News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
Anthropic Releases Claude Opus 4.7 with Automated Real-Time Cybersecurity Safeguards
Anthropic has launched Claude Opus 4.7, its latest flagship model, combining improved coding and vision capabilities with automated real-time safeguards to detect and block high-risk cybersecurity requests. The release is notable because Anthropic is testing these protections on a broadly available model before considering wider access to its more powerful Mythos-class systems. According to Anthropic, Opus 4.7 performs better than Opus 4.6 on difficult coding tasks, follows instructions more precisely, and can verify parts of its own work before responding. What's New in the Latest Update The company also says the model has stronger vision capabilities, supporting images up to 2,576 pixels on the long edge, which can help with detailed screenshot analysis, diagram reading, and document understanding. The cybersecurity angle is what makes this launch especially important. Core Upgrades: Better coding (+10-15%), precise instructions, improved long-task reliability, self-checking, stronger memory. Vision: Higher-res images, improved UI/diagram reading, 98.5% visual accuracy. Security: Real-time threat blocking, verification program, advanced safeguards. Developer Features: mode, task budgets, improved tokenizer, 1-hour cache. Claude Code:, fullscreen TUI, auto mode, xhigh default. Availability & Pricing: Same pricing, available across major platforms. Anthropic said Opus 4.7 includes safeguards that automatically detect and block prompts linked to prohibited or high-risk cyber activity. At the same time, the company is inviting legitimate security researchers, red-teamers, and penetration testers to apply for a new Cyber Verification Program so they can use the model for approved security work with fewer restrictions. This rollout follows Anthropic's recent Project Glasswing initiative, which was created to study how advanced AI models can help defend critical software while reducing the risk of offensive misuse. In that announcement, Anthropic said its unreleased Claude Mythos Preview demonstrated very strong vulnerability discovery and exploit development capabilities, strong enough that the company chose not to make it generally available. Instead, Anthropic said it would test new cyber defenses first on a less capable model, and Opus 4.7 is the first product to carry that plan into production. Anthropic also said Opus 4.7 keeps the same price as Opus 4.6, at $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. The model is now available across Claude products, the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry, providing enterprises with several deployment options. For developers, the update includes operational changes beyond safety. Anthropic introduced a new xhigh effort level for harder reasoning tasks, public beta task budgets for managing token usage in long-running jobs, and a new feature in Claude Code for bug and design review. The migration guide also notes that Opus 4.7 uses a new tokenizer that may increase token counts by 1.0 to 1.35 times, depending on content, meaning teams may need to retune prompts, budgets, and output limits when upgrading. From a security industry perspective, this release shows how AI vendors are beginning to treat cyber capabilities as a governed feature rather than just a competitive advantage. Anthropic is trying to balance stronger coding autonomy with automated misuse controls, using live deployment data from Opus 4.7 to shape how future, more capable models might be released safely.
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.7 with coding and AI agent upgrades
Anthropic has announced the release of Claude Opus 4.7, introducing significant improvements in advanced coding, AI agent workflows, and multimodal capabilities. The model is now generally available across Claude apps, APIs, and major cloud platforms, positioning itself as a stronger upgrade over Opus 4.6 for professional and enterprise use cases. Claude Opus 4.7 is designed for complex, multi-step tasks that require: The model improves instruction following, self-verification before outputs, and memory usage across sessions. This allows it to handle long-running AI agent tasks with reduced supervision. Claude Opus 4.7 introduces improved vision capabilities: This also improves output quality for UI design, presentations, and professional documents. Anthropic has introduced several new tools for developers. Key additions include: These updates aim to give developers more control over cost, performance, and output depth. Claude Opus 4.7 maintains a safety profile similar to its predecessor, with targeted improvements: Anthropic notes: Security professionals can access advanced capabilities via the Cyber Verification Program. Anthropic recommends testing real workloads before full migration. Claude Opus 4.7 is available across Claude apps, Claude API (), Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud Vertex AI, and Microsoft Foundry.
