tech

Report: Google DeepMind builds "strike team" to catch up to Anthropic models

Anthropic’s recent momentum, powered by its success of its popular Claude Code tool, is turning up the heat among its AI competitors — not only on its AI startup peer OpenAI, but also with established Big Tech giants like Google.

The Information reports that within Google DeepMind, a “strike team” has been assembled to make a serious push to improve Gemini’s coding capabilities. According to the report, leaders within Google, including co-founder Sergey Brin, are sounding the alarm after determining that Anthropic’s Claude has superior coding skills. The new team’s goal is to create a AI system that can improve itself.

“To win the final sprint, we must urgently bridge the gap in agentic execution and turn our models into primary developers,” wrote Brin in a recent memo to DeepMind staff.

Google Creates Strike Team to Improve Coding Models

Google Creates Strike Team to Improve Coding Models

The Information reports that within Google DeepMind, a “strike team” has been assembled to make a serious push to improve Gemini’s coding capabilities. According to the report, leaders within Google, including co-founder Sergey Brin, are sounding the alarm after determining that Anthropic’s Claude has superior coding skills. The new team’s goal is to create a AI system that can improve itself.

“To win the final sprint, we must urgently bridge the gap in agentic execution and turn our models into primary developers,” wrote Brin in a recent memo to DeepMind staff.

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Tesla’s federal tax bill last year was once again $0, Reuters reports. While past losses and green energy credits helped shrink the bill, Reuters found that Tesla also leaned on a classic corporate maneuver: offshore profit-shifting. By routing intellectual property rights through paper-only subsidiaries in the Netherlands and Singapore, Tesla effectively parked $18 billion in profits overseas between 2023 and early 2025. The entirely legal setup saved Tesla an estimated $400 million in US taxes. Not bad for a company whose CEO is not a fan of “shady” tax loopholes.

US-NEW YEAR

Robotaxis are the new millennial lifestyle subsidy

Get ’em while they’re cheap.

tech

Report: NSA is currently using Anthropic’s unreleased Mythos model

According to the Pentagon, Anthropic’s AI tools are a national security supply chain risk, and have been banned for defense applications.

But a new report says the National Security Agency, which operates as a part of the Pentagon, is currently busy using Anthropic’s new, unreleased AI model, Mythos.

Axios reports that Mythos’ reputed advanced offensive cyber capabilities have compelled the NSA to begin using it, despite the public blacklisting from the Pentagon, which Anthropic is suing the US government over.

Anthropic has granted access to a small number of trusted partners to test and prepare for the expected explosion of vulnerabilities to be discovered using the new AI model. UK intelligence agencies have also reportedly gained access to Mythos.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei reportedly visited the White House last week to try and resolve the dispute on allowing wider use of the company’s technology in the federal government.

Scoop: NSA using Anthropic's Mythos despite Defense Department blacklist

Scoop: NSA using Anthropic's Mythos despite Defense Department blacklist

Axios reports that Mythos’ reputed advanced offensive cyber capabilities have compelled the NSA to begin using it, despite the public blacklisting from the Pentagon, which Anthropic is suing the US government over.

Anthropic has granted access to a small number of trusted partners to test and prepare for the expected explosion of vulnerabilities to be discovered using the new AI model. UK intelligence agencies have also reportedly gained access to Mythos.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei reportedly visited the White House last week to try and resolve the dispute on allowing wider use of the company’s technology in the federal government.

Takes two to Taxi

Tesla Robotaxi expands to 2 new cities, but it looks like there’s just 1 driverless car in each

There’s an unsupervised Tesla Robotaxi service in both Houston and Austin, but, with just one vehicle so far in each city, it will be difficult to find.

Tesla Robotaxi

tech

Jon Keegan4/17/26

Anthropic launches “Claude Design,” sending shares of Figma and Adobe down

Anthropic has been slowly and steadily gaining a leading share in the enterprise AI market by focusing on coding, spreadsheets, and other common productivity and workplace apps.

Now it’s going after design apps.

Today Anthropic launched Claude Design, a dedicated app powered by its latest model, Claude Opus 4.7, that lets users use text prompts to build website designs, user interface prototypes, presentations, and marketing materials.

Shares of Figma and Adobe sank on the news.

While Claude has previously had the ability to create designs and user interfaces, breaking it out into a dedicated app signals a major new piece of its enterprise strategy alongside its popular Claude Code product.

Introducing Claude Design by Anthropic Labs

Introducing Claude Design by Anthropic Labs

Today Anthropic launched Claude Design, a dedicated app powered by its latest model, Claude Opus 4.7, that lets users use text prompts to build website designs, user interface prototypes, presentations, and marketing materials.

Shares of Figma and Adobe sank on the news.

While Claude has previously had the ability to create designs and user interfaces, breaking it out into a dedicated app signals a major new piece of its enterprise strategy alongside its popular Claude Code product.

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