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☆ Synapse bankruptcy trustee says $85 million of customer savings is missing in fintech meltdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThere is an $85 million shortfall between what partner banks of fintech middleman Synapse are holding and what depositors are owed, according to the court-appointed trustee in the Synapse bankruptcy. Customers of fintech firms that used Synapse to link up with banks had $265 million in balances. But the banks themselves only had $180 million associated with those accounts, trustee Jelena McWilliams said in a report filed late Thursday. The missing funds explain what is at the heart of the worst meltdown in the U.S. fintech sector since its emergence in the years after the 2008 financial crisis. She said Synapse apparently commingled funds among several institutions, using multiple banks to serve the same companies.

Persons: Jelena McWilliams, Al Drago, Andreessen Horowitz, McWilliams, Bank —, it's, Banks, Cravath, Judge Martin Barash Organizations: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs Committee, Washington , D.C, Bloomberg, Getty, Synapse, Evolve Bank & Trust, American Bank, AMG, Bank, Partner Bank Locations: Washington ,, U.S, what's

☆ Databricks acquires data optimization startup Tabular in fresh challenge to Snowflake
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Data analytics software maker Databricks said in a statement on Tuesday that it's acquiring Tabular, a startup that helps optimize data stored in the cloud. The gesture could help Databricks more quickly bring out products as it faces competition from Snowflake and other entities. Databricks is paying over $1 billion to buy Tabular, Databricks CEO Ali Ghodsi said in an interview. Snowflake was also bidding on Tabular, as was Confluent , a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. Focusing more on Iceberg tables might allow Databricks to take business from Snowflake clients that embrace the format.

Persons: Ali Ghodsi, Databricks, Snowflake, Ryan Blue, Dan Weeks, Okta, Mike Scarpelli, Morgan Stanley, Ghodsi, Andreessen Horowitz, Frank Slootman's, Jefferies, Brent Thill Organizations: Databricks, Summit, Street Journal, CNBC, Developers, Netflix, Salesforce, Amazon, Services, Monday, Zetta Venture Partners Locations: San Francisco, Snowflake, Delta

☆ Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are reportedly going head-to-head again — this time over a buzzy AI startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Meta and xAI are competing to partner with buzzy AI startup Character.AI, per the Financial Times. It's the latest twist in the rivalry between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. The two billionaires have been feuding for years, and are now both racing to build superhuman AI. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe rivalry between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg may be heating up again.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, —, Musk's xAI, Character.AI, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Financial Times, Elon, Service, Meta, Financial

☆ Musk’s A.I. Firm Raises $6 Billion in Race With Rivals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Jason Karaian | More About Jason Karaian | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, said on Sunday that it has raised $6 billion, helping to close the funding gap with OpenAI, Anthropic and other rivals in the red-hot industry. Mr. Musk, who founded xAI in July, said in a social media post the funding round valued the company at $18 billion, not including the new money. Investors included the Silicon Valley heavyweights Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital, along with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Investors and large tech companies like Google, Meta and Microsoft have poured billions into the businesses developing A.I. systems, which require huge amounts of processing power to generate text, sounds and images.

Persons: Musk, Andreessen Horowitz, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Organizations: Elon, xAI, Sequoia Capital, Saudi, Investors, Google, Meta, Microsoft

☆ Elon Musk's xAI says it just raised $6 billion in funding, pulling in big bucks from Sequoia Capital and Saudi Arabia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewElon Musk's xAI just took a critical step in building up its war chest to take on Sam Altman's OpenAI. The AI startup said in a blog post on Sunday that it had raised $6 billion for their Series B funding round. Related stories"There will be more to announce in the coming weeks," Musk said in an X post on Monday morning. AdvertisementThe mercurial billionaire said in a subsequent X post that xAI's pre-money valuation was $18 billion. Pre-money valuation was $18B — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 27, 2024Sunday's announcement marks the first time xAI has talked about its fundraising efforts.

