OpenAI teases GPT-5 launch event this Thursday

Key Takeaway: OpenAI has officially teased a livestream reveal for its next-generation GPT-5 model, signaling an imminent launch this Thursday at 10 AM PT.

More Insights:

• The teaser post reads “LIVE5TREAM THURSDAY 10AM PT,” swapping in a “5” to hint at GPT-5’s debut.

• CEO Sam Altman accidentally previewed “ChatGPT 5” in a screenshot shared over the weekend.

• OpenAI’s head of applied research publicly expressed excitement about how GPT-5 will be received.

• Microsoft has reportedly been provisioning server capacity to support the new model, and OpenAI also unveiled the open-weight GPT-OSS earlier this week.

Why it matters: This Thursday’s reveal could mark a leap forward in AI capabilities and accessibility, reshaping the competitive landscape and setting new expectations for generative models.

More from OpenAI:
- OpenAI launches two ‘open’ AI reasoning models
- OpenAI is practically giving ChatGPT to the government for free

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Three weeks after acquiring Windsurf, Cognition offers staff the exit door

Key Takeaway: Cognition acquired Windsurf for its IP and promptly laid off 30 employees while forcing the remaining 200 into painful buyouts and punishing work conditions.

More Insights:

• Three weeks post-acquisition, Cognition cut 30 Windsurf staff and offered nine months’ salary as a buyout to the other ~200.

• At acquisition time, Cognition had promised 100% of Windsurf employees financial compensation and praised their “world-class people.”

• Employees must decide by August 10 whether to accept the nine-month-salary package or stay under an 80+-hour, six-day in-office mandate.

• CEO Scott Wu’s email declared disdain for “work-life balance,” framing extreme workloads as a noble mission.

Why it matters: This move spotlights a growing trend in AI startups where intellectual property is prized over human talent, institutionalizing burnout and eroding employee trust in the wake of high-stakes acquisitions.

Google denies AI search features are killing website traffic

Key Takeaway: Google insists that overall organic clicks to publishers remain stable and of higher quality despite AI search features, but admits some sites still lose out as user behavior shifts.

More Insights:

• Google VP Liz Reid disputes third-party reports of drastic traffic drops, citing “relatively stable” year-over-year click volume and slight quality gains.

• The company acknowledges uneven impacts, with some publishers gaining clicks and others losing them as users flock to forums, videos, and social platforms.

• AI Overviews and chatbot responses may drive deeper engagement (fewer back-clicks), but studies show zero-click rates on news searches rose from 56% to 69% since May 2024.

• Google is positioning AI as a new referral source—more links per query—but admits it hasn’t fully compensated for lost clicks and is rolling out publisher tools like micropayments.

Why it matters: Google’s spin frames AI as an opportunity, yet the nuanced reality—that AI can both deepen and divert engagement—forces publishers to rethink traffic strategies and diversify beyond ad-driven search referrals.

Other stuff

• The 20-Somethings Are Swarming San Francisco’s A.I. Boom

• Mustafa Suleyman, who founded DeepMind and sold it to Google, has been telling recruits that Microsoft is now the more startup-like workplace

• GitHub CEO delivers stark message to developers: Embrace AI or get out.

• ‘We didn’t vote for ChatGPT’: Swedish PM under fire for using AI in role

• With just a few messages, biased AI chatbots swayed people’s political views

• Wikipedia Editors Adopt ‘Speedy Deletion’ Policy for AI Slop Articles

• US Considers Location Trackers in AI Chips, Officials Say

• AI Is Listening to Your Meetings. Watch What You Say.

• U.S. charges two Chinese nationals for illegally shipping Nvidia AI chips to China

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