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OpenAI has turned the global economy into Russian roulette with a single bullet: AGI

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2025 is being the year in which OpenAI has ceased to be a technology company and has become a black hole that attracts capital, expectations and the destiny of companies that move billions, with a ‘b’. Sam Altman has designed a scenario where there are only two possible outcomes: AGI for them or collapse for everyone. Why it is important. OpenAI’s valuation has reached $500 billion as an unlisted company. It has moved more than a billion (also with ‘b’ and it is not a false friend of “billions”) in deals in recent weeks. Those figures only make sense if they get the AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). If not, everything explodes. The panoramic. A year ago, a round of 6.6 billion It seemed like an astronomical figure. Nine months later, 40 billion. Now we talk about 100 billion with NVIDIA. And so naughty. When we reach these magnitudes (and they are repeated) we stop talking about simple capital injections and talk about binary bets on the future of the world economy. The problem is that these figures have dragged other giants to the same precipice. The backdrop. Microsoft was the first to get hooked. Then he considered divorce and since then They are still together, but sleeping in separate beds. Furthermore, OpenAI has achieved something more dangerous: chaining Oracle, AMD and above all NVIDIA, the most valuable company on the planet on the stock market. If OpenAI clears its throat, all NVIDIA knobs jangle. And if NVIDIA falls, it drags down the S&P 500. The domino effect would reach pension funds, corporate spending and the US GDP. And from there, a chain effect for the economy of the rest of the world. behind the scenes. NVIDIA is not only funding OpenAI, it is also guaranteeing some of the debt the startup needs to build its own data centers. Is circular money: NVIDIA sends money in exchange for shares. OpenAI uses it to rent chips from NVIDIA. And those contracts allow NVIDIA to take on more debt to continue financing OpenAI. A loop that only works as long as the music continues playing. When the Titanic began to sink, the orchestra’s musicians were forced to continue playing. Yes, but. AI already works. It is already transforming sectors. Nobody doubts it. You don’t need to be AGI to have value. The problem is that OpenAI does need AGI to justify these insane valuations. They have set up a structure where any slowdown, any sign of doubt, will trigger panic. The money trail. Altman has found in Masayoshi Son to the perfect partner. The SoftBank founder has a history of big bets blowing up and miraculous saves (Alibaba, ARM). The Altman-Masa combination is a capital cannon pointing skyward. But it is also a detonator: if they fail, the explosion will be proportional to the ambition. According to Altman’s analysis, OpenAI has to beat Google before the latter’s TPUs hit the market and change the rules of the game. That’s why the rush. That’s why Atlas. That’s why the agreements with Broadcomconversations with Intel, promises to AMD. It’s not just about building the best AI, it’s about surviving until you get it. The big question. What if another macroeconomic event stops everything before superintelligence arrives? OpenAI is racing against the clock, it needs AGI before the economy trips over its own shadow. Meanwhile, the market rewards these alliances with instant increases. Oracle has multiplied its value just by announcing agreements with OpenAI. Capitalism of expectations: benefits are no longer needed, only promises of a future that does not yet exist. The same thing happens to others because OpenAI is the new King Midas. Decisive moment. This is no longer a bubble that can burst. It is a bet that can fail. And the difference matters. A bet drags down everything around it. OpenAI is already too big to fail without causing a cataclysm. Which makes it probable an Intel-type state bailout if things go wrong. Altman knows that many AI companies will disappear when the euphoria ends. Only the largest will survive. OpenAI plays at being so big that it has to be rescued. It’s already happened with the dotcoms‘. It can happen again. OpenAI has forced a binary scenario: either we achieve AGI or we face a brutal recession. AI works, transforms, improves processes. But that is no longer enough. We need trillions in value created. And if they don’t arrive in time, the collapse will be rapid. And ugly. In Xataka | AI is giving a second youth to unexpected actors: the old guard of enterprise software Featured image | OpenAI, Alexander Gray

No, China has not turned off the tap on batteries for electric cars. The reality is much more complex