Anthropic CEO to meet White House chief of staff amid Pentagon dispute, Axios reports
April 17 (Reuters) - Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is slated to meet White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on Friday, in a sign of a breakthrough in the artificial intelligence startup's dispute with the Pentagon, Axios reported. The potential meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration acknowledges the advanced capabilities of Anthropic's new AI model, Mythos, for its sophisticated cybersecurity defense breaching abilities, according to the report. White House and Anthropic did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report. It would be "grossly irresponsible" for the U.S. government to deprive the country of the technological advantages offered by the new model, suggesting such a move would benefit China, Axios reported, citing a source close to the negotiations. Separately, the New York Times' DealBook newsletter reported that the Treasury and the State Departments, have asked Anthropic for briefings on and access to Mythos. Representatives for the Treasury and the State Departments could not immediately be reached for comment Announced on April 7, Mythos is being deployed as part of Anthropic's "Project Glasswing," a controlled initiative under which select organizations are permitted to use the unreleased Claude Mythos Preview model for defensive cybersecurity purposes. Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that the U.S. government is planning to make a version of Anthropic's Mythos available to major federal agencies. Anthropic was discussing Mythos with the Trump administration, co-founder Jack Clark said on Monday, even after the Pentagon cut off business ties with the U.S. AI lab following a contract dispute. (Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
Anthropic Ceo To Meet Top White House Aide Amid Pentagon Dispute
2:16 Anthropic claims its caller AI exemplary excessively risky to merchandise to public An artificial intelligence (AI) institution says it has completed a caller exemplary that is truthful could that the nationalist cannot beryllium allowed to usage it. It's the aforesaid institution that refused to fto the U.S. authorities usage its AI to target weapons. Anthropic's projected gross has changeable up from USD$9 cardinal to $30 cardinal this year. Nathaniel Dove looks astatine whether the announcement is trading -- aliases a warning. - Apr 9, 2026 Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is slated to meet White House main of unit Susie Wiles connected Friday, successful a motion of a breakthrough successful the artificial intelligence startup's conflict pinch the Pentagon, Axios reported. The imaginable gathering comes arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump's management acknowledges the precocious capabilities of Anthropic's caller AI model, Mythos, for its blase cybersecurity defense breaching abilities, according to the report. White House and Anthropic did not instantly respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report. It would beryllium "grossly irresponsible" for the U.S. authorities to deprive the state of the technological advantages offered by the caller model, suggesting specified a move would use China, Axios reported, citing a root adjacent to the negotiations. Announced connected April 7, Mythos is being deployed arsenic portion of Anthropic's "Project Glasswing," a controlled inaugural nether which prime organizations are permitted to usage the unreleased Claude Mythos Preview exemplary for protect cybersecurity purposes. Bloomberg News reported connected Thursday that the U.S. authorities is readying to make a type of Anthropic's Mythos disposable to awesome national agencies. Anthropic was discussing Mythos pinch the Trump administration, co-founder Jack Clark said connected Monday, moreover aft the Pentagon trim disconnected business ties pinch the U.S. AI laboratory pursuing a statement dispute.
Amid accusations against traders of exploiting the needy | Chaos erupts during aid distribution in Deir Ezzor
Deir Ezzor province: A centre run by the Syrian Red Crescent in Deir Ezzor province witnessed unrest and chaos during an aid distribution process in the past few hours, following interference by some traders seeking to purchase the supplies from beneficiaries immediately after they received them. According to SOHR sources, the presence of these traders near distribution centres caused tension among residents, amid accusations that they were attempting to exploit the dire living conditions to pressure beneficiaries into selling the aid at low prices. Sources added that the unrest sometimes escalated into verbal altercations, prompting centre staff to intervene in order to organise the distribution process and prevent further chaos. This coincides with deteriorating economic and living conditions in Deir Ezzor, where a large number of residents rely on humanitarian aid, as fears grow over the spread of profiteering from these supplies. Such practices threaten to divert aid away from those who truly need it.
