TLDR 2025-09-24
Larry Ellison's empire 💼, inside Nvidia/OpenAI deal 🤝, Google's AI devtools 👨💻
Larry Ellison, a Media Mogul Like No Other (9 minute read)
Larry Ellison has become a media mogul whose portfolio and power could exceed that of predecessors like Hearst and Pulitzer. Oracle is among the investors in the new American version of TikTok, and Ellison owns more than 40% of Oracle's stock and is its chief technology officer. It is still unclear what the exact share of ownership will be and who will run the new TikTok. The Ellison family recently secured an $8 billion deal for Paramount and CBS, and it is reportedly preparing a bid for Warner, which includes CNN.
Altman, Huang, and the last-minute negotiations that sealed the $100 billion OpenAI-Nvidia deal (12 minute read)
OpenAI and Nvidia are now more intimately linked than ever with a monumental deal that will see Nvidia investing $100 billion into OpenAI and providing cutting-edge processors to power a host of new datacenters. The deal was negotiated largely through a mix of virtual discussions and one-on-one meetings between Sam Altman and Jensen Huang - no bankers were involved. Microsoft, OpenAI's principal shareholder and primary cloud provider, was only notified about the deal a day before it was signed. Nvidia and OpenAI's first gigawatt site will go online in the back half of next year.
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Science & Futuristic Technology
AI chips are getting hotter. A microfluidics breakthrough goes straight to the silicon to cool up to three times better (13 minute read)
The chips used to run AI datacenters generate much more heat than previous generations of silicon. Current cooling technology will become a bottleneck to progress in just a few years. Microfluidics could boost efficiency and improve sustainability for next-generation AI chips. Microsoft has successfully developed an in-chip microfluidic cooling system that can effectively cool a server running core services for a simulated Teams meeting. The company's tests showed that microfluidics performed up to three times better than cold plates at removing heat. Advanced cooling technology would improve power usage effectiveness and reduce operational costs.
How do you use a virtual cell to do something actually useful? (25 minute read)
Virtual cells are learned simulations of cells and cellular systems that can be observed in varying conditions and changing contexts. Computational simulations of cells can be useful for all sorts of clinical and preclinical research. The field is still in its early days, but in time, these models will become routine parts of treatments. They will help patients avoid wasting precious time on ineffective treatments and enable entirely new targets.
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Programming, Design & Data Science
Project management doesn't have to be a load of 🐂 (Sponsor)
Basecamp is the no-BS project management tool that makes sense immediately. No onboarding saga. No notification hell. One clean place to see who's doing what, what's done, and what's currently on fire. Everything — files, convos, context — stays where it belongs: in the project.
Start for free. Stay because it actually works.
Try BasecampHow Google's dev tools manager makes AI coding work (5 minute read)
Ryan Salva, Google's project manager for developer tools, is responsible for tools like Gemini CLI and Gemini Code Assist. His team recently released new third-party research that showed how developers actually use AI tools. This article contains an edited interview with Salva where he talks about the research, how he uses AI tools, and the future of IDEs. Salva believes that over time, the time spent in the IDE will gradually shrink, and the job of the developer will start looking more like an architect.
Compiling Python to Run Anywhere (23 minute read)
This post looks at how Python can be pushed beyond its limits of speed and portability to create a compiler that turns ordinary code into fast, portable executables. The approach generates optimized kernels while keeping the Python source unchanged. It demonstrates why understanding systems at the lowest level matters.
VCs to AI Startups: Please Take Our Money (7 minute read)
The fundraising script has flipped for a few dozen of the top AI startups: VCs are pitching to them and presenting them with gifts and favors in hopes of leading their next round. The best companies are getting preempted every round, and the time between rounds is shrinking. The surge in preemptive deals and soaring valuations has kindled fears of an AI bubble. Some founders have been wary of accepting offers as they risk pricing themselves out of future M&A opportunities or locking themselves into aggressive growth expectations if they raise cash at unsustainable levels.
Tether CEO confirms major capital raise at a reported $500 billion valuation (3 minute read)
Tether is looking to raise between $15 billion and $20 billion for a roughly 3% stake through a select group of high-profile key investors. The deal could put the company's value on par with OpenAI. It will involve new equity rather than existing investors selling their stakes. The talks are still in an early stage, so the details could change.
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