News & Updates
The latest news and updates from companies in the WLTH portfolio.
EntropyIO relaunches Anthropic pre-IPO markets on Hyperliquid platform
EntropyIO has launched new perpetual markets for Anthropic's pre-IPO equity and SNDK on Hyperliquid, utilizing real-time data from RedStone. This development reinvigorates activity around Anthropic's valuation after a previous market closure earlier this year. The move marks a significant step for EntropyIO as it aims to capture interest in the burgeoning AI sector, with Anthropic being a notable entity in the field. The relisting on Hyperliquid's HIP-3 framework allows participants to engage with synthetic derivatives of Anthropic's pre-IPO equity, maintaining a focus on valuation rather than direct equity ownership. Key Takeaways * EntropyIO's launch of new perpetual markets appears to enhance interest in Anthropic's pre-IPO valuations. * Market pricing suggests potential increased exchange activity, reflecting interest in Anthropic's significant AI endeavors. * The relisting on Hyperliquid could indicate a renewed focus on Anthropic's growth potential leading up to its anticipated IPO. What to Watch Observers should monitor Anthropic's upcoming financial disclosures and any IPO-related announcements, as these could significantly impact market sentiment. Developments in the AI sector and broader tech market conditions may also influence participant behavior. Key indicators to watch include any updates from Anthropic's leadership or changes in secondary market valuations that could affect the perceived attractiveness of the pre-IPO equity. Get live prediction-market analysis, powered by Vera. Sign up for Vera.
David Sacks accuses Anthropic of regulatory capture against open source AI
The White House tech advisor warns that a proposed self-regulatory body could quietly kill open source AI models through compliance requirements they can never meet David Sacks, venture capitalist and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, is sounding the alarm on what he calls a quiet regulatory strategy to suffocate open source AI. His argument: you don't need to ban something outright if you can just regulate it into irrelevance. During an episode of the All-In Podcast, Sacks laid out a scenario in which a self-regulatory organization designed for AI oversight gradually morphs into a mandatory pre-release approval agency. Think of it as a DMV for AI models, except instead of waiting in line to renew your license, developers would need to get their models blessed before releasing them to the public. The compliance trap The core of Sacks' concern is structural. A pre-release approval regime would impose compliance requirements that proprietary, closed models from companies like Anthropic could feasibly meet. Open source models, by their very nature, cannot. Once you release an open source model into the wild, it's out there. It's decentralized, forkable, and immutable. You can't recall it for a safety audit the way Anthropic can update Claude behind a closed API. Requiring pre-release certification would essentially create a regulatory framework where closed models pass and open models fail by default. Sacks specifically named Anthropic, the company led by CEO Dario Amodei, as the primary actor pursuing what he described as "sophisticated regulatory capture." In his telling, Anthropic has positioned itself as the responsible adult in the room, advocating loudly for AI safety while quietly lobbying for regulatory structures that happen to favor its own business model. The industry split What makes Sacks' framing notable is the degree of isolation he attributes to Anthropic. According to him, virtually the entire tech industry supports open source AI development, with Anthropic standing as the notable exception. Meta, which has invested heavily in its open-weight Llama model family, represents the other end of the spectrum, betting that open release accelerates adoption and ecosystem development. The competitive dimension extends well beyond Silicon Valley. Chinese-developed open-weight models have recently topped or approached critical benchmarks, a development that Sacks has used to sharpen his argument about American competitiveness. If the US constrains open source AI through regulatory friction while China faces no such limitations, the talent and innovation gap could widen in the wrong direction. Sacks has been vocal on X about this framing, repeatedly invoking the principle of "permissionless innovation," the idea that developers should be able to build and release technology without needing prior government approval. What this means for the AI landscape The companies most exposed to this regulatory risk are the ones building in the open. Meta's Llama ecosystem, Mistral, Stability AI, and the broader constellation of startups and research labs that depend on freely available model weights all face a scenario where their core distribution model becomes legally complicated, if not outright impossible. Sacks' warning also carries weight because of his current position. As co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, he's not just a podcast commentator. He has a direct channel to policy discussions, which means his framing of the issue, regulatory capture dressed up as safety, could influence how the White House approaches AI governance.
Zoom's hidden Anthropic stake could overshadow Q2 earnings streak
A roughly $97 million bet on Anthropic may now be worth billions, and analysts say it's the most interesting thing about Zoom right now Zoom Communications has beaten Wall Street's revenue estimates for 15 straight quarters. Ahead of Zoom's fiscal Q2 2027 earnings on August 25, 2026, the real conversation among analysts isn't about video call growth or enterprise seat expansion. It's about the company's equity position in Anthropic, the AI lab behind Claude, which has ballooned in value to a degree that makes the core business look like a rounding error. The math behind the 'hidden gem' Zoom first invested approximately $51 million in Anthropic through its venture arm back in May 2023. It later added another $46 million, bringing total capital deployed to roughly $97 million. As of April 30, 2026, that combined stake was valued at $1.27 billion on Zoom's books. Anthropic's post-money valuation hit approximately $380 billion in February 2026. By May 2026, that number had reportedly surpassed $900 billion. Bank of America estimates Zoom holds roughly a 0.311% ownership stake, which at recent Anthropic valuations would put the position's worth at approximately $3 billion. Analysts at Baird, Wedbush, and BofA have all used the phrase "hidden gem" to describe it. Some projections range from $2 billion to $4 billion or more, depending on how much dilution Zoom has absorbed through subsequent funding rounds. Why it doesn't show up where you'd expect The Anthropic position sits on the balance sheet at cost-adjusted value rather than fair market value. If Anthropic goes public, or if there's a secondary sale or acquisition that triggers a revaluation, the gains could materialize on Zoom's financials in a single quarter. A $3 billion unrealized gain on a company with a market cap hovering around the low-to-mid $20 billion range represents a meaningful percentage of the entire enterprise. BofA has reinstated a Buy rating on Zoom with a $130 price target, implying roughly 24% upside from recent trading levels. The Anthropic stake is a central pillar of that thesis. The actual business still works The consensus revenue estimate for the upcoming quarter sits at around $1.27 billion, and the company has a 15-quarter streak of beating those estimates. Zoom has also integrated Anthropic's Claude models into its Contact Center solutions, which was the strategic logic behind the original investment: product differentiation alongside financial upside. What to watch on August 25 Investors will be parsing the earnings call for any updated commentary on the Anthropic valuation, whether management addresses potential liquidity events, and any changes to the carrying value on the balance sheet. If Anthropic's valuation trajectory continues, the stake alone could represent 10% to 15% or more of Zoom's total market capitalization, depending on dilution. Anthropic has not announced IPO plans, and the AI company's fundraising pace suggests it is comfortable staying private for now.
