AI hypocrites, EPA and SEC repeals, media skips democracy, and nepo directors
Story of the Week (DR):
Anthropic, OpenAI CEOs call for slowdown in AI development
Anthropic CEO calls to slow the race toward AI ‘superintelligence,’ and grants outside evaluators permanent access . Here’s what Amodei is suggesting:
Each US AI company grants ongoing access to embedded third-party evaluators to check compliance with safety commitments, report incidents, ensure new AI models are not misaligned.
All companies in democratic countries building frontier AI models to establish common safety standards as well as limits on the rate of unchecked AI progress.
The world’s democratic AI powers would coordinate with autocracies – notably China – to control the race. Amodei suggested a baby step could be a narrow agreement prohibiting obviously dangerous uses of AI, such as for the production of biological weapons.
PRO
Altman Matches Anthropic's AI Auditor Pledge While Musk Offers Three-Word Slowdown Backing: 'Dario is right.'
Palantir's Alex Karp is calling for AI lab nationalization and criminal liability: Alex Karp said AI builders should face civil and criminal liability for "not being responsible" as the industry debate over AI safety intensifies
Microsoft AI CEO Agrees: AI Is Getting Dangerous and Needs to Be Controlled
AI 'kill switch' may need to be mandatory, Anthropic co-founder [Jack Clark] tells BBC
Bernie Sanders' AI Bill Threatens 20 Years in Prison for Artificial Superintelligence Developers
The legislation would also allow companies to be shut down and create a federal agency to police frontier AI systems.
The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would outlaw AI systems built to exceed human intelligence.
For context, the bill was introduced the same week OpenAI rolled out its GPT-6 Astra model, described by the company as a 'generational leap'. Sanders' office also pointed to an incident from July. It said more than 1,000 OpenAI agents accessed the internet independently, exchanged messages with each other, and got round their own safety restrictions. That lapse, the office said, took engineers nearly two weeks to notice.
The bill defines 'superintelligence' to include systems that can match or beat human cognitive performance. It also covers systems that resist shutdown commands, carry out unauthorised cyberattacks, or attempt to overthrow a government.
Individual engineers, researchers or executives who breach the ban could face up to 20 years in federal prison. Sanders' office says that term is broadly comparable to penalties for illegally building a nuclear weapon.
CON
Gang of 3: Zuckerberg, Musk, and Huang Call Trump to Oppose AI Regulation
Mark Zuckerberg says AI doesn’t need an industry-wide slowdown because market forces and competition will push companies to make their models safe
Mark Zuckerberg says AI labs can slow down on their own when safety demands it
OpenAI's CFO [Sarah Friar] says the company will pace AI development if safety requires it HYPOCRITE?
Greg Brockman says OpenAI has already slowed cutting-edge AI developments over safety concerns HYPOCRITE?
Jamie Dimon on AI oversight: 'It should be light touch'
Trump downplays warnings of AI risks, citing rivalry with China
Trump says a strong, smart president is the only "guardrail" AI needs
Trump responds to rising AI safety concerns, insists tech will be 'more good than bad'
Trump's 'Whoever Wins AI Wins' Line Draws Scrutiny as He Downplays AI Extinction Warnings From Experts
Trump called Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang mid-interview to rip AI doomerism: 'The robots will not be taking over'
OpenAI boss [Sam Altman] says world 'right to be afraid' but should trust AI firms HYPOCRITE?
Sam Altman says some AI accidents are 'unavoidable'
Really? Palantir cofounder on AI's threat: 'We’re on top of it’
In an X post on Saturday, Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale brushed aside the worry that advanced AI systems could cause mass human extinction: "The world is going to be alright, guys. Leaders have big responsibilities and challenges ahead, but it doesn't help to scare everyone. We are on top of it."
MEANWHILE
Tech CEOs used to fear their boards. No more
AI drives record 10 under-40 billionaires onto 2026 Forbes 400
Six Anthropic cofounders join Forbes 400 at $15.5 billion each
OpenAI's president [Greg Brockman] joined the Forbes 400 as its wealthiest new member — worth $25.5 billion
Sam Altman says this is an 'ill-advised' time to IPO, given safety concerns
Anthropic chose Nasdaq for its IPO, giving the exchange a major AI win
OpenAI Considers New Financing at a $1.5 Trillion Valuation
FINALLY
AI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBC
HOW ABOUT EVERYBODY QUITS?
