Demis Hassabis, Google DeepMind’s CEO and founder, was also an early Anthropic investor
A chess prodigy and an actual a knight of the realm in the UK, it’s perhaps no surprise that Demis Hassabis has made some strategic moves about his exposure to AI upside. According to people familiar with the matter, the influential AI architect became an angel investor in Anthropic, currently behind many of the leading AI models, per Arena AI leaderboards.
The Nobel Prize winner’s position in the Claude creator was previously undisclosed and, per the Financial Times, highlights Hassabis’ “growing influence across the AI industry.”
Google, which bought DeepMind, the company that Hassabis cofounded and heads to this day, for a reported ~$400 million in 2014, is also a key Anthropic investor. The tech giant reportedly plans to invest up to $40 billion in the AI company as part of the mutually beneficial relationship the pair have forged, with reports that Anthropic has committed to spending $200 billion in the other direction on Google’s cloud services over the next five years.
I’m playing all sides, so I always come out on top
In addition to his financial support for Anthropic, Hassabis has also invested in a range of AI startups launched by colleagues, such as Inflection AI, a company set up by DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman (who is now CEO of Microsoft AI), as well as efforts from other collaborators, like David Silver’s Ineffable Intelligence.
Hassabis also emerged as a recurring figure on the fringes of the recent Elon Musk v. Sam Altman trial, cropping up repeatedly in testimonies and court documents and appearing to live, as The Verge put it, “rent-free” in Musk’s head.
Founded in 2021, Anthropic has recently raised funding at a reported $900 billion valuation, sending it soaring ahead of competitor OpenAI.
The Nobel Prize winner’s position in the Claude creator was previously undisclosed and, per the Financial Times, highlights Hassabis’ “growing influence across the AI industry.”
Google, which bought DeepMind, the company that Hassabis cofounded and heads to this day, for a reported ~$400 million in 2014, is also a key Anthropic investor. The tech giant reportedly plans to invest up to $40 billion in the AI company as part of the mutually beneficial relationship the pair have forged, with reports that Anthropic has committed to spending $200 billion in the other direction on Google’s cloud services over the next five years.
I’m playing all sides, so I always come out on top
In addition to his financial support for Anthropic, Hassabis has also invested in a range of AI startups launched by colleagues, such as Inflection AI, a company set up by DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman (who is now CEO of Microsoft AI), as well as efforts from other collaborators, like David Silver’s Ineffable Intelligence.
Hassabis also emerged as a recurring figure on the fringes of the recent Elon Musk v. Sam Altman trial, cropping up repeatedly in testimonies and court documents and appearing to live, as The Verge put it, “rent-free” in Musk’s head.
Founded in 2021, Anthropic has recently raised funding at a reported $900 billion valuation, sending it soaring ahead of competitor OpenAI.
Jury rules against Musk in lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman
Jurors in Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and OpenAI found the defendants not liable on all claims on Monday.
In a unanimous verdict reached after less than two hours of deliberation, the Oakland jury found that Musk had waited too long to bring his case forward, exceeding the statute of limitations.
Musk had alleged that OpenAI abandoned its founding mission as a nonprofit dedicated to developing AI for humanity and instead became a profit-driven company closely tied to Microsoft.
The verdict caps off a three-week blockbuster tech trial that could have seen Altman and Brockman removed from OpenAI leadership.
Musk had alleged that OpenAI abandoned its founding mission as a nonprofit dedicated to developing AI for humanity and instead became a profit-driven company closely tied to Microsoft.
The verdict caps off a three-week blockbuster tech trial that could have seen Altman and Brockman removed from OpenAI leadership.
Smartphones are 12% cheaper than last year, according to the latest inflation data... except they’re not
Phones are one of a few important categories that get quality, or “hedonic,” adjustments in the Consumer Price Index — which make their price go down in the official statistics.
Texas sues Netflix, accusing streamer of spying on children and collecting user data without consent
The state of Texas filed a lawsuit Monday against streaming giant Netflix, alleging that the company has built a “behavioral-surveillance program of staggering scale.”
The suit alleges that Netflix is “deceptively designed” to be addictive, using features like autoplay to get viewers hooked, “mining those users for data, and then converting that data into lucrative intelligence for global advertising juggernauts.”
“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watches you,” the lawsuit reads.
“This lawsuit lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information,” Netflix said in a statement to Sherwood News. “Netflix takes our members’ privacy seriously and complies with privacy and data‑protection laws everywhere we operate.”
Texas is seeking civil penalties of “up to $10,000 per violation” of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, along with an additional penalty of up to $250,000 per violation involving a consumer aged 65 or older.