CEO of blacklisted Anthropic is going to the White House
(CNN) -- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is visiting the White House on Friday for a high-stakes meeting with the president's top adviser, while his AI company battles the Trump administration in court for blacklisting its Claude AI model. Amodei will meet with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, two sources familiar with the meeting told CNN. Axios first reported on the meeting. Anthropic declined to comment. Until recently, Anthropic's Claude was the only AI model available in the Pentagon's classified network. But President Donald Trump recently announced the administration would sever ties with the company after Anthropic refused to back down on terms that would allow the military to use Claude for "all lawful purposes," including autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. After a breakdown in talks over Claude's use, the Pentagon went on to declare Anthropic a "supply chain risk," a label only used in the past for companies associated with foreign adversaries. It would effectively blacklist Anthropic from the government. Anthropic sued the Trump administration in response, and a federal judge in California last month blocked the Pentagon's effort to "punish" Anthropic. The government said it will appeal the ruling. The Pentagon has said it wants unfettered access to Claude for "all lawful purposes," because it needs complete freedom to use those tools, especially in wartime. Anthropic has argued that AI models are just not yet reliable enough to be used in autonomous weapons, and that US law has not caught up to be able to protect Americans around AI's use in mass surveillance. Meanwhile, Anthropic announced a forthcoming powerful AI model called Mythos, that it and experts have warned could be a "watershed" moment for cybersecurity, allowing select groups to get early access to assess their cybersecurity risk. The Office of Management and Budget has already told agencies it is preparing to give them access to Mythos to prepare, Bloomberg reported. Axios reported the White House is also in discussion to gain access to Mythos. Anthropic declined to comment on whether the Trump administration was working to test Mythos. "The White House continues to proactively engage across government and industry to protect the United States and Americans. This includes working with frontier AI labs to ensure their models help secure critical software vulnerabilities," a White House official told CNN. "Any new technology that would potentially be used or deployed by the federal government requires a technical period of evaluation for fidelity and security. The collective effort of all involved will ultimately benefit industry, and our country, as a whole." The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Kraken Buys Bitnomial in $550M Deal to Secure Full US Derivatives Licensing Stack - FinanceFeeds
Crypto exchange Kraken's parent company, Payward, has agreed to acquire digital asset derivatives platform Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock, in a transaction that values the firm at $20 billion. The deal brings three critical licenses under Payward's control: a brokerage, a clearinghouse, and an exchange. Bitnomial is the first crypto-native platform to secure the full set of regulatory approvals required to operate a domestic derivatives stack. It holds licenses to operate a designated contract market, a derivatives clearing organization, and a futures commission merchant, providing a complete regulatory framework for U.S.-based derivatives trading. The acquisition allows Payward to bypass years of regulatory buildout as it expands its U.S. footprint, accelerating its entry into one of the most tightly controlled derivatives markets globally. "The shape of a market is determined by its clearing infrastructure, not its front end," said Payward Co-CEO Arjun Sethi, pointing to Bitnomial's settlement, collateral, and continuous trading capabilities. The deal reflects a broader shift in Kraken's strategy as it prepares for a potential public listing and expands beyond core crypto trading into multi-asset infrastructure. Payward had confidentially submitted a draft S-1 to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in November, although plans were later delayed due to market conditions. In recent years, Kraken has focused on targeted acquisitions that strengthen regulatory positioning and derivatives capabilities. Its $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader in 2025 marked a major step into U.S. futures markets, providing access to a large base of retail derivatives traders and a CFTC-registered platform. Earlier transactions, including BCM and Small Exchange, were aimed at building out institutional infrastructure and expanding product coverage across trading segments. Bitnomial extends this strategy by adding a fully regulated U.S. derivatives stack to Payward's portfolio. The integration of Bitnomial's infrastructure with Payward's global distribution network will support a range of derivatives products for U.S. clients, including spot margin, perpetual futures, and options under Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight. The deal also expands Payward Services, the company's B2B infrastructure arm, enabling banks, fintech firms, and brokerages to access regulated U.S. derivatives markets through a single API. This approach targets institutional demand for compliant access to crypto-linked derivatives without direct exposure to unregulated venues. Globally, Payward has been building out its derivatives capabilities through acquisitions and product launches, including a U.K. crypto futures platform acquired in 2019 and a European offering launched in 2025. Bitnomial adds a fully regulated domestic layer to that strategy. Deal activity across the crypto sector has begun to recover after a prolonged slowdown, with firms focusing on acquisitions that address specific structural gaps such as custody, derivatives, and compliance. Larger players are targeting assets that provide immediate regulatory or operational advantages. At the same time, market conditions have created opportunities for consolidation. Lower valuations and tighter funding environments have made smaller firms more receptive to acquisition, contributing to a more pragmatic phase of industry growth. Payward's move reflects this shift, prioritizing infrastructure and regulatory alignment over expansion driven purely by user growth. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
