NEWS YOU CAN’T MISS

AI Founder Raised $2 Billion—and Kept Total Control

Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, is making headlines not just for launching a new AI venture—but for how much control she’s keeping. The Information (one of my fave tech news sites) reports:

• Her startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is raising a record-setting $2 billion at a $10 billion valuation. Thanks to supervoting shares, Murati holds outsized power—her board vote outweighs all other directors, and she has extra sway in shareholder decisions.

• Some insiders reportedly hold shares with 100x the normal voting power, keeping control tightly in the founding team’s hands.

Murati isn’t alone in using this structure: 

• Mark Zuckerberg owns just 13% of Meta’s equity but controls over 53% of the vote.

• Alphabet’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin own only 11.4% of shares but control more than 50% of voting power via Class B stock.

What Are Dual-Class Shares? This setup allows companies to issue two types of stock: one with high voting power (usually for founders) and one with little or no voting rights (for the public). It’s a way for leaders to raise outside money without giving up control.

My take: I get why founders want control—big visions need stability. But when voting power is this concentrated, it raises real concerns about accountability. As AI grows more powerful and autonomous, that kind of unchecked control is troubling. 😏

A Day in the Life of an AI-Assisted Lawyer

Despite its reputation as a slow adopter, the legal industry is warming up to AI — and fast. A recent Business Insider feature by Melia Russell reveals how attorneys from elite firms like Paul Weiss and DLA Piper to solo practitioners are embedding AI into their workflows

Here’s how the attorneys Russell interviewed are using AI and the tools they rely on to do it:

Katherine B. Forrest (Paul Weiss): Uses Harvey and Hebbia to research and analyze complex filings. Called ChatGPT’s Deep Research “100% accurate” on an antitrust analysis — after triple-checking with human counsel.

Drew Morris (First Circle Law): Runs a solo startup-focused practice with help from GC AI and Spellbook, handling what junior associates used to do: research, templates, and contract revisions.

John Hamill (DLA Piper): Trains young litigators to treat AI like “a smart, creative intern” — helpful but error-prone. Tools in rotation: Copilot, BriefCatch, and Harvey.

Sarah Tuthill-Kveton (Chock Barhoum LLP): Saves 100+ hours per case by using CaseMark to generate auto-organized medical timelines for personal injury defense.

Justin Parsons (Erickson Immigration Group): Drafts first-pass visa letters with Parley. In a flat-fee environment, speed = profit, and AI is a no-brainer.

All attorneys emphasized that AI supports — not replaces — legal expertise, with every output carefully double-checked by a lawyer and significant time saved on routine tasks.

AI Around The World:

Uber adds China’s Momenta to expand its autonomous vehicles fleet—the company has partnered with Chinese startup Momenta to launch robotaxis in Europe by 2026, continuing its strategy of outsourcing self-driving tech. Momenta specializes in scalable, mapless autonomous driving, and joins Uber’s growing list of AV partners.

UAE brings AI to classrooms—with plans to introduce AI education across public schools starting in 2025, covering everything from ethics to real-world applications. The initiative is backed by a major AI investment fund that could exceed $100 billion in time.

Ghana unveils vision to become Africa’s AI hub—their new National AI Strategy is focused on data, infrastructure, talent, and ethics, backed by a “One Million Coders” program to train its youth.

Japanese startup Craif raises $22M for at-home cancer detection to expand its non-invasive, urine-based cancer detection platform into the US market. Powered by AI, the company already serves 20,000 users in Japan and plans to grow its miSignal test to detect 10 cancers and explore use in conditions like dementia.