although one important feature is still missing, UPI payments. The new pricing has started appearing for users on Claude's website and mobile apps as Anthropic deepens its focus on what it says is now its second-largest market after the United States. Claude AI India pricing: Pro, Max and Team plans Under the new anthropic claude india pricing, users can subscribe directly in Indian rupees with GST included. The free version of Claude will continue to remain available. While the prices remove uncertainty around currency conversion and foreign transaction fees, Indian users still cannot pay using UPI. Payments currently work through credit cards, debit cards, Apple App Store billing and Google Play billing. Why the Claude AI India rollout matters The launch of local pricing is more significant than just changing currencies. Anthropic says India now contributes around 5.8% of global Claude usage, making it the company's biggest market outside the US. That growing demand explains why the AI company has accelerated its India expansion over the past year. Anthropic has already strengthened its presence in India by opening its Bengaluru office, appointing former Microsoft India Managing Director Irina Ghose to lead its India business, and expanding enterprise partnerships with Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). These moves clearly show that India is becoming central to Anthropic's long-term growth strategy. What does the anthropic claude india subscription include? The anthropic claude india subscription offers the same features available globally. Claude Pro includes: * Access to Sonnet 5, Opus and Fable 5 models (where available) * Higher usage limits * Research mode * Memory * Unlimited Projects * Web Search * Claude Code * Voice capabilities * Microsoft 365 integration Meanwhile, Claude Max targets power users with much higher usage limits, priority access during busy periods and early access to new AI features. The Team plan is aimed at businesses, offering centralized administration, larger context windows, API credits and enterprise collaboration features. Fable 5 promotion extended until July 19 Alongside the pricing announcement, Anthropic has also extended its promotional offer for Claude Fable 5. The company confirmed that eligible Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise users can continue accessing Fable 5 until July 19, 2026, while also receiving up to 50% higher weekly Claude Code usage limits during the promotional period. The offer was originally scheduled to end on July 12 before being extended. The missing piece: No UPI support yet Despite local billing, one complaint continues to dominate user discussions. Unlike OpenAI, which introduced Indian rupee pricing with UPI support, Anthropic still requires card payments or app-store billing. For a country where UPI has become the preferred digital payment method, its absence is noticeable. Some users may also point out that Claude's India pricing is slightly higher than the direct US dollar equivalent. However, the listed prices already include GST and eliminate foreign exchange fees, making the final payment more transparent than before. Competition in India's AI market is heating up Anthropic's India pricing arrives as competition among AI companies intensifies. OpenAI, Google , Microsoft and several newer AI players are rapidly expanding across India through local partnerships, enterprise offerings and consumer subscriptions. By introducing rupee billing, Anthropic removes one of the biggest barriers preventing free users from upgrading to paid plans. Whether the company adds UPI support next could determine how quickly Claude grows among everyday Indian users. For now, the rollout marks an important milestone. It signals that India is no longer just a large user base for Anthropic, it has become one of the company's most strategically important markets worldwide.
SpaceX stock now makes up 25.7% of this top FTSE 100 investment trust!