AI-boosted hacks with Anthropic's Mythos could have dire consequences for banks
ANTHROPIC'S MYTHOS, a new artificial intelligence (AI) model the company and cybersecurity experts warn could supercharge complex cyberattacks, poses significant challenges to the banking industry with its legacy technology systems, experts said in the days following the model's announcement. The model, announced April 7, is the company's "most capable yet for coding and agentic tasks," the company said in a blog post, referring to the model's ability to act autonomously. Its capabilities to code at a high level have given it a potentially unprecedented ability to identify cybersecurity vulnerabilities and devise ways to exploit them, experts said. That's a particular problem for banks and other financial institutions, which run technology stacks that integrate state-of-the-art tools with decades-old software, potentially opening a large number of vulnerabilities, according to TJ Marlin, the chief executive of enterprise AI security firm Guardrail Technologies. Mr. Marlin said Mythos Preview can "look across a very complex architecture, including this legacy infrastructure where, frankly, these undiscovered vulnerabilities and complexities are now accessible and threat factors." The banking industry is also closely connected, with many companies operating the same narrow set of software to onboard customers, perform know-your-customer checks, and handle transactions. "Because it's a very specialized industry and heavily regulated, there's a lot of IT interconnections," said Naresh Raheja, a San Francisco-based consultant who previously worked at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. "Many banks use the same vendors and the same solutions." Mr. Marlin said that could act as a force multiplier for breaches, making any AI-powered exploits "potentially catastrophic at scale." Government officials in at least three countries -- the US, Canada and Britain -- have met with top banking officials to discuss the threats posed by Claude Mythos Preview. The US Treasury said that Donald Trump's administration was pushing financial institutions "to understand and anticipate a wide range of market developments" and that further meetings around the issue were planned. Anthropic declined to comment beyond its April 7 announcement. Anthropic has said Claude Mythos Preview will not be made generally available. Instead, the company announced Project Glasswing, in which it invited major tech companies, cybersecurity vendors and JPMorgan Chase, along with several dozen other organizations, to privately evaluate the model and prepare defenses accordingly. IDENTIFYING VULNERABILITIES Claude Mythos Preview is capable of identifying and exploiting previously undiscovered vulnerabilities in every major computer operating system and every major web browser, the company said in announcing Project Glasswing. In a technical blog released alongside the main announcement, Anthropic researchers describe how Mythos Preview identified "thousands" of high and critical-severity vulnerabilities, meaning that targets could suffer grave impacts as a result, including data and operational compromise. The researchers described how the model identified a 16-year-old vulnerability in the widely used FFmpeg software library, an open-source program used for processing audio and video files, and how it identified a bug in an unnamed virtual machine monitor program, which allows users to create segregated virtual computers within their own in ways that are supposed to protect the host system. A Cloud Security Alliance coalition of cybersecurity executives and former senior US government officials warned in an April 12 strategy briefing that Mythos represents "a step change" in the trajectory of capable AI models that "lowers the cost and skill floor for discovering and exploiting vulnerabilities faster than organizations can patch them." Costin Raiu, a longtime security researcher and co-founder of cybersecurity firm TLPBLACK, said in an interview that the banking industry has key legacy technology systems initially released decades ago that have been updated many times over the years, pointing to products produced by firms including IBM, as an example. "A model like Mythos would have a field day finding exploits" in certain IBM systems, Mr. Raiu said, pointing to examples of IBM-related vulnerability research. "And it's just one example of ancient technologies powering the financial industry." In an April 9 blog post, IBM said that Mythos is "forcing enterprise security teams to rethink their defenses from the ground up," and called for more of an open-source approach, where more companies and researchers have access to the model to make everyone more secure. The company did not respond to requests for comment. JPMorgan Chase said in a statement last week that it was part of a group of leading companies that were privately evaluating Mythos, something it called "a unique, early-stage opportunity to evaluate next-generation AI tools for defensive cybersecurity across critical infrastructure." The company did not return a message. Wells Fargo also didn't respond to a message. FS-ISAC, the nonprofit that works to boost the cybersecurity of the global financial system, did not respond to written questions. Bank of America, Citibank, the American Bankers Association and the Consumer Bankers Association declined comment. -- Reuters
