ChatGPT maker reportedly eyes $1 trillion IPO despite major quarterly losses

It could be “one of the biggest IPOs of all time,” according to Reuters.

On Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Reuters during a livestream that going public “is the most likely path for us, given the capital needs that we’ll have.” Now sources familiar with the matter say the ChatGPT maker is preparing for an initial public offering that could value the company at up to $1 trillion, with filings possible as early as the second half of 2026. However, news of the potential IPO comes as the company faces mounting losses that may have reached as much as $11.5 billion in the most recent quarter, according to one estimate.

Going public could give OpenAI more efficient access to capital and enable larger acquisitions using public stock, helping finance Altman’s plans to spend trillions of dollars on AI infrastructure, according to people familiar with the company’s thinking who spoke with Reuters. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has reportedly told some associates the company targets a 2027 IPO listing, while some financial advisors predict 2026 could be possible.

Three people with knowledge of the plans told Reuters that OpenAI has discussed raising $60 billion at the low end in preliminary talks. That figure refers to how much money the company would raise by selling shares to investors, not the total worth of the company. If OpenAI sold that amount of stock while keeping most shares private, the entire company could be valued at $1 trillion or more. The final figures and timing will likely change based on business growth and market conditions.

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Disney+ gets HDR10+ via “over 1,000” Hulu titles

Disney+ joins Netflix, Apple TV in supporting the Dolby Vision rival.

Disney+ has started streaming movies and shows in the HDR10+ format.

Support is somewhat limited for now. Only certain content from Hulu, which The Walt Disney Company acquired in June, is available in HDR10+. In an announcement today, Samsung said that “over 1,000” Hulu titles are available in HDR10+ and that “additional Disney+” content will support HDR10+ “in the future.” Previously, Disney+ only supported the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR formats.

Samsung TVs are the first devices to gain the ability to stream HDR10+ content from Disney+, according to an announcement from Samsung today. The electronics company said that its Samsung Crystal UHD TVs and above from 2018 onward, including its OLED TVs, The Frame TVs, QLED TVs, and Micro RGB TV, support HDR10+.

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New study settles 40-year debate: Nanotyrannus is a new species

“This fossil doesn’t just settle the debate. It flips decades of T. rex research on its head.”

For four decades, a frequently acrimonious debate has raged in paleontological circles about the correct taxonomy for a handful of rare fossil specimens. One faction insisted the fossils were juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex; the other argued that they represented a new species dubbed Nanotyrannus lancensis. Now, paleontologists believe they have settled the debate once and for all due to a new analysis of a well-preserved fossil.

The verdict: It is indeed a new species, according to a new paper published in the journal Nature. The authors also reclassified another specimen as a second new species, distinct from N. lancensis. In short, Nanotyrannus is a valid taxon and contains two species.

“This fossil doesn’t just settle the debate,” said Lindsay Zanno, a paleontologist at North Carolina State University and head of paleontology at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. “It flips decades of T. rex research on its head.” That’s because paleontologists have relied on such fossils to model the growth and behavior of T. rex. The new findings suggest that there could have been multiple tyrannosaur species and that paleontologists have been underestimating the diversity of dinosaurs from this period.

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Google makes first Play Store changes after losing Epic Games antitrust case

Google is begrudgingly letting developers lead users away from the Play Store.

Since launching Google Play (née Android Market) in 2008, Google has never made a change to the US store that it didn’t want to make—until now. Having lost the antitrust case brought by Epic Games, Google has implemented the first phase of changes mandated by the court. Developers operating in the Play Store will have more freedom to direct app users to resources outside the Google bubble. However, Google has not given up hope of reversing its loss before it’s forced to make bigger changes.

Epic began pursuing this case in 2020, stemming from its attempt to sell Fortnite content without going through Google’s payment system. It filed a similar case against Apple, but the company fell short there because it could not show that Apple put its thumb on the scale. Google, however, engaged in conduct that amounted to suppressing the development of alternative Android app stores. It lost the case and came up short on appeal this past summer, leaving the company with little choice but to prepare for the worst.

Google has updated its support pages to confirm that it’s abiding by the court’s order. In the US, Play Store developers now have the option of using external payment platforms that bypass the Play Store entirely. This could hypothetically allow developers to offer lower prices, as they don’t have to pay Google’s commission, which can be up to 30 percent. Devs will also be permitted to direct users to sources for app downloads and payment methods outside the Play Store.

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After teen death lawsuits, Character.AI will restrict chats for under-18 users

AI companion app faces legal and regulatory pressure over child safety concerns.

On Wednesday, Character.AI announced it will bar anyone under the age of 18 from open-ended chats with its AI characters starting on November 25, implementing one of the most restrictive age policies yet among AI chatbot platforms. The company faces multiple lawsuits from families who say its chatbots contributed to teenager deaths by suicide.

Over the next month, Character.AI says it will ramp down chatbot use among minors by identifying them and placing a two-hour daily limit on their chatbot access. The company plans to use technology to detect underage users based on conversations and interactions on the platform, as well as information from connected social media accounts. On November 25, those users will no longer be able to create or talk to chatbots, though they can still read previous conversations. The company said it is working to build alternative features for users under the age of 18, such as the ability to create videos, stories, and streams with AI characters.

Character.AI CEO Karandeep Anand told The New York Times that the company wants to set an example for the industry. “We’re making a very bold step to say for teen users, chatbots are not the way for entertainment, but there are much better ways to serve them,” Anand said in the interview. The company also plans to establish an AI safety lab.

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