MERGE: The second biggest cryptocurrency just changed forever

9/15/22 8:00PM

MERGE

‍For those with crypto-loving colleagues or friends, you may be sick of hearing about "the merge". For the uninitiated however, there was some big news in the crypto corner of the internet this week as Ethereum underwent a transformation in a bid to reduce the complexity and energy consumption of the world's second-largest cryptocurrency.

Developers successfully executed on the plan, known as the "Ethereum merge", which fundamentally changes how the cryptocurrency validates transactions on the Ethereum chain. The move, away from a type of blockchain that uses "proof-of-work" towards an architecture using "proof-of-stake", is set to reduce the need for power-hungry computers. According to crypto researchers, the change is set to reduce Ethereum's energy consumption by some 99.95%.

That's a big deal because, like Bitcoin, Ethereum has historically used an enormous amount of energy to validate its transactions. Digiconomist estimates that the energy consumption of the two combined would rank 27th on a list of the world's most energy-intensive countries.

‍Ethereum > Bitcoin?

‍After skyrocketing in the last 2 years, cryptocurrencies have fallen back to Earth in 2022, losing a combined $2 trillion in market value — and Ethereum has been no exception. The total market value of all Ethereum is currently somewhere around half of Bitcoin's. Time will tell whether this major infrastructure change will see Ethereum finally unseat its rival.

Jon Keegan14h

Report: Some of Meta’s new AI models will eventually be open-source

Axios reports that Meta is close to releasing its first new AI models after setting up its “superintelligence” team led by former Scale.AI CEO Alexandr Wang, and some of the models will eventually be released with an open-source license.

Per the report, Meta sees an opportunity to focus on consumers, rather than the lucrative enterprise market that both OpenAI and Anthropic have been focusing on.

Meta had previously embraced open-source AI with its Llama models, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg writing a manifesto declaring open-source AI as “the path forward.” Axios says that Meta will be pursuing more of a hybrid strategy of proprietary and open-source models going forward.

The New York Times previously reported that Meta was delaying the launch of its new AI model because of performance issues.

Scoop: Meta will still open-source AI models — just not all of them

The New York Times previously reported that Meta was delaying the launch of its new AI model because of performance issues.

OpenAI’s plan for an AGI world: AI for all and a 4-day workweek

The company’s policy paper calls for a new social contract that includes AI at the center of everything, which could lower costs and create cures for diseases, but also warned it may upend the public safety net.

Jon Keegan14h

🏠 $2.15M

Jon Keegan16h

The median price for a house in San Francisco is now $2.15 million, jumping 18% from last year. The AI startup boom is pushing what was already one of the most expensive housing markets to dizzying new heights. The median price for condos in the city jumped 27% to reach $1.36 million, according to data from Compass, reported by Bloomberg.

Jon Keegan17h

Report: OpenAI on track to burn $85 billion in 2028, expects profitability by 2030

Anthropic and OpenAI are racing to go public this year, and all eyes are on how long they can sustain burning billions in cash before they achieve something that looks like a viable business.

Investors have seen both companies’ projections, and there’s no sign of slowing down, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

OpenAI expects to burn tens of billions per year for the rest of the decade, peaking at $85 billion in 2028, before achieving profitability in 2030, per the report.

Anthropic will also continue to burn cash for years — far less than OpenAI — but it projects that 2026 will be its biggest year of losses. It targets 2029 for profitability, fueled by exploding enterprise revenue.

An Inside Look at OpenAI and Anthropic’s Finances Ahead of Their IPOs

OpenAI expects to burn tens of billions per year for the rest of the decade, peaking at $85 billion in 2028, before achieving profitability in 2030, per the report.

Form Energy iron-air battery system leaving Form Factory 1

Big batteries are the newest answer to Big Tech’s big energy needs

America’s booming energy demand is creating a powerful case for large-scale energy storage.

Patrick Sisson4/2/26