You're reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Twelfth Magpie's Premium Investing Services. Become a member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn more, and get a free 'Best Buy Now' stock!. Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (LSE:SMT) has done fantastically well in the FTSE 100 over the past couple of years. Since late 2023, the growth trust's share price has more than doubled. Much of this has been driven by the incredible success of Space Exploration Technologies, which it first invested in back in 2018. That stake has ballooned in value. However, Scottish Mortgage is currently in a strange period. While it's sitting on massive unrealised profits, it can't offload any SpaceX shares until the rocket/satellite firm reports its Q2 results, sometime in August. At that point, only 20% can be sold, rising to 30% if SpaceX stock is 30% above its IPO price. But that's not guranteed because it's currently only just above its IPO price of $135. For better or worse then, Scottish Mortgage's day-to-day share price performance is currently tied to what happens with SpaceX. And at the end of June, Elon Musk's firm made up a whopping 25.7% of assets! Should Scottish Mortgage investors be worried? Holding at scale For me, the answer depends on how large a weighting SpaceX is by mid-December. Then, the investment trust will be able to sell the entire position if it chooses to. However, reading manager Tom Slater's latest commentary on SpaceX's monopolistic position and commercial opportunities makes it clear that SpaceX will likely remain a top holding. SpaceX is...a dual monopoly in launch and global connectivity, with Starlink building highly profitable, recurring revenue that the best software businesses aspire to, except that its assets are in orbit and extraordinarily difficult to replicate...If Starship achieves full reusability, the economics of placing AI infrastructure in orbit become compelling. And that's why we hold it at scale. Tom Slater, July 2026. Fair enough. But surely holding SpaceX "at scale" won't involve it being over 20% of total assets, though? If so, then I think there's a lot of concentration risk because SpaceX's valuation looks too high to me. At a market cap of $1.8trn, it's trading at around 47 times this year's forecast sales. No profits are expected until 2028 due to heavy AI capex. Speaking as a Scottish Mortgage shareholder, I would like to see SpaceX reduced to 4%-8% of the portfolio (in line with TSMC and Nvidia). At this type of weighting, it can still drive meaningful returns if successful, while the damage is limited if its valuation fails to live up to expectations. Beyond SpaceX While SpaceX hogs all the headlines, it's important to remember that the rest of the portfolio's progressing well. Holdings MercadoLibre, Nu, Revolut, and Stripe are growing rapidly as they build the infrastructure of digital finance. Anthropic's annualised revenue run rate has gone from $1bn at the start of 2025 to more than $47bn today. And TSMC, SK Hynix, Nvidia and ASML are all at the very epicentre of the AI infrastructure buildout. Meanwhile, Cloudflare is helping websites identify and charge AI agents for access to their content. In Q1, CEO Matthew Prince said that AI is "shaping up to be the biggest tailwind we've ever seen in Cloudflare's history". Scottish Mortgage is trading at a 7% discount to net asset value. If the stock keep falling, I think it's worth considering on the dip, then holding long term. Should you invest £5,000 in Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Plc right now? When investing expert Mark Rogers and his team have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Twelfth Magpie Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets. And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Plc made the list? Ben McPoland owns shares in Cloudflare, MercadoLibre, Nu Holdings, Nvidia, Scottish Mortgage, and TSMC.
Anthropic introduces India pricing for Claude as AI race heats up
Anthropic has introduced local pricing for its Claude AI chatbot in India, marking a significant step in its expansion strategy as global AI companies compete for users in one of the world's fastest-growing technology markets. The company has begun displaying Indian rupee pricing for Claude subscriptions on its website and mobile apps for some users. However, unlike OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic has yet to support India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Users need to pay using credit or debit cards or through Apple and Google's app store billing systems. The pricing update addresses a long-standing complaint from Indian users, who previously had to pay in US dollars, often incurring additional currency conversion charges. India has emerged as Anthropic's biggest market outside the United States, accounting for 5.8 per cent of global Claude usage, according to the company. Also Read | Anthropic extends Claude Fable 5 access to paid subscribers until July 19: Here's what changes later Under the new pricing structure, Claude Pro costs Rs 2,000 per month when billed annually. The premium Claude Max plan starts at Rs 11,999 per month, while Claude Team subscriptions begin at Rs 2,399 per user per month. Anthropic says the listed prices already include applicable local taxes, though pricing may vary slightly between the website and mobile apps. The move reflects Anthropic's increasing focus on India. Earlier this year, the company opened its Bengaluru office and appointed former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose to lead its operations in the country. It has also signed partnerships with Indian IT giants Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services to expand enterprise AI adoption. Also read: Anthropic expands Claude Cowork to mobile and web, letting AI agent work across devices India has become a key battleground for AI companies because of its massive developer community and technology workforce. While millions of users are experimenting with AI tools, converting that interest into paid subscriptions remains challenging due to the country's price-sensitive consumer market. Story continues below this ad OpenAI introduced Indian rupee pricing and UPI payments for ChatGPT last year, while Google, Microsoft, and other AI firms continue expanding their services and enterprise offerings across India.