Vandenberg rocket launch this weekend. Where to see SpaceX mission
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 25 more Starlink satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. SpaceX has already launched 75 of its Starlink commercial broadband internet satellites into Earth orbit in April from California. What's another 25 more? For the fourth time this month, the commercial spaceflight company's Falcon 9 rocket is due to get off the ground from the Vandenberg Space Force Base on a mission to deploy a batch of the satellites. And just like most rocket launches from the site, the mission is sure to draw crowds near and far who want to see the rocket climb into the sky. Looking for a good spot to catch liftoff? We have you covered. Just keep in mind that postponements due to weather or issues with rockets are common with spaceflight. Check back with the VC Star for any updates on the impending launch. In the meantime, here's what to know about the upcoming SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg in Santa Barbara County, as well as where to watch it. Is there a rocket launch today? Next mission from Vandenberg in California SpaceX is working toward a Saturday, April 18, launch from Southern California, with a four-hour launch window opening at 7 a.m. PT. A Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory suggests a backup opportunity is available the next day if the launch were to be postponed. Where is the next launch from California? What to know about trajectory The launch will take place from Space Launch Complex 4-East (SLC-4E) at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. As has become typical in 2026, the rocket will fly at a southern trajectory. What is launching from Vandenberg? SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites SpaceX will launch its famous two-stage 230-foot Falcon 9 rocket, one of the world's most active, to deliver 25 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, an altitude nearer Earth's atmosphere where they're able to circle the planet quickly. Where to watch California rocket launches in Santa Barbara County Because Vandenberg is an active military base, the launch complex does not host public viewings of launches. But if conditions are clear, rocket launches from the Vandenberg Space Force Base can be viewed from several locations as far as Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Space Launch Schedule, a website dedicated to tracking upcoming rocket launches, provided a list of places in Santa Barbara County in California to catch the launch in person: * 13th Street and Arguello Boulevard, a public site with the closest views of SpaceX launches * Floradale Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, officially designated as the "viewing site for SLC-6" (space launch complex-6) * Renwick Avenue and West Ocean Avenue, another intersection close to the base where spectators can park * Santa Lucia Canyon Road and Victory Road, provides a partial view of Complex 4. The city of Lompoc in Santa Barbara County is filled with places to catch a rocket launch. The city's tourism bureau, Explore Lompoc, maintains this list with additional viewing locations: * Ocean Park, 6851 Ocean Park Road, Lompoc, which, while it doesn't have a view of the launch pad itself, is located only four miles from the launch site and provides a good vantage to see rockets get off the ground. Parking is limited, and law enforcement will close the road to the beach once parking is full. * Allan Hancock College, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc, a community college located nine miles from the launch site where the launch pad and rocket's tip can be seen before liftoff. * Riverbend Park, N A Street and McLaughlin Road, Lompoc, located within 10 miles of the launch site, is filled with large fields for activities or for spectators to set up chairs. * Surf Beach on Ocean Avenue, one of the closest and most popular places to watch rocket launches near Lompoc, as long as it's open and accessible. But a word of caution: There is an active train track, the Amtrak Surf Station, that visitors must cross. While trains don't run during launch windows, the vehicles could start up again with little warning if a liftoff is scrubbed. Where to watch California rocket launches in Ventura County Visit Ventura, the tourism bureau in Ventura County, provided a list to the USA TODAY Network of suggested locations to see a rocket launch from the county: * Ventura Pier, 750 E. Harbor Blvd, is known as the oldest pier in all of California. * Emma Wood State Beach, located on the Santa Barbara Channel south of U.S. 101. * Serra Cross Park at Grant Park, located just above San Buenaventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, offers a panoramic seascape view. * San Buenaventura State Beach, 901 San Pedro St., Ventura, located adjacent to the Ventura Pier. * Cemetery Memorial Park, Main Street and South Crimea Street, Ventura Where to watch California rocket launches in San Luis Obispo County SLO CAL, a countywide destination marketing and management organization, maintains a list of its recommended best locations to watch a rocket launch in San Luis Obispo County to the north of the launch site: * Avila Beach, located off U.S. 101, has a variety of restaurants and shops for those looking to