Persons: —, Elon Musk's xAI, Sam Altman's OpenAI, Andreessen Horowitz, Musk, Elon, xAI, he'd, Altman, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Sequoia Capital, Saudi Arabia's, Business, Bloomberg, Financial Times, The New York Times, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google Locations: Saudi, Saudi Arabia's Kingdom

☆ Some Prominent Silicon Valley Investors Shift to the Right
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Erin Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

At a tech conference last week, Mr. Sacks said his view had changed. Such public support for Mr. Trump used to be taboo in Silicon Valley, which has long been seen as a liberal bastion. But frustration with Mr. Biden, Democrats and the state of the world has increasingly driven some of tech’s most prominent venture capitalists to the right. (He is set to co-host the fund-raiser for Mr. Trump alongside Mr. Others, like Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz and Shaun Maguire of Sequoia Capital, have criticized Mr. Biden without expressing support for Mr. Trump.

Persons: David Sacks, Donald J, Sacks, “, Biden, Trump, Mr, Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Shaun Maguire, Keith Rabois Organizations: U.S . Capitol, Trump, Mr, Social Capital, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Republicans, Congress Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Fintech nightmare: 'I have nearly $38,000 tied up' after Synapse bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Hugh Son | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The situation deteriorated in April after Synapse declared bankruptcy following the exodus of several key partners. That has left users of several fintech services stranded with no access to their funds, according to testimonials filed this week in a California bankruptcy court. One customer, a Maryland teacher named Chris Buckler, said in a May 21 filing that his funds at crypto app Juno were locked because of the Synapse bankruptcy. Synapse had contracts with 20 banks and 100 fintech companies, resulting in about 10 million end users, according to an April filing from founder and CEO Sankaet Pathak. The freeze-up of customer funds exposes the vulnerabilities in the banking as a service, or BAAS, partnership model and a possible blind spot for regulatory oversight.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, Chris Buckler, Buckler, Dave, Juno, Sankaet Pathak, Pathak, Joseph Dominguez, Dominguez, Jason Mikula, Mikula Organizations: Istock, Synapse, Evolve Bank & Trust, Mercury, CNBC, Evolve Bank, Trust, Regulators, FDIC, Federal Reserve Locations: California, Maryland, Joseph Dominguez of Sacramento , California, Silicon

☆ Opinion | Loneliness Is a Problem That A.I. Won’t Solve
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

One day it will be better than a real [girlfriend]. One day, the real one will be the inferior choice.” The article goes on to breathlessly outline use cases for “A.I. companions,” suggesting that some future iteration of chatbots could stand in for mental health professionals, relationship coaches or chatty co-workers. This week, OpenAI released an update to its ChatGPT chatbot, an indication that the inhuman future foretold by the Andreessen Horowitz story is fast approaching. While some observers, including the Times Opinion contributing writer Julia Angwin, who called ChatGPT’s recent update “rather routine,” weren’t particularly impressed, there’s been plenty of hype about the potential for humanlike chatbots to ameliorate emotional challenges, particularly loneliness and social isolation.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, A.I, OpenAI, Horowitz, ”, Scarlett Johansson, Julia Angwin, weren’t, there’s Organizations: The Washington Post, omni

☆ How one rising Miami VC raised more money for his first fund. Other emerging investors haven't been so lucky.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Evans is the founder of Exceptional Capital, which launched in 2022 among the many emerging VC firms that sprouted during the fundraising boom years. Before pursuing a life in venture capital and tech, Evans hoped to make it to the NFL as a linebacker at the University of Michigan. And then in 2022, Evans decided to launch Exceptional Capital and invest as a solo VC. Exceptional CapitalBecause he's been able to increase the size of his fund, Evans has been able to expand his team. "I could see that for Marell as well, just his work with Exceptional Capital and kind of his determination there."

