In today’s Digest we cover OpenAI raising USD$122bn in its latest funding round, Anthropic set to sign a deal with Australia on AI safety and economic data tracking, as well as Elon Musk being ordered to face a class action lawsuit over the late disclosure of his Twitter stake.

OpenAI's latest $122bn funding round

OpenAI is accelerating its march toward the public markets with a record-breaking USD$122bn (£96.4bn) funding round, valuing the company at $852bn (£673.1bn) and underscoring investor confidence in its dominance of the AI sector. The raise was led by firms including SoftBank, Andreessen Horowitz, D. E. Shaw, TPG, and T. Rowe Price, with participation from Amazon, Nvidia, and Microsoft, marking the company’s largest capital injection to date. 

The funding will bolster OpenAI’s spending on AI chips, data centre expansion, and talent. Additional access via ETFs and $3bn (£2.37bn) in individual investor participation point to a deliberate effort to broaden its shareholder base ahead of a widely anticipated IPO.

Anthropic to sign Australia AI safety deal

Anthropic is deepening its links to international policy, signing an agreement with the Australian government to share economic data aimed at tracking AI adoption and its impact on jobs. The partnership will see the Claude developer collaborate with Canberra on research, safety evaluations, and insights into emerging AI capabilities and risks, while also targeting investment in local data centre infrastructure and energy. 

CEO Dario Amodei described Australia as a “natural partner” for responsible AI development. The deal mirrors similar agreements Anthropic has struck with AI safety bodies in the US, UK, and Japan, signalling a broader push to shape global standards.

Musk to face class action over Twitter stake disclosure delay

US District Judge Andrew Carter has cleared the way for a major class action lawsuit against Elon Musk, allowing former investors in Twitter to pursue claims that he misled them during his initial stake-building in the company. Judge Carter ruled that investors could proceed collectively, significantly increasing Musk’s potential financial exposure compared with individual lawsuits. 

The plaintiffs allege Musk delayed disclosing his stake beyond a regulatory deadline on 24th March, 2022, ultimately revealing an ownership of 9.2% 11 days later. During that window, they claim, shareholders sold stock at artificially depressed prices, allowing Musk to save more than USD$200m (£158m). Investors also point to tweets in which Musk suggested building a rival platform rather than acquiring Twitter, arguing these contributed to misleading signals about his intentions. 

While Musk’s legal team contended that investors could not prove reliance on his alleged misstatements, the court found sufficient grounds to presume his actions influenced the company’s share price.