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China is, to the electric car, the child who arrives with the ball after having a snack. He is, in fact, the boy who has the ball, a regulation soccer field at home and lets in whoever he wants when he wants the most. Or that’s what we might think if we take into account its leadership in the supply chain, access to rare earths and battery production. The last step is to maintain greater control over lithium and, in the future, solid-state batteries. But to what extent is it true? The latest. A few days ago, China announced important changes when it comes to its exports. Among them, he confirmed that he was going to monitor the licenses that allow the export of vehicleswhich was understood as a way to prevent manufacturers without experience or infrastructure in the destinations from selling cars that they later cannot service. In the same way, has announced restrictions to the export of rare earths. My colleague Javi Márquez explained that “the country will be able to decide what is exported, to whom and for what purposes, under national security criteria. Applications for military purposes will bein principle, denied, while those related to semiconductors or artificial intelligence will be examined on a case-by-case basis. The last movement is related to the exports of batteries for electric cars and the music points to a similar melody. Starting November 8, licenses will be issued to export lithium batteries and graphite anode material compounds. Once again, it points to issues of national security and response to protectionist policies in USA and Europe. No batteries or equipment. With these new licenses, China will control both the finished product that is intended to be exported abroad and the equipment necessary to produce these compounds outside its borders. In summary, the following is controlled: Lithium batteries, cells and battery packs with a density greater than 300 Wh/kg. The equipment and technology to produce the above items. Iron phosphate and lithium needed to produce cathode materials. Also nickel-cobalt-manganese hydroxide and nickel-cobalt-aluminum hydroxide and lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials. The equipment to produce all these compounds. Graphite anode materials The equipment necessary to produce them. The reaction? Numerous experts They have emphasized that these new licenses have the true objective of reducing and limiting exports to stop the advance of Chinese competitors in the electric car industry. Investors have understood the same and in Reuters They reflected the consequent fall in the stock market of giant battery producers such as CATL but also of vehicle manufacturers such as BYD. In South China Morning Post They also mentioned China’s intention to maintain its leadership in the electric car market. Putting the magnifying glass. But is it true that China is doing everything it can to torpedo its rivals? According to the International Energy AgencyChina manufactures three out of every four batteries for electric cars. However, the limitation of a density greater than 300 Wh/kg is not coincidental. Walter Zhang, senior analyst at Fastmarkets, points out that batteries for electric cars are really not in danger. “The policy ensures that the export and sales of NCM (230-280 Wh per kg) and LFP (160-210 Wh per kg) batteries for electric car application are not affected,” explains in this article. And he points to another point of view: “the measures may be more aimed at restricting smaller companies from entering into technology exchange agreements with Western partners.” Module and pack production equipment is not under this new regulation either, so It won’t impact that much either. in production abroad. So? If the majority of electric car batteries are not affected, what is the point of these restrictions? Everything indicates that there are two ultimate intentions when it comes to lifting this tighter control over the batteries. The first is to increase control over the export of batteries that can be used in military vehicles. In an increasingly tense international context, the State is guaranteed to have greater knowledge of who wants and can export but also in what quantities and for whom. The second thing is that as investments in research bear fruit, the next step should be the production of denser batteries. Batteries that would store more energy in less space. And there, the solid state batteries they are projecting themselves as the great leap in quality in the electric car market. Solid State Batteries. Solid-state batteries promise to be the definitive big leap for the electric car. With them, the manufacturers claim, an electric car will be able to travel more than 1,000 kilometers between recharges. They are also more powerful, safer and will suffer less degradation caused by charging cycles. Nothing sounds bad except that producing them is, at the moment, extremely expensive. Both companies and Toyota has already been lowering its expectations pointing out that it will be a type of compound that can only be included in vehicles with a very high price range. Again, ahead. And although Toyota says it has made progress in these compounds, Nissan has been researching them for years and Mercedes says it already has one (which obviously cannot scale) it seems that Chinese manufacturers once again have the lead. MG assures be very close to mass producing them. BYD too ensures that it can put them on the market in the short term. And beyond the promises, NIO has demonstrated that its semi-solid state battery (a previous step before reaching these energy accumulators) can travel a thousand kilometers without stopping to recharge. China controls the supply chain of the materials to produce these batteries but also the equipment that can produce these compounds. It seems that the measure is aimed at putting obstacles in the way of mass production of an innovation that can change the automobile market. free way. As we have seen, control over exports opens the door to selling current batteries for electric cars outside the country. It makes sense, now that Chinese companies like CATL have reached agreements with giants like … Read more