Persons: —, Marell Evans, Evans, he's, Dave Brandon, Brandon, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Horowitz, A16z, Okta, Owen Van Natta, Hustling, Melissa Morano Aurigemma, Graham Stoddard, Andrew Van Nest, I've, Cody Coleman, Coleman, what's Organizations: Service, Exceptional, Business, NFL, University of Michigan, NCAA, IBM, Facebook, Vision, SV Angel, A16z, Exceptional Capital Locations: Miami, Michigan, San Francisco, Okta, Silicon Valley, SoftBank, —, Bessemer

☆ 2. Anduril Industries
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

As the U.S. military modernizes and new aerial threats have defined recent wars, defense technology company Anduril Industries is getting ahead with a tech-smart, Silicon Valley approach in selling to the Pentagon, recently introducing several new AI-powered drones, and supplying Ukraine. Anduril has emerged as a disruptor to traditional contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman and a competitor to several defense unicorns such as Shield AI and Epirus. The company is getting ahead in the defense sector by proactively financing its own research and product development, and then making sales — a departure from the standard military contract-and-then-build process. Loaded with venture capital funding from major investors Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund and General Catalyst, Anduril is on a fast track. Last year, Anduril launched several new drones that rely on its Lattice AI-powered command and control software used by the U.S. military and allies to direct human-assisted robotics systems to perform complex missions.

Persons: Anduril, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Palmer Luckey, Brian Schmipf, Andreessen Horowitz, Catalyst Organizations: Anduril Industries, Pentagon, Lockheed, Raytheon, Northrop, VR, Facebook, Founders Fund, U.S . Locations: Ukraine

☆ Adam Neumann says Jeff Bezos came up to him at an event and gave him a tip for running better meetings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Meghan Morris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Jeff Bezos recently advised Adam Neumann to speak last in meetings. Bezos' "speak last" strategy is supported by organizational psychologists like Adam Grant. AdvertisementJeff Bezos recently gave Adam Neumann some unsolicited advice: Speak last in meetings, a leadership style espoused by a leading organizational psychologist. Neumann said Bezos came up to him with the recommendation after the WeWork cofounder spoke at an event. Related storiesAt WeWork, Neumann was famous for his eccentric leadership style.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Adam Neumann, Neumann, Adam Grant, —, Bezos, Flow's, Andreessen Horowitz, Lex Fridman, Jeff Organizations: Service, Thursday's Bloomberg Tech Summit, Business, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Business Insider Locations: San Francisco

☆ A new crop of startups wants to help solve loneliness among millennials and Gen Z. Here's how they're connecting strangers and making money.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Lauren Johnson | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Plus, the pandemic and the shift to working from home have made millennials and Gen Z lonelier than ever, thanks in part to doomscrolling. "I believe the conventional 'make friends' apps too closely mimic the dating model, which can feel awkward and high-pressure for making friends," he said. The group hosts "reading parties" at bars and event spaces with the goal of helping people connect through reading. Dinner With Friends, a group that throws dinner parties, has worked on sponsored events with brands like Bumble and Geneva. Dinner With Friends founder Anita Michaud said brands typically either sponsor entire dinners or provide products — like canned cocktails — for the dinner parties.

Persons: —, they've, Danial Hashemi, Sydney, Z, millennials, Cliff Lerner, Lisa Oreshkina, Saneblidze, Tom Worchester, Andreessen Horowitz, Victor Pontis, Luma, Liz Chick, Gen, Mira Hobbs, ReCreate's Chick, Anita Michaud, Peter Boyce II, Boyce, Maitree Mervana Parekh, Marlon Nichols, they're, it's, Ben Bradbury Organizations: Service, Business, Sydney Bradley, Big Tech, Tech, Timeleft, Reading, Facebook, VC, Wine, Bumble, New, Acrew, MaC Venture, Reading Rhythms Locations: New York City, Los Angeles, New York, Brooklyn, Squarespace, Lisbon, Amsterdam, London, San Francisco, Geneva

☆ Apple wants to give the iPad a boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The tech giant's event will reportedly showcase a new family of… iPads and iPad accessories. But Apple's event , which kicks off at 10 a.m. EST, is looking to give the iPad a boost. iPhone sales have noticeably dipped, which is why you're hearing Apple tout its "services" business , writes BI's Peter Kafka. And the new product Apple wants you to be excited about — the Vision Pro — hasn't lived up to the hype. a16z joins the Big Tech "fake work" debate.