Anthropic 'clear leader in AI', says Musk. Here's what the SpaceX chief really means
Elon Musk does not often admit he was wrong. But he has. Responding on X to a user who noted that SpaceX controls the computing power Anthropic depends on, and could, in theory, cut it off, Musk said he never would. He went further, calling Anthropic the clear leader in AI and saying no rival had shipped a model as good as its Mythos and Fable systems. He expects a Mythos 2 before long. The turn is surprising, given that last September, he wrote that winning was never a possible outcome for Anthropic. In February, after it raised $30bn at a $380bn valuation, he called its models "misanthropic and evil" and told it to fix them. Five months on, the same company is his benchmark for the field. The praise is not free Take the compliment at face value and it reads as rare humility. Look at the plumbing and a second motive appears. In May, Anthropic agreed to lease the entire output of xAI's Colossus 1 data centre near Memphis, about 300 megawatts, paying roughly $1.25bn a month through 2029. That is close to $40bn flowing to Musk's side of the table. He is not just admiring Anthropic. He is billing it. A rival who pays you $40bn is a rival worth flattering. Musk's pledge not to weaponise that dependence costs him nothing and buys goodwill with a customer he needs. The admiration may be real. It is also good business. Playground politics? The sharper reading sits one company over. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit, left the board in 2018 after the others refused to hand him control, and has fought it since. He sued Altman and OpenAI in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the founding mission for private gain. He sought more than $150bn in damages, Altman's removal and the unwinding of the for-profit structure. In May, a jury threw the case out, finding Musk had waited too long to file. He called the verdict a "calendar technicality" and vowed to appeal. By July, the feud was personal again. Musk branded Altman "Scam Altman" after Apple sued OpenAI, and Altman replied that the surest sign his new model led the field was that Musk was obsessed with him again. Against that backdrop, crowning Anthropic the leader does double duty. It is a real judgement about the models. It is also a way to tell the market that the AI company that matters is not the one he is suing. Both are racing to the same finish line Timing sharpens the point. Both firms filed confidentially for stock market listings in June, within days of each other. Anthropic, valued at about $965bn in private markets, is pushing for a Nasdaq debut as early as October. It could be the first company to list at close to $1tn, and it expects its first profitable quarter, with around $559m in operating income on $10.9bn of revenue.
Anthropic 'clear leader in AI', says Musk. Here's what the SpaceX chief really means
Elon Musk does not often admit he was wrong. But he has. Responding on X to a user who noted that SpaceX controls the computing power Anthropic depends on, and could, in theory, cut it off, Musk said he never would. He went further, calling Anthropic the clear leader in AI and saying no rival had shipped a model as good as its Mythos and Fable systems. He expects a Mythos 2 before long. The turn is surprising, given that last September, he wrote that winning was never a possible outcome for Anthropic. In February, after it raised $30bn at a $380bn valuation, he called its models "misanthropic and evil" and told it to fix them. Five months on, the same company is his benchmark for the field. The praise is not free Take the compliment at face value and it reads as rare humility. Look at the plumbing and a second motive appears. In May, Anthropic agreed to lease the entire output of xAI's Colossus 1 data centre near Memphis, about 300 megawatts, paying roughly $1.25bn a month through 2029. That is close to $40bn flowing to Musk's side of the table. He is not just admiring Anthropic. He is billing it. A rival who pays you $40bn is a rival worth flattering. Musk's pledge not to weaponise that dependence costs him nothing and buys goodwill with a customer he needs. The admiration may be real. It is also good business. Playground politics? The sharper reading sits one company over. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit, left the board in 2018 after the others refused to hand him control, and has fought it since. He sued Altman and OpenAI in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the founding mission for private gain. He sought more than $150bn in damages, Altman's removal and the unwinding of the for-profit structure. In May, a jury threw the case out, finding Musk had waited too long to file. He called the verdict a "calendar technicality" and vowed to appeal. By July, the feud was personal again. Musk branded Altman "Scam Altman" after Apple sued OpenAI, and Altman replied that the surest sign his new model led the field was that Musk was obsessed with him again. Against that backdrop, crowning Anthropic the leader does double duty. It is a real judgement about the models. It is also a way to tell the market that the AI company that matters is not the one he is suing. Both are racing to the same finish line Timing sharpens the point. Both firms filed confidentially for stock market listings in June, within days of each other. Anthropic, valued at about $965bn in private markets, is pushing for a Nasdaq debut as early as October. It could be the first company to list at close to $1tn, and it expects its first profitable quarter, with around $559m in operating income on $10.9bn of revenue.
