The Athlete A-List

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Happy Thursday, Future Party. Well, here’s something to keep you up at night — a safety researcher at Anthropic, Jacob Coxon, resigned a couple of days ago, writing that the products Anthropic and all the major AI labs are working on are getting closer and closer to being capable of destroying humanity. And instead of brushing off Coxon as some tinfoil-hat doomsayer, leadership at Anthropic backed him up! Yes, AI development has reached the point where the people actively making the product are warning that it could likely kill us all. Totally not concerning.

A growing number of sports stars have launched full-service media companies… only to realize they require a lot more work than just lending their name.

The Big Picture: Professional athletes are accustomed to the media dictating the narrative around them, with headlines, TV commentary, and social discourse shaping how they’re perceived. By owning a media company, athletes are taking back that power… while setting themselves up for a post-sports career.

Behind The Scenes: It’s now inevitable that, once you reach a certain level of athletic dominance, you’re going to want to start playing in Hollywood.

Last Shot: According to THR, while coasting on the name of a superstar is a great way to launch a company, it’s not enough to sustain one — especially in a contracting Hollywood. Athletes are realizing that not only do they need to be involved in multiple formats (movies, TV, podcasts, short-form video, etc.), but they also need to move commercial endorsements and brand sponsorships under their banners.

That’s especially true when athletes, by and large, treat these companies as a part-time gig while trying to expand their content beyond stories about themselves. Investing more of the money they generate into their company’s growth is a bit like socking away funds into a 401(k) — it pays dividends down the road.

Coming Soon: Considering their access to their respective sports worlds, it’s only a matter of time before some of these top athletes start making fictional content that taps into their real-life leagues. That could be a game-changer.

“When I think of revenue, I think of Attio.” — Shreman Shrestha, Head of Business at Granola

Granola’s revenue motion runs on Attio. Here’s what that adds up to:

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The New York Times’ landmark copyright suit against OpenAI and Microsoft has finally gone before a judge.

Why It Hits: NYT’s case will likely set the precedent for how news is handled in the age of AI — are write-ups free for the taking if transformed by a chatbot, or are articles creative works protected under the law? The decision could put the survival of two industries — publishing and AI — on the line.

Between The Pages: NYT, OpenAI, and Microsoft all presented their official arguments before a judge in New York.

Final Decision: The big question at the heart of this case is whether the answers chatbots generate are making people read less NYT because they’re getting the information from ChatGPT or Copilot… which, in turn, were trained on information from NYT. Or, are these chatbots simply synthesizing what’s already online in a more streamlined way for readers?

In other words, the things at stake here are the openness of the internet and the viability of a classic journalism career. No big deal.

The Future: If OpenAI and Microsoft win, publishers may need to focus on turning every reporter into a personality that readers want to follow. It’s the creatorization of the newsroom.

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34.5% of you voted No, but I’d consider it in yesterday’s poll: Have you ever returned to work at a company you previously left?

“Twice, I’ve left companies because I had terrible managers, and in each case, that manager was gone within a year of me leaving. If the right opportunity came up, I would consider going back under different leadership.”

“The devil you know…”

“I’m on my third time back with my current employer. It’s like that relationship all your friends know isn’t working, but we just can’t seem to quit each other.”

“Yes. I quit because I was being overlooked and accepted a better position with a competitor. Then they asked me to come back with a higher salary and position, but it took leaving for them to recognize my value.”

“There was a reason I left, so if I’m going back, I’m probably taking the easy way out.”

“The way forward isn’t backwards.”

Let’s keep the conversation going. Join Poll Of The Day, so your opinions can shine. Discover how your views line up with your peers’, check out cool insights, and have some fun. It’s data with personality.

🎥 Thunder Road Films and Lit Management Group are joining forces to launch TR/AK, a media company focused on telling original stories.

🏌️ The Saudi-backed LIV Golf has filed for bankruptcy… and owes professional golfers millions of dollars.

🎧 AI-music generation startup Suno has rolled out a new model trained exclusively on licensed tracks from Warner Music, BMG, and Believe Music.

🔋 Fusion startups have attracted $14 billion in investment as the technology gets closer to becoming a viable power source.

👀 Anthropic admitted that its customers’ tokens can be hacked.

👨‍💻 Kazakhstan is emerging as an unlikely tech hub.

🎮 YouTube Gaming is now paying creators more than Twitch.

📱 Threads is making its analytics dashboard more robust for creators.

🤳 IMDb announced that it’ll start recognizing digital creators as entertainment professionals.