pop artists have turned suspense into the best marketing

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Rosalia is one of the Spanish artists who has best understood the value and possibilities of social networks and internet to promote your work. He has thus perfected a time management strategy for his announcements based on leaving subtle clues about his upcoming works so that his fans immerse themselves in speculation and constant analysis. But she had never been so enigmatic and it had worked so well for her as with the publication of the sheet music of what could be one of her next songs. Allegrissimo. The unpublished scores are for a melody titled ‘Berghain’, and he has shared them through your newsletter on Substack. Speculation immediately arose: the score suggests a possible turn in her musical style towards arrangements for strings, which increases expectations about her next album, still unannounced, and which may take the artist into unexplored musical terrain. The “leak” was followed by posters in the Plaza de Callao in Madrid, with his face immersed in musical figures and staves. What is Berghain? But there are more meanings. Berghain is the name of a highly prestigious techno club in Germany, which is considered “the current techno capital of the world”, which somewhat contradicts the idea of ​​string arrangements. A red herring? In any case, the score is written on printed pages by the German G. Henle Verlag. After shipping, changed your Instagram profile picture and tweeted “LUX: LOVE” before deactivating your account. Fans assume that ‘LUX’ will be the title of their new album. The fans play. The most interesting thing about the release of the score has been that numerous followers have been encouraged to interpret the piece with various instruments, sharing their versions on social networks, especially on TikTok. The result is fascinating, with fans giving their versions of the melody with violins, pianos, flutes and even accordions. The Twitter account @elojoquetodolov has compiled the best, including interpretations of a second page of sheet music that the artist later sent. A success before leaving: the precedent of ‘Desphá’. In July 2022, when Rosalía sang her new song, ‘Despechá’, at the WiZink Center in Madrid, it had not yet been released on platforms or for sale. But the 15,000 people in the pavilion knew it. Rosalía, knowing how to handle this type of circumstances in her favor, quickly polled the public about the best title for the song and invited 20 people who knew the choreography to dance… on social networks. When the ‘Motomami’ tour began in Spain, in Almería, no one knew it, but the videos of the concerts running around the internet did the rest. That and 35 seconds of the song that Rosalía uploaded to the internet mid-tour. By the time he arrived in Madrid, influencers like María Pombo had spread it and made it a success. They are decisions like this, and masterful information dosage strategies, like the one that accompanied the release of their album ‘Motomami’ which has turned it into a study center for marketing experts and pop sociology. Rosalía is not an isolated case. There have been multiple examples of artists using the internet and social media to create puzzles, games with fans, and cutting-edge marketing to generate buzz. BTS: For the release of ‘Dynamite’ in 2020, BTS created a web page with multiple countdowns with different dates, without showing clear information. Each countdown gave way to exclusive content such as pre-purchase links or visual previews. This tactic kept the public’s interest for an entire month before the album’s release.​ Taylor Swift: ‘Reputation’ (2017) was promoted with a complete deletion of his Instagram, followed by cryptic images and symbols, such as snakes, that anticipated a dark turn in his image. This strategy was also carried out by Beyoncé in the releases of Lemonade (2016) and Renaissance (2022) with network deletion and cryptic messages. Although Beyoncé already knew what she was doing since 2013, when she released her self-titled album without any prior promotion, breaking traditional patterns. Ed Sheeran: For her song ‘Bad Habits’ in 2021, she created a Snapchat filter with digital fangs, encouraging fans to interact with them and create their own content.​ Frank Ocean: Known for his secretiveness and his use of absence to create buzz, he disappeared from the public scene for years before releasing his acclaimed ‘Blonde’ in 2016. Before that, he broadcast a live video on his website for several days, showing a figure building a ladder in a warehouse. Sabrina Carpenter: In 2018 he deleted his Instagram and for the release of ‘Short n’ Sweet’his team designed a campaign full of “Easter eggs” with clues and teasers. Before the release of ‘Man’s Best Friend’, he hosted secret listening sessions in Los Angeles and New York, allowing a select group of fans to hear it before anyone else. In promoting his song ‘Manchild’, he launched a campaign with eye-catching and enigmatic advertising posters in strategic places, with minimal and cryptic messages such as “Hey men” and “Amen”, Daft Punk. Of course. In Xataka | Rosalía and appropriation: why “Malamente” is accused of stealing from gypsy and Andalusian culture

MercurySteam was the ambassador of Spanish video games. Until a sales failure turned the offices into hell