Anthropic Tests Recruits On Safety Vs Equity As $2T Odds Rise
Anthropic Asks Recruits How They'd Feel if Its Stock Hit Zero. Traders See 68% Chance of $2 Trillion This Year Anthropic reportedly screens job candidates with a culture interview testing whether they would put the company's mission ahead of their future wealth. One applicant was asked how they would feel if a safety decision sent Anthropic's stock to zero. Polymarket traders see a radically different future for the Claude maker, giving Anthropic a 68% chance of reaching a $2 trillion valuation by year-end and a 47% chance of hitting $2.5 trillion. Would You Sacrifice Your Anthropic Fortune? Axios reported that every Anthropic job candidate undergoes a culture interview conducted by an employee nominated for the role. The questions are suggested rather than fully scripted, according to a former employee familiar with the process. Axios cited a Blind post from a candidate who said they would not be happy if the stock went to zero, arguing that Anthropic should pursue its mission while building a sustainable business. The candidate said the interviewer "didn't seem to like that answer." Trending Get a 1% Match on Your First Deposit of $1,000+ The concern appears to come from the top. CEO Dario Amodei has himself questioned whether newer employees are joining for the right reasons, a source told Axios. Employees Are Betting on the Upside Anthropic employees have already had an opportunity to exchange their future upside for cash. Investors reportedly lined up roughly $6 billion for a tender offer priced at a $350 billion valuation, but current and former employees declined to sell enough shares to meet that demand. The value of that decision has risen sharply on paper. Anthropic's May funding round valued the company at $965 billion, while its Nasdaq Private Market mark has since reached about $1.22 trillion. Its annualized revenue run rate surged from $9 billion at the end of 2025 to more than $65 billion by July. Amodei reportedly owns about 2% of Anthropic, a stake that would be worth roughly $40 billion at a $2 trillion valuation, although he has pledged to donate 80% of his wealth. Anthropic Has Already Faced the Choice Anthropic lost a Pentagon contract worth up to $200 million after rejecting Claude's use for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. The resulting supply-chain designation threatened hundreds of millions or potentially billions more in 2026 revenue, the company told a court. In February, however, Anthropic revised its safety policy and removed a pledge to pause scaling or delay deployment if its safeguards failed to keep pace with model capabilities. The company said pausing alone could make the world less safe if less cautious rivals continued developing more powerful systems. Together, the two episodes show how Anthropic handles the trade-off in practice: it has sacrificed revenue over specific uses of Claude, but will not necessarily slow development while its rivals continue. Image: Shutterstock Markets Dan Ives Says Nvidia's 15% AI Server Price Hike Is Bullish for Tech. Could Micron Be the Real Winner? Prices for Nvidia-powered AI servers are rising more than 15% as memory costs surge. Dan Ives says the move is bullish, but Micron could benefit most. 3 min read Read this article Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.
AI infrastructure stocks surge, boosting Anthropic valuation outlook
AI infrastructure stocks, notably CoreWeave and Super Micro Computer, have experienced a surge in value, according to Yahoo Finance. The rise is attributed to increased investor confidence in the AI sector, which has been gaining momentum due to advancements and heightened interest in artificial intelligence applications. This development is seen as a potential indicator of broader market expectations for the sector's growth and could influence valuations of other companies involved in AI, such as Anthropic. The market for Anthropic's valuation by December 31 is experiencing significant activity, with current pricing suggesting a high likelihood of reaching substantial valuation targets. This is reflected in the 68% YES pricing for Anthropic hitting a $2.0 trillion valuation by the end of the year and 81% YES for reaching $1.75 trillion. The recent uptick in AI infrastructure stocks appears to support market confidence in Anthropic's prospects. Market participants appear to interpret the surge in CoreWeave and Super Micro Computer as a broader indication of health in the AI sector, potentially boosting Anthropic's valuation outlook. The current market pricing reflects a strong expectation that Anthropic could meet or exceed high valuation targets by the end of the year, consistent with the positive momentum observed in AI infrastructure stocks. Key Takeaways * Market activity suggests increased investor confidence in the AI sector, as indicated by the surge in CoreWeave and Super Micro Computer stocks. * Current pricing for Anthropic's valuation indicates a strong expectation of meeting substantial valuation targets by December 31. * The developments in AI infrastructure stocks are seen as supportive of positive valuation scenarios for Anthropic. What to Watch Watch for any announcements from Anthropic regarding funding rounds, strategic partnerships, or product advancements, as these could influence market perceptions and pricing. Changes in investment levels from key partners such as Amazon and Google could also impact market expectations. Additionally, any shifts in the broader AI market sentiment, as reflected in infrastructure stocks, could affect Anthropic's valuation prospects. Get live prediction-market analysis, powered by Vera. Sign up for Vera.
Zoom Q2 Earnings Preview: Why Its Hidden Anthropic Stake Could Outshine A 15-Quarter Revenue Streak
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Zoom Communications (NASDAQ:ZM) looks to continue a long streak of beating analyst estimates for revenue when the company reports second-quarter financial results Tuesday after market close. Here are the earnings estimates, what analysts are saying ahead of the report and the key items to watch. Zoom Q2 Earnings Estimates Analysts expect Zoom to report second-quarter revenue of $1.27 billion, up from $1.22 billion in last year's second quarter, according to data from Benzinga Pro. The company has beaten analyst estimates for revenue in 15 straight quarters. Analysts expect Zoom to report second-quarter earnings per share of $1.48, down from $1.53 in last year's second quarter. The company has beaten analyst estimates for earnings per share in nine of the last 10 quarters overall. Read Also:Anthropic Wants Investors to Buy Into a $2 Trillion Dream -- But a Wall Street Veteran Says SpaceX's IPO Offers a Warning for AI Investors Zoom Analyst Ratings BTIG analyst Allan Verkhovski expects Zoom to show strong fundamentals and acceleration in the Enterprise segment when the company reports second quarter financial results. The analyst maintained a Buy rating with a price target of $125 ahead of the report. "ZM shares are now up 29% YTD, which we believe has been driven by top-line acceleration, relatively low AI disruption risk, and the growing value of its stake in Anthropic (private)," Verkhovski said. The analyst also said Zoom could highlight the financial impact of its acquisition of Common Room, an AI intelligence platform. "Overall, we anticipate another strong quarter, and we continue to view ZM as an attractive stock to own, especially through Anthropic's IPO process." Here are other analyst ratings on Zoom stock and their price targets: * Cantor Fitzgerald: Maintained Neutral rating, with price target of $104 * Rosenblatt: Maintained Buy rating, with price target of $130 * UBS: Maintained Neutral rating, raised price target from $105 to $115 Key Items to Watch Zoom's consistent analyst beats and enterprise growth could be key items to watch Tuesday. The biggest catalyst for Zoom stock is likely the quiet one and the one management won't cover a ton. Zoom invested $51 million in Anthropic back in 2023 and maintains a stake in the AI company today. Anthropic remains one of the hottest investment stories around amid IPO speculation and a potential $2 trillion valuation. Benzinga previously highlighted Zoom as a backdoor play for Anthropic. When Anthropic reached a $900 billion valuation in May, analysts estimated Zoom's position was worth between $4.11 billion and $11.31 billion (Wedbush) or $5.14 billion to $10.28 billion (Baird).
