The Verge vs Vox Media

Tech Reporter Alex Heath Joins Sound Ventures as Partner

Alex Heath, a prominent tech journalist formerly of The Verge, is joining Sound Ventures, the venture capital firm co-founded by Guy Oseary and Ashton Kutcher, as a partner. Heath will continue his newsletter and podcast 'Sources' independently, which has generated over $1 million in revenue since its launch in September 2025. Sound Ventures is raising a $300 million fifth fund with an expected first close this month. The firm has invested heavily in AI companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic, and has nearly $2 billion in assets under management. Heath's transition marks a move from journalism to venture capital, where he will invest in startups.

• Alex Heath joins Sound Ventures as a partner.
• Sound Ventures is targeting a $300 million fifth fund.
• Heath will continue his newsletter and podcast 'Sources' independently.

Anthropic paper demonstrates automated self-improving AI

Anthropic published a research paper showing that automated “researcher” systems can reliably improve a model’s performance on alignment benchmarks. Led by Anthropic fellow Chen Yueh-Han, the Automated Alignment Researcher (AAR) searches literature, proposes methods, and iteratively trains models (30-minute trials) to raise benchmark performance; it improved all 10 tested misalignment benchmarks without degrading overall performance. The paper reports cost and speed advantages (AAR inference ~ $4/hour vs human researchers ~$150/hour) but notes limitations: dependence on benchmark design and the need to maintain literature and benchmarks. Authors present this as an early step toward recursive self-improvement and automated alignment post-training, while acknowledging more work is required to validate real-world alignment goals.

• Anthropic published a paper titled "Automated Researchers Can Reliably Mitigate Alignment Failures."
• The research was led by Anthropic fellow Chen Yueh-Han.
• Automated systems in the paper improved performance on all 10 tested alignment benchmarks without degrading overall model performance.

Apple Rolls Out Ