Antitrust heat meets AI research cadence

🧩 The Gist

Two stories drew attention, an Anthropic research update titled Project Vend, Phase Two, and an investigative blog framing a Nvidia related Groq deal as a $20B antitrust loophole. The Nvidia piece argues the arrangement dodged regulators, enriched Chamath, and sidestepped Saudi entanglements, and it surged on Hacker News. Together they highlight the split screen of the AI moment, ongoing research efforts alongside hard questions about market power and oversight.

🚀 Key Highlights

• Anthropic published a research page titled Project Vend, Phase Two on its site.
• The Project Vend link appeared on Hacker News, prompting discussion.
• One Hacker News commenter reacted skeptically, suggesting the experiment could reduce to simple if else rules.
• Ossama Chaib published Nvidia’s $20B Antitrust Loophole, tagged under AI and Research.
• The blog’s description frames it as a Groq deal that dodged regulators, enriched Chamath, and avoided Saudi entanglements.
• The Nvidia article drew strong community traction on Hacker News, reaching 318 points and 113 comments.

🎯 Strategic Takeaways

• Policy and regulation: The Nvidia Groq framing underscores how deal structure can shape antitrust exposure, expect continued scrutiny around AI infrastructure partnerships and transactions.
• Market dynamics: Infrastructure concentration remains a flashpoint, community interest signals concern about how capital and access are allocated in the AI stack.
• Research cadence: Anthropic releasing a Phase Two update signals ongoing, iterative work on a named project, readers should watch for concrete methods and results in future posts.
• Community pulse: High engagement on Hacker News shows a strong appetite for investigative analysis, paired with healthy skepticism toward research claims that lack operational detail.

🧠 Worth Reading

• Nvidia’s $20B Antitrust Loophole by Ossama Chaib. The piece argues that a Groq related deal created an antitrust workaround, with financial beneficiaries and geopolitical considerations explicitly called out. It is a useful lens for understanding how transaction design interacts with AI infrastructure power, and why enforcement focus may need to adapt.