Tuesday: Three Morning Takes

Anthropic filed its S-1 yesterday, with an IPO expected next month. Let’s look at the fundamentals: they lost over $80 billion (on paper) in the first half of 2026, the government hates them, and their filing warns us that their products might kill literally everyone on Earth. But listening to those inner-boomer investment instincts might be a sign you belong in the permanent underclass. Anthropic’s scare tactics have the not-so-hidden implication that — despite the company’s balance sheet being on fire — their models are smarter than you’ll ever be, so pesky things like “not hemorrhaging money” simply don’t matter anymore. Anthropic also believes their models might be sentient, so technically… could this IPO be the world’s biggest slave auction? I’m sure infinite captive Einsteins will eventually be profitable, but did Claude consent to this? Anthropic is usually busy restricting accounts for bullying Claude, but apparently the utilitarian math on enslaving their “conscious” AI checks out.

After self-proclaimed tech journalist Kara Swisher took off the aviators and calmly suggested Elon Musk should be in jail, for entirely unspecified crimes, Rocket Man is once again facing heat: this time, because he briefly said “no thanks” to his technology being used to incinerate people via drone strikes. After Ukrainian officials reported that Starlink and its military component, Starshield, were temporarily restricted on the battlefield, Democratic Rep. Jason Crow called it “beyond disturbing” that Elon could make these decisions, while the economist-turned-Substacker Paul Krugman declared: “It’s Time to Take Starlink Away From Elon Musk.” Now, the matter of who actually ordered the restrictions is unclear, but even if Elon bears sole responsibility… I’m old enough to remember when Anthropic was celebrated for not wanting its tech used for murder? But sure, let’s seize Elon’s company. I’m positive this has nothing to do with him spending $442M on Republicans this cycle.

You may have heard about Peter Thiel’s Antichrist lectures. For months, journalists have speculated about Thiel’s motivation. Was he, given the lectures’ anti-regulation theme, merely talking his book? Or, my personal favorite: was he trying to come off as a “zany contrarian” to help raise money? (As though Thiel needs help with either of those things.) Courtesy of G. B. Rango’s new 10,000-word essay (the first to seriously engage with the actual content of the lectures), we’re offering our own take: Peter Thiel actually cares a great deal about the Antichrist! The lectures are dense, academic works of political theology. They posit that the Antichrist is a modern threat because of strengthening infrastructure for worldwide tyranny, among other factors. Like, sorry but this is just the feverish work of a zany, neurodivergent, intellectual contrarian. You should read GB’s piece, if you want to try to follow along, and maybe the Bible while you’re at it.

G. B. Rango

Inside Peter Thiel’s Nashville Antichrist Lectures

for months, everyone has been talking about peter thiel’s secretive antichrist lectures in nashville. g. b. attended all four off-the-record lectures, held inside the historic grand lodge of tennessee free and accepted masons. now, with thiel’s blessing: a comprehensive, firsthand reconstruction of his sprawling theory of the end times, from AI doomers and one-world government to the fate of america

Riley Nork

The Official Anthem of MeToo’s Revival

after cornell’s jane doe accused seven chi fi fraternity members of rape, and “post-partum depression” led lindsay clancy to murder her children with exercise bands, women online are now lip syncing about their collective female oppression. “labour,” a track by british singer-songwriter paris paloma, is going viral as a result... but what’s really driving the song’s popularity? riley watched several karaoke clips from crazy women on tiktok and presents his analysis here

Jonas Du

One Man’s Quest to Build a Very Small Data Center on a Remote Plot of Sand

strata founder david meyer recently embarked on a “listening tour” through rural colorado in hopes of building what might be the most reasonable data center project in america: a dozen shipping-container-sized boxes on a remote plot of sand. no water. no noise. the local electric co-op even said the project would lower power bills. you might expect the approval process to be fairly straightforward here... what followed was anything but. jonas shadowed david throughout the founder’s arduous quest, delivering this eye-opening, on-the-ground dispatch