make a day of their rocket-viewing plans. * Pismo Beach, a city with a vibrant downtown stretch located just 38 miles away from Vandenberg * Shell Beach, a neighborhood in Pismo Beach that is home to several parks, including Eldwayen Ocean Park and Margo Dodd Park, both on Ocean Boulevard; and Dinosaur Caves Park (2701 Price St.) that are mostly dog-friendly and open to the public * Oceano Dunes, the closest place to view launches from the county with open spaces along the ocean allowing full visibility of the sky * Morro Strand State Beach, a three-mile stretch between the coastal city Morro Bay and the town of Cayucos. Cayucos' south-facing beaches should have great views of Vandenberg. Other cities in California where rockets may be visible Other cities in California where you might glimpse the Falcon 9 rocket soaring overhead - particularly after sunset and before sunrise - as it climbs into the sky on a southern trajectory include: * Long Beach, a city popular with tourists known for its waterfront attractions, located about 180 south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Lake Forest, located about 200 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * San Diego, located about 280 miles south of the launch site along the southern coast of California * Merced, located more than 200 miles north of Vandenberg in the San Joaquin Valley * Hesperia, a town surrounded by the Mojave Desert located more than 200 miles east of the launch site * Anaheim, where Disneyland is located, located less than 200 miles southeast of the launch site Will there be sonic booms? Residents of Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County and Ventura County often stand to be the most likely to hear sonic booms, SpaceX said. The sonic booms - brief, thunder-like noises that are often heard from the ground when a spacecraft or aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound - could last for up to 10 minutes after liftoff, Vandenberg has added. "Areas local to Vandenberg Space Force Base will hear the initial low rumble of take-off," Vandenberg has also said. What to know about booster re-entry Following the launch, the Falcon 9 rocket's booster will aim to land on a SpaceX drone ship, nicknamed "Of Course I Still Love You," in the Pacific Ocean. This allows for SpaceX personnel to recover the booster so it can be reused in future spaceflights. Does Elon Musk own SpaceX? What to know about rocket company SpaceX is the commercial spaceflight company that billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, founded in 2002 and leads as the CEO. SpaceX is headquartered at Starbase in South Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site, which is where SpaceX has been conducting routine flight tests of its 400-foot megarocket known as Starship, was recently voted by residents to become its own city. As a major government contractor, SpaceX serves as the launch service provider for a variety of government missions both civil and military. For the Department of Defense, SpaceX's Falcon 9 helps launch classified satellites and other payloads into space. And for NASA, Falcon 9 most often helps propel astronauts to the International Space Station on SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule - the only U.S vehicle capable of carrying NASA astronauts to orbit. What is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's internet satellite business. With more than 10,000 satellites in its growing orbital constellation, Starlink has become a lucrative part of Musk's business empire, serving millions of customers around the world. SpaceX, which bills itself as the only satellite internet provider with its own reusable rocket capable of deploying the technology, has spent years delivering the satellites to orbit with a regular cadence of rocket launches from Florida and California. Starlink satellites operate from low-Earth orbit, about 341 miles up, which is much closer to Earth's atmosphere than other satellites. That not only allows Starlink satellites to offer high connection speeds than satellites further out in space, but to reach rural areas and regions where internet service is not readily accessible. What is the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California? The Vandenberg Space Force Base is a rocket launch site in Santa Barbara County in Southern California. Established in 1941, the site was previously known as the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Though it's a military base, the site also hosts both civil and commercial space launches for entities like NASA and SpaceX. Space Launch Delta 30, a unit of Space Force, is responsible for managing the launch operations at Vandenberg, as well as the missile tests that take place at the base. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]
Kraken parent acquires Bitnomial for $550 million, firm now valued at $20 billion
🟢 Critical data: The acquisition streamlines entry into regulated $BTC futures markets. Kraken's parent company, Payward, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire crypto derivatives platform Bitnomial in a deal worth up to $550 million in cash and stock. Following this acquisition, Payward's total valuation is expected to hit $20 billion. This strategic move is set to accelerate Payward's growth in the United States by securing key regulatory licenses central to derivatives trading. ContentsBitnomial's pivotal derivatives infrastructureKraken's M&A strategy: Building infrastructure and licensesMarket environment, sector consolidation, and IPO plansBitnomial's pivotal derivatives infrastructure Founded in 2014, Bitnomial stands out as the first platform in the U.S. to secure all three core licenses required for full-fledged crypto derivatives services. Its