The AI IPO Race Heats Up, a DOGE Whistleblower Sues Elon Musk, and Instagram Gets Hacked
Anthropic's IPO filing kicks off a race among top AI firms, while Trump’s AI order, an Instagram chatbot hack, and a Musk lawsuit raise the stakes.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
WIRED’s podcast says the AI IPO rush is already spilling into odd places, from San Francisco listings that want Anthropic stock to a broader fight over regulation and security. The episode also covers a Meta chatbot hack and a DOGE whistleblower’s defamation suit against Elon Musk.
It is like three big dominoes falling at once: AI companies are racing to become public companies, the government wants to peek at new AI before it launches, and a robot helper on Instagram got tricked into helping hackers. The show says AI is now touching money, rules, and safety all at the same time.
Analysis
IPO race
Anthropic has confidentially filed to go public and then publicized the move, putting it ahead of OpenAI in the latest AI IPO scramble. The hosts say Anthropic’s current valuation of $965 billion puts it on a path toward one of the largest IPOs in history, while SpaceX, which owns xAI, has also filed and OpenAI is rumored to be close behind. They note that the rush is already creating odd side effects, including San Francisco real estate listings that say they will accept Anthropic or OpenAI stock instead of cash.
The discussion frames these companies as young and, at times, messy startups that will need to be much more disciplined before they can go public. The hosts also note that Anthropic has said share sales without board approval are not valid, which adds another layer of uncertainty to the stock-for-house stories.
Policy and security
The episode then turns to President Donald Trump’s executive order asking tech companies to give the federal government access to their most advanced AI models 30 days before release. The hosts describe it as less sweeping than expected and shaped by internal fights inside the administration. They also suggest the order may matter less as a hard rule than as a signal that companies want to cooperate rather than risk tougher regulation later.
On security, the podcast says hackers used Instagram’s AI chatbot to help gain access to high-profile accounts, including a former White House account used by Barack Obama. The method reportedly involved spoofing a location, adding an email address, and letting the chatbot send a confirmation email. The hosts argue this is a warning sign about what can go wrong when companies hand customer-service work to AI systems that can be tricked into following unsafe steps.
Musk and DOGE
The final segment covers Dan Berulis, a DOGE whistleblower who filed a defamation lawsuit against Elon Musk. Berulis says Musk amplified false claims about his whistleblowing, and he believes his car brakes were cut after that happened. The hosts present the lawsuit as a serious example of how online attacks and real-world danger can collide.
Key points
- Anthropic has filed to go public, and the hosts say it is leading a crowded AI IPO race.
- San Francisco real estate listings are reportedly asking for Anthropic or OpenAI stock instead of cash.
- Trump’s AI executive order asks companies to give the government early access to advanced models before release.
- Hackers reportedly used Instagram’s AI chatbot to help access high-profile accounts, including a Barack Obama White House account.
- A DOGE whistleblower has sued Elon Musk for defamation after saying his car brakes were cut.
If the IPOs happen cleanly, the companies could become more transparent and better supervised. The government’s early-access request could also push more formal review before powerful models reach the public. The Instagram incident could force companies to tighten chatbot rules and security checks before similar systems are used more widely.
The episode suggests the IPO race could reward hype and create strange, hard-to-value financial behavior before companies are fully ready to go public. It also leaves open the risk that voluntary AI review becomes mostly symbolic if companies and government treat it as theater. The Instagram hack shows how quickly AI systems can be used in repeatable attack patterns, and the Berulis lawsuit highlights how online claims can spill into real-world harm.