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For years, they were a key reference in the history of video games in Spain. MercurySteam achieved something unusual: programming high-budget games from such beloved classic franchises as ‘Castlevania’ and Metroid from its country of origin. Its international expansion ambitions shone from the studio’s first steps, but have been overshadowed in recent years by complaints from former studio employees who denounce a suffocating work environment and a policy of crunches to meet deadlines. We review the history of MercurySteam from its glorious first steps to the latest revelations about its work dynamics, and that says our colleague Blissy in 3DJuegos. Twenty-something years of ambition. MercurySteam was born in 2002 in San Sebastián de los Reyes, formed by several former members of Rebel Act Studios, creators of an absolutely foundational game in the history of Spanish soft music: ‘Blade: The Edge of Darkness‘, precursor of the soulslike very advanced technology for its time. Determined to demonstrate that our country could compete in the international video game league, they started with a couple of modest but notable titles: ‘American McGee presents: Scrapland’ and ‘Clive Barker’s Jericho’. The Castlevania phenomenon. The real turning point for MercurySteam came with ‘Castlevania: Lords of Shadow’ in 2010, a 3D reformulation of the classic Konami franchise that was born as a stand-alone game and was later adapted to fit into the legendary vampire slayer saga. It was produced with the help of Hideo Kojima and for months its affiliation to the saga was hidden so as not to damage sales of other installments in development. After considerable commercial and sales success, the studio completed the trilogy with ‘Mirror of Fate’ (2013) and ‘Lords of Shadow 2’ (2014), establishing itself as a triple-A developer. A parenthesis. After Castlevania, the studio went through a transition phase. In 2017 they released the ambitious ‘Raiders of the Broken Planet’ (later renamed ‘Spacelords’), a shooter cooperative free-to-play with which they entered the model games as a service. The result was a more discreet success than their previous works, and MercurySteam had to consider a new twist in their plans. This would arrive with a twist similar to that of ‘Castlevania’: revitalize a classic franchise. In 2015 it was learned that MercurySteam had been working on a ‘Metroid’ prototype for Wii U and 3DS. It was not a job in vain: it ended up crystallizing in ‘Metroid: Samus Returns’ (2017) for 3DS, a very well-received remake of the classic ‘Metroid II’. This collaboration with Nintendo progressed into a completely original game, the brilliant ‘Metroid Dread‘ (2021), one of the best games in the Switch catalog, and which marked the long-awaited return of the saga to the 2D perspective after almost two decades. Since then, there have been changes in the studio: the Nordisk Games group acquired 40% of the studiowhich allowed the team to continue growing and tackle new projects. And they have even released a new video game this year, ‘Blades of Fire‘, a third-person RPG that was received with indifference by critics and did not meet sales expectations. It was this puncture that started, since January 2025, a series of measures that have turned MercurySteam, according to former employees interviewed by 3DJuegos, into an example of bad professional practices. In fact, the crisis started somewhat earlier: Already in 2020 MercurySteam had problems. Culture contrary to teleworking, offices with conditioning problems (for example, with very little lighting), poor internal communication, chaotic production and uncredited developers. Everything got radically worse in January 2025, when the company implemented the DIJ (Irregular Distribution of the Day) in some departments, allowing one hour of extra work per day (9 hours, maximum 45 per week), justified by “production needs.” In May, the month of the game’s release, several departments saw their working hours increased to 10 hours a day in total, a change that was managed in a highly criticized manner by employees. Among other problems, communication was always verbal, never in writing; Human Resources presented these hours as mandatory; there was constant appeal to the emotional and the “team spirit”; Teleworking and vacations were banned; and names were taken of those who rejected the measures. On May 8, two workers are fired just before the end of their trial period, one for refusing to work overtime (due to his partner’s risky pregnancy) and another for asking for written explanations. It would only be the beginning: after the failure of ‘Blades of Fire’, fires 18 workers in three days. One of them, a worker on mental health leave who suffered harassment from her boss while on leave, is fired when she returns. Although he thought about suing, he ended up withdrawing the lawsuit out of fear after threats from the company. In September, MercurySteam begins a phase of control and censorship of its employees, where all non-work communication channels are eliminated, “random audits” are announced, rest areas are eliminated, common spaces are reduced, and clocking turnstiles are installed in the kitchen. An entire policy of terror that continues until September 29, when makes the complaint public describing all these facts. Apart from a suspicious maneuver (an anonymous statement, supposedly from workers, but none of those interviewed by 3DJuegos know where it comes from), MercurySteam has implemented the 9 hours of the DIJ intermittently and tries to wash its image with job offers that They paint a much more positive atmosphere. But the worst thing is that there is a “sad and overwhelming” atmosphere in the company because, as one of the witnesses says, “the best thing Mercury had was the atmosphere… they are destroying the only good thing about the company.” A sad parenthesis for a company that was a leader in the sector and is going through a major image crisis due to something as essential as not knowing how to manage a crisis. In Xataka | There are authentic Spanish guerrilla studios programming games for NES: ‘Malasombra’ is the latest example

Santa Claus has turned his “neighborhood” into an unbearable theme park

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In December, millions of children – and not so children – they write their letters for Santa Claus and they send them to their house in Lapland. In Lapland there are also people who write their letters, but wishing for something completely different: that tourists stop coming looking for Santa Claus. Because few places reflect so well what causes tourism such as Rovaniemi, the capital of the region. And the locals are fed up. Santa Claus’s city. Lapland is a Finnish region located near the Arctic Circle and its capital, Rovaniemiis a small city of about 65,000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by nature, but what puts it on the map each winter season is the “Santa Claus VillageFounded in 1985, the idea was to imitate something that disney I had been doing quite well for years: monetize the illusion. In fact, the country itself was the one that promoted officially Lapland as the authentic home of Santa Claus. And what was initially a decision to energize an area devastated by the Second World War (in fact, Rovaniemi’s population was residual until the mid-80s), it ended up forming a huge snowball. Burst. HE esteem The Santa Claus Post Office has received more than 15 million letters from 200 countries since it opened in 1985. In the busiest months, they receive 30,000 letters a day. But they don’t just receive letters: they also receive tourists. The “attraction” is open all year round, but it is during the busiest months (as Christmas approaches) when the number of tourists can exceed the local population by ten to one. The busiest day is obviously the 23rd, as tourists want to see Santa Claus leave. And the estimates is that Rovaniemi alone accounts for a third of the benefits of all tourism in Lapland, contributing around 400 million euros to the city. In fact, it is expected to increase by another 200 million annually over the next five years, something that motivates the opening of new hotels and more air connections, even in summer. Doesn’t stop. Because, of course, that number of tourists must sleep somewhere and, although Rovaniemi is not very big and depends on that Christmas tourism, it also seeks to stop being stationary. For example, there is a airport expansion plan for add 1,000 square meters to the terminal, as well as projects to diversify the tourist offer beyond the Christmas season. The plan is to develop adventure and wellness tourism in summer, taking advantage of the fact that they are surrounded by exotic nature and, thus, distribute the flow of visitors throughout the year. To contextualize, esteem that more than 700,000 people visited the region in 2024. They are almost the same as who visited Yucatán at its peak. To the south is Rovaniemi and next to the airport is the village of ‘Santa’ Reviews. And what had to happen happened, something that many other cities around the world are experiencing: a huge influx of tourists that are disturbing the local population. Part of the complaints about this touristification of Lapland They come from those who live all year round in Rovaniemi. Although hotels have been built and more are underway, they are not enough to accommodate so many tourists, so the tourist apartments make their august. This causes a shortage of housing and price increase. They also lament the saturation of local infrastructure during these peak seasons (going to the market on one of those days must be… fun) and something deeper: the loss of cultural identity in the face of excessive commercialization. In fact, in September last year, a group of local activists organized demonstrations demanding measures to prevent uncontrolled tourist growth. The mayor of the city himself recognized that something must be done to find balance, but that the financial gains are there. And both the Finnish Parliament and the Sami themselves they published in 2018 a guide to promote more sustainable and ethical tourism. And nature? Well, there is the other part of the cake and another reason for complaint for the locals. In a report by Guardianthe data of an analysis is presented that shows how, around the most popular tourist spots in Lapland, huge green areas have been developed focused solely on tourism. They include parks, hotels, ski slopes, virtual reality experiences to see the northern lights out of season, and vacation homes. In fact, they estimate that 15% of new urban developments in the region are related to tourism and that, over the past few years, 2.7 million square meters of nature have been consumed in a 10-kilometer radius with Rovaniemi in the center. Half of them are attributed directly to the tourism sector. But tourism is not the only threat. Snowball. In statements to the British media, a pastor from reindeer Sami (the local indigenous community that has been herding reindeer for generations) regrets that there is a set of factors (tourism, mining and logging) that is destroying grazing areas, but it is a situation that is not going to stop, but will increase as if it were a snowball. Taking into account that estimate of adding another $200 million in the short term to annual tourism, the Lapland regional council is already weaving a strategy to “grow resorts until they reach a critical mass in which the conditions for growth are so favorable that they attract more business and vitality to the area.” Meanwhile, environmentalists and locals will continue to wonder what will happen to the cultural heritage of the Sami people when the wave of tourism finishes passing over them. Images | Visit Rovaniemi, Ernmuhl In Xataka | “We do not want to be the Ibiza of the north”: the anti-tourism movement in Cantabria already mobilizes thousands of people

