Anthropic has agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion to a group of authors and publishers in the largest copyright settlement in U.S. history.
Why it matters: The settlement marks a turning point in the clash between AI companies and content owners, which could alter how training data is sourced and inspire more licensing deals.
The European Union on Friday slapped Google with a whopping $3.5 billion (€2.95 billion) fine for illegally exploiting its dominance to undercut smaller competitors in the advertising technology industry.
Why it matters: The steep fine is the second major antitrust penalty to hit Google in the past week.
President Trump on Friday dismissed demands for additional Jeffrey Epstein files as a Democratic "hoax" despite members of his own party demanding more transparency from the administration.
Why it matters: The House Oversight Committee released 33,000 pages of Epstein documents this week, but Trump's handling of the scandal has driven a wedge between the president and his MAGA coalition.
A judge dismissed Newsmax's antitrust case against cable news rival Fox for a technical deficiency known as a "shotgun complaint," but said the lawsuit could be refiled.
Why it matters: The lawsuit alleged Fox News used its viewership dominance to coerce pay-TV providers to sign exclusionary contracts, limiting distribution of other conservative cable networks like Newsmax.
Generative AI startup ProRata.ai has raised $40 million in Series B funding as it prepares to launch a new product for publishers, CEO Bill Gross exclusively tells Axios.
Why it matters: The funding supports a new AI business model where publishers are compensated by AI companies using their work.
Elon Musk stands to become the world's first trillionaire if he fully earns a new pay package at Tesla — which comes with an astronomical series of goals for increasing the company's market value.
Why it matters: Achieving those goals would make Tesla the most valuable company in history, and Musk, already the world's richest person, massively wealthier still.
Why it matters: Without flashy earnings growth to power stocks forward, investors may now be forced to consider the market risks they brushed aside all summer.
Why it matters: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, 44, are part of a rising group of millennial and Generation X crypto and tech billionaires who are bolstering President Trump — and could dominate the GOP donor world for decades to come.
Mark Steven Zuckerberg, an Indiana bankruptcy lawyer, is suing Meta because his work-related Facebook page keeps getting suspended.
The big picture: The lawsuit, filed in Marion Superior Court in Indianapolis this week, accuses Meta of breach of contract for the page takedowns that accuse him of "impersonating a celebrity" because he paid $11,000 for ads.
President Trump hosted the elite of Big Tech at a White House dinner Thursday evening, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft's Bill Gates — and each took turns to lavish praise on him.
Why it matters: The dinner comes at a time when tech leaders are pushing for a hands-off government approach to AI, and as current FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson is an outspoken critic of Big Tech.
For the last few months, I've been developing a pen-pal habit with a close friend. At first it was just something fun to do, but it has since become a bulwark against existential dread.
