Kenrick Cai

Update: Excited to share that I've joined Reuters as a space and defense correspondent. I'll be reporting on weapons, national security and Silicon Valley, focusing on major arms, space companies, and venture-backed startups. Send tips / say hi: [email protected]

Scoop: OpenAI is planning to launch a Google Chrome competitor within weeks. The browser includes a chat interface that would help keep users from having to click through to external links, sources tell @Reuters. from @readkrystalhu @annatonger and me: reuters.com/business/media…

Scoop w/@MilanaVinn : Surge AI, the lesser-known rival of Scale, is in talks to raise $1 billion at a valuation of >$15b Craziest part is this would be the FIRST EVER fundraising by Surge, profitable & bootstrapped by CEO Edwin Chen, with no VC $$$ story:bit.ly/44ocGa3

SCOOP: ex-OpenAI staffers have raised $20M for a pre-launch startup, Applied Compute. Led by Benchmark, the round values the reinforcement learning startup at $100M. Its 3 founders, all recent Stanford students, have since fielded an offer 5x higher 👀 upstartsmedia.com/p/ex-openai-ap…

Scoop: Google, Scale AI’s biggest customer, was planning to spend $200M this year, per sources. But it is moving fast to cut ties after Meta took a 49% stake in Scale this week. Other big customers are exploring similar. w/ @annatonger @readkrystalhu: reuters.com/business/googl…

Scoop: OpenAI is planning to add Google as a compute provider, sources tell @Reuters. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and founder Sergey Brin have speculated in recent weeks that the AI race may not be winner-take-all. from @readkrystalhu and me: reuters.com/business/retai…

scoop: a16z is seeking to raise a $20 billion fund for growth AI investments, the largest in the fund's history, sources told me & @annatonger @kenrickcai Non-US LPs see this as an opportunity to back US AI. New test for VC scale game after SoftBank VF. reut.rs/44iMZJE

I’ve spent the past year+ working on a book about TikTok. It’s out in September. Pre-order now!! everyscreenontheplanet.com

When AI vies with Taylor Swift as the hot ticket in town --> a dispatch from @NeurIPSConf by @kenrickcai @annatonger and me. reuters.com/technology/art…

VC reporting in 2024: so many billions in one headline, and a $9.5 bln record round could still be 2x oversubscribed💸 Our latest on Databricks' high-profile funding with VCs and banks as it gets finalized next week--w/@kenrickcai @DEER_ECHO_ reuters.com/technology/dat…

The formerly sleepy AI researcher conference @NeurIPSConf has gotten insane. Peak AI bubble??

I'm in Vancouver for NeurIPS until 12/16. Would love to hear from you about where AI is headed. Message me on Signal at kenrick.01 if we can meet up!

One of the largest AI IPOs in 2025: CoreWeave, just valued at $23 bln in a secondary sale, is targeting a val of $35 bln in IPO, sources told @DEER_ECHO_ If happens, huge win for the few VCs (Nat Friedman & Daniel Gross) & many Wall Street PEs & Nvidia bit.ly/4g1xFUw

Efforts by U.S. antitrust regulators to break up Alphabet by forcing a sale of its Google Chrome browser and other proposals to limit its search dominance are likely to run into legal challenges on grounds the remedies are extreme. reuters.com/technology/leg…

Scoop: we got an inside look at OpenAI's chip strategy--it's assembled a small team & leaning in w/ partners (Broadcom $AVGO TSMC $TSM) to make 1st inference chip while pausing the ambitious foundry network plan. Also adding $AMD chips alongside Nvidia bit.ly/4hnylVG

Inside Intel: how CEO Pat Gelsinger fumbled the revival of an American Icon With @JLDastin @DawnC331 @f_potkin and @StephenNellis reuters.com/technology/ins…

AI founders, it's time to check if you're on OpenAI's "dont' invest" list they told investors. w/@annatonger @kenrickcai reuters.com/technology/ope…

Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing, by William Blake, 1786

New statement from OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor confirms @Reuters report yesterday that OpenAI is discussing compensating CEO Sam Altman with equity. No specific figures have been discussed, Taylor said. reuters.com/technology/art…

Scoop: Sam Altman is planning to take equity in OpenAI for the first time. It’s part of a corporate restructure which will also see the non-profit which currently governs OpenAI turn into a minority shareholder. Details from @readkrystalhu and me: reuters.com/technology/art…