His children and grandchildren turned his inheritance into a nightmare

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Although Disney is today a gigantic company whose ramifications touch all or almost all areas of popular culture, its origins were darker. Both because of its tinyness and because of some of the stories that populate it. The company was founded by brothers Walt and Roy Disney in 1923 and has since been responsible for some of the most iconic and beloved films of all time. However, the history of his Disney heirs It has little of a fairy tale, and a lot of Tarantino film: drugs, betrayals and trusts. The Burbank magician died on December 15, 1966, leaving two daughters and ten grandchildren who would share an enormous legacy of one of the most influential people in the entertainment industry. Less known is the figure of his brother Roy Oliver Disney, co-founder of the company, who also left descendants when he died five years later. Although the descendants were not many, in the history of their legacy one can find touches of Cinderella with her stepsisters, fighting princesses like Pocahontas and some ugly duckling that in the end gave a lot to talk about. Nowadays it is difficult to know precisely the percentage of the company that each heir owns of the company or How much is the fortune of each family member?. The last estimate was made by one of Walt Disney’s grandsons, who calculated that the heirs barely kept 3% of the company’s shares compared to the 20% that his father controlled. To put it a little in context, Steve Jobs left a legacy when he died of 7.54% of Disney shares to his widow. However, although it may seem that 3% of the company is not much, given the size that the company has adopted In recent years, that percentage would imply that Disney’s direct heirs would share a pie of 4.65 billion dollars. Grandpa Walt’s inheritance Walt Disney’s share passed to his two daughters: Diane Marie Disney and Sharon Mae Disney. The first had no less than seven children and lived a quiet life surrounded by vineyards, writing screenplays and honoring his father’s work with philanthropy under the Disney name. Sharon was adopted and was not as restrained with her father’s fortune as her sister. He was married twice. In his first marriage he adopted his daughter Victoria Diane Brownand in her second marriage to Bill Lund she had twins: brad and Michelle Lund Disney. Things in life (and business), Bill Lund was the promoter of the land where it currently stands Disney World in Orlando. Walt Disney’s youngest daughter, Sharon, died in 1993 of breast cancer at the age of 56, leaving her three children a fortune of $400 million as a result of Grandpa Walt’s legacy. The most conflictive since she was a child was Victoria Diane, with a reputation for being manipulative and destructive who, according to publish Hollywood Reporterwas capable of spending $5,000 on a night of debauchery and heroin in Las Vegas in the 1980s. Victoria died in September 2002 at the age of 36. The twins brad and Michelle They were born with some learning problems, so their mother arranged for the deposit of their millionaire inheritance under the supervision of three trustees. These three managers would be in charge of giving them 20 million dollars every five years from the age of 35 until the 400 million that corresponded to them as inheritance were exhausted. If you only knew, Walt. (Commons) In addition, his mother had established a clause ensuring that her children made reasonable use of the money they received. It specified that they would only receive the money if they demonstrated “maturity and financial ability to manage and use the money in a prudent and responsible manner.” As if it were the very story of Cinderella, the managers of the fortune convinced Michelle to declared his twin brother incapable of managing his finances before turning 35, claiming that he suffered from Down Syndrome. That way, he would not receive payment from his mother’s trust fund. Unfortunately for Michelle, luck turned its back on her. She suffered a brain aneurysm and almost died before turning 40. Seriously ill, her father’s second wife offered to take her into her home with the intention of taking control of the succulent inheritance, and they tried to incapacitate her and put Michelle under his guardianship. However, the wealthy heiress recovered from the aneurysm and had to take her stepmother to court to regain control of her finances. Brad, who remained with his father, He didn’t have it easy at all to maintain Grandpa Walt’s legacy. First he got into fights with his sister Michelle and his aunt, who wanted to get their piece of the pie. Ultimately, Brad lost the legal battle and his percentage of the inheritance. The lineage of Roy Oliver Disney The other half of the Disneys are not exempt from controversy either. The line of heirs got off to a good start with the help of his son Roy Edward Disney. The young heir He became involved in the management of Disney until his death in 2009, leaving a legacy of $1.6 billion, approximately 1% of Disney shares. Walt Disney’s nephew left four heirs: Abigail, Tim, Roy Patrick and Susan Disney. Roy Edward Disney’s respectful and continuous nature with the company that his father and uncle Walt had founded was counteracted by the dissident and activist character of his daughter Abigail Disney. Roy Oliver Disney’s granddaughter dedicated a good part of her life to attacking the policies of the company founded by his grandfatheraccusing them of being capitalist exploiters. He even produced a documentary called The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales in which he denounces the labor exploitation situation suffered by some company employees. Abigail Disney was one of the millionaires who signed what was known as manifesto of the Davos millionairesin which a group of 200 millionaires from around the world asked the leaders of the world’s main economies tax large fortunes with higher … Read more

