Category: Semafor

The News Chinese authorities’ decision last week to block Meta’s purchase of the AI startup Manus has sparked outcry over Beijing cracking down on its cutting-edge businesses, purportedly sent chills through the country’s tech sector, and prompted fears that China may be walling its best entrepreneurs from leaving. In this ...

The News The Senate’s rules were made “by a heroin addict with a socket wrench.” In a gridlocked chamber, “doing nothing is very hard … you never know when you’re finished.” John Thune did everything but “bark like a dog” to get a deal with Democrats. One of those lines ...

The News China is playing a growing role in US discourse over domestic tech growth and regulation, emerging as an all-purpose bogeyman against slowing down in the superpowers’ AI race. US tech industry allies criticized Sen. Bernie Sanders for hosting a panel on the “existential threat” posed by AI alongside ...

John’s view Six weeks into the worst energy crisis in modern world history, the case for energy sovereignty is being written in real time — in the price of every barrel of oil, every cargo of liquefied natural gas, and every elevated energy bill arriving for households from Tokyo to ...

Wael’s view On Sunday, seven OPEC+ nations announced they would add 188,000 barrels a day to global supply, starting in June. But the Strait of Hormuz is still closed and some producers aren’t able to ship a single barrel. The decision — reached during a video call between officials from ...

The Scoop One of the top leaders at The Dispatch is out amid broader questions about the media organization’s future. Mike Rothman, who joined the right-leaning digital outlet as its president in 2025, is leaving the media company, two people familiar with the move told Semafor. Rothman’s departure from the ...

The US this week plans to announce that Norway will become the 15th country to join Pax Silica, a consortium of countries that is trying to counter China’s influence in critical minerals, tech, and AI. “Norway is home to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, and the depth of that ...

Southeast Asian countries, heavily reliant on Gulf oil imports, are diversifying their suppliers as they feel the crunch from two months of disruptions. Data shows countries like Thailand and Vietnam are tapping Brunei, Libya, and the US for barrels, in the latest sign of how the Iran war is reshaping ...

OpenAI and Anthropic are both partnering with private equity firms in a bid to deploy their AI products to more businesses. OpenAI is forming a $10 billion venture, raising funding from investors including Brookfield and Bain Capital, Bloomberg reported. Anthropic on Monday announced a $1.5 billion joint venture with Wall ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly increasingly fearful of assassination attempts. The Kremlin has enacted new security measures — staffers working around Putin aren’t allowed to use cell phones, and the president and his family have stopped visiting their Moscow residences, according to Russian investigative outlet Important Stories, citing an ...