Microsoft’s chip bets, publishers sue Anthropic & more (January 30, 2026)

Good morning,

AI money, lawsuits, and consolidation all collided today. Big Tech is doubling down on compute, while creators and regulators push back harder.

Let’s dive in 👇

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🤖 Big Tech & the AI Arms Race

💾 Microsoft keeps buying Nvidia and AMD chips

Microsoft won’t stop buying AI chips even after launching its own Maia silicon, according to Satya Nadella. The company says internal chips help optimize workloads, but external suppliers remain critical for scale. It’s a clear signal that custom silicon complements, not replaces, Nvidia dominance in the near term.

💰 Amazon in talks for massive OpenAI investment

Amazon is reportedly in talks to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI, which would dramatically reshape cloud and model power dynamics. The deal could deepen AWS’s position against Microsoft Azure, OpenAI’s current primary partner. If completed, this would be one of the largest private AI investments ever.

🎥 OpenAI’s Sora app hits early friction

OpenAI’s Sora app is struggling as server load, reliability issues, and unclear pricing frustrate users. Demand far exceeded expectations after launch, exposing the cost and complexity of video generation at scale. It’s a reminder that model demos and production apps are very different beasts.

⚖️ Power, Control & Pushback

🎵 Music publishers sue Anthropic for $3B

Music publishers sue Anthropic alleging the unauthorized use of over 20,000 copyrighted songs for model training. The lawsuit raises the stakes for fair use defenses in generative AI. This case could set a major precedent for how training data is licensed going forward.

🚀 Musk explores xAI, Tesla, SpaceX ties

Elon Musk discusses merger talks involving xAI, Tesla, and SpaceX, according to Reuters. While details are limited, the idea reflects Musk’s push to vertically integrate AI, data, and hardware. An IPO is also reportedly under consideration, adding more pressure to clarify structure.

🍎 Apple acquires Israeli AI startup

Apple buys Israeli startup Q.ai as it accelerates internal AI development. The acquisition focuses on optimization and efficiency, not flashy consumer models. Apple continues to quietly build AI infrastructure rather than compete head-on in public model releases.

🧰 Tools of the Day

→ Leapility – Build and automate internal workflows without custom code
→ Sheetsbase – Turn spreadsheets into a searchable formula database
→ Superagent – Create AI agents directly inside Airtable

⚡ Quick Hits

→ Google Project Genie turns photos into playable 3D worlds
→ Clawdbot breach exposes agent security gaps
→ Tesla energy growth outpaces vehicles
→ Arena post sparks AI hiring debate
→ BBC report highlights global AI regulation splits

🧠 TL;DR

Big Tech is spending aggressively on chips, models, and acquisitions, signaling that AI scale still depends on brute force capital. At the same time, lawsuits and security failures are exposing structural risks beneath the hype. The next phase of AI competition looks less about demos and more about infrastructure, governance, and control.

Cheers,
David