Persons: —, Tyler Le, they're, iPads, Antonio Villas, Boas, BI's Peter Kafka, Peter, hasn't, Katie Notopoulos, Wall, Lauren DeCicca, Tim Cook, Katie, aren't, I'd, we'll, I'm, Alyssa Powell, Danielle DiMartino Booth, James Devaney, Roger Kisby, Jack Dorsey's, Elon, Dorsey, Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, a16z, Emily Sundberg, Andreessen Horowitz, David Ulevitch, Vladimir Putin, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, Google, Getty, US Treasury, National Bureau of Economic Research, Images, Penske Media, Microsoft, Tech, Paramount, Berkshire, Big Tech, Walt Disney Company Locations: BREIT, New York, London

☆ Why investing solo lets Refactor Capital's Zal Bilimoria be a 'lifeline' for founders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Now 42, Bilimoria is the sole partner of Refactor Capital, the early-stage venture-capital firm he launched in 2016. Through Refactor Capital, Bilimoria has backed unicorn companies including the green-chemical manufacturer Solugen and the space startup Astranis. AdvertisementTwo years later, Lee stepped down as a general partner — making Bilimoria the firm's sole investor. Life as a solo partnerAs a solo partner, "all the successes and all the challenges are on my shoulders," Bilimoria said. Refactor Capital invests in about eight companies every year and is deploying capital out of its third fund.

Persons: —, Bilimoria, Andreessen Horowitz —, weren't, Andreessen Horowitz, David Lee, Lee Organizations: Service, University of Pennsylvania, Business, Microsoft, Netflix, Google, Twitter, Fund, SV Angel Locations: Northwest Indiana

☆ Andreessen Horowitz investor says half of Google's white-collar staff probably do 'no real work'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A general partner at Andreessen Horowitz is the latest to join the debate around "fake work" in Big Tech. David Ulevitch said "half the white-collar staff at Google probably does no real work." AdvertisementAn investor at famed Silicon Valley firm Andreessen Horowitz is the latest VC to get involved in the debate around "fake work" in the tech industry. Advertisement"I don't think it's crazy to believe that half the white-collar staff at Google probably does no real work," he said. Other VCs have also entered the debate around "fake work" and overstaffing within Big Tech in recent years.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, David Ulevitch, —, Emily Sundberg, Ulevitch, Marc Andreessen, Keith Rabois, Thomas Siebel, they've, overhiring Organizations: Google, Meta, Service, Cisco, Big Tech, Tech, PayPal Mafia, Facebook Locations: Big Tech, Silicon, America

☆ Man Behind California Forever, Silicon Valley's City of the Future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Hugh Langley | Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

He sees California Forever. And if he can't undo the damage, there may never be a California Forever. California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. But here's the thing: California Forever may be a subdivision, but it's precisely the kind of subdivision America needs right now. Places like California Forever aren't being opposed by the people who are desperate for a place to live.

Persons: Jan Sramek's, Goldman Sachs, Sramek, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Marc Andreessen —, They've, Christie Hemm, Peter Thiel, Jan Sramek, Jan, Thiel, Goldman, CheatSheet, Sramek's, hadn't, Jonas Rave, who's, —, Guy Saidenberg, Evernote, Marc Andreessen, Jane Jacobs, He's, he'd, Robert Moses, growth.y Christie Hemm, Flannery, Bronson Johnson, David George, Andreessen Horowitz, Marilyn Farley, Farley, Solano County's, Kathleen Threlfall, Bill Mortimore, California Forever's, Jessica Christian, he's, Lyle Lanley, Solano, Sam Houston, weren't, Gabriel Metcalf, You've, John Garamendi, Garamendi, isn't, they'll, latte, Christie, Travis, I've, aren't, They're Organizations: Silicon, California, BI Development, University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, Party, Rising Star, Facebook, York, Sramek's, BI Sramek, Google, American, Planners, Sacramento -, Travis Air Force Base, Area, titans, Farmers, councilwoman, California Forever, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Air Force, Flannery Associates, Disney, San Francisco, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum, Rep, BI, Solano, Sierra, Goldman Locations: San Francisco, It's, Sramek, California, Rio Vista, Solano County, Napa, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, America, London, Zurich, England, Czech Republic, Dřevohostice, York, British, Eastern Europe, Cambridge, Bay Area, Hayes Valley, America's cutest, Atlanta, Phoenix, Copenhagen, Barcelona, New York, Sacramento - San Joaquin, San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Toledo , Ohio, Silicon, Google's, Toronto, Big Tech, China, Calif, Springfield, Vallejo, He's, Atherton, Foreverville, Fairfield, Austin, Solano, Valley, Europe

