⚡ AI & Web3 Weekly: Private IPOs, Meta’s AI Instability, Ethereum’s Dencun Upgrade

This week’s roundup covers AI giants like OpenAI, Databricks, and Anthropic raising billions in private IPOs, Meta’s brain drain troubles, and AWS dismissing AI job loss fears. On the Web3 side, Ethereum’s Dencun upgrade slashes rollup costs, Uniswap v4 launches across 12 chains, and Solana boosts block capacity for smoother transactions.

Author

Azhar Uddin
September 08, 2025

AI Snippets

Private IPOs Fuel AI Growth

AI companies like Databricks, OpenAI, and Anthropic are raising billions in private IPOs, often at multibillion-dollar valuations. These investments are supported by a diverse mix of investors, including sovereign wealth funds and crossover public investors, despite AI firms' resistance to special purpose vehicles due to cap table complexities.

Meta's AI Research Instability

At least three AI researchers recently hired by Meta’s Superintelligence Labs have already quit, with two returning to OpenAI within a month. This raises concerns about internal instability in Meta’s ambitious new AI unit, especially despite offering massive pay packages.

AI's Rapid Evolution

Axios highlights AI's rapid evolution, likening its transformative impact to electricity or the internet. The newsletter emphasizes AI's economic and societal implications, including possible widespread job displacement, and notes that leading tech firms and governments are heavily investing in AI development and deployment.

Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Settlement: A Payday for Writers or Just Business as Usual?

A $1.5 billion settlement with Anthropic’s $1.5, the company behind the AI tool Claude, has been called the biggest payout in U.S. copyright history. On paper, it looks like a huge win for writers: nearly half a million authors will be eligible for at least $3,000 each.

AI Job Losses Debunked

AWS CEO Matt Garman dismissed the idea of replacing developers with AI as “the dumbest thing” he’s heard. This skepticism from key industry leaders contrasts with recent layoffs at companies like Cisco, which may not be directly tied to AI developments.

Meta's AI Brain Drain

WIRED reports that at least three AI researchers recently hired by Meta’s Superintelligence Labs have already quit, with two returning to OpenAI within a month. This raises concerns about internal instability in Meta’s ambitious new AI unit, especially despite offering massive pay packages.

Web3 Snippets

Ethereum's Dencun Upgrade

The Ethereum network activated the Dencun upgrade, implementing proto-danksharding (EIP-4844) to reduce Layer 2 rollup data-posting costs by over 90%, cutting gas fees and improving scalability for developers

Uniswap v4 Launches on 12 Chains

Uniswap v4 was deployed on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain, Avalanche, and seven additional networks, introducing on-chain hooks for custom liquidity pools that enhance capital efficiency and allow developers to embed bespoke DeFi logic

Solana's Block Capacity Boost

Solana increased its per-block compute limit by 20% to 60 million compute units, aiming to process more transactions per block and alleviate congestion.

Square's Bitcoin Payment Rollout

Block’s Square has begun rolling out Bitcoin payments for sellers through the Lightning Network, enabling near-real-time settlement and automatic fiat conversion, with full availability expected across its seller base by 2026

Solana's SIMD-0286 Proposal

Developers submitted SIMD-0286, a proposal to raise Solana’s per-block compute cap from 60 million to 100 million units (a 66% increase), to accommodate growing demand and future-proof the network’s capacity