designations as a designated contract market, derivatives clearing organization, and futures commission merchant give Bitnomial a unique position in the sector and pave the way for expanded industry participation. By acquiring Bitnomial, Payward can sidestep lengthy regulatory hurdles and immediately integrate Bitnomial's comprehensive infrastructure. The company's co-CEO, Arjun Sethi, underscored that native crypto clearing and always-on trading systems are at the core of Payward's expanded strategy. Arjun Sethi emphasized that the real engine driving the market is not the front-end interface, but the clearing infrastructure behind the scenes, and that Bitnomial's 24/7 trading and collateral solutions are fundamental to the new vision. Kraken's M&A strategy: Building infrastructure and licenses In recent years, Kraken has shifted beyond simple cryptocurrency trading to develop a broader multi-asset and derivatives ecosystem, targeting both B2B and direct clients. After its $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader in 2025, Kraken cemented its place in U.S. derivatives markets, marking the largest-ever merger between traditional finance and crypto to date. Kraken has also acquired smaller platforms like BCM and Small Exchange in 2023, bolstering its capabilities in infrastructure and licensure. These transactions are part of a larger effort to enhance the company's global reach and effectiveness in institutional and derivatives markets. Market environment, sector consolidation, and IPO plans After a protracted period of stagnation in crypto markets, acquisitions and mergers have gathered pace once more. Major industry players are investing heavily in infrastructure to fill geographical and functional gaps and are seizing opportunities to acquire undervalued but strategically important startups. Payward filed for an IPO with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023. However, according to reports from CoinDesk, the company has currently put its IPO plans on hold amid ongoing market uncertainty and is awaiting a more favorable environment before proceeding. Bitnomial's infrastructure will be merged with Payward's existing derivatives platforms across the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. Notably, in the U.S., spot margin trading, perpetual futures, and options products will be offered under Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight. The acquisition process is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2026. Following the deal, financial institutions and fintechs will be able to access the U.S. derivatives market via Payward Services through a single API connection. You can follow our news on Telegram, Facebook & Coinmarketcap & XDisclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
Tesla Cybertruck sales were inflated by a SpaceX buying spree
Tesla is under increasing pressure to reverse slumping sales across its lineup as it faces the prospect of a third straight annual decline. Once the undisputed electric vehicle leader, the company was surpassed by China's BYD Co. as the world's top seller of EVs last year. Investors have largely overlooked Tesla's declining auto sales as Musk reorients the company around futuristic pursuits including robotaxis and humanoid robots. But those products are still a ways off from becoming tangible business lines, and shareholders' patience appears to be wearing thin. Since hitting a record high in mid-December, Tesla's stock has lost a fifth of its value.
News Explorer -- Kraken Parent Firm Acquires Bitnomial in $550M Deal
Kraken Parent Firm Acquires Bitnomial in $550M Deal Payward, Kraken's parent company, is set to acquire derivatives exchange Bitnomial for up to $550 million in cash and stock, enhancing its U.S. footprint with the first crypto-native platform holding all necessary licenses for derivatives trading. This move streamlines regulatory processes and strengthens Kraken's multi-asset trading capabilities.
This week in AI: Codex's expansion, legal guardrails and Perplexity's rise
Legal and policy experts are increasingly warning that autonomous AI agents are racing ahead of the frameworks meant to govern them -- especially in India. As companies roll out agents across payments, banking, healthcare and supply chains, regulators are left without a dedicated legal regime for systems that can act autonomously and trigger other AI tools with little or no human oversight. Existing laws covering contracts, liability, consumer protection and data governance are being pushed well beyond their original design. Particular unease surrounds agent to agent interactions and the question of who is responsible when automated systems fail. With oversight still grounded in high level principles and voluntary guidelines, momentum is building for risk based regulation and sandboxed experimentation. That tension between capability, access and control shaped the AI agenda this week. Here are the key developments from across the industry: OpenAI has rolled out a major update to Codex, pushing it beyond coding assistance and closer to a broader AI work partner for the more than 3 million developers who use it each week. Codex can now operate a user's computer in the background, with its own cursor, and work across everyday apps, generate images, remember preferences, and take on longer-running tasks over days or weeks. The update also brings deeper developer tooling, including PR reviews, multi-file and terminal support, SSH access to remote development boxes, an in-app browser, and more than 90 new plugins spanning GitHub, Jira, CI tools and workplace apps. OpenAI says new safety layers, including sandboxing and experimental Guardian Approvals, are meant to balance greater autonomy with user control as Codex becomes more agentic.
