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The SpaceX IPO and Data Centers in Space
Ben Thompson examines SpaceX’s IPO valuation and argues for orbital data centers as a solution to AI compute constraints.
// daily-digest · fri 29 may 2026 · morning refresh · last 72h focus
Ben Thompson examines whether orbital infrastructure could solve AI’s compute ceiling and interviews Eric Seufert on ad-tech’s window into AI economics; Anthropic’s run-rate hits $47 billion and Claude Opus 4.8 ships with stronger code review; OpenAI releases its frontier governance framework; Latent Space covers ESMFold2’s protein-prediction breakthrough; Rails refactors Action Cable; California’s 30 AI bills clear the legislative midpoint; Noah Smith argues for liberal nationalism’s return; and homing pigeons turn out to navigate using magnetic sensors in their livers.
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Ben Thompson examines SpaceX’s IPO valuation and argues for orbital data centers as a solution to AI compute constraints.
Ben Thompson and Eric Seufert discuss generative AI model development, Meta’s strategy, and what ad-tech reveals about AI’s future.
Anthropic’s annualized run-rate revenue rose from $9 billion at year-end 2025 to $47 billion by May 2026.
Simon Willison reviews Anthropic’s latest model, noting improved honesty, fewer code-review misses, and mid-conversation system message support.
OpenAI published its framework for governing frontier models, covering safety protocols for cyber offense, CBRN, manipulation, and control-loss risks.
Podcast on ESMFold2, a protein structure prediction model from BioHub that applies transformer scaling to outperform AlphaFold2.
This Week in Rails covers the refactoring of Action Cable server responsibilities into separate socket-handling and concurrency abstractions.
Analysis of California’s 30 active AI bills as they clear the May 29 legislative crossover deadline.
Noah Smith argues liberal nationalism—the dominant ideology of 20th-century prosperity—remains the right framework for the current century.
Researchers found homing pigeons use iron-oxide-bearing liver macrophages as biological magnetic compasses for navigation under overcast skies.