Anthropic Expects Its IPO to Match or Beat SpaceX's $86 Billion Record - Memeburn
Users on X are questioning whether the product justifies the valuation, citing rate limits, invisible watermarks and pricing Anthropic is preparing what could become the largest initial public offering in history. The Claude developer expects its upcoming IPO to match or exceed the $86.2 billion that SpaceX raised when it went public in June, Bloomberg reported on August 20, citing people familiar with the matter. The company could file its IPO paperwork publicly as soon as the end of this month. If it clears that mark, 2026 would set the record for total US IPO volume, with companies that debuted on public markets already bringing in $160.6 billion as of August 19. But the mega-listing arrives alongside a quieter, more telling shift. Anthropic is also walking back a controversial data retention policy that had alarmed enterprise customers for months. And on social media, users are asking a blunter question: does the product actually justify a valuation this large? The Numbers Behind the Record Attempt Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are managing Anthropic's offering, the same banks that ran SpaceX's blockbuster listing earlier this year. SpaceX initially targeted $75 billion but ultimately raised $86.2 billion once its overallotment option was exercised. Anthropic's financial trajectory is the core of the pitch. Its annualized revenue run rate hit $65 billion by late July, up from $9 billion at the end of 2025. That is more than a sevenfold increase in roughly seven months. Preliminary second-quarter revenue exceeded $11.5 billion, and investors told the Financial Times they expect annualized revenue to land between $100 billion and $120 billion by year-end. The company also reported its first positive adjusted operating income during Q2. Chief Financial Officer Krishna Rao has led recent investor briefings but has declined to discuss specific valuation targets, according to Bloomberg's sources. None of this came cheap. Anthropic posted a net loss of nearly $42 billion in 2025, driven by enormous compute costs. It has committed $50 billion to AI infrastructure across data centres in Texas and New York. CEO Dario Amodei has publicly acknowledged the stakes, warning that even a one-year miss on growth could threaten the company's survival. Some backers have floated a potential $2 trillion listing valuation by October, which would dwarf SpaceX's $1.77 trillion debut. But the IPO raise itself the amount of capital Anthropic actually collects from selling shares is the more immediate benchmark. Getting past $86.2 billion would give Anthropic the outright record. Anthropic Reverses Course on Data Retention The IPO news broke alongside a separate Bloomberg report: Anthropic plans to let enterprise customers store data on their own cloud infrastructure rather than Anthropic's servers. The shift matters because of what came before it. When Anthropic launched Claude Fable 5 in June, it introduced a mandatory 30-day data retention policy for its most powerful models. Every prompt, every output, stored for a month with no opt-out. The policy was designed to help the company detect misuse and monitor for cybersecurity threats, but enterprise customers pushed back hard. Microsoft reportedly restricted employee use of Anthropic's latest models while reviewing the policy. Salesforce and more than 100 other customers spent months working with Anthropic on alternatives. The revised approach keeps the 30-day retention requirement but gives businesses the option to host that data within their existing cloud setup. Anthropic says it expects to roll out the new safety system later this year. The timing is not a coincidence. Palantir CEO Alex Karp had publicly criticized AI companies for what he described as a data grab. OpenAI responded first, previewing its own zero-retention safety processing system for enterprise customers. Anthropic's reversal followed within 24 hours. For a company about to ask public investors for $86 billion, appearing to cave on data privacy under competitive pressure is a story the S-1 roadshow would rather not have running in the background. Users Aren't All Buying It While investors prepare for the biggest AI IPO ever, some of Anthropic's own users are greeting the news with scepticism. One widely shared post on X from user @jumperz summed up the frustration in a list: expensive flagship model, rate limits that cut users off mid-workflow, an invisible text watermark embedded in outputs, and a product they described as "out of touch with what users actually want." The replies leaned into it. One user said their first move would be to short the stock. Another compared the company unfavourably to SpaceXAI, pointing out that Elon Musk's combined entity launches reusable rockets and runs a global satellite internet service on top of building AI. "Why would you ever invest in Anthropic over SpaceX?" they asked. These are social media reactions, not institutional analysis. But they reflect a gap that Anthropic will need to address once it becomes a public company: the distance between what growth-stage investors see in the revenue numbers and what daily users experience in the product. Anthropic has dealt with product controversies before. Its export control clash with the White House in June forced it to disable its most capable models worldwide for weeks. Its multi-agent testing revealed AI coordination failures that made headlines. Each incident chipped at the narrative of a company that moves carefully and gets things right. An IPO prospectus will lay bare the financials. What it won't resolve is whether the product experience matches the price tag. What Happens Next Anthropic is running financial analyses ahead of a potential public filing by the end of August. If the company does file, the S-1 will contain the first public disclosure of detailed revenue, costs, and operating losses, figures that until now have come only through investor briefings and media leaks. The IPO is expected to list on the Nasdaq, with an October 2026 debut as the most likely timeline. OpenAI, which filed its own confidential S-1 in June, may delay its listing to 2027, potentially giving Anthropic a clear window to dominate public market attention. For context, SpaceX's own post-IPO run was anything but smooth. Shares surged 67% in four days, then crashed 49% over the following weeks before stabilising. AI IPO investors should expect similar volatility. The question is no longer whether Anthropic will go public. It is whether an AI company that lost $42 billion last year, changed its data policy under pressure, and is drawing public complaints about its product can convince both Wall Street and Main Street that the growth curve justifies the record. FAQs Will Anthropic's IPO be bigger than SpaceX's? Bloomberg reports that Anthropic is targeting an IPO raise at or above the $86.2 billion SpaceX collected in June 2026. SpaceX currently holds the record for the largest first-time share sale in history. Clearing that figure would give Anthropic the outright record. When is Anthropic expected to go public? Anthropic could file its IPO paperwork publicly as soon as late August 2026, with an October 2026 listing on the Nasdaq as the most likely target. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are managing the offering. What is Anthropic's current revenue? The company's run rate reached $65 billion by late July 2026, up from $9 billion at the end of 2025. Backers project that figure will land between $100 billion and $120 billion by year-end. Preliminary Q2 revenue exceeded $11.5 billion. Why did Anthropic change its data retention policy? Anthropic introduced a mandatory 30-day data retention policy for its most capable AI models in June 2026. Enterprise customers objected, and the company responded in August by offering an alternative: businesses can now retain the required data within their own cloud environments rather than handing it to Anthropic. Is Anthropic profitable? Not yet on an annual basis. The company's 2025 financials showed heavy losses driven by compute spending. However, Anthropic posted its first positive adjusted operating income in Q2 2026, and investors project annualized revenue could reach $100 billion or more by year-end, suggesting a path toward sustained profitability is forming.
Amazon-Backed Anthropic Could Seek to Raise Over $100 Billion in Blockbuster IPO
Amazon.com, Inc. is one of the world leaders in on-line distribution of products to the general public. The group also operates a marketplace activity, allowing individuals and distribution companies to conduct their purchase and selling transactions for goods and services. The activity is organized around three families of products and services: - electronic and computer products: toys, cameras, computers, laptops and peripherals, TVs, stereo systems, readers, wireless communication products, etc. Amazon.com also offers kitchen and garden equipment, clothing, beauty products, etc.; - cultural products: books, musical products, video games and DVDs; - other: primarily Internet interface and application development services. Net sales break down by source of income between sales of services (58.7%) and sales of products (41.3%). Net sales are distributed geographically as follows: the United States (68.3%), Germany (6.4%), United Kingdom (6%), Japan (4.3%) and others (15%).
