In today’s newsletter:

• News - ⚖️ Elon Musk Sues to Block OpenAI’s For-Profit Shift

• Culture - 🤔 ChatGPT’s Weird Glitch: Can’t Say This Name!

⚖️ Elon Musk Sues to Block OpenAI’s For-Profit Shift

Elon Musk’s legal battle with OpenAI has heated up, with his attorneys filing for a preliminary injunction against the AI company, its co-founders, Microsoft, and others. The motion alleges anticompetitive behavior, like discouraging investors from backing rivals such as Musk’s xAI and sharing sensitive data with Microsoft. Musk’s team claims OpenAI has abandoned its nonprofit roots, warning of “irreparable harm” unless its governance and financial dealings are paused. OpenAI has brushed off the claims, calling them Musk’s “fourth baseless attempt” to challenge its operations.

The suit also accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of illegal resource sharing and highlights conflicts of interest involving CEO Sam Altman and former board member Reid Hoffman. Musk’s attorneys argue that funding pressures and the shift to a for-profit structure are eroding OpenAI’s mission. While Musk’s xAI recently raised $5 billion, he insists that preserving OpenAI’s original vision is crucial. The filing seeks to halt what Musk sees as harmful transactions and protect OpenAI’s nonprofit character.

🗞️ In Other News…

• Jeff Bezos has invested in Tenstorrent, an AI chipmaker using open-source technology to challenge Nvidia by offering more affordable, accessible solutions for smaller companies.

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman voiced confidence in president-elect Trump supporting AI infrastructure and called for societal input and safeguards to guide AI development.

• Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has stepped down as the company struggles to compete in the AI-driven chip market, falling far behind rival Nvidia, whose AI-optimized GPUs have skyrocketed in demand and valuation, leaving Intel facing a critical restructuring amid declining investor confidence.

• Meta's Llama Guard 3-1B-INT4 is a highly compressed, efficient AI safety moderation model optimized for mobile devices, achieving robust multilingual performance and safety standards while maintaining scalability and practicality for on-device applications.

• President-elect Donald Trump plans to leverage AI technology, including surveillance tools and facial recognition, for mass deportations, sparking concerns over privacy, systemic bias, and due process violations.

🤔 ChatGPT’s Weird Glitch: Can’t Say This Name!

ChatGPT users have uncovered a strange glitch that prevents the AI from saying the name "David Mayer," abruptly ending the chat whenever the name is requested. Attempts to work around the issue, like using ciphers or personalization settings, have failed, sparking concerns about potential censorship. Some speculate the glitch might relate to GDPR requests or even a connection to David Mayer de Rothschild, though no major platforms restrict the name, and OpenAI hasn't explained the error.

Curious users on forums have shared partial fixes, like using non-breaking spaces to bypass the glitch temporarily, though the error persists for repeat requests. The mysterious issue, along with similar glitches for other names, comes as OpenAI continues to dominate the AI space, recently securing $6.6 billion in funding and exploring monetization options like ads. As ChatGPT remains the world’s most-downloaded app, these quirks remind users of the complexities behind its massive success.

VC Fundraising Rounds

• Tenstorrent, an AI chip and IP startup, raised $693 million in an oversubscribed Series D round at a $2 billion pre-money valuation. (12/2/24)

• 9fin, a London-based company, has secured $50 million in a Series B funding round to advance its AI-powered analytics platform for global debt capital markets. (12/2/24)

• Radium, a company that augments GPT to tackle the complexity of precision medicine, has raised €16M in its seed round. (11/28/2024)

• FiVerity, dedicated to creating solutions for cyber fraud detection in financial institutions, has raised $8.5M in its funding round. (11/27/2024)

• Wherobots, a spacial intelligence cloud, has raised $21.5M in Series A funding. (11/26/2024)

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