“Netflix is not the ad-free and kid-friendly platform it claims to be. Instead, it has misled consumers while exploiting their private data to make billions,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the press release announcing the lawsuit.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This lawsuit lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information,” Netflix said in a statement to Sherwood News. “Netflix takes our members’ privacy seriously and complies with privacy and data‑protection laws everywhere we operate.”
Texas is seeking civil penalties of “up to $10,000 per violation” of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, along with an additional penalty of up to $250,000 per violation involving a consumer aged 65 or older.
“Netflix is not the ad-free and kid-friendly platform it claims to be. Instead, it has misled consumers while exploiting their private data to make billions,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the press release announcing the lawsuit.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Used car prices dip in April but remain at 2023 levels as gas prices surge
Used car prices ticked down in April, the first drop in 2026, according to fresh data from Cox Automotive.
Cox’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, which tracks wholesale prices, dipped 1.6% in April from March, but remains around highs not seen since 2023 as shoppers react to surging gas prices.
“Affordability remains front and center, and that’s driving some increased demand for older vehicles... as well as changing the calculus for consumers shopping for EVs,” said Cox’s chief economist, Jeremy Robb.
As reported in March, used car retailers including CarMax have told Sherwood News that gas prices are driving more shoppers to look toward EVs. Cox’s EV index is up 7.2% from April 2025, compared to a 1.1% hike for its non-EV index.
Xbox CEO overhauls leadership team with Microsoft AI execs amid sales declines
Microsoft is continuing to shake up Xbox, with gaming chief Asha Sharma (who took over the division suddenly in February) announcing an executive overhaul.
According to an internal memo seen by CNBC, Sharma is bringing four leaders from her former CoreAI group into the Xbox fold, as they have “consumer and technical expertise [Xbox does] not yet have.”
“Right now, it is too hard to ship impact quickly. We spend too much time inward instead of with the community, and we lack the depth we need in some of the fundamentals,” Sharma said in the memo.
Aside from the CoreAI team, David Schloss, a former Instacart growth exec, will take over the subscription and cloud business.
Following Microsoft’s earnings report last week, in which Xbox console sales fell 33% from last year, Sharma said the division had work to do. The company forecast more sales declines for Game Pass and consoles in the current quarter.
“Right now, it is too hard to ship impact quickly. We spend too much time inward instead of with the community, and we lack the depth we need in some of the fundamentals,” Sharma said in the memo.
Aside from the CoreAI team, David Schloss, a former Instacart growth exec, will take over the subscription and cloud business.
Following Microsoft’s earnings report last week, in which Xbox console sales fell 33% from last year, Sharma said the division had work to do. The company forecast more sales declines for Game Pass and consoles in the current quarter.
Ford’s April EV sales climb from March but make up less than 2% of its total sales this year
Ford sold 22% more EVs in April than in March, but the category makes up just 1.7% of the automaker’s total 2026 sales through April. At the same point last year, EVs were about 4% of sales.
The company released its April sales figures Monday morning, with EVs climbing sequentially but still down nearly 25% from last year. Its more popular hybrids were down 5% from March and about 33% from last year.
Overall, Ford posted a 14.4% drop in sales in April from last year. SUVs were down more than 16%, trucks fell more than 14%, and cars (the company doesn’t sell many) climbed 18%.
When it reported its Q1 earnings last week, Ford boosted its full-year guidance for adjusted earnings before interest and taxes to between $8.5 billion and $10.5 billion.
Amazon opens up its supply chain to everyone
Today Amazon unveiled Supply Chain Services, a new business that turns the vast warehousing and logistics network behind its e-commerce empire into a product for other companies — an AWS-style move applied to the physical world.
As Amazon put it: “Any business can now move, store, and deliver everything from raw materials to finished products using the same supply chain that supports Amazon and its independent selling partners.”
That could make Amazon a behind-the-scenes operator for an even wider swath of commerce, expanding its reach beyond its marketplace and helping it capture more of the $1.3 trillion third-party logistics market.
Shares of traditional shipping companies UPS and FedEx fell after the announcement.
Amazon listed Procter & Gamble, 3M, and American Eagle among the logistics service’s first customers.
That could make Amazon a behind-the-scenes operator for an even wider swath of commerce, expanding its reach beyond its marketplace and helping it capture more of the $1.3 trillion third-party logistics market.
Shares of traditional shipping companies UPS and FedEx fell after the announcement.
Amazon listed Procter & Gamble, 3M, and American Eagle among the logistics service’s first customers.
Ford’s leaving the door open for a Chinese automaker collaboration, says RBC
US lawmakers have raced to introduce legislation to lock in restrictions on cheaper Chinese vehicles and parts ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting in May.