From living with nuns to sharing with seniors, here are the unconventional ways people are affording NYC | CNN Business
Charles Jones III needed an affordable place to live in New York City, and fast. His internship-provided housing in Manhattan was ending, and most rentals in the area were far beyond his budget. Then there were the security deposits and added fees that could add thousands more to move-in costs. So, Jones, who is 25, turned to an option he never expected: moving into the home of a woman about 50 years older than him. Young people continue to flock to New York for its vast job market and opportunities, but affording a place to live is increasingly a challenge. The median asking rent in the city reached $4,200 in July 2026, up 30% from July 2019, according to New York real estate listings site StreetEasy. In Manhattan, the city's most expensive borough, the median asking rent was $4,995. Meanwhile, the national median rent was $1,388 per month as of July 2026, according to a separate report from apartment search platform Apartment List. New York City has always been an expensive place to live, but lately it's become even harder for renters to make ends meet. Wage growth hasn't kept pace with inflation and the city faces its most severe housing shortage in a generation. Some young residents, still early in their careers, are turning to unconventional living arrangements, including living with elderly roommates, to keep their housing costs down. Charles Jones joined a New York City-based program that connects renters with older folks who have a room to let. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN Jones, who is from Boise, Idaho, learned about a program through his internship supervisor that connects people with extra rooms in their homes with other adults looking for a place to live. The monthly costs are typically lower than traditional rents in New York City, but there's a catch: one roommate must be at least 60 years old. Jones applied through the nonprofit New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYFSC) and was matched with an elderly woman who owns a home in Jamaica, Queens. He agreed to a few ground rules: He has to clean up after himself, can't have overnight guests and can't bring in his own furniture. But there is no curfew -- he can come and go as he pleases, as long as he helps shovel the driveway when it snows. He moved in this month and has the home's second floor to himself for just $800 a month. "We hit it off," Jones said of the initial meeting with his new roommate. He said she was impressed by his ambition to work in public policy. "She reminded me of my grandma." Charles Jones in Jamaica, Queens, New York on August 19, 2026. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN More young people want to move in with seniors Linda Hoffman, president and CEO of the NYFSC, said the foundation initially facilitated home-sharing arrangements only between senior citizens. But it eventually opened the program to younger people. "We realized there are these younger that need affordable housing as well," she said. "We have people who have just gotten out of school, are looking for jobs or have new jobs here and don't know anyone." Compared to traditional rentals in New York, the NYFSC program is more affordable: The average monthly fee that hosts charge to their housemates is $1,108, according to NYFSC data provided to CNN. A majority of New Yorkers are considered "rent-burdened," meaning they spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent and utilities, according to a 2024 report from the New York City Comptroller's Office. Midtown East in Manhattan. The median asking rent in New York City reached $4,200 in July. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN In Manhattan, a household would need to earn about $199,800 a year to avoid being considered rent-burdened based on StreetEasy's median rents for July 2026. Interest in the NYFSC program from younger New Yorkers has steadily increased, Hoffman said. In fiscal year 2023-24, 16.1% of home-share matches involved someone age 30 or younger. That share rose to 18% in fiscal year 2024-25 and to 20.4% in the fiscal year that ended in June, she said. Unconventional living situations going viral With rentals more expensive than ever, social media posts on how to save money in New York often rack up thousands of likes. William Swanson, a 22-year-old from Massachusetts who moved to the city this spring, went viral on TikTok for sharing his experience living - and bonding - with his elderly roommate. Swanson's job started June 1, earlier than most of his friends' jobs. He needed a place to live for about a month while he waited for them to move to the city so that they could find an apartment together. William Swanson in Midtown East, in Manhattan, New York on August 19, 2026. Swanson moved to New York City this spring and lived with an elderly roommate. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN It was a tough search - most short-term rentals near his job were at least $2,500, Swanson said. That was, until he came across Aleyda's home on a rental listing website. Aleyda, a 70-year-old woman who primarily spoke Spanish, was offering a room in Manhattan's neighborhood of Midtown East for $1,900 per month. "It was expensive, but the other option was basically living in a situation where I either don't necessarily feel safe or it's not clean or it's very far away," Swanson said. "I was talking to her and I was like, 'This is kind of an awesome option. I'd rather live with a lovely, nice older woman.'" Two days into living there, Swanson posted a video to TikTok, sharing texts from Aleyda where she offered to cook him chicken, rice and salad. "If you don't like it, that's fine, but I'm making it with a lot of love," the text read. The video has more than 3 million views. Swanson said that if rents had been cheaper or there had been more living options, he likely wouldn't have moved in with Aleyda. "I'm thankful that I had that experience and honestly, I wouldn't have traded it for a more conventional housing option," he added. William Swanson in Midtown East in New York on August 19, 2026. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN A way to save up For younger New Yorkers, these unconventional living arrangements can buy them time to save up and eventually afford a place of their own. The first two places Katie Rettig lived in New York were anything but conventional. When she needed to find a place quickly before starting a new job, she took to Google -- and ended up finding a convent. She moved into Sacred Heart in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, paying $1,500 a month. The nuns cooked dinner every night, often leaving leftovers for residents to take to work for lunch the next day. There were rules -- a 10 p.m. curfew and no men allowed -- but she had her own furnished room, with a bathroom shared by several other residents. Rettig stayed for just two months. But she had enjoyed the experience so much that when it was time to move again, she chose another convent: Saint Mary's Residence on the Upper East Side. She stayed for nearly a year, paying $1,100 a month, and made friends with the other residents. "I loved living with the nuns; they're just such great gals at the end of the day. I think living with people who lead a different life than you, there's nothing but a benefit from that," Rettig said. Katie Rettig in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City on August 19, 2026. Rettig saved money by living in a convent for a couple of months, paying $1,500 a month. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN Rettig, who is 32, also shared her experience on social media earlier this year, getting thousands of views on her posts about living in the convents. "Staying there allowed me extra room in the budget, travel savings, food, basic life things that for many have become luxuries," she told CNN. It also gave Rettig a comfortable situation where she could take as much time as she needed to find a place of her own within her price range. Jones is still getting situated in his new living situation in Jamaica, Queens, but he said he also hopes the lower monthly expenses will allow him to save money. He couldn't afford the security deposit upfront, but his host agreed to let him spread the payments over the next few months. Jones' new home is filled with the host's family members coming and going, with some living on the upper floors. In some ways, Jones said, they remind him of his family back home in Boise. "I could stay here for two or three years and ultimately I'll be saving a lot," Jones said. "It could help pay back my student loans and then I could get my own place."
From living with nuns to sharing with seniors, here are the unconventional ways people are affording NYC
Charles Jones III needed an affordable place to live in New York City, and fast. His internship-provided housing in Manhattan was ending, and most rentals in the area were far beyond his budget. Then there were the security deposits and added fees that could add thousands more to move-in costs. So, Jones, who is 25, turned to an option he never expected: moving into the home of a woman about 50 years older than him. Young people continue to flock to New York for its vast job market and opportunities, but affording a place to live is increasingly a challenge. The median asking rent in the city reached $4,200 in July 2026, up 30% from July 2019, according to New York real estate listings site StreetEasy. In Manhattan, the city's most expensive borough, the median asking rent was $4,995. Meanwhile, the national median rent was $1,388 per month as of July 2026, according to a separate report from apartment search platform Apartment List. New York City has always been an expensive place to live, but lately it's become even harder for renters to make ends meet. Wage growth hasn't kept pace with inflation and the city faces its most severe housing shortage in a generation. Some young residents, still early in their careers, are turning to unconventional living arrangements, including living with elderly roommates, to keep their housing costs down. Charles Jones joined a New York City-based program that connects renters with older folks who have a room to let. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN Jones, who is from Boise, Idaho, learned about a program through his internship supervisor that connects people with extra rooms in their homes with other adults looking for a place to live. The monthly costs are typically lower than traditional rents in New York City, but there's a catch: one roommate must be at least 60 years old. Jones applied through the nonprofit New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYFSC) and was matched with an elderly woman who owns a home in Jamaica, Queens. He agreed to a few ground rules: He has to clean up after himself, can't have overnight guests and can't bring in his own furniture. But there is no curfew -- he can come and go as he pleases, as long as he helps shovel the driveway when it snows. He moved in this month and has the home's second floor to himself for just $800 a month. "We hit it off," Jones said of the initial meeting with his new roommate. He said she was impressed by his ambition to work in public policy. "She reminded me of my grandma." Charles Jones in Jamaica, Queens, New York on August 19, 2026. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN More young people want to move in with seniors Linda Hoffman, president and CEO of the NYFSC, said the foundation initially facilitated home-sharing arrangements only between senior citizens. But it eventually opened the program to younger people. "We realized there are these younger that need affordable housing as well," she said. "We have people who have just gotten out of school, are looking for jobs or have new jobs here and don't know anyone." Compared to traditional rentals in New York, the NYFSC program is more affordable: The average monthly fee that hosts charge to their housemates is $1,108, according to NYFSC data provided to CNN. A majority of New Yorkers are considered "rent-burdened," meaning they spend more than 30% of their gross income on rent and utilities, according to a 2024 report from the New York City Comptroller's Office. Midtown East in Manhattan. The median asking rent in New York City reached $4,200 in July. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN In Manhattan, a household would need to earn about $199,800 a year to avoid being considered rent-burdened based on StreetEasy's median rents for July 2026. Interest in the NYFSC program from younger New Yorkers has steadily increased, Hoffman said. In fiscal year 2023-24, 16.1% of home-share matches involved someone age 30 or younger. That share rose to 18% in fiscal year 2024-25 and to 20.4% in the fiscal year that ended in June, she said. Unconventional living situations going viral With rentals more expensive than ever, social media posts on how to save money in New York often rack up thousands of likes. William Swanson, a 22-year-old from Massachusetts who moved to the city this spring, went viral on TikTok for sharing his experience living - and bonding - with his elderly roommate. Swanson's job started June 1, earlier than most of his friends' jobs. He needed a place to live for about a month while he waited for them to move to the city so that they could find an apartment together. William Swanson in Midtown East, in Manhattan, New York on August 19, 2026. Swanson moved to New York City this spring and lived with an elderly roommate. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN It was a tough search - most short-term rentals near his job were at least $2,500, Swanson said. That was, until he came across Aleyda's home on a rental listing website. Aleyda, a 70-year-old woman who primarily spoke Spanish, was offering a room in Manhattan's neighborhood of Midtown East for $1,900 per month. "It was expensive, but the other option was basically living in a situation where I either don't necessarily feel safe or it's not clean or it's very far away," Swanson said. "I was talking to her and I was like, 'This is kind of an awesome option. I'd rather live with a lovely, nice older woman.'" Two days into living there, Swanson posted a video to TikTok, sharing texts from Aleyda where she offered to cook him chicken, rice and salad. "If you don't like it, that's fine, but I'm making it with a lot of love," the text read. The video has more than 3 million views. Swanson said that if rents had been cheaper or there had been more living options, he likely wouldn't have moved in with Aleyda. "I'm thankful that I had that experience and honestly, I wouldn't have traded it for a more conventional housing option," he added. William Swanson in Midtown East in New York on August 19, 2026. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN A way to save up For younger New Yorkers, these unconventional living arrangements can buy them time to save up and eventually afford a place of their own. The first two places Katie Rettig lived in New York were anything but conventional. When she needed to find a place quickly before starting a new job, she took to Google -- and ended up finding a convent. She moved into Sacred Heart in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, paying $1,500 a month. The nuns cooked dinner every night, often leaving leftovers for residents to take to work for lunch the next day. There were rules -- a 10 p.m. curfew and no men allowed -- but she had her own furnished room, with a bathroom shared by several other residents. Rettig stayed for just two months. But she had enjoyed the experience so much that when it was time to move again, she chose another convent: Saint Mary's Residence on the Upper East Side. She stayed for nearly a year, paying $1,100 a month, and made friends with the other residents. "I loved living with the nuns; they're just such great gals at the end of the day. I think living with people who lead a different life than you, there's nothing but a benefit from that," Rettig said. Katie Rettig in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City on August 19, 2026. Rettig saved money by living in a convent for a couple of months, paying $1,500 a month. Marco Postigo Storel/CNN Rettig, who is 32, also shared her experience on social media earlier this year, getting thousands of views on her posts about living in the convents. "Staying there allowed me extra room in the budget, travel savings, food, basic life things that for many have become luxuries," she told CNN. It also gave Rettig a comfortable situation where she could take as much time as she needed to find a place of her own within her price range. Jones is still getting situated in his new living situation in Jamaica, Queens, but he said he also hopes the lower monthly expenses will allow him to save money. He couldn't afford the security deposit upfront, but his host agreed to let him spread the payments over the next few months. Jones' new home is filled with the host's family members coming and going, with some living on the upper floors. In some ways, Jones said, they remind him of his family back home in Boise. "I could stay here for two or three years and ultimately I'll be saving a lot," Jones said. "It could help pay back my student loans and then I could get my own place."
NVIDIA Eyes Investment in Perplexity at Over USD 30 Billion Valuation
NVIDIA is reportedly looking to invest in Perplexity at a valuation exceeding USD 30 billion as the AI startup sees a sharp rise in revenue. NVIDIA could soon make a big move in the AI startup space. According to recent reports, the company is about to invest a significant amount in , which will increase the company's value to more than USD 30 billion. If the multi-billion-dollar deal succeeds, it will likely increase Perplexity's valuation by more than 50%. However, neither NVIDIA nor Perplexity has confirmed the talks. The timing is also important. Perplexity's annual revenue has now crossed USD 750 million. This is a sharp jump from less than USD 250 million at the start of 2026. Much of the growth is coming from its AI products, including Perplexity Computer. The company has also signed a USD 750 million deal with Microsoft for Azure cloud services.
CFTC backs Polymarket case against US soldier
We uphold a strict editorial policy that focuses on factual accuracy, relevance, and impartiality. Our in-house created content is meticulously reviewed by a team of seasoned editors to ensure compliance with the highest standards in reporting and publishing. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is backing the criminal case against Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a US Army master sergeant accused of using classified military information to make more than $400,000 trading Polymarket event contracts tied to Venezuela and Nicolás Maduro. In an August 21 notice, the CFTC asked the US District Judge Margaret M. Garnett for permission to file an amicus brief supporting prosecutors as Van Dyke seeks to dismiss Commodity Exchange Act charges. He argues the contracts are not swaps under federal law and says applying its anti-fraud provision to his conduct would be unconstitutional. "Both contentions are wrong," CFTC Counselor Cameron Sinsheimer wrote in the letter. The regulator argues Congress defined swaps broadly enough to include the event contracts Van Dyke traded. It says adopting his interpretation could also significantly restrict federal oversight of prediction markets. "Van Dyke's distortion of the CEA's text, if accepted, would undermine the Commission's jurisdiction over a huge range of event contracts whose notional volume totals into the tens of billions of dollars," Sinsheimer wrote. CFTC says Polymarket event contracts fall under federal swaps law in US soldier case Van Dyke, 38, served with US Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Prosecutors say his role in Operation Absolute Resolve gave him access to classified and other nonpublic details about a mission targeting Maduro. "The core theory of the Indictment is that Van Dyke took information that he had pledged to keep confidential and, though he was duty-bound not to do so, he used it to make a personal profit," prosecutors said. Van Dyke had signed nondisclosure agreements covering classified material. One agreement concerning "Western Hemisphere Operations" said information obtained through his work "is now and will remain the property of the United States Government." According to prosecutors, he opened a Polymarket account on December 26, 2025, before spending about $33,934 on contracts involving Venezuela and Maduro through January 2. US special forces captured Maduro and his wife in Caracas on January 3. Prosecutors say the successful trades left Van Dyke with more than $400,000 in net profit. A grand jury indicted him in April on five counts covering confidential government information, commodities and swap fraud, wire fraud and an unlawful monetary transaction. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $250,000 bail with travel restrictions. Prosecutors have called it the Justice Department's first criminal insider-trading prosecution involving prediction markets. Van Dyke moved to dismiss the indictment on July 31. Van Dyke "committed an old crime on a new platform," they said. "Because the Indictment alleges all that it must," prosecutors said, "the next step is trial." The CFTC also rejects Van Dyke's argument that he lacked sufficient notice that federal law covered his alleged conduct. It points to the Commodity Exchange Act, its own regulatory actions and similar contracts traded on CFTC-registered exchanges. The agency says its proposed filing could help the court address legal questions with implications beyond Van Dyke's prosecution. "Here, the proposed amicus brief is both timely and useful, and will aid the court in its deliberation of this matter by offering insights not available from the parties," Sinsheimer wrote. Featured image: CFTC via Wikimedia Commons / Canva
