Good Morning. Anthropic filed to go public near a trillion-dollar valuation, beating OpenAI before either has shown investors a single number. We break down the race.
We also cover Conan's success rules, a Navy promotions standoff, Volkswagen's China gamble, and a $7B heir bootcamp. (forwarded this email? Join 523k readers).
TOP STORY TODAY
Claude Goes Public
Anthropic, the maker of the Claude AI assistant, said yesterday it filed for an initial public offering. The confidential filing kicks off a race with rival OpenAI to become the next trillion-dollar AI startup to go public.
The move came earlier than expected, with both firms once eyeing fall debuts. Anthropic was just valued at $965 billion after raising $65 billion in fresh funding. A trillion-dollar debut would rank among the largest IPOs ever.
Going first may matter. When Lyft beat Uber to market in 2019, it fared better early on. Analysts expect Anthropic's debut to land just after SpaceX's own trillion-dollar listing, as both rivals chase billions more. Will this be a trillion-dollar debut?
Trump Brokers Pause
Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah pulled back from open threats late Monday after a tense day (NYT). President Trump said on social media that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to stop attacking each other.
Hours earlier, Israel had ordered strikes on Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut, sending thousands fleeing, while Iran warned it would retaliate. Netanyahu later softened the threat but vowed to keep operating in southern Lebanon.
The standoff rattled energy markets, pushing Brent crude up over 4 percent to nearly $95 a barrel. Israeli and Lebanese officials are set to resume U.S.-mediated talks in Washington today.
Password? Just Ask
Over the weekend, hackers broke into high-profile Instagram accounts using a startlingly simple method: asking Meta's AI support chatbot to change the email tied to each profile. Victims included an Obama-era White House account and the U.S. Space Force's chief master sergeant.
Meta had expanded AI support across Facebook and Instagram, letting the bots reset passwords and handle critical account tasks. Once the email was swapped, hackers reset the password and locked owners out, with no clear way to reach a human.
Some stolen short usernames reportedly carry a resale value north of half a million dollars. Meta says it has since patched the flaw, though affected users are still waiting for their accounts to be restored.
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TODAY’S LIFE ADVICE
Conan O'Brien: 4 Rules for Carrying Success Lightly
In a recent speech, Conan O'Brien made an argument that lands harder the further you get from your school years: the achievement you lead with, the title, the best year, the line in your bio, can quietly start running your life.
Here are the four principles he says built a life he values more than any of his wins.
Do nothing alone. O'Brien credits every achievement to a packed "clown car" of family, collaborators, and a billion chance encounters, never just himself. The move: name the people behind your last win. It also makes it a lot easier to spread the blame when a deal goes sideways.
Learn to love the pivot. He lost the job that meant everything, watched his entire industry start to evaporate, and reluctantly built something new he ended up loving more. The move: in a world of layoffs, AI, and shifting markets, treat course-correction as the core skill, not the failure.
Respect luck. Mistaking a lucky hand for your own brilliance, he says, is the fastest way to lose the plot, and fighting that instinct keeps him sane. The move: regularly ask what broke your way, not just what you earned.
Metabolize your wins, don't renounce them. Carry the promotion, the milestone, the number lightly, and you make room for kindness, originality, courage, humor, and humanity. The move: keep the trophy, loosen the grip.
The one-line takeaway: pick the single win you're holding too tightly, the title, the net worth number, the milestone, and notice what opens up when you ease your grip on it this week.
The Mental Trick to End Momentary Desire
When desire arises in meditation or daily life, try noting 'there's nothing to want.' Watch what happens: you'll likely feel your mind and heart relax back from a subtle wanting you didn't even know was there. This simple phrase can shift you from the grip of craving to a state of peace, not by suppressing desire, but by recognizing that whatever you want will pass away anyway. The practice isn't about giving anything up; it's a counterintuitive upgrade to a more easeful way of being.
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