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Jon Keegan

Anduril building $1 billion factory to churn out autonomous weapons and vehicles

Autonomous-weapons systems startup Anduril announced plans to build a $1 billion “hyperscale” factory in Columbus, Ohio. Named “Arsenal-1,” the sprawling 5 million-square-foot, airport-adjacent factory complex will be optimized for “the mass production of autonomous systems and weapons,” according to the company’s press release. The company said the factory is expected to create 4,000 jobs.

Anduril, founded by Palmer Luckey in 2017 after selling his Oculus VR startup to Facebook (Meta) in 2014, is a big player in the emerging group of “defense technology” companies currently pitching the US government on ways to bring AI to the battlefield. The startup is backed by Peter Thiel, and is currently valued at $14 billion.

Recently a wave of AI companies have leaned into defense. Palantir has partnered with AI startup Anthropic to include its AI models for national-security applications, and OpenAI and Meta have both started pitching their AI platforms for use in defense.

A group of tech companies including Anduril, Palantir, OpenAI, and SpaceX have partnered up in an effort to compete against legacy defense-industry giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and RTX.

Anduril, founded by Palmer Luckey in 2017 after selling his Oculus VR startup to Facebook (Meta) in 2014, is a big player in the emerging group of “defense technology” companies currently pitching the US government on ways to bring AI to the battlefield. The startup is backed by Peter Thiel, and is currently valued at $14 billion.

Recently a wave of AI companies have leaned into defense. Palantir has partnered with AI startup Anthropic to include its AI models for national-security applications, and OpenAI and Meta have both started pitching their AI platforms for use in defense.

A group of tech companies including Anduril, Palantir, OpenAI, and SpaceX have partnered up in an effort to compete against legacy defense-industry giants Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and RTX.

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Netflix is down amid reports it’s leading the Warner Bros. bidding war as Paramount cries foul

Netflix’s charm offensive appears to be working.

Netflix is reportedly emerging as the leader in the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery after second-round bids this week, edging out entertainment juggernaut rivals Comcast and Paramount Skydance.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

Investors don’t appear psyched by the streaming leader’s turn of fortune: the stock is down on Thursday morning, a day after closing down nearly 5% following reports that scooping up HBO Max wouldn’t necessarily result in a big market share boost.

Paramount, which has reportedly made five bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, doesn’t love the current state of play, either. The company sent WBD a letter questioning the “fairness and adequacy” of the process, highlighting reports that WBD’s board favors Netflix and is resisting Paramount.

Any offer would be subject to regulatory approval — a fact that may have weighed against Netflix’s offer given that cofounder Reed Hastings’ politics are vocally to the left, very much at odds with the current regulatory regime. Paramount seems confident in its ability to get approval, reportedly boosting its breakup fee to $5 billion should its potential acquisition fall apart in the regulatory process.

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Delta says the government shutdown will cost it $200 million in Q4

The 43-day government shutdown that ended last month will result in a $200 million ding for Delta Air Lines, the airline said in a filing on Wednesday.

That’s about $100,000 per shutdown-related canceled flight. (Delta previously said it canceled more than 2,000 flights due to FAA flight reductions.) When the company reports its fourth-quarter earnings, the shutdown will lop off about $0.25 per share.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

Delta initially stayed calm about the shutdown, with CEO Ed Bastian stating in early October that the company was running smoothly and hadn’t seen any impacts at all. One historically long shutdown later, Delta wasn’t able to remain untouched.

The skies have since cleared, though, and Delta’s filing states that booking growth has “returned to initial expectations following a temporary softening in November.”

Delta’s shares were up over 2% as of Wednesday’s market open.

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