Apollo and Blackstone Complete $35 Billion Anthropic AI Infrastructure Financing Deal 
SpaceX IPO Demand Surges Past $250 Billion Ahead of Historic Market Debut 
Hyundai, Nvidia, and South Korea Near Deal for Major AI Technology Center 
Asics Considers Onitsuka Tiger Spinoff as Luxury Sneaker Brand Expands Globally 
SpaceX IPO Set for Explosive Debut as Valuation Tops $2.2 Trillion 
Hanmi Semicon Shares Surge After $33 Million SpaceX Investment 
SK Hynix Stock Rebounds as AI Memory Chip Demand Fuels Expansion Plans 
Adobe Beats Q2 2026 Estimates, Raises Full-Year Outlook as AI Revenue Surges Despite Stock Drop 
BHP Port Hedland Workers Back Strike Action Amid Pay Dispute 
US Officials Explore AI Company Equity Stakes Ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPO Plans 
GSK Reportedly Nears $9 Billion Acquisition of Cancer Drug Developer Nuvalent 
EngineAI Files for Hong Kong IPO Amid Rising Demand for AI and Robotics Stocks 
Quantinuum Raises $1.68 Billion in Upsized Nasdaq IPO Amid Growing Quantum Computing Demand 
Oracle Stock Falls Despite Earnings Beat as Company Plans $40 Billion Financing for FY2027 
Apple Unveils Enhanced Apple Intelligence and Next-Generation Siri at WWDC 2026 
DOJ Clears Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Without Conditions 
Meta Partners With Reliance to Launch First AI-Powered Data Center in India 
OpenAI, now valued at $157 billion, is demanding exclusive support from investors, discouraging any contributions to rival firms like Elon Musk’s xAI, as the competition for AI dominance intensifies.
OpenAI Blocks Rival Investments in AI Battle
The latest financing round for OpenAI, led by Sam Altman, raised nearly doubling its worth to $157 billion. Amidst the fierce competition in the field, participants were allegedly requested not to contribute to competitors like Elon Musk's xAI.
Thrive Capital, run by venture capitalist Josh Kushner, was the lead investor in the huge round, contributing $1.2 billion between the firm's own investment and a second vehicle for smaller investors, according to Reuters' sources familiar with the deal.
Thrive Capital Leads Major Funding
"The new funding will allow us to double down on our leadership in frontier AI research, increase compute capacity, and continue building tools that help people solve hard problems," read a blog post by OpenAI on Wednesday.
The round was co-hosted by Microsoft, Nvidia, Khosla Ventures, SoftBank, Altimeter Capital, Fidelity, the MGX fund out of Abu Dhabi, and Microsoft, a long-time investor.
Exclusive Investment Terms Set by OpenAI
If OpenAI meets its revenue goal next year, Thrive will be the only investor with the sole right to put $1 billion more into the company at the same price.
An interesting turn of events occurred when OpenAI informed participants that they were expecting exclusive donations. This meant that they were advised not to invest in rival companies like xAI and Anthropic, according to people who spoke with the Financial Times (via New York Post).
Silicon Valley Disrupted by OpenAI’s Strategy
In Silicon Valley, where VCs often back numerous companies in the same industry for the sake of maximizing their returns, this request stands out.
"Because the round was so oversubscribed, OpenAI said to people: ‘We’ll give you allocation but we want you to be involved in a meaningful way in the business so you can’t commit to our competitors," the source informed the FT.
Musk’s Ongoing Battle with OpenAI
Musk left OpenAI in 2015, the year it was co-founded, due to a difference in opinion on the company's future. He is presently suing OpenAI, claiming that Altman and his associates "intentionally courted and deceived" him into providing over $44 million during the startup's initial years.
