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Nia Warfield2/20/25

Amazon doubles down on struggling video business with 007

Amazon is set to take creative control of the James Bond film franchise, after acquiring MGM Studios for $8.45 billion in 2021. The move marks a shift in the iconic series, which has long been produced by Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, heirs of original 007 producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli.

The James Bond franchise, which spans over 60 years, has earned nearly $8 billion worldwide. Amazon, which had already secured distribution rights after the MGM acquisition, will now oversee the franchise’s creative direction through its joint venture with Wilson and Broccoli. Despite stepping back from production, both producers will remain co-owners of the Bond IP.

“We are grateful to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication to the franchise,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon’s Prime Video and MGM Studios. “We are honored to continue this treasured legacy and look forward to the next chapter of 007.”

Amazon to gain creative control of James Bond franchise from Broccoli family

Daniel Craig No Time To Die

The James Bond franchise, which spans over 60 years, has earned nearly $8 billion worldwide. Amazon, which had already secured distribution rights after the MGM acquisition, will now oversee the franchise’s creative direction through its joint venture with Wilson and Broccoli. Despite stepping back from production, both producers will remain co-owners of the Bond IP.

“We are grateful to Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for their unyielding dedication to the franchise,” said Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon’s Prime Video and MGM Studios. “We are honored to continue this treasured legacy and look forward to the next chapter of 007.”

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Tom Jones5/19/26

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.

Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis emerges as early Anthropic investor

Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis emerges as early Anthropic investor

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.

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