Anthropic 'clear leader in AI', says Musk. Here's what the SpaceX chief really means
Elon Musk does not often admit he was wrong. But he has. Responding on X to a user who noted that SpaceX controls the computing power Anthropic depends on, and could, in theory, cut it off, Musk said he never would. He went further, calling Anthropic the clear leader in AI and saying no rival had shipped a model as good as its Mythos and Fable systems. He expects a Mythos 2 before long. The turn is surprising, given that last September, he wrote that winning was never a possible outcome for Anthropic. In February, after it raised $30bn at a $380bn valuation, he called its models "misanthropic and evil" and told it to fix them. Five months on, the same company is his benchmark for the field. The praise is not free Take the compliment at face value and it reads as rare humility. Look at the plumbing and a second motive appears. In May, Anthropic agreed to lease the entire output of xAI's Colossus 1 data centre near Memphis, about 300 megawatts, paying roughly $1.25bn a month through 2029. That is close to $40bn flowing to Musk's side of the table. He is not just admiring Anthropic. He is billing it. A rival who pays you $40bn is a rival worth flattering. Musk's pledge not to weaponise that dependence costs him nothing and buys goodwill with a customer he needs. The admiration may be real. It is also good business. Playground politics? The sharper reading sits one company over. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit, left the board in 2018 after the others refused to hand him control, and has fought it since. He sued Altman and OpenAI in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the founding mission for private gain. He sought more than $150bn in damages, Altman's removal and the unwinding of the for-profit structure. In May, a jury threw the case out, finding Musk had waited too long to file. He called the verdict a "calendar technicality" and vowed to appeal. By July, the feud was personal again. Musk branded Altman "Scam Altman" after Apple sued OpenAI, and Altman replied that the surest sign his new model led the field was that Musk was obsessed with him again. Against that backdrop, crowning Anthropic the leader does double duty. It is a real judgement about the models. It is also a way to tell the market that the AI company that matters is not the one he is suing. Both are racing to the same finish line Timing sharpens the point. Both firms filed confidentially for stock market listings in June, within days of each other. Anthropic, valued at about $965bn in private markets, is pushing for a Nasdaq debut as early as October. It could be the first company to list at close to $1tn, and it expects its first profitable quarter, with around $559m in operating income on $10.9bn of revenue. OpenAI, valued a little lower and still loss-making, is leaning toward 2027, wary after SpaceX's own listing spiked and then surrendered much of the gain. Altman is holding out for a $1tn price. Here the two threads meet. Whoever lists first sets the benchmark the second is priced against. Anthropic going out ahead, blessed by Musk as the field's leader, helps fix the multiple bankers who later apply to OpenAI. Musk talking up the rival he profits from, while running down the rival he is suing, shapes the terms on which his enemy will one day face public investors. None of this proves the praise is hollow. Musk may well think Anthropic makes the best models right now. But "wowed by the model" and "at war with OpenAI" were never competing explanations. They are the same move. The compliment serves his balance sheet and his grudge at once, and it lands in the narrow window before both labs ask the market to price them.
Anthropic 'clear leader in AI', says Musk. Here's what the SpaceX chief really means
Elon Musk does not often admit he was wrong. But he has. Responding on X to a user who noted that SpaceX controls the computing power Anthropic depends on, and could, in theory, cut it off, Musk said he never would. He went further, calling Anthropic the clear leader in AI and saying no rival had shipped a model as good as its Mythos and Fable systems. He expects a Mythos 2 before long. The turn is surprising, given that last September, he wrote that winning was never a possible outcome for Anthropic. In February, after it raised $30bn at a $380bn valuation, he called its models "misanthropic and evil" and told it to fix them. Five months on, the same company is his benchmark for the field. The praise is not free Take the compliment at face value and it reads as rare humility. Look at the plumbing and a second motive appears. In May, Anthropic agreed to lease the entire output of xAI's Colossus 1 data centre near Memphis, about 300 megawatts, paying roughly $1.25bn a month through 2029. That is close to $40bn flowing to Musk's side of the table. He is not just admiring Anthropic. He is billing it. A rival who pays you $40bn is a rival worth flattering. Musk's pledge not to weaponise that dependence costs him nothing and buys goodwill with a customer he needs. The admiration may be real. It is also good business. Playground politics? The sharper reading sits one company over. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a non-profit, left the board in 2018 after the others refused to hand him control, and has fought it since. He sued Altman and OpenAI in 2024, accusing them of abandoning the founding mission for private gain. He sought more than $150bn in damages, Altman's removal and the unwinding of the for-profit structure. In May, a jury threw the case out, finding Musk had waited too long to file. He called the verdict a "calendar technicality" and vowed to appeal. By July, the feud was personal again. Musk branded Altman "Scam Altman" after Apple sued OpenAI, and Altman replied that the surest sign his new model led the field was that Musk was obsessed with him again. Against that backdrop, crowning Anthropic the leader does double duty. It is a real judgement about the models. It is also a way to tell the market that the AI company that matters is not the one he is suing. Both are racing to the same finish line Timing sharpens the point. Both firms filed confidentially for stock market listings in June, within days of each other. Anthropic, valued at about $965bn in private markets, is pushing for a Nasdaq debut as early as October. It could be the first company to list at close to $1tn, and it expects its first profitable quarter, with around $559m in operating income on $10.9bn of revenue. OpenAI, valued a little lower and still loss-making, is leaning toward 2027, wary after SpaceX's own listing spiked and then surrendered much of the gain. Altman is holding out for a $1tn price. Here the two threads meet. Whoever lists first sets the benchmark the second is priced against. Anthropic going out ahead, blessed by Musk as the field's leader, helps fix the multiple bankers who later apply to OpenAI. Musk talking up the rival he profits from, while running down the rival he is suing, shapes the terms on which his enemy will one day face public investors. None of this proves the praise is hollow. Musk may well think Anthropic makes the best models right now. But "wowed by the model" and "at war with OpenAI" were never competing explanations. They are the same move. The compliment serves his balance sheet and his grudge at once, and it lands in the narrow window before both labs ask the market to price them.
Anthropic rolls out India pricing for Claude subscription plans The Mainstream
Anthropic has reportedly started displaying India-specific pricing for its Claude AI subscription plans, marking another step in the company's growing focus on the Indian market. According to a report by a technology publication, the updated pricing is visible to some users in India, although payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) are not yet available. Users can currently subscribe using bank cards or the billing systems of the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. India has reportedly become Anthropic's largest market outside the US. The company opened its Bengaluru office in February and has partnered with Indian IT companies, including Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services, to expand enterprise AI deployments. For individual users, Anthropic offers 2 subscription plans. The Pro plan is priced at ₹2,000 per month when billed annually, while the Max plan costs ₹11,999 per month with annual billing. The Team plan starts at ₹2,399. According to the report, all Indian prices include local taxes. For comparison, the Pro plan is priced at $17 per month in the US, the Max plan costs $100, and the Team plan starts at $20. The Free plan provides access to Claude on the web, iOS, Android, and desktop. It includes web search, desktop extensions, voice mode, incognito chats, user preferences, artifacts, file creation and editing with code execution, memory, connectors, and skills for reusable instructions. Free users can access only the Sonnet and Haiku models. The Pro plan includes everything in the Free plan, along with higher usage limits and access to advanced features such as Claude Code, Claude Cowork, Claude Design, projects for organising chats and documents, additional Claude models, and Claude for Microsoft 365. The Max plan offers all Pro features with significantly higher usage limits. Subscribers can choose between 5x or 20x the Pro usage per 5-hour session. It also provides higher output limits and priority access during peak usage periods. Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat Do Follow: The Mainstream LinkedIn | The Mainstream Facebook | The Mainstream Youtube | The Mainstream Twitter About us: The Mainstream is a premier platform delivering the latest updates and informed perspectives across the technology business and cyber landscape. Built on research-driven, thought leadership and original intellectual property, The Mainstream also curates summits & conferences that convene decision makers to explore how technology reshapes industries and leadership. With a growing presence in India and globally across the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, the USA, the UK and Australia, The Mainstream carries a vision to bring the latest happenings and insights to 8.2 billion people and to place technology at the centre of conversation for leaders navigating the future.
