tech

Jon Keegan3/31/25

OpenAI closes $40 billion fundraising round with $300 billion valuation

After closing on the largest private round of fundraising ever, OpenAI is now valued at $300 billion. The round was led by SoftBank with $30 billion, and $10 billion from a group of investors.

A press release announcing the deal said:

“We’re excited to be working in partnership with SoftBank Group — few companies understand how to scale transformative technology like they do. Their support will help us continue building AI systems that drive scientific discovery, enable personalized education, enhance human creativity, and pave the way toward AGI that benefits all of humanity.”

CNBC reports that the $10 billion group included partner Microsoft (already in for $13 billion) and venture capital firms Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive Capital.

OpenAI is currently fighting in the courts to turn itself into a primarily for-profit corporation. This week Reuters reported that this funding round was contingent on pulling off the for-profit pivot, or the investment could be halved.

New funding to build towards AGI

New funding to build towards AGI

“We’re excited to be working in partnership with SoftBank Group — few companies understand how to scale transformative technology like they do. Their support will help us continue building AI systems that drive scientific discovery, enable personalized education, enhance human creativity, and pave the way toward AGI that benefits all of humanity.”

CNBC reports that the $10 billion group included partner Microsoft (already in for $13 billion) and venture capital firms Coatue, Altimeter, and Thrive Capital.

OpenAI is currently fighting in the courts to turn itself into a primarily for-profit corporation. This week Reuters reported that this funding round was contingent on pulling off the for-profit pivot, or the investment could be halved.

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Sora’s ghoulish reanimation of dead celebrities raises alarms

OpenAI’s video generation app Sora has spent its first two weeks at the top of the charts.

The startup’s fast-and-loose approach to enforcing intellectual property rights has seen the app flooded with videos of trademarked characters in all sorts of ugly scenarios.

But another area where Sora users have been pushing the limits involves videos that reanimate dead celebrities.

And we’re not talking just JFK, MLK, and Einstein. Videos featuring more recently deceased figures such as Robin Williams (11 years ago), painter Bob Ross (30 years ago), Stephen Hawking (seven years ago), and even Queen Elizabeth II (three years ago) have been generated. Some of the videos are racist and offensive, shocking the relatives of the figures.

OpenAI told The Washington Post that it is now allowing representatives of “recently deceased” celebrities and public figures to request that their likenesses be blocked from the service, though the company did not give a precise time frame for what it considered recent.

AI videos of dead celebrities are horrifying many of their families

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But another area where Sora users have been pushing the limits involves videos that reanimate dead celebrities.

And we’re not talking just JFK, MLK, and Einstein. Videos featuring more recently deceased figures such as Robin Williams (11 years ago), painter Bob Ross (30 years ago), Stephen Hawking (seven years ago), and even Queen Elizabeth II (three years ago) have been generated. Some of the videos are racist and offensive, shocking the relatives of the figures.

OpenAI told The Washington Post that it is now allowing representatives of “recently deceased” celebrities and public figures to request that their likenesses be blocked from the service, though the company did not give a precise time frame for what it considered recent.

tech

Tesla is selling unsold Cybertrucks to Elon Musk’s other companies

Sales of Tesla’s Cybertruck, once expected to reach hundreds of thousands per year, are currently in the low tens of thousands range and falling. Last quarter in the US, Tesla sold fewer than 5,400 of the “apocalypse-proof” vehicles, for a total of about 16,000 this year, Business Insider reports, citing Cox Automotive data.

That’s a 63% drop from the same quarter a year ago, even as Tesla as a whole notched its best quarterly sales ever, spurred by the expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.

With sales lagging, the company has dialed back production of the stainless steel behemoths, but there’s still been an excess.

Fortunately for Tesla, Electrek reports that CEO Elon Musk has other uses for Cybertrucks within his other companies, which often share resources and personnel. Tesla is delivering truckloads of the EV to both xAI (which Tesla shareholders will vote next month on whether to invest in) and SpaceX, where Cybertrucks are replacing internal combustion engine support fleets.

There’s a lot of chatter about “circular deals” in the billion-dollar pacts announced in the AI space on a weekly basis. But it doesn’t get much more circular than this, with production and buying activity kept within the Musk corporate family.

Elon Musk's SpaceX and xAI are buying Tesla's unsold Cybertrucks

Elon Musk's SpaceX and xAI are buying Tesla's unsold Cybertrucks

That’s a 63% drop from the same quarter a year ago, even as Tesla as a whole notched its best quarterly sales ever, spurred by the expiration of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit.

With sales lagging, the company has dialed back production of the stainless steel behemoths, but there’s still been an excess.

Fortunately for Tesla, Electrek reports that CEO Elon Musk has other uses for Cybertrucks within his other companies, which often share resources and personnel. Tesla is delivering truckloads of the EV to both xAI (which Tesla shareholders will vote next month on whether to invest in) and SpaceX, where Cybertrucks are replacing internal combustion engine support fleets.

There’s a lot of chatter about “circular deals” in the billion-dollar pacts announced in the AI space on a weekly basis. But it doesn’t get much more circular than this, with production and buying activity kept within the Musk corporate family.

tech

Tesla has begun selling the Model Y Standard in parts of Europe, where it has lots of cheaper competition

Days after rolling out “Standard” trim levels of its Model Y and Model 3 in the US, Tesla has started selling the Model Y Standard in some European countries. Standard Model Ys begin at about 40,000 euros, depending on the country, roughly 10,000 euros cheaper than the current Premium versions. In the US, Standard versions are about $5,000 cheaper than their souped-up peers. The model isn’t yet on sale in the UK or Ireland, where cars are driven on the left-hand side of the road.

While the Standard Teslas are cheaper, they pale in comparison to the many affordable EV options available in Europe, including those from China’s BYD, some of which start below 25,000 euros. CEO Elon Musk has called Europe the company’s “weakest market,” blaming the lack of approval for Tesla’s full self-driving technology for the shortfall.

Model 3 Standards don’t appear to be available yet in Europe.

tech

Jon Keegan10/10/25

OpenAI commits up to $25 billion for 500-megawatt “Stargate Argentina” data center

OpenAI has reportedly signed a letter of intent to invest up to $25 billion on “Stargate Argentina,” a new 500-megawatt AI data center.

Reuters reports that the deal would involve tax incentives.

In a video announcing the project, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said:

“Our vision for Stargate Argentina is to deliver a major boost to the country’s AI infrastructure, creating a foundation for new capabilities from smarter public services to tools that help small businesses compete globally.”

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

You may remember the name “Stargate” from the megaproject that tech giants and the Trump administration announced earlier this year to build a huge number of data centers in the US. And you may remember Argentina as the nation the Trump administration is now bailing out with a $20 billion currency swap.

Nearly 40% of kids under 2 years old interact with smartphones, according to their parents

A new Pew Research study outlines just how pervasive technology use among US children has become.

Baby sat at office desk, holding telephone.

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