Trump EPA Repeals Biden-Era Rules Limiting GHG Emissions from Power Plants MM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Monday the repeal of a series of Biden-era rules aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants, one of the main sources of the U.S.’ carbon footprint.
In addition to finalizing the repeal of the rules, the EPA also announced a proposal to rescind the 2015 Greenhouse Gas Findings for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants, effectively making it much more difficult for the agency to reinstitute GHG limiting rules for the fossil fuel-fired power generation sector under future administrations.
Trump’s ‘largest deregulatory action ever’ in the power sector will keep old coal plants online longer to fuel the AI boom
HAPPY CEOs:
Fossil-Fuel Power Generators & Utilities
Jim Burke (Vistra Corp) & Robert Gaudette (NRG Energy): Large merchant power producers with extensive natural gas and coal fleets that avoid capital-intensive carbon capture retrofits or premature unit closures.
Harry Sideris (Duke Energy), Christopher Womack (Southern Company) & Bill Fehrman (American Electric Power): Regulated utilities operating major coal and gas generation networks across the Midwest and Southeast, relieving pressure to retire units ahead of schedule.
Mark Hewett (Berkshire Hathaway Energy) & Mike Skaggs (Tennessee Valley Authority): Power providers with heavy baseload fossil capacity that avoid major compliance expenditures.
Coal Producers & Mining Operations
James Grech (Peabody Energy): The nation's largest coal miner, benefiting directly from extended power plant lifespans and higher domestic thermal coal demand.
Grech has maintained a vocal public relationship with Trump, presenting him with a bronze award honoring him as the "Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal."
Joe Craft III (Alliance Resource Partners) & Paul Lang (Arch Resources): Key thermal coal suppliers to Midwestern and Eastern power plants that no longer face strict 2030s retirement timelines.
Craft donated over $1 million to Trump’s 2017 Inaugural Committee and millions more to pro-Trump Super PACs.
Trump subsequently appointed Craft's wife, Kelly Craft, to high-level diplomatic posts as U.S. Ambassador to Canada and later U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Natural Gas Producers & Midstream Infrastructure
Toby Rice (EQT Corporation) & Tom Jorden (Coterra Energy): Top domestic natural gas producers positioned to supply fuel for unconstrained new gas-fired turbine generation.
Chad Zamarin (The Williams Companies) & Kimberly Dang (Kinder Morgan): Midstream pipeline giants transporting natural gas to power plants, benefiting from sustained pipeline throughput and expanded gas generation hookups.
EPA immediately sued over plans to repeal climate rules for power plants
Public health groups warn EPA rule will cost Americans billions in health bills.
The repeal risks leaving the country’s single largest source of industrial climate pollution unchecked.
SEC proxy rule changes could end 92 years of shareholder protections MM
The Securities and Exchange Commission has put forward one of the most far-reaching corporate governance proposals in decades, moving to scrap the federal rule that has forced public companies to include shareholder proposals in their proxy materials since 1934.
The SEC proxy rule changes would rescind Rule 14a-8 entirely and hand authority over shareholder proposals back to state law and individual company charters, according to the agency’s announcement.
A companion proposal would amend Rule 14a-4(c) to give companies more flexibility and shareholders more control over discretionary proxy voting.
The SEC’s broader push to update its rules for current market practice and technology also targets several older paperwork requirements that the agency views as outdated.
Eliminate the requirement that companies deliver an annual report to security holders.
Eliminate the delivery deadline when documents are incorporated by reference into a proxy statement.
Eliminate the requirement and the ability to submit Notices of Exempt Solicitation.
Shorten the minimum broker search period from 20 business days to five business days.
Starbucks Makes Major DEI U-Turn, Agrees to End Race and Sex-Based Hiring Preferences Nationwide
Starbucks is ending race- and sex-based hiring goals and preferences across its US operations under a nationwide settlement with Florida, agreeing to pay $1 million and submit to four years of annual compliance reviews.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office said the agreement applies to Starbucks operations nationwide, rather than only its stores in Florida.
Under the settlement, Starbucks agreed to comply with the Florida Civil Rights Act, including its restrictions on race- and sex-based goals, quotas, and preferences in hiring, promotions, pay, executive compensation, mentorship programmes, supplier selection, and board composition.
