Trial Update, AI SPVs, BuzzFeed Sold | Doomberg, Sahir Jaggi, Sam Blond, Kevin Hartz, Alex Shan, Glen Wise, Roger Lynch

May 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The latest TBPN episode covers ongoing developments in the OpenAI-Elon Musk trial alongside AI investment rounds, secondary market tensions at Anthropic, energy implications for data centers, new AI tools from ex-OpenAI talent, and media deals like BuzzFeed's sale. No single theme dominates, but the trial draws the most airtime as a high-stakes referendum on OpenAI's shift from nonprofit to capped-profit.

OpenAI-Musk Trial Testimony Highlights

Musk's lawsuit claims OpenAI's Sam Altman and Greg Brockman deceived him into funding a nonprofit AI lab, only to pivot to a for-profit model with Microsoft backing. Key moments include last week's depositions from ex-CTO Mira Murati and board member Helen Toner, criticizing Altman's leadership and candor during the 2023 "blip" board ouster. OpenAI countered with testimony from Musk ally Shivon Zilis and Brockman, revealing Musk explored Tesla integration, Altman leading Tesla AI, or a for-profit OpenAI under his control—even tying it to Mars funding.

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What you'll learn

1 `(00:11)` **OpenAI vs. Elon Musk Trial Updates**
2 `(13:23)` **Anthropic Secondary Stock Sales Drama**
3 `(24:27)` **Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab Demo**
4 `(29:10)` **🎙️ Guest: Doomberg (Energy Analyst)**
5 `(65:13)` **🎙️ Guest: Forrest (CEO, Forrest AI)**
6 `(74:01)` **🎙️ Guest: Sam Blunt (CEO, Monica)**
7 `(85:47)` **🎙️ Guest: Kevin Hartz (Astar GP)**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

(00:23) - Trial Update
(13:10) - AI SPVs
(24:28) - Thinking Machines Interaction Models
(29:16) - Doomberg is an anonymous team of former industry executives who write about energy markets, finance, and geopolitics, known for their green chicken avatar and a Substack newsletter with over 373,000 subscribers. In the conversation, Doomberg discusses their decision to maintain anonymity to preserve brand mystique, the strategic choice of their green chicken logo inspired by Bloomberg's keyboard color scheme, and the importance of standing out in a crowded media landscape.
(01:05:12) - Sahir Jaggi, founder and CEO of Forus, discusses his company's mission to streamline access to high-cost, complex medications by automating the intricate processes involving insurance, pharmacies, and supply chains using AI. By offering this service for free to doctors' offices, Forus aims to alleviate administrative burdens, allowing healthcare providers to focus on patient care. Additionally, the company leverages its extensive network to collaborate with life science firms, accelerating the development and market introduction of new therapies.
(01:14:06) - Sam Blond, co-founder and CEO of Monaco, an AI-native sales platform, discusses the company's rapid growth since its February launch, surpassing initial expectations in customer acquisition and revenue. He highlights Monaco's all-in-one approach, replacing traditional CRMs and integrating AI agents to automate sales tasks, thereby reducing the need for manual labor. Additionally, Blond emphasizes the unique advantage of pairing each customer with a forward-deployed account executive, ensuring successful implementation and support.
(01:25:55) - Kevin Hartz, co-founder of Xoom and Eventbrite, is a prominent entrepreneur and investor. In the conversation, he discusses A* Capital's recent $450 million Fund III, emphasizing their generalist investment approach with a focus on AI applications, and highlights their strategy of supporting young founders, including teenagers.
(01:38:52) - Alex Shan, CEO of Judgment Labs, discusses his company's focus on enhancing long-horizon autonomous agents through the analysis of production data, emphasizing the importance of such data in improving agent performance across various industries. He highlights their recent Series A funding co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Green Oaks, and mentions partnerships with companies like Monaco to optimize agent development. Shan also notes that while coding agents are currently the most verifiable and thus easier to improve, progress is being made in less quantifiable domains such as finance, legal, and sales.
(01:45:55) - Glen Wise, Co-Founder and CEO of Cinder, discusses the company's recent $41 million funding round led by Radical Ventures and its mission to help companies combat AI-powered abuse across the internet. He explains that Cinder's