"Stop the AI Race": Hundreds March Against OpenAI, Anthropic and Google DeepMind in San Francisco
On Saturday, July 11, around 400 people took to the streets of San Francisco to protest against the leading AI companies. The march, held under the banner "Stop the AI Race", led from OpenAI's headquarters on 3rd Street past Anthropic's offices on Howard Street to Google DeepMind's location at Rincon Park, with rallies and speeches at each stop. The organizers emphasize that this was a peaceful assembly of "concerned citizens, families, and researchers" - and that employees of the companies in question were explicitly invited to join. The Central Demand: A Conditional Pause on Development The movement has a single, clearly defined demand: every CEO of a major AI lab should publicly commit to pausing the development of frontier models - on the condition that every other major lab in the world credibly does the same. This is not a call for a unilateral stop, but for a conditional pledge along the lines of: "If the others pause, I will too." In practice, according to the organizers, such a pause would mean: no new training runs for larger or more general frontier models. Teams currently working on advancing the capabilities of these models would instead shift to narrow AI applications or alignment research. Existing models would remain available, and narrow AI applications would still be permitted. As a technical blueprint, the movement points to a paper by the MIRI Technical Governance Team that outlines an international agreement led by the US and China - including verification mechanisms such as AI chip tracking and compute thresholds (FLOP caps). The Warnings: "The Architects Know the Race Is Reckless" The protesters argue that the leaders of the AI companies themselves have repeatedly warned about the existential risks of their technology - for instance in public statements on AI risk signed by numerous industry figures. At the same time, they say, each lab justifies its pace by claiming it must beat the competition and geopolitical rivals. It is precisely this race that the activists want to break. Asked about China, they respond that any agreement would of course have to include all major AI labs worldwide - but public commitments from Western CEOs are the first step toward the kind of international coordination that would make this possible. The movement has a history: in September 2025, an 18-day hunger strike outside Google DeepMind's London offices made international headlines. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis responded at the time and signaled openness to a conditional pause, but named international coordination as the key bottleneck. In February 2026, from the activists' perspective, Anthropic removed the commitment to pause development if its own AI became too dangerous from the third version of its Responsible Scaling Policy - prompting a first march on Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI on March 21. Since then, Anthropic has written that it expects it "would slow down or temporarily pause" development if other labs verifiably did the same, and OpenAI stated in a strategy paper that coordination, including slowing frontier development, is expected to become more important. For the organizers, this is not enough: "expects" is not a commitment - what is needed, they say, are binding pledges along with a concrete verification regime. Background: Attacks on Sam Altman's Home The protests are taking place in an increasingly heated climate. In April 2026, the San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was targeted twice within a matter of days: first, a 20-year-old from Texas threw a Molotov cocktail at the property and subsequently threatened to burn down OpenAI's headquarters. According to prosecutors, the man was driven by hatred of AI technology, traveled to San Francisco with the intent to kill, and was carrying a manifesto containing the names and addresses of other AI executives and investors. He was charged with, among other things, attempted murder. Just two days later, shots were fired at Altman's house from a car; two people were arrested, though it remains unclear whether the attack was deliberately aimed at the property. No one was injured in either incident. Altman himself responded with a blog post in which he shared a photo of his family and called for de-escalation: fear about AI is justified, he wrote, and criticism of the industry welcome - but rhetoric and tactics need to be dialed down. The "Stop the AI Race" organizers, for their part, clearly distance themselves from violence and are committed to peaceful protest. Background: Resistance to AI Data Centers Across the US In parallel, resistance to the massive buildout of AI data centers is growing across the United States. According to a report by Data Center Watch, projects worth around 130 billion US dollars were blocked or delayed in the first quarter of 2026 alone - at least 75 projects, the highest figure since tracking began in 2023. In the first six weeks of the year, lawmakers from both parties introduced more than 300 data center bills, and 14 states proposed construction moratoriums. So far, opponents have had the greatest success at the local level: more than 100 municipalities across the US have imposed construction pauses - including Denver with a one-year moratorium, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, several communities in Illinois and Georgia, and around 20 municipalities in Michigan. At the state level, Maine narrowly missed becoming the first state in US history to enact a statewide moratorium in April, when Governor Janet Mills vetoed the bill. In New York, the legislature passed a one-year moratorium on AI data centers in June, which is currently awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul's signature. At the federal level, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act in March, which would halt the construction of new data centers of 20 megawatts or more until national safeguards are in place. According to a Gallup poll, roughly seven in ten Americans oppose the construction of AI data centers near their homes. The "Stop the AI Race" movement, meanwhile, is announcing further actions. As its website puts it: protest marches are "just the start".