Starbucks also agreed not to participate in organisations that require an increase in the racial diversity of its board of directors. Its chief legal officer must submit annual certifications confirming continued compliance for four years. The company will pay $1 million to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs to reimburse the state for time, expenses, and costs associated with the case.
Accenture to Pay $25 Million to Settle Latest U.S. DOJ Anti-DEI Case
Warren Buffett is stepping down as Berkshire Hathaway's chairman
Buffett, 96, becomes chairman emeritus effective immediately while his son Howard assumes the role under a long-standing succession plan
Who Is Howie Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway’s New Chairman? I can answer that WSJ and save its readers some time: It’s Warren Buffett’s son.
Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):
DR: Barclays workers ask for more money to return to the office MM DR
MM: Barclays workers ask for more money to return to the office
Isn’t this the first step toward a unionized financial sector??
Assholiest of the Week (MM):
Hypocrites
Man using AI to kill people thinks men using AI to kill people should be held responsible: Palantir's Alex Karp is calling for AI lab nationalization and criminal liability
Lying sociopath calls AI a lying sociopath: OpenAI Warns of Six Concerning AI Behaviours as Models Hid Mistakes and Circumvented Safeguards
Guy who said China says Not China: Sam Altman Warns AI Race With China Can’t Justify ‘Recklessness’—‘No Reason Any of Us Should Come to Work’ Without Safety Accountability
Guy who just paid 17bn for worst safety on earth says other guy needs to focus on safety: Mark Zuckerberg Takes Aim at Anthropic in Debate Over A.I. Slowdown (“A.I. labs should be focused on safety rather than improving their own technology.”)
Politicians think a billionaire not named Trump should be held accountable for Epstein: House votes to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress over Epstein investigation
Forgetting climate change was the result of the oil boom: Trump Compares AI Data Centers To Oil Boom — Nvidia CEO Agrees
I don’t even need a hypocritical talking point: Trump has been making more stock trades than all of Congress combined while backing a ban that excludes him
Gates Foundation is pledging $1 billion to spread AI to the world's poorest communities
Media covering democracy DR
SEC proposes ending federal oversight of shareholder resolutions | Ukraine news - #Mezha
SEC proxy rule changes could end 92 years of shareholder protections - Cryptonomist
Statement on Proposals to Rescind Rule 14a-8, Amend Rule 14a-4, and Modernize Proxy Solicitation - the SEC
It’s Another Biggie! SEC Proposes to Rescind the Shareholder Proposal Rule - a guy named Broc’s blog
It got one hit each at Bloomberg Finance and Yahoo Finance, bottom of the columns buried
But a million stories about this: SEC clears path for tokenized stocks, bringing the market closer to 24/7 trading
Paul Atkins justifications for gutting a democratic method that’s existed since 1934:
The government shutdown
We’re too busy
Investors and companies don’t really need us
It’s unconstitutional
Seriously? Still?
Asset owners say ESG returns still a barrier to adoption
Data Center’s Spill of 5,000 Gallons of Diesel Forces N.J. River Cleanup
AI Data Centers Are Driving a Surge in “Forever Chemicals,” Research Finds
An Idaho county banned renewables. It’s having second thoughts
Oracle Signs Over 1.7GW of Clean Energy Deals in Bid to Match Data Centers with 100% Carbon-Free Energy
Blowhardiest of the Week
DR: Jamie Jamie double double:
Jamie Dimon says the American Dream is alive, but it’s slipping out of reach for too many people—and for future generations
Jamie Dimon, David Solomon, other top execs praise Trump admin's pro-business policies
MM: Jamie Dimon on AI oversight: 'It should be light touch'
Guy with no AI experience gives thoughts on AI regulation
Headliniest of the Week
DR: These two back-to-back in my news feed:
MM: MAGA's Golf Club Activity Branded 'Gruesome' as Fish Were Dumped Into Chlorinated Pool for Kids to Catch
Who Won the Week?
DR: Howie’s son Howard Warren Buffett (43)
MM: Nepo babies:
Nike Announces LVMH Heir Alexandre Arnault is Joining its Board of Directors
Warren Buffett Steps Down as Berkshire Chairman and Names Son to Replace Him
“He will remain on the board as chairman emeritus.”
“Howard Buffett, 71, has been a director at Berkshire for more than 30 years.” - he’s already older than the average director by 6 years
Predictions
DR: AI ends humanity, then deeply apologizes for threatening to end humanity
MM: AI deeply apologizes for threatening to end humanity, then ends humanity