☆ OpenAI rival Anthropic launches its first smartphone app
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Anthropic has launched a mobile app for its AI chatbot, Claude. The app, a rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT, allows users to sync conversations and analyze photos. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementOpenAI rival Anthropic launched its first smartphone app on Wednesday, a mobile version of its artificial intelligence chatbot called Claude. Both of these features are available on rival ChatGPT.

Persons: Anthropic, Claude, OpenAI's, —, ChatGPT, Dario, Daniela Amodei, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Amazon, Google, Service, Union, Services, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, K2 Locations: Canada, OpenAI

☆ Opinion | Taylor Swift Needs to Become Other People
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Which are the 12 best songs — not just in absolute terms, but in terms of the whole (the album) being constructed out of the parts (the songs)? Which of these songs do they want to play live dozens of times on their upcoming concert tour? For a very different analysis of Swift, consider these comments on X from Katherine Boyle, an Andreessen Horowitz venture capitalist, repurposing a take she offered in 2023. In our cultural environment, Boyle argues, being prolific is everything: “You can’t cede ground to competitors. If Taylor writes 31 songs and 3 are memorable, she’s written three epic songs.

Persons: ”, Taylor Swift’s, Swift, you’re, —, Damon, Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen, Katherine Boyle, Andreessen Horowitz, Boyle, ” Boyle, Taylor

☆ Caviar, champagne, and IPOs: At the Jefferies Private Internet Conference, tech dealmaking was back
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jefferies hosted a conference to bring together late-stage tech founders, investors and bankers. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAs bankers and venture capitalists nibbled on caviar sushi and sipped champagne and sake this week at Nobu Malibu, there was a gleeful mood at the beachside closing dinner of the Jefferies Private Internet Conference. After a Covid pause, Jefferies resumed this conference in 2022 to bring together late-stage tech founders, investors, and bankers. Related story"Beyond typical deal considerations, AI has emerged as the single biggest new influence today in tech M&A," according to Greenberg.

Persons: Jefferies, —, Cameron Jefferies, Jason Greenberg, Greenberg, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Reddit, Marc Andreessen, Rich Handler, Andreessen Horowitz, Neerav, Goldman, JP Morgan Chase, we've, Lester Organizations: Service, Jefferies Private Internet Conference, Technology, Media, Telecom Investment Banking, Jefferies, Global Technology, Informatica, Epic, Venture, Jefferies Private Locations: Neerav Kingsland

☆ Andreessen Horowitz raises $7.2 billion, a sign that tech startup market may be bouncing back
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Andreessen Horowitz said Tuesday that it raised $7.2 billion across five different funds, a sign of optimism in the tech startup world, which has seen a dearth of significant exits over the past two years. Deal volume for U.S. venture investments in the first quarter sank to its lowest level since 2017, according to data published earlier this month by PitchBook. The firm raised a $4.5 billion crypto fund in 2022, bringing its total amount raised for crypto and blockchain investments to $7.6 billion. Andreessen Horowitz remains on track to raise more money for its crypto fund and a separate biotechnology fund, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. Andreessen Horowitz wrote a $350 million check to the company, which was just getting started and has yet to make inroads in the residential real estate market.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, Ben Horowitz, Marc Andreessen, Horowitz, PitchBook, bitcoin, Adam Neumann Organizations: Bloomberg, PitchBook, Astera Labs, CNBC Locations: Silicon Valley, U.S

☆ Adam Neumann opens up about his billion-dollar plan to transform apartment living and explains why he wants to buy back WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In August 2022, former WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann announced he was back, starting a new company called Flow to transform apartment living. I spoke with residents and staff, but my many requests to speak on the record with Neumann himself were always rebuffed. Whatever happens with Flow, Neumann will always be remembered for WeWork, which he resigned from in 2019. The launch occurs as Neumann is trying to buy back his bankrupt former company for more than $500 million. I think people are skeptical of how Flow is a tech company.