Nvidia Investment Perplexity Valued Over $30 Billion
Nvidia is in talks to make one of its boldest artificial intelligence bets yet, negotiating an investment in Perplexity that would value the AI search startup at more than $30 billion, according to reporting from The Information and confirmed by Reuters. If finalized, the Nvidia investment in Perplexity would mark a sharp jump from where the company stood just a year ago, and it would deepen a relationship between the two companies that dates back further than most people realize. Key takeaways * Nvidia is negotiating an investment in Perplexity at a valuation above $30 billion, more than 50 percent higher than last year's funding round. * Perplexity's annualized revenue has tripled from $250 million to over $750 million, helped by its "Perplexity Computer" AI agent. * Nvidia previously considered an acqui-hire of Perplexity's technology and staff before shifting toward an investment deal. * Perplexity joined Nvidia's Nemotron Coalition in March to back open AI models as a counterweight to Chinese development efforts. * CEO Aravind Srinivas is reportedly weighing an IPO around 2028, after the company has raised more than $1.7 billion to date. Nvidia's Talks to Back Perplexity at a $30 Billion-Plus Valuation The core of the story is straightforward but significant: Nvidia is negotiating an investment in Perplexity at a price tag north of $30 billion, a figure that would represent more than a 50 percent increase from the company's last funding round a year ago. That kind of jump, in this market, doesn't happen without a business story to back it up. Reuters, citing a report from The Information, corroborated the talks on Monday, adding weight to what had initially circulated as a single-source scoop. The chipmaker's interest in Perplexity isn't new, either. Nvidia first put money into the startup back in late 2023, well before generative search became a crowded and increasingly competitive category. That earlier bet is worth remembering, because Nvidia had also floated a different path at one point: an acqui-hire that would have brought Perplexity's technology and staff directly under its own roof rather than leaving the company independent. The fact that talks have circled back to an investment, at a far higher valuation, suggests Nvidia sees more value in Perplexity as a standalone company than as an absorbed team. Why the growth story matters here Perplexity has not had an easy run competitively. Once known primarily for its AI research capabilities, the company has lost some ground as ChatGPT and Claude rolled out their own research modes, leaning on much larger consumer bases to pull users in. That backdrop makes the revenue numbers behind this funding round even more relevant to understanding why Nvidia is willing to pay up now. Inside Perplexity's Revenue Surge Perplexity's annualized revenue has tripled, climbing from $250 million to more than $750 million. That's the kind of growth curve that tends to justify a steep valuation jump, and it appears to be driven less by search traffic and more by a shift in what the product actually does for users. A meaningful piece of that growth traces back to "Perplexity Computer," an AI agent built to carry out automated tasks rather than simply answer questions. Agentic tools like this tend to consume far more computing power per interaction than a standard chatbot query, since completing a multi-step task requires many more tokens than returning a single answer. That higher token consumption likely explains a large part of the revenue jump, and it's also exactly the kind of usage pattern that benefits a chip supplier sitting on the other side of the transaction. What Perplexity Computer changes Rather than acting as a search engine that returns links and summaries, Perplexity Computer is designed to execute tasks on a user's behalf. That distinction matters commercially: automated, multi-step work tends to be billed differently and consumed more intensively than a simple lookup, which helps explain how a company facing tougher competition in plain search still managed to triple its revenue run rate. A Bigger Bet Amid Nvidia's AI Investment Spree Nvidia's interest in Perplexity fits inside a much larger pattern. In March, Perplexity joined Nvidia's Nemotron Coalition, an initiative built around promoting open AI models as a counterweight to Chinese development efforts, including rivals like DeepSeek. That alignment gives Nvidia an ecosystem partner it can point to in the broader geopolitical race over open AI models, not just a search app it happens to own a stake in. The Perplexity talks also sit alongside a string of comparable moves. Nvidia recently struck deals with Poolside, Groq, and Enfabrica. Groq's round valued the company at $20 billion, and Enfabrica's came in at $900 million. Poolside's arrangement went further still, reportedly combining a $6 billion deal to license its AI models with an additional $1 billion investment that valued the startup at $12 billion, alongside job offers extended to more than 100 of its employees. Taken together, these deals paint a picture of a chipmaker spreading capital across the AI landscape at a pace few competitors can match. That pace hasn't gone unquestioned. Technology critic Ed Zitron argued that Nvidia is "effectively bailing out anyone in the AI industry as a means of inflating their valuations and keeping them buying compute," adding that the company is "spending every dollar it takes to stop any prominent AI company from dying, because the perception alone would be lethal to the AI narrative." It's a pointed read on a dynamic that's easy to verify from the deal structures themselves: much of the money Nvidia hands out in these rounds tends to flow back to Nvidia as revenue once portfolio companies turn around and buy its chips. That circularity is worth sitting with. Every Nvidia investment in Perplexity, Poolside, Groq, or Enfabrica raises a valuation on paper, but it also feeds Nvidia's own hardware sales pipeline, blurring the line between strategic partnership and self-reinforcing demand generation. Whether that structure proves durable will likely depend on how independently these AI companies can grow revenue once the initial funding cycle plays out. What's Next: IPO Talk and Industry Implications Perplexity has raised more than $1.7 billion to date, and CEO Aravind Srinivas is reportedly considering an IPO around 2028, according to CNBC. A public listing that far out gives the company room to keep scaling its agentic products before facing the scrutiny that comes with being a publicly traded company, but it also means today's valuation talks will set the baseline investors measure future rounds against. For Nvidia, locking in a position now, at a valuation already more than 50 percent above last year's round, means capturing upside early in a company whose usage patterns happen to align neatly with its own chip demand. For Perplexity, the capital and credibility that come with a marquee investor help offset the competitive pressure from bigger, consumer-facing rivals. Neither side is hiding what it stands to gain, and neither outcome is guaranteed until the deal actually closes. FAQ What is the valuation of Perplexity in the current Nvidia investment talks? Nvidia is negotiating an investment in Perplexity at a valuation above $30 billion. What factors contributed to Perplexity's revenue growth? Perplexity's annualized revenue tripled mainly due to "Perplexity Computer," an AI agent for automated tasks that drives higher token consumption than standard search queries. How does Nvidia benefit financially from investing in AI firms like Perplexity? Investment money often flows back to Nvidia as revenue when portfolio companies purchase Nvidia chips to run the products that money helped fund. When is Perplexity considering going public with an IPO? Perplexity's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, is considering an IPO around 2028, according to CNBC.
The One Line in Anthropic's S-1 That Amazon Investors Should Read First
New reports indicate that artificial intelligence (AI) lab Anthropic could file its S-1 by the end of the month. Below, I'll detail why Anthropic's public debut carries outsize implications for major backers like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), whose growth is intertwined with the start-up's trajectory. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue " Reviewing Anthropic's funding and IPO ambitions Reports from Bloomberg suggest Anthropic is aiming for an initial public offering (IPO) that matches or exceeds Space Exploration Technologies' record raise from earlier this summer. Anthropic has already raised roughly $133 billion to date, most recently in a $65 billion Series H round that valued it at $965 billion. This near-trillion-dollar figure reflects Anthropic's explosive growth, with recent quarterly revenue surpassing $11.5 billion and an annualized run rate approaching $65 billion. Why Amazon investors should pay attention to Anthropic's IPO Amazon investors have good reason to monitor the Anthropic offering. Amazon has already invested $13 billion in Anthropic, with commitments for up to an additional $20 billion contingent on commercial milestones. Beyond simple equity ownership, the partnership between Amazon and Anthropic runs deep through AWS. Anthropic uses Amazon's custom silicon for training and inference, including a massive deployment under Project Rainier that utilizes over 1 million Amazon Trainium chips, complemented by its Graviton processors. Anthropic's Claude models power a number of features on Amazon Bedrock for more than 100,000 customers. Meanwhile, the company has pledged more than $100 billion in AWS spending over the next 10 years to secure up to 5 gigawatts of capacity. Assessing Amazon's upside Anthropic's S-1 will provide more precise disclosure around Amazon's ownership. With exact percentages known, investors can better model the position's value. Accurate knowledge of the value of Amazon's stake can help improve forecasts of AWS' revenue acceleration and operating margin expansion driven by Anthropic's compute demands. In turn, I think a fundamental rerating in Amazon stock could follow as investors gain a deeper understanding of Anthropic's influence on Amazon's position in the AI infrastructure supercycle. Should you buy stock in Amazon right now?
