Anthropic snaps back at OpenClaw

Top News

• Anthropic updates Claude Code policy: Back in January, Anthropic blocked open source AI coding agent OpenCode from accessing the Claude Code API, suggesting that users were abusing the service and illegitimately dodging rate limits. Now, a general policy barring Claude Code Free, Pro, or Max subscribers from using their OAuth tokens through third-party tools and platforms has been codified and enshrined in Anthropic’s terms of service (though there’s still a lot of debate on X over the specifics). Is this a case of Anthropic righteously protecting their valuable compute? Or an own goal driving their most devoted fans to rival AI models? At this hour, the debate rages on.

• Novig raises $75M for sports prediction market: Kalshi and Polymarket get all the press but they’re not the only two prediction markets in the world. Novig, which focuses on sports-related markets, announced a $75 million Series B round led by Pantera Capital, valuing the company at $500 million. Novig argues that their platform — in which bettors play against the house rather than one another — provides a more satisfying experience, and a better value proposition than rival prediction markets or straight-up sports gambling apps like FanDuel. The name, “no vig,” references their core selling point: wagers for everyday users are commission-free, with no rake. The platform earns revenue from “smart money” institutional participants like hedge funds, quantitative trading firms, and market makers.

• World Labs raises $1 billion: The company was founded by AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li, a Stanford computer science professor and Google Cloud vet who was one of the academics behind the landmark computer vision project ImageNet. World Lab is one of several high-profile startups — along with Meta vet Yann LeCun’s AMI Labs — working on “world models,” extremely detailed three-dimensional environments derived from simple prompts. As we’ve discussed previously in the Ticker, the idea here is not just to generate 3D worlds themselves — although that’s cool — but to use the simulated spaces to train robots, self-driving cars, and other automatons in scenarios that are tricky to recreate in our world. The company will use its new $1 billion round (at an undisclosed valuation) to focus on deeper applications of its technology for scientific research and robotics.

TWiST 500

After investing billions on training and R&D, eventually, AI companies will have to start generating serious revenue. But navigating the tricky balance between launching a viable business plan while keeping users happy, and protecting their data and privacy, has proved thorny so far.

OpenAI’s addition of light ads to their free and lower-cost ChatGPT tiers already led to one high profile defection and a Super Bowl ad from rival Anthropic mocking them as sellouts. Meanwhile, Perplexity — among the first high-profile AI companies to include ads in their outputs — apparently plans to scale them back later on this year. The Financial Times reports, based on a conversation with an unnamed Perplexity insider, that the company worries ads will impact how users view gauge the trustworthiness of their bot’s responses. Which is, after all, the primary use case that keeps users coming back to Perplexity tools.

As the exec explains: “The challenge with ads is that a user would just start doubting everything… which is why we don’t see it as a fruitful thing to focus on right now.” Clearly, if there’s an ideal answer for how to split the difference between “total trustworthiness and responsibility” and “viable marketing platform,” none of these AI companies have yet zeroed in on it.

Meanwhile, xAI continues to expertly dodge revenue and profitability questions. The Grok maker has been swallowed up by the larger and more immediately revenue-forward rocket maker SpaceX. This week, they announced $3 billion in fresh capital from Humain, the Saudi AI company controlled by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). It’s just one part of a massive $20 billion funding round that was completed just ahead of the SpaceX deal, and makes Humain a “significant minority shareholder” in xAI. (Bloomberg suggests Humain is also likely to become an important Grok customer.) – Lon

A message from Quo

Founders move fast. Their phone systems should too. Quo (formerly OpenPhone) gives you a clean, modern way to handle every customer call, text, and thread all in one place. Try it free at quo.com/TWiST.

This Week in Startups

E0001: That’s right, it’s the FIRST EVER episode of our brand-new spinoff series, “This Week in AI”! On Episode 1 (“The Claw Awakens”), Jason welcomes an expert panel of AI-first founders — including Mitesh Agrawal of Positron, Kash Ali of TaxGPT, and Alex Elias of Qloo — to discuss the rise of OpenClaw, and how AI agents can move beyond helpful time savers and into full-on teammates and collaborators.

E2251: OpenAI hasn’t exactly ACQUIRED the open-source free AI virtual assistant OpenClaw, but it hired the project’s creator, Peter Steinberger. The company has promised to keep OpenClaw true to its open-source roots but what does this really mean for the project’s future? Jason and Alex play out the best and worst case scenarios with special guest experts Hiten Shah and Jesse Genet. PLUS we’re talking about the ethical implications of AI Scott Adams with his creator, John Arrow.

E2250: We talked to three awesome founders who are using OpenClaw like a real human co-worker, not just an AI helper. The list includes Ryan Carson, who built Antfarm, turning OpenClaw into a team of agents with specialized roles. Plus David Im, the creator of Clawra, an AI companion that learns more about you over time. Finally, we welcome Alex Liteplo of RentAHuman, the marketplace where bots can hire people, when they desperately need one in the loop.

TWiST Partner Offers

• Gusto: Check out the online payroll and benefits experts with software built specifically for small business and startups. Try Gusto today and get three months FREE at Gusto.com/twist.

• Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://www.crusoe.ai/savings to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

• Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at Uber.com/twist

SF Live-Work Space Now Available

Need a flexible living and working environment in San Francisco? This thoughtfully designed loft-style residence at 787 Bryant St., the heart of the vibrant SOMA district and the city’s creative hub, is now available for rent or purchase. Check the listing for more details.

The TWiST500 newsletter is the new, updated, and improved TWiST Ticker.