When a mine turned off all its coal fueled engines, it continued to operate 84 hours thanks to something: the renewables

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For 84 hours in a row, a remote gold mine in Australia He completely turned off Its gas and diesel engines and worked only with wind, sun and batteries. It is not a laboratory experiment, but a real underground operation. History comes in a golden context – it never just said. “Gold Historical records brand Above 3,600 dollars an ounce, promoted by the search for refuge in the face of geopolitical and monetary uncertainty. This climbing and the renewed appetite for the bullion become a backdrop of the “clean gold” story. Turning off the past. The Bellevue underground mine, in Western Australia, affirms than the installation Off-Grid 84 consecutive hours worked in August with the “off engine” – that is, without thermal generation -, demonstrating that 100% renewable is possible for remote industries. A great infrastructure. The milestone has been possible Thanks to the remarkable installation which contains: 24 MW of wind energy distributed in four wind turbines, 27 MW of in situ photovoltaic plot and a 15 MW/30 MWh storage system. The support is made up of 9 MW of diesel and 15 MW of gas, which act as support when the renewable resource or battery does not cover the demand. Zenith Energy, the company that operates the plant under a long -term energy purchase agreement, details that the hybrid micorred It reaches about 90 MW installed, with synchronous capacitors and a micorred controller designed so that the mine can completely disconnect from fossil fuels at times of greater renewable generation. A meteoric progression. The ascending curve is clear: in July 2024, renewable participation was only 14%. In June of this year he had already climbed to 64%, in July to 78%and in August he reached 88%, According to Reneweconomy. Since the start -up of wind turbines between May and June 2025, the mine It has operated regularly With more than 90% renewable energies for full days of 24 hours, with several days at 100%. It is not an isolated episode. In June 2025, shortly after the entry into operation of wind turbines, the mine managed to operate 58 hours in a row, renewable 100%, According to Stockhead. In this way, both milestones reinforce the idea that using renewable is technically viable even in energy intensive industries and isolated from the network. A new market: Green Oro. Bellevue is trying to sell part of its production with a premium through the ABC Refinery refinery and the Single Mine Origin program, aimed at jewelry buyers and central banks with ESG sensitivity. “Bellevue states that he now produces and sells ‘green gold’ after reaching the goal of zero net emissions,” They detail in stockhead. In addition, it includes smart ventilation systems on demand (VOD) that reduce electricity consumption up to 30 %, and tests with underground electrical machinery. The nuances. The “net zero” label cannot be taken lightly. The status was reached in scope 1 and 2, that is, direct emissions and electrical consumption, but does not include scope 3 (refined, transport and use of gold). In addition, a part of neutrality is achieved by buying carbon credits, As the company admitted. In addition, from International Energy Forum (IEF) warn that mining It still has great challenges in water, waste and safety, beyond clean energy. Making it sustainable implies transforming the entire chain, not just electricity. The double brightness of gold. In times of uncertainty, gold is again a financial refuge. But Bellevue Gold wants it to also be an energy transition symbol. The gold we buy in the form of a jewel or ingot could come from a mine that, for whole days, feeds only on wind and sun. The question is whether this case will be the spark that transforms all mining or if it will remain a brilliant exception in the middle of the Australian desert. Image | Zenithenergy and Unspash Xataka |