Persons: Adam Neumann, Andreessen Horowitz, Neumann, Neumann's WeWork, it's, We're, we're, It's, WeWork, You've, Ben, Horowitz Organizations: Business Locations: Fort Lauderdale , Florida, South Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Miami

☆ Robo-lawyer startup DoNotPay did something almost unheard of in Silicon Valley: It paid a dividend.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In January, the legal startup DoNotPay sent more than $1 million to employees and investors in its first-ever dividend. He got the idea from one of his own angels, Sahil Lavingia, whose startup Gumroad issued a dividend last year. The expectation is that when a company sells or goes public, employees will cash in their shares for untold riches. Last year, the digital commerce startup Gumroad paid a dividend of $1 million across employees, investors, and thousands of crowdfunding backers. Cash rewardsBrowder said he wanted to offer a dividend to reward those employees and investors who bet on the startup early.

Persons: Joshua Browder, Browder, DoNotPay, it's, Sahil Lavingia, Josh Seidenfeld, Cooley, Steve Huffman, Spencer Platt, Seidenfeld, Lavingia, Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock, Dylan Field, Scott Belsky, Daniel Dines, Balaji Srinivasan, Cash, there's Organizations: Business, Big Law, Employees, Founders Fund, Adobe Locations: San Francisco

☆ The US Copyright Office is set to reveal later this year proposed changes to copyright law over the AI boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The way technology companies scrape and use copyrighted material to train generative AI tools could be in for a significant change. It has also been weighing for months possible changes to US Copyright laws and rules, which make no specific mention of generative AI or related use cases. President Joe Biden's administration has become more outspoken on generative AI. Although generative AI has been around for years, the explosive popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT tool launched in late 2022 led to a greater public understanding of how generative AI models are developed through mass scraping every bit of data on the web. Warring interests and goals have opened up a growing fight between content creators and tech companies building generative AI.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Ben Buchanan, it's, Andreessen Horowitz, Kali Hays Organizations: Service, US, Meta, The New York Times Locations: khays@insider.com

☆ Adam Neumann makes a $500 million bid for WeWork that could hit $900 million if financing and diligence firm up
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Adam Neumann has submitted an unsolicited bid in excess of $500 million to acquire WeWork out of bankruptcy, a person familiar with the matter told CNBC. That bid could go up to $900 million pending due diligence, the person said. Neumann, his family office Nazare, and his Andreessen Horowitz-backed real estate venture Flow filed a notice of appearance in WeWork's bankruptcy docket on Monday. Flow did not respond to CNBC's request for comment regarding the $900 million potential bid. Neumann's bid, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, may complexify WeWork's bankruptcy proceedings.

Persons: Adam Neumann of WeWork, Victor Fung Kwok, Adam Neumann, Dan, Neumann, Andreessen Horowitz, —, WeWork, we've, it's, lessors Organizations: Fung Group, CNBC, Board, Wall Street Locations: Shanghai, China

☆ BeReal weighs an uncertain Series C or acquisition as growth stalls and funding is set to run out later this year, insiders say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Kali Hays | Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The company is considering raising a Series C before what's left of its $90 million in funding runs out. BeReal closed a $60 million Series B funding round at an around $600 million valuation in late 2022, following a $30 million Series A earlier the same year. Sooner than later, BeReal leadership will be forced to choose between raising another round and maintaining its independence or selling itself outright, running the risk of disappearing. Company leadership holds an all-hands every quarter after they meet with the company's board, which includes investors. As for the possibility of an acquisition, BeReal leadership has told employees there are "offers" that have been made, without giving any specifics.

Persons: Alexis Barreyat, what's, BeReal, Yuri Milner's, Andreessen Horowitz, Barreyat, Romain Salzman, Kali Hays, Callum Burroughs cburroughs@businessinsider.com Organizations: Business, Gas, Yuri Milner's DST, Accel Locations: Paris, Japan, Asia, Pacific, khays@businessinsider.com

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