Greetings N2K reader!

The theme of this week’s world famous News Haiku™ competition is that ChatGPT will allow “erotic” content soon, which might help OpenAI become profitable. Email me yours by today at noon ET for a chance to be voted on by your Cheddar peers. Now let’s talk about today’s news you Need2Know, shall we?

—Matt Davis, Need2Know Chedditor

News You Need2Know

• Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

• Time to cancel HBO Max?

• Warner Bros. Discovery says it’s considering sale

• Eric Trump told us Bitcoin is all good

• OpenAI launches AI-powered browser

• ‘AI am the one who knocks’: Bryan Cranston fights …

What’s the stock market up to, eh?

$SPX ( ▲ 0.38% ) $DJI ( ▲ 0.56% ) $NDX ( ▲ 0.94% )

Companies mentioned in today’s newsletter

$WBD ( 0.0% )  $DIS ( ▼ 0.5% )  $NFLX ( ▲ 0.99% )  $CMCSA ( ▼ 0.48% )  $AMZN ( ▲ 1.03% )  $PSKY ( ▼ 2.2% )  $ABTC ( ▼ 6.04% )

Time to cancel HBO Max?

I just canceled mine. I saw that they’d jacked the price by two bucks, tried to remember the last time I watched the channel, Googled “is there anything good on HBO Max,” didn’t like the answers, and canceled. Soooo. Maybe you will, too?

Don’t get me wrong, I loved “The Sopranos.” In 2007. And another “Game of Thrones” sequel is just as boring to me as the original was. In 2025.

Owner Warner Bros. Discovery $WBD ( 0.0% ) (about whom more, separately, in a moment 👇🏻) announced another round of price hikes on Tuesday, marking the third increase in just three years. Effective immediately, the streaming platform’s plans will see noticeable bumps. The company disclosed the new rates to include HBO Max Basic with Ads, now priced at $10.99/month (up $1), and HBO Max Standard without ads at $18.49/month (up $1.50). The premium tier, which I had, and which offers 4K content and streaming across four devices, will climb to $22.99 (a $2 monthly increase). Annual plans were also adjusted.

These adjustments come during a challenging period for streamers. Disney+ $DIS ( ▼ 0.5% ) and Netflix $NFLX ( ▲ 0.99% ) have also raised their rates this year.

Song of the day: Maggie Lindemann, ‘Spine’

"Spine" is a sarcastic, biting alt-pop-rock track where Ms. Lindemann calls out a partner for lacking bravery and being unwilling to act without rehearsal. Tell the boy to grow a spine!

Warner Bros. Discovery says it’s considering sale

Hey, speaking of Warner Bros. Discovery $WBD ( 0.0% ) , they announced on Tuesday that they’re “exploring strategic options,” including the sale of the entire company or the spinoff of key assets.

David “I Shelved ‘Coyote vs. Acme’“ Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO, is reportedly responding to interest from multiple potential buyers. While the company did not name suitors outright, their statement confirmed widespread interest: “It is safe to assume it is multiple parties.”

Comcast $CMCSA ( ▼ 0.48% ) , Amazon $AMZN ( ▲ 1.03% ) , and Paramount $PSKY ( ▼ 2.2% ) have been rumored as contenders, with the latter’s CEO, David “Bari Weiss” Ellison, positioning Paramount as a “serious bidder,” thanks to his daddy’s money and alliances with the Trump administration which could well influence the outcome through its regulatory measures.

Today on the ‘gram: Back on the menu…

Post of the day: Feed the kids peanuts!

Quote of the Day

Eric Trump told us Bitcoin is all good

Eric Trump, co-founder and chief strategy officer at American Bitcoin $ABTC ( ▼ 6.04% ) , shared his insights on the burgeoning world of cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin. He modestly highlighted the company's significant role in the Bitcoin mining industry, for example.

"American Bitcoin, we're one of the largest mining companies anywhere in the world. We mine all our Bitcoin in West Texas,” he said. “We're mining at roughly 50% of spot prices on Bitcoin right now, an incredibly successful company."

Trump, who has said his family has made more than a billion dollars in crypto markets since his father got elected, also emphasized Bitcoin's potential as the "greatest hedge against hard assets," a realization that came after experiencing de-platforming by traditional banks. "There's nothing that's done by the big banks that can't be done better, cheaper, faster, and more transparently, you know, using blockchain technology,” he said.

Discussing the company’s partnership with Hut 8, he said, "American Bitcoin is focused on single-handedly mining Bitcoin... And obviously our sister, company, you Know, Hut 8 it's focused on the data centers, the energy transmission, the energy sources, power. And so it's a greatest marriage you could possibly imagine."

Apart, of course, from other great marriages, like the one between peanut butter and chocolate.

Addressing concerns about volatility and missing out, Trump encouraged investment: "Buy Bitcoin, buy cryptocurrency, close your eyes for five years, and I really do believe you're gonna be rewarded in a massive, massive way," he said. He believes America is "winning this revolution" in finance, with crypto growing faster than the Internet did in 1999.

None of this is financial advice, of course.

Should you check your 401(k) today?

👎️ 

No.

OpenAI launches AI-powered browser

As if expanding into erotic content wasn’t enough, OpenAI has launched its new web browser, Atlas, to challenge Google $GOOGL ( ▼ 0.53% ) Chrome’s dominance. Designed to seamlessly integrate ChatGPT’s AI capabilities, Atlas aims to reshape how users conduct online searches by making the chatbot interface a central feature. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called this launch a “rare, once-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser can be about and how to use one.”

Atlas, which debuted on Apple laptops and will soon be available on Windows, iOS, and Android, offers features like “agent mode,” allowing the chatbot to navigate the internet on users’ behalf based on their browser history and queries. Altman explained, “It’s using the internet for you.” However, not everyone is onboard. Forrester analyst Paddy “Chicken Little/Voice of Reason“ Harrington expressed concerns: “Your profile will be personally attuned to you based on all the information sucked up about you. OK, scary. But is it really you, really what you’re thinking, or what that engine decides it’s going to do?”

With over 800 million ChatGPT users, OpenAI hopes Atlas can compete with Google Chrome, which boasts 3 billion users. If by “compete” they mean “have less than a third as many,” then I agree 33.33%.

‘AI am the one who knocks’: Bryan Cranston fights deepfakes

OpenAI is taking firm steps to address growing concerns around deepfakes on its AI video creation tool, Sora 2. In a statement released on Monday, the company announced collaboration with actor Bryan Cranston, SAG-AFTRA, and leading talent agencies to safeguard performers’ likenesses and voices from unauthorized use.

The issue gained attention after Cranston, famous for his roles in “Breaking Bad” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” as well as “Seinfeld,” of course, expressed alarm at AI-generated videos replicating his voice and image without permission following Sora 2’s launch. “I am grateful to OpenAI for its policy and for improving its guardrails, and hope that they and all of the companies involved in this work, respect our personal and professional right to manage replication of our voice and likeness,” Cranston said in a statement.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reiterated the company’s commitment to protecting performers: “OpenAI is deeply committed to protecting performers from the misappropriation of their voice and likeness,” he said. He also emphasized the company’s support for the NO FAKES Act, federal legislation designed to prevent unauthorized AI-generated replicas of individuals.

Poll of the day: Do you trust crypto?

Poll of the day: They’ll take a credit card, right?

We asked: “How concerned are you about rising health care costs?”

You answered:

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not concerned (47)

 🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Concerned (158)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Very concerned (588)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Freaking out (227)

1020 Votes via @beehiiv polls

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