War in the Middle East & Rising Interest Rates Threaten the Funding for AI Build-Out
The Week in Short Ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and falling oil exports threaten the capital flows propping up the AI build-out, but it hasn’t slowed much yet. Meta’s personal AI assistant Muse gives Instinct a run for its money. Former SEC regulator Renée Jones says the rules for Silicon Valley need to change on the podcast. A new report from Menlo Ventures details how consumers are using AI tools to make money, but finds that they’re sticking with incumbent chatbots for now. Crusoe raises nearly $4 billion in a single round at a $30.9 billion post-money valuation. A major crypto regulation bill fails to pass the Senate. European fintech Revolut falls victim to cybercrime. Mark Zuckerberg gets the Colossus treatment. Bain Capital Ventures unveils a new $1.6 billion fund . The Main Item As Oil Revenues Slide, Middle Eastern Wealth Funds Stick With AI — for Now Startup investors typically tell founders to ignore macro issues over which they have no control, and current trends
