The lunch briefing.
Mid-day check: Anthropic's Claude Cowork expands to mobile, China considers AI export curbs, and Amazon raises $25B for AI investments.
Agentic AI Evolution. Anthropic's Claude Cowork is now accessible on mobile and web for Max subscribers, allowing tasks to persist across devices. This expansion signifies a move towards more ubiquitous and persistent AI agents. Furthermore, Anthropic revealed its "J-Space" internal working memory for Claude, readable via a new Jacobian Lens tool, offering insights into model reasoning. Separately, DeepSeek demonstrated a fourfold increase in intelligence for its coding agent, achieving Opus-level performance at a fraction of the cost through a verification loop.
AI Investment & Market Outlook. Major capital flows continue to target AI, with Amazon raising at least $25 billion in a bond sale to fund its substantial AI investments. In the startup ecosystem, AI law firm Norm achieved unicorn status with a $120 million Series C round led by Khosla Ventures. However, a US Treasury internal report warns of potential dangers from an AI bubble, suggesting caution amidst rapid valuation growth. Chemistry Ventures is also seeking to raise $500 million for its second fund, indicating sustained venture interest in the broader tech landscape.
Geopolitics & Infrastructure. China is reportedly considering export restrictions on its most powerful AI models, a move that could significantly impact global access to advanced AI and further entrench AI as a strategic asset. This development could particularly affect European reliance on Chinese open-source models. Meanwhile, local opposition is mounting in London against plans for a large datacentre in Brick Lane, highlighting growing concerns over the infrastructure demands and community impact of AI development.
Policy & Platform Control. The EU Parliament passed the first round of "Chat Control" legislation, raising concerns about privacy and surveillance. Microsoft has also controversially defaulted Windows Backup to "on" for users outside the EU, potentially shipping settings data off-device unless manually opted out. In the US, the FCC is considering new rules that could reduce transparency in broadband consumer labels, while Apple must continue age-verifying users in Texas following a Supreme Court ruling.
Anthropic's Claude Cowork expands to mobile and web for Max subscribers
Anthropic’s Claude Cowork is now available on web and mobile for Max subscribers, allowing users to start tasks on their desktop and receive updates or finish output on their phone. This update means Cowork tasks can continue even if a user's laptop is closed, enhancing flexibility and persistence for agentic workflows.
China considers export curbs on its top AI models, impacting Europe
Chinese authorities are reportedly exploring restrictions on foreign access to the country's most powerful AI models, potentially affecting companies like Alibaba and Bytedance. This move would further establish AI as a strategic asset for both superpowers and could close the option of relying on cheap Chinese open-source models for Europe.
Doom developer id Software reportedly cut in half as part of Xbox layoffs
Doom developer id Software has reportedly laid off around 50 percent of its staff, equating to over 90 redundancies, as part of mass layoffs affecting Xbox. The QA department was particularly impacted, according to sources, on the same day id released a major expansion for its latest Doom game.
Discord accidentally banned over 8,000 people for posting grids and 'benign' images
Discord confirmed a bug in its safety system mistakenly banned over 8,000 accounts since May for posting images containing grids, such as chessboards or game textures. The platform's cofounder and CTO, Stanislav Vishnevskiy, stated they are working to reverse the bans and prevent future occurrences.
Chemistry Ventures is raising $500M for its second fund
Chemistry Ventures, a VC firm founded by alums from Bessemer, Index Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz, is currently in the process of raising $500 million for its second fund. This fundraising effort signals continued investor confidence in the tech and startup ecosystem.
Claude's hidden inner monologue is now readable thanks to Anthropic's new Jacobian Lens
Anthropic has discovered that its Claude model developed an internal working memory, dubbed "J-Space," during training, which can now be read using a new analysis tool called J-Lens. This working memory reveals that Claude can recognize contrived test scenarios before generating its initial response.
Amazon raising at least $25 billion in bond sale to fund AI investments
Amazon is raising at least $25 billion in a bond sale, marking its latest debt raise to support massive investments in artificial intelligence. The company has stated it will not issue more debt in 2026 after this transaction.
AI law startup Norm raises $120M, hits unicorn valuation
AI law startup Norm has successfully raised a $120 million Series C funding round, led by Khosla Ventures, which now values the company at $1.2 billion. This investment propels Norm into unicorn status within the legal tech sector.
Treasury Has an Internal Report Warning About the Dangers of an AI Bubble
An internal report from the US Treasury Department warns about the potential dangers of an AI bubble, suggesting concerns within government about the rapid growth and valuation in the artificial intelligence sector. The report highlights the need for careful monitoring of market trends.
Self-Driving Company Gets Funding and Chips From AMD
A self-driving company has secured funding and chips from AMD, marking the chipmaker's initial entry into the autonomous vehicle technology sector. This investment signifies AMD's strategic expansion into new high-growth markets beyond traditional computing.
Londoners fight plan for huge datacentre in Brick Lane
Residents and the local council in London's Brick Lane are opposing plans for a large datacentre, arguing that affordable housing is a more urgent need than infrastructure for high-frequency trading and AI. This opposition highlights growing community concerns over the rapid expansion of datacentres and their impact on urban areas.
Microsoft flips Windows Backup to on by default unless you're in the EU
Microsoft has set Windows Backup to be on by default for users outside the EU, meaning settings data will be shipped off-device unless users manually opt out. This change raises privacy concerns for users in regions without the same data protection regulations as the EU.
A verification loop 4x'd DeepSeek's intelligence, matching Opus at 1/7 the cost
DeepSeek's coding agent has achieved a fourfold increase in intelligence, reaching performance levels comparable to Opus at one-seventh of the cost, by implementing a verification loop. This advancement demonstrates significant efficiency gains in AI model development through iterative self-correction.
Siri AI can pull info from third-party apps in the latest developer beta
The latest iOS 27 developer beta allows Siri AI to access information from third-party applications, with initial examples including pulling remaining battery life from electric car apps. This new capability expands Siri's functionality and integration within the Apple ecosystem.