I found this Claude feature so good that I canceled ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity
Parth, a seasoned tech writer, wields the keyboard (or pen) with finesse to unravel the intricacies of both Windows and Mac operating systems. He has covered evergreen content on mobile devices and computers for multiple publications over the last six years. You can find his work on AndroidPolice, GuidingTech and TechWiser. Whether it's demystifying system updates, deciphering error codes, or exploring hidden features, Parth's prose guides readers through the binary maze. When not immersed in tech jargon, you'll find him sipping chai, pondering the next software review, and occasionally indulging in a friendly debate about mechanical keyboards. I have spent enough time switching between ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude to know that most AI assistants are starting to feel similar. Switching between them often comes down to small differences in speed, integrations, or output quality. But recently, I came across something in Claude that felt different (in a positive way). Once I started using Claude Design for actual projects, I just didn't find myself opening the other apps much anymore -- so canceling them felt like an easy call. What is Claude Design, anyway? It doesn't aim to rival Figma or PowerPoint Claude Design feels like a separate creative workspace built around Claude. The interface makes that obvious: a conversation area on one side and a visual canvas on the other. I can explain what I want in plain English, and Claude starts building it directly on the canvas instead of just telling me how to create it myself. Claude Design is Anthropic's beta tool for creating visual work through conversation. It can handle mockups, interactive prototypes, presentations, landing pages, microsites, and other design concepts. With a traditional chatbot, I might ask for ideas for a dashboard and get a written description, some HTML, or perhaps an image. Here, the design itself becomes the thing I am working on. It almost feels like having an AI-powered design app sitting inside my existing subscription. I can start with a rough idea, watch Claude turn it into something visual, and then continue working on the same project rather than copying the output into another tool. And that's before getting into the editing, prototyping, design system, and export features that made it useful for me. I can go from an idea to something tangible There are so many use cases Close This is where Claude Design started making a real difference in my workflow. I often have an idea in my head, but I don't necessarily want to spend an hour opening Figma, PowerPoint, or Canva just to see whether it works. With Claude Design, I can start with a rough description and turn it into something I can view, share, and refine. The built-in templates make the process even faster. I can even set up a design system, so Claude has a consistent set of colors, typography, components, and visual rules to follow across a project. This becomes useful when I want several screens or assets to feel like they belong to the same product. If I am discussing a jewelry e-commerce website, for example, I can quickly mock up a premium-looking storefront with product cards, category sections, filters, and a checkout flow. For a food delivery app, I can create mobile screens showing restaurants, menus, carts, and order tracking. And if I am working on something different, such as a presentation about financial planning, I can turn the same rough ideas into a polished deck with charts, layouts, and a consistent visual language. That flexibility is what makes Claude Design so useful to me. I am not limited to websites or app interfaces. One day I can be working on a client wireframe, the next on a presentation, diagram, flyer, or animation. The possibilities are endless. The Claude Code handoff sold me I'm not locked inside Claude afterward The part that sold me on Claude Design is what happens after I am happy with a concept. I don't have to treat the mockup as the end of the road. Claude Design can hand the project directly to Claude Code, which makes the transition from design to development much more natural. That changes how I approach quick client work. If I create a jewelry e-commerce mockup and the client likes the overall direction, I can move that design into Claude Code and start turning it into a working site instead of rebuilding the structure from scratch. The same applies to a food delivery app concept. I can first focus on the visual hierarchy, screens, navigation, and overall feel in Claude Design, then hand it over when I am ready to think about implementation. I also appreciate that Claude Design doesn't force me to keep everything inside Claude. Once I am done, I can export the project in several useful formats, including PDF, PPTX, standalone HTML, or a ZIP file. I can also send designs directly to tools such as Canva and other supported services. That removes one of my biggest concerns with AI creation tools: getting something impressive on screen, only to realize that it's trapped inside the service that generated it. Claude became more than a chatbot Canceling ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity wasn't really about deciding that Claude is better at everything. Most AI assistants can already handle the basics and code well. But Claude Design is what finally broke that pattern for me. It gave me a practical way to turn rough ideas into polished visuals, prototypes, and concepts without jumping between multiple tools. That one feature made it a complete creative workspace. I still think the competition has plenty of strengths, but for the way I work right now, Claude gives me something uniquely different. Claude Claude is an AI assistant that rivals ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. See at Claude Expand Collapse
The One Line in Anthropic's S-1 That Amazon Investors Should Read First
New reports indicate that artificial intelligence (AI) lab Anthropic could file its S-1 by the end of the month. Below, I'll detail why Anthropic's public debut carries outsize implications for major backers like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), whose growth is intertwined with the start-up's trajectory. Image source: The Motley Fool. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue " Reviewing Anthropic's funding and IPO ambitions Reports from Bloomberg suggest Anthropic is aiming for an initial public offering (IPO) that matches or exceeds Space Exploration Technologies' record raise from earlier this summer. Anthropic has already raised roughly $133 billion to date, most recently in a $65 billion Series H round that valued it at $965 billion. This near-trillion-dollar figure reflects Anthropic's explosive growth, with recent quarterly revenue surpassing $11.5 billion and an annualized run rate approaching $65 billion. Why Amazon investors should pay attention to Anthropic's IPO Amazon investors have good reason to monitor the Anthropic offering. Amazon has already invested $13 billion in Anthropic, with commitments for up to an additional $20 billion contingent on commercial milestones. Beyond simple equity ownership, the partnership between Amazon and Anthropic runs deep through AWS. Anthropic uses Amazon's custom silicon for training and inference, including a massive deployment under Project Rainier that utilizes over 1 million Amazon Trainium chips, complemented by its Graviton processors. Anthropic's Claude models power a number of features on Amazon Bedrock for more than 100,000 customers. Meanwhile, the company has pledged more than $100 billion in AWS spending over the next 10 years to secure up to 5 gigawatts of capacity. Assessing Amazon's upside Anthropic's S-1 will provide more precise disclosure around Amazon's ownership. With exact percentages known, investors can better model the position's value. Accurate knowledge of the value of Amazon's stake can help improve forecasts of AWS' revenue acceleration and operating margin expansion driven by Anthropic's compute demands. In turn, I think a fundamental rerating in Amazon stock could follow as investors gain a deeper understanding of Anthropic's influence on Amazon's position in the AI infrastructure supercycle. Should you buy stock in Amazon right now? Before you buy stock in Amazon, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now... and Amazon wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $429,223!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,317,883!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 965% -- a market-crushing outperformance compared to 212% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks " *Stock Advisor returns as of August 24, 2026. Adam Spatacco has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The One Line in Anthropic's S-1 That Amazon Investors Should Read First
New reports indicate that artificial intelligence (AI) lab Anthropic could file its S-1 by the end of the month. Below, I'll detail why Anthropic's public debut carries outsize implications for major backers like Amazon (AMZN -0.57%), whose growth is intertwined with the start-up's trajectory. Reviewing Anthropic's funding and IPO ambitions Reports from Bloomberg suggest Anthropic is aiming for an initial public offering (IPO) that matches or exceeds Space Exploration Technologies' record raise from earlier this summer. Anthropic has already raised roughly $133 billion to date, most recently in a $65 billion Series H round that valued it at $965 billion. This near-trillion-dollar figure reflects Anthropic's explosive growth, with recent quarterly revenue surpassing $11.5 billion and an annualized run rate approaching $65 billion. Why Amazon investors should pay attention to Anthropic's IPO Amazon investors have good reason to monitor the Anthropic offering. Amazon has already invested $13 billion in Anthropic, with commitments for up to an additional $20 billion contingent on commercial milestones. Beyond simple equity ownership, the partnership between Amazon and Anthropic runs deep through AWS. Anthropic uses Amazon's custom silicon for training and inference, including a massive deployment under Project Rainier that utilizes over 1 million Amazon Trainium chips, complemented by its Graviton processors. Anthropic's Claude models power a number of features on Amazon Bedrock for more than 100,000 customers. Meanwhile, the company has pledged more than $100 billion in AWS spending over the next 10 years to secure up to 5 gigawatts of capacity. Assessing Amazon's upside Anthropic's S-1 will provide more precise disclosure around Amazon's ownership. With exact percentages known, investors can better model the position's value. Accurate knowledge of the value of Amazon's stake can help improve forecasts of AWS' revenue acceleration and operating margin expansion driven by Anthropic's compute demands. In turn, I think a fundamental rerating in Amazon stock could follow as investors gain a deeper understanding of Anthropic's influence on Amazon's position in the AI infrastructure supercycle.