Kraken parent company Payward agrees to acquire Bitnomial, a digital asset derivatives platform, for up to $550M in cash and stock
Joseph Carlson / @joecarlsonshow: Today follows the long-held and respected tradition of Netflix putting out a banger earnings report and the stock dropping 10%. We must respect the tradition, as the stock will inevitably grind back to all-time highs in the coming months. I agree Meta is cheaper today on earnings. But to add some context to this. Netflix has direct control over their EPS, they can increase it or decrease it any time, like turning a spigot...Netflix will not be increasing content spend by $3 billion every year. They are very likely to do a big jump up in spending one year, then hold more in that area for a while, causing operating leverage to kick in and EPS to jump.
Anthropic's $800 Billion Snub: Why AI's Revenue Rocket Is Outpacing Venture Cash
Venture capitalists are pounding on Anthropic's door with checks that could value the AI powerhouse at $800 billion or higher. The startup behind the Claude models isn't biting. Not yet, anyway. Sources tell Bloomberg that these preemptive offers aim to match or beat OpenAI's recent $852 billion post-money mark from a $110 billion round in February, as reported by Yahoo Finance. Anthropic's own $30 billion Series G funding just weeks earlier pegged it at $380 billion post-money, per the company's announcement. That's massive. But rejecting even bigger money now? Bold. Revenue explains it. Anthropic hit a $30 billion annualized run-rate by late March, up from $9 billion at the end of 2025. That's a triple in three months, fueled by enterprise demand for tools like Claude Code. TechCrunch notes this surge has some OpenAI backers rethinking their bets, with one investor calling Anthropic's $380 billion tag a bargain next to OpenAI's lofty assumptions. Secondary markets back the hype: shares trade at premiums, demand insatiable. Investors see the numbers. 'Worth it,' they say. Cash burn looms large, though. Anthropic pledged $50 billion for its data centers, $30 billion to Microsoft's cloud, and pours billions yearly into AWS. Those commitments don't fund themselves. CEO Dario Amodei knows the math. Yet the firm holds off, betting its trajectory justifies waiting for better terms -- or skipping VC altogether. An IPO whispers in the air. Earlier reports floated a $60 billion public raise. With revenue exploding, why dilute now? OpenAI's path contrasts sharply. Its $110 billion haul came amid retail investor frenzy, per TechCrunch. But Anthropic's quieter climb -- $14 billion run-rate at the February round, 10x yearly growth for three years straight -- shows discipline. No consumer flash. Enterprise focus. Claude's coding prowess drives deals, not viral demos. And the models keep advancing. Just days ago, Anthropic shipped Claude Opus 4.7, boasting 13% coding benchmark gains, 87.6% on SWE-bench Verified, and 3x better production tasks. High-res vision triples to 3.75 megapixels. Pricing holds at $5/$25 per million tokens. X posts buzz about it crushing old benchmarks like strawberry letter counts -- while fixing typos on the fly. Not AGI. Progress. This isn't recklessness. It's leverage. Anthropic's rejections signal strength in a sector where capex rivals GDP chunks. Compare to prior rounds: Series E at $61.5 billion in March 2025, per Anthropic's site. Now $380 billion. Revenue from $4 billion run-rate mid-2025 to $30 billion. Forecasts eyed $18 billion for all of 2026 back in January, per Seeking Alpha. They blew past that. But risks lurk. Compute shortages. Rivals like Meta's Muse Spark or OpenAI's Codex upgrades. X chatter questions sustainability -- $2.5 billion quarterly revenue against $3.6 billion spend, per one post. Losses mount. Break-even? Forecasts point to 2028, ahead of some peers, says The Guardian. Investors drool anyway. Secondary frenzy. Polymarket bets on the next round's timing. X threads dissect the ego in turning down $800 billion. Smart? Or hubris? Anthropic bets on itself. Revenue per employee dwarfs Google's -- 48x efficiency at scale. Agents run labs, code autonomously. Humans oversee. OpenAI faces skepticism. Its valuation demands a $1.2 trillion IPO, per TechCrunch sources. Anthropic? Flexibility. No rush to public markets north of $1 trillion, as one VC laments on X. Retail locked out. So what next? A nod from Amodei, and funds flood in -- leapfrogging OpenAI. Or IPO on prime terms. Cash hoards from Amazon, Google backers help. But compute wars rage. TSMC profits soar on AI chips. Anthropic's $50 billion data center bet positions it. Rejection today. Power play tomorrow. In AI's gold rush, cash flow trumps checks.
