🤖 Where startups actually spend their AI budgets, a16z’s top 50 list

Andreessen Horowitz analyzed real transaction data from thousands of startups to find which AI tools are getting the most money, not hype, but actual spend.

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💡 Bezos says AI is in an industrial-bubble but will benefit society

Jeff Bezos argues that AI today is riding a classic industrial bubble full of hype and overvaluation, yet its long-term impact will be transformative for society.

🖱 He sees the current frenzy as speculative excess around AI infrastructure and investment.
🖱 Despite that, Bezos believes AI will boost productivity, transform industries, and improve lives.
🖱 The innovation wave will take years, and many early bets may fail.
🖱 He warns of overinvestment in platforms without real utility.
🖱 The key winners will be those who build fundamental capabilities, not just hype.

In short: don’t mistake the bubble for the future many crashes ahead, but the underlying engine is real.

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🎬 OpenAI gives content owners control as Sora plans monetization

OpenAI is rolling out new tools for rights holders to manage how their characters and content appear in Sora, its AI video app, and introducing a revenue-sharing model for those who opt in. The update follows rapid user growth and rising copyright scrutiny.

🖱 Studios can now block or approve use of their IP within Sora-generated videos.
🖱 Rights holders who allow usage will receive a share of Sora’s revenue.
🖱 OpenAI says the monetization model will involve “trial and error” before becoming standard.
🖱 The move follows Disney and others opting out of AI content reproduction.
🖱 Sora’s short-form AI videos are already generating more content than expected.

By giving studios both control and upside, OpenAI may be crafting the first sustainable business model for AI-generated media.

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Even after controlling for growth, revenue, and market stage, companies run by first-time founders remain undervalued. The effect doesn’t fade at later rounds: even at $100M+ in revenue, startups with rookie founders still command lower valuations.

🖱 Experienced founders raise capital faster and on better terms at every stage.
🖱 Investor perception of “execution risk” persists long after traction appears.
🖱 The premium for past success acts almost like a permanent multiplier.

Makes you wonder how much higher Google’s valuation would’ve been if Page and Brin had built something before it.

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Talks with Google, Spotify, and AI startups like Klay Vision, ElevenLabs, and Stability AI aim to set a precedent for how copyrighted songs are used to train and generate AI music. Some firms, including Suno and Udio, are already facing lawsuits from these same labels.

🖱 The proposed system would mirror streaming royalties - AI firms would pay micropayments each time a song is used or referenced.
🖱 To enable this, AI companies would need tools to track how and when music data is applied during model training and generation.
🖱 Universal and Warner’s catalogs cover global megastars like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Charli XCX, giving them strong leverage in negotiations.

If finalized, these deals could define the industry’s financial and legal framework for AI-generated music and decide who gets paid when machines start making hits.

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🔔 Durov opens Telegram’s AI lab in Kazakhstan

Pavel Durov has just launched a specialized AI laboratory in Kazakhstan, partnering Telegram with the country’s AI supercomputer cluster to extend AI access globally.

🖱 The lab is housed in the Alem.ai building as part of a joint project with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of AI and the national supercomputer cluster.
🖱 Durov says the goal is to let over a billion people use AI tools in a way that’s confidential, transparent, and efficient.
🖱 Telegram’s own mini-apps will be among the first to leverage the new tech.
🖱 The Kazakh supercomputer cluster is expected to be a major provider of compute power for the network.

This move signals Telegram’s pivot from messaging into AI infrastructure, using the state’s compute assets to deepen its technological footprint in Central Asia and beyond.

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🤖 OpenAI crowned the first $500B startup

OpenAI’s secondary share sale has vaulted its valuation to $500 billion, making it the most valuable private company ever and a symbol of how far the AI boom has run. Unlike a traditional fundraise, the deal let insiders cash out while investors fought for a seat at the table.

🖱 Roughly $6.6B worth of employee and early-backer stock changed hands.
🖱 Heavyweights like SoftBank, Thrive, Dragoneer, MGX, and T. Rowe Price joined the cap table.
🖱 The valuation leap, from $300B just months ago, reflects both AI demand and scarcity of access.
🖱 Still, OpenAI is burning cash, betting scale and distribution will cement its lead over rivals.

The $500B milestone isn’t just about valuation, it’s proof that in AI, investors are willing to pay sovereign-nation prices for a private company.

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