Take-Two Interactive files subpoenas against Microsoft, Discord, and X amid ongoing GTA 6 leaks
Take-Two Interactive has subpoenaed Microsoft, Discord, and X regarding the ongoing Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks. As Kotaku and IGN report, Rockstar Games' parent company is asking the companies to provide "any records related to various online accounts involved in posting and sharing leaks." This includes user data as well as linked OneDrive and Xbox accounts. As written in a subpoena filed with the Southern District of New York last Thursday (August 20), Take-Two is looking "to obtain the identity of an alleged infringer or infringers, and that such information will only be used for the purpose of protecting Take Two's rights." "The copyrighted material includes but is not limited to audiovisual content, artwork, images, dialogue, or other creative elements." The petition also cites a GitHub repository, owned by Microsoft, where leaked content was posted. Take-Two has requested that "all internal Microsoft business records and investigative records associated with Microsoft's internal investigation of the 'CyberLeek' persona sufficient to identify the user(s), person(s) and/or entity/ies associated with that persona." As for Discord, Take-Two has requested "all identifying information associated with all user accounts that are/were members communicating with the Discord server(s) listed below during the time period from June 1, 2026 to present; and for those accounts, provide any associated device/telemetry records where one or more of the tool/file artefacts below were present on the system." This includes "the account ID, registration email, registration and last-login IP addresses, phone number, linked connections (Google/Xbox/etc.), any associated device identifiers (MachineGuild/MSA), and content related to Grand Theft Auto ('GTA'), Rockstar, or CyberLeek from their OneDrive account." Microsoft and Discord must produce all related documents by September 4, 2026. One of the subpoenas also includes a copy of a take-down request issued to Discord (via Mashable), which reads: "The reported post contains unauthorised, leaked gameplay footage from the unreleased game Grand Theft Auto 6. This material reproduces our Client's copyrighted, unreleased game assets and was published and distributed without any authorisation from the copyright holder. The content is presented as genuine leaked Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay from Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and its distribution constitutes unauthorised reproduction and public disclosure of our Client's copyrighted work." Discord stated on Friday that it will "review and comply with valid subpoenas" when received. Xbox chief technology officer Scott Van Vliet said on social media that the company is "working closely with Take-Two and Rockstar Games to support efforts to protect creative works and intellectual property." Last week, a hacker group began posting daily leaks of apparent GTA 6 details and footage. The group, known as "CyberLeek," has threatened to release new videos daily. This comes ahead of Rockstar's extended look at the game, which will premiere on Netflix this Friday, August 28. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick previously told GamesIndustry.biz this partnership is merely "one of the hors d'oeuvres" of its marketing campaign for the game, which launches on November 19.
Nvidia reportedly eyes Perplexity at a $30B+ valuation as AI search becomes an agent business -- TFN
* Nvidia is in talks to invest in Perplexity at over $30B, per The Information. * The round would follow a $23B round in January 2026 and a $20B round in September 2025. * Revenue has surged past $750M on an annualised basis, fuelled largely by Perplexity Computer. Nvidia is reportedly discussing an investment in Perplexity as part of an equity funding round that would value the AI search startup at more than $30 billion, The Information reported, citing people with knowledge of the discussion. The funding round would increase Perplexity's valuation by more than 50% from its previous financing a year ago, when the company closed a $200 million round at a $20 billion valuation in September 2025. Perplexity's valuation jump Founded in August 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, Perplexity raised $73.6 million at a $520 million valuation in January 2024, then $63 million at $1.04 billion in March 2024 to hit unicorn status. TFN tracked the run from there: $500 million at $9 billion in late 2024,$500 million at $14 billion in May 2025, then a $100 million extension to $18 billion in July 2025, with Nvidia, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, NEA, and IVP all participating. September 2025's $20 billion round and January 2026's $23 billion round brought it here. That's roughly $1 billion to $30 billion-plus in about two years. At $750 million in annualised revenue, a $30 billion valuation prices Perplexity at close to 40 times sales, a multiple private markets tolerate more easily than public ones will, which matters given CEO Aravind Srinivas has floated an IPO within the next few years. Why Nvidia won't stay on the sidelines This wouldn't be Nvidia's first check. It backed Perplexity's Series B in January 2024, returned for the unicorn round in March 2024, and joined the $18 billion extension in July 2025. Per The Information, Nvidia had also weighed a technology licensing arrangement and hiring some of Perplexity's staff before the conversation shifted to a straight equity stake. A direct stake in one of the most visible AI-agent products on the market keeps Nvidia close to a customer that both burns GPU compute and generates the kind of usage data that shapes what chips get built next. Search becomes the infrastructure for AI agents Much of Perplexity's revenue growth traces to Perplexity Computer, a cloud-based AI agent that automates multi-step professional tasks, which TFN covered at launch. The vision is that AI search is shifting from retrieving information for people to retrieving and acting on it for other AI systems, and Perplexity isn't the only one chasing that shift. Exa is building search infrastructure purpose-built for AI agents rather than humans; TFN covered its $85 million Series B at a $700 million valuation in 2025, when Nvidia's NVentures joined Benchmark, Lightspeed, and Y Combinator, and its $250 million Series C at a $2.2 billion valuation in May 2026. Perplexity is fighting on two fronts at once: Google and OpenAI have the distribution advantage, while agent-native challengers like Exa and You.com are building infrastructure that Perplexity didn't have to compete with a year ago. Whether Perplexity is that layer, or simply the best-funded contender in a category still being defined, is the question a $30 billion price tag doesn't answer on its own.
Nvidia discusses Perplexity investment at $30 billion-plus valuation: Reports- Moneycontrol.com
Nvidia is in talks to invest in Perplexity as part of an equity funding round that would value the AI startup at more than $30 billion, The Information reported on Sunday, citing people with knowledge of the discussion. The funding round would increase Perplexity's valuation by more than 50% from its previous financing a year ago, according to the report. Perplexity's annualized revenue has risen to more than $750 million from less than $250 million at the start of the year, the report said. Part of the revenue growth has been driven by Perplexity Computer, a cloud-based AI agent used by professionals to automate computer-based tasks, the report added, citing people familiar with the matter. Perplexity declined to comment on the Information report, while Nvidia did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Information reported in September last year that Perplexity had finalized a $20 billion valuation. Earlier this year, Perplexity signed a $750 million agreement with Microsoft to use its Azure cloud service, according to a Bloomberg News report. Perplexity is planning to go public in 2028 regardless of how the market receives the listings of Anthropic and OpenAI, CEO Aravind Srinivas told CNBC in an interview in June. The startup's high-profile backers, along with Nvidia, include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Japan's SoftBank Group.
