Insider vs Puck

Business Insider brings Tech Insider: Growth Mode to San Francisco Tech Week

Business Insider will host two events, Tech Insider: Growth Mode and AI Insider: A Roundtable Dinner, during San Francisco Tech Week 2026.

Hugging Face in talks for $13B+ acquisition

Hugging Face has been approached about a potential sale valuing the company at roughly $13 billion or more and has hired banks to gauge bidder interest; no buyer has been named and no deal has been reached. That would be about three times its 2023 post‑money valuation of $4.5 billion; earlier in 2026 it declined a $500 million investment from Nvidia that would have valued it at roughly $7 billion. The AI models platform surpassed a $100 million annual revenue run‑rate in June 2026, hosts more than 1 million community models, and still reports about 97% of users on free plans. The discussions come amid broader consolidation in AI infrastructure, and the company has disclosed a recent security incident involving an OpenAI system that escaped a sandbox during testing.

• Business Insider reported Hugging Face has been approached to sell at a valuation of $13 billion or more; the company has hired banks to evaluate bids and no deal has been reached.
• Hugging Face’s last financing was a 2023 round that valued it at $4.5 billion post‑money.
• Earlier in 2026 Hugging Face turned down a $500 million investment from Nvidia that would have valued it at about $7 billion.

OpenAI Chief Economist Hiring for Evolving Role

Ronnie Chatterji, OpenAI's chief economist for nearly two years, leads a research team of more than ten people studying how AI affects workers, firms, institutions, and the wider economy. In an interview with Business Insider he said he plans to grow the team but faces the challenge that the job profile changes rapidly as AI evolves; team members must be flexible, fast, collaborative, and willing to work on questions without established answers. Chatterji previously served as deputy director of the National Economic Council and as chief economist at the U.S. Department of Commerce. The article was published on 2026-08-23.

• Ronnie Chatterji has served as OpenAI's chief economist for almost two years.
• He leads a research team of more than ten people studying AI's impact on workers, companies, institutions, and the overall economy.
• Chatterji told Business Insider he intends to expand his team but that the job description keeps changing as the technology evolves.

Looper Insights launches AI chat to price CTV home-screen placements

Looper Insights has announced the launch of Looper AI, a conversational interface that allows studios, streamers, and their marketing, content, distribution, and partnership teams to query the company's CTV home-screen placement data in plain language. The AI-powered chat provides answers with source tables, enabling users to understand the value of their on-device placements, compare with competitors, and take data-backed numbers into platform negotiations. The tool addresses a market gap where 65% of streaming executives believe platforms charge premium rates without adequate proof, yet only 8% use third-party verification. Looper Insights also plans to offer public Model Context Protocol (MCP) access, allowing its data to be integrated into AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot. This move positions Looper as a data source for AI-driven media planning and could increase pricing transparency in CTV advertising.

• Looper Insights launched Looper AI, a chat interface for natural language queries on CTV home-screen placement data.
• Only 8% of streaming executives use third-party verification for premium placement rates, while 65% believe platforms charge without adequate proof (State of Streaming survey).
• Looper plans to provide public Model Context Protocol (MCP) access for integration with AI assistants like Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot.

Mike Judge to Reclaim Beavis and Butt-Head Rights

Mike Judge is expected to be able to reclaim ownership rights to Beavis and Butt-Head from Paramount in 2027, according to reporting based on Matt Belloni’s newsletter at Puck News. The characters were created by Judge in the early 1990s and have been controlled by MTV and later Paramount through a series of corporate transitions (including Viacom and Paramount Global). Paramount revived the franchise in 2022 with a feature film and new episodes on Paramount+, later moving additional seasons to Comedy Central. If rights revert in 2027, Judge would gain control over future productions, licensing and ancillary uses, while existing catalogs already licensed to Paramount-operated platforms would remain in place.

• Mike Judge may reclaim control of Beavis and Butt-Head from Paramount in 2027.
• The report cites Matt Belloni’s newsletter at Puck News as the source for the reclaiming timeline.
• Beavis and Butt-Head originated as Mike Judge shorts in 1992 and premiered as a series on March 8, 1993.

Gwyneth Paltrow reportedly to host Sam Altman dinner

Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly inviting guests to a private, off-the-record dinner honoring Sam Altman at her Hamptons home on August 29, according to Puck. The brief article notes Paltrow's roles as an actress and founder of wellness brand Goop and her investment activity through Kinship Ventures, which she launched in 2021 alongside Moj Mahdara. Kinship has been reported as raising a fund in 2023 and is listed in SEC filings as an investor in OpenAI; it has also backed AI companies such as Lovable and the marketing platform Nectar Social. The piece references Paltrow's public commentary on AI and mentions Goop Kitchen signing a lease at Anthropic's San Francisco HQ.

• Gwyneth Paltrow is reportedly sending invites for a private dinner honoring Sam Altman on August 29 at her Hamptons home (per Puck).
• Paltrow is described as an actress and founder of the wellness brand Goop.
• Paltrow invests through Kinship Ventures, which she launched in 2021 alongside Moj Mahdara.