Gentrification has turned ports into inaccessible resorts

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A hundred shipowners demonstrated last Saturday in Cartagena while the Ocean Race was celebrated. Among the banners you could read things like “the sea is not sold” or “decent cattle rates”. And it is that while the gigantic yachts and more pointers in the world sailed through the Murcian bay, on land they protested the sailors who use those same waters the rest of the year. It is this image that summarizes perfectly The crisis that crosses the nautical recreational in Spain. A background problem. What began as isolated protests in different ports has become An increasingly generalized phenomenon. Small vessel shipowners denounce disproportionate increases in mooring rates that are expelling them from the ports. In Cartagena, the cost of mooring a five -meter ship has gone from 30 euros per month in 2000 to 400 euros current. In Ibiza, the situation is even more dramatic. And is that the medium The nautical gazette He shared one of the budgets of Port Nàutic Ibiza for an 8.95 meter vessel, which has seen its annual rate triple from 7,300 to 25,700 euros. Port Nàutic Ibiza budget for a motor of 8.95 meters in length. Image: Nautical Gazette A new reality for the market. As mentioned The confidentialbehind these increases there is a structural change in the Spanish nautical sector. Investment funds such as CVC, known for their agreements with LaLiga, have entered the business through business groups such as D-Marin, which already manages ports in Barcelona and Mallorca. The traditional model of Yacht Clubs, designed to foster sports and social activity, now competes with marine oriented exclusively to maximize benefits. “In the background, a kind of gentrification is being lived that repeats the same processes that we see in the housing sector”, explained to the Enrique Rey, partner of a sailing school at Mar Menor. The figures that confirm the trend. The data of the Higher Sports Council show the real impact of this transformation. Federative candle licenses have fallen from 50,000 before the 2008 crisis less than 20,000 in 2024. A 60% reduction that reflects how high costs are closing the door to new navigators. “The entrance barrier for this world is higher and popular nautical has less space”, summarize King. Social nautical. Paradoxically, there is no consensus on where to draw the line between accessible navigation and luxury. For the Balearic Government, social nautical places it in eight meters. This ambiguity has allowed to some extent that the new concessionaires establish exponentially higher rates for vessels that exceed the established limit by a few centimeters. As warns Manu Fraga, director of the Real Club Náutico de Palma: “If this is generalized, the majority of residents who today have a ship, will have where to put it.” And now what. The president of the Royal Spanish Federation of Vela, Joaquín González Devesa, proposes That the nautical clubs declare their public utility and allocate at least 10% of their income to federated sport, losing the concession who do not meet it. On the other hand, King too Point out The regulation of coasts, which has limited traditional anchorage and access from beaches. The truth is that without an intervention of public institutions, the current model points to increasingly exclusive ports where, as Rey warns, “there will only be room for those who have luxury ships.” Cover image | Monika Guzikowska In Xataka | A Spaniard has patented a mast that transforms wind and waves into electricity: his invention challenges diesel into ships

The Mercedes Concept Amg GT XX is the Mercedes C111 of the future. And to demonstrate it, it has turned around 300 km/h

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It is difficult that Mercedes’s position regarding the electric car does not mislead us. His Electric Mercedes It promises autonomies and consumption hardly comparable to any of its rivals. His proposal is that of a car with that of forgetting any plug. Your electric Mercedes, which promises Homologge almost 800 kilometers of autonomy with an 85 kWh battery (ridiculous consumption of between 12.2 and 12.5 kWh/100 km), it looks like the direct heir of the Mercedes Vision EQXX. That prototype, which en Xataka We could tryhe directed his efforts to aerodynamics, very high battery energy densities and very low consumption. That is, the bet was not to achieve the maximum possible autonomy “to the gross”, increasing the battery capacity well above 100 kWh. The way was the opposite, having a lot of energy available but taking advantage of it very little. While the electric Mercedes filled headlines (some for worse), the company insisted again that it had to keep investing in combustion engines. His CEO, at the head of acea, He has sent a letter to the European Commission where he asks for this: flexibility in adoption to the electric car. And yet, in Mercedes it seems that something very fat is being cooking. We do not doubt that other laboratories of car manufacturers are handled juicy things but Mercedes has something good: it takes out its theories to walk. And thanks to that we can see cars like the Mercedes Concept Amg GT XX. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than the announcing 25 records of a tacada Just when the 60s died, Mercedes presented in society a groundbreaking prototype: The Mercedes C111. During its four generations it was shown that this car was the perfect basis where to try each and every one of the advances that the company had in hand. Under his body passed from diesel engines to rotary engines. It is no accident that the Mercedes Concept Amg GT XX It will appear in society with the orange color that identified that mythical sports. A little over two months ago, the company made this public 1,360 hp prototypea 360 km/Hy peak speed a soundtrack of a V8 … that, of course, you will not find it under its body. The technical data were surprising. To get this prototype to become the most powerful and fast Mercedes-AMG ever manufactured, use three axial flow engines (one in front and two on the rear axle) with a battery refrigerated by immersion (we will now see the details) with an 800 volt structure that allow loads of up to 850 kW as a maximum peak. According to the brand, they allow you to recover 400 kilometers of autonomy in five minutes. To this is added an aerodynamic coefficient of 0.198, almost matching the Lucid Air (0.197) and completely closed tires that not only prevents creating turbulence, they are also responsible for the front air flow not diluted in the passage of the vehicle and it is not until the rear axle is overcome when it is dismissed from it. With all these incentives, it only was waiting to see What was Mercedes of When he decided to throw himself to a test track. That happened only a few days ago. Mercedes has put his concept AMG GT XX at full performance for eight days in the Italian Nardò test trackknown for its speed and for being the place where for the first time the Mercedes C-111-IV exceeded 400 km/h. This time, the Germans put their heir to turn to the immense 12.68 kilometers ring. The result was waiting … eight days. Because for more than a week, the Mercedes Concept Amg GT XX has been spinning without rest. The result is that at that time it has managed to complete the whole world. That is, 40,075 kilometers (24,901 miles). Specifically in 7 days, 13 hours 24 minutes and 7 seconds. Not happy with it, the car continued to pushing the barrier of 25,000 miles. On the way the Germans broke 25 long distance records. In the first 24 hours they already reached 5,479 kilometers. The figure was overwhelmed: 1,518 kilometers more tours than the previous record. The formula was simple and effective. Mercedes engineers mounted the pilot, he went to the track and put himself at a cruise speed of 300 km/h. When the battery was exhausted, passing through boxes to recharge at 850 kW of power. Thus, day and night. Day and night for eight days. In total, 3,177 turns of the Nardò circuit of 12.68 kilometers. You can consult all kilometer milestones (and also in miles) In this link. Among the keys that have allowed Mercedes get up with these distance recordsThe company ensures that cooling has been key. They say they have an innovative direct cooling system of the battery fluid. As the components have to face different temperature ranges, it has a central refrigerant concentrator that supplies the specific refrigeration that each of one of it needs. It is also connected to the main radiator and two other wheel arc radiators on each side of the front. Working surgically, you can distribute cooling among all components or specifically send it to the one you need most at that time. Thus, the test has been held in Three pillars: cooling, aerodynamics and recharges time. To guarantee the maximum performance, the company came to install its own medium voltage electric lines, transformers and load stations. Thus, they could have their own high -power load concentrator developed entirely by themselves. In fact, works that extended almost three months were necessary. The result: three loaders with a total power of 2.5 MW. The average of the charges was 850 kW but the company does not specify for how long they were carrying or to what percentage of the battery they loaded with each stop. It is impossible, therefore, to really know the battery capacity used. Photos | Mercedes In Xataka | Solid state batteries are the … Read more

It was hired by Spacex at age 14. Now, with 16, the young genius has turned his back on Elon Musk to go to Wall Street

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His history turned the world. Kairan Quazi graduated at the University of Santa Clara with 14 years. Almost immediately, He was signed as Spacex software engineer. Now, the young prodigy has abandoned Elon Musk’s space company to work in finance. The youngest employee of Spacex. He was not a fellow they sent for cafes. For two years, Kairan was one of Starlink engineers, the Spacex satellite Internet network. His work was critical: he designed the software that determines where the satellites point their beams to offer a stable connection. “I had a very broad field of work and a lot of responsibility, especially for a junior engineer,” Count the boy to Business Insider. Spacex expected him to lead projects from beginning to end: develop ideas, present them to other engineers and address, implement them and supervise the deployments. With 16 years, I needed a change. After two years at the aerospace avant -garde, Kairan Quazi felt prepared to “assume new challenges and expand their skills” in a different high performance environment. The young prodigy received offers from the most leading artificial intelligence laboratories, but it was a proposal of Citadel Securities, a trading giant, which finally convinced him to leave Spacex. Now work as quant unaveloper developing financial models. Quants, the elite of programming. The decision to change rockets for financial algorithms is not accidental. For the best mathematicians and software engineers, only artificial intelligence competes in attractiveness with the world of finance specialized in quantitative analysis. With millionaire wages, the Quants sector combines the complexity and intellectual challenge of other sectors with a much faster rhythm, measurable in days, not in months as in many research environments. In algorithmic trading, an idea is tested, implemented and gives results (for better or worse) in a matter of hours. For the rest, a teenager. Kairan valued that Citadel Securities did not take into account his age or his years of experience when offering opportunities. But sometimes he has to remember that he is a teenager. During his stage in Spacex, his mother had to take him to work every day because, with 14 years, he had no driving license. The episode in which LinkedIn erased the account for not having fulfilled the minimum age of 16. From Silicon Valley to Wall Street. Kairan was born in the San Francisco Bay area and He began his university studies with nine years. After his early entry into the working world, he now moves to Manhattan, where he will live 10 minutes walk from the office. This Bangladesí-American, fond of reading, video games, escalation and piano, lands in a city that already knows for its family roots in Queens. Wall Street will mark a new chapter for a young man who seems to have no limits. Image | Scu In Xataka | What Spacex has achieved with Starship is incredible. The only problem is that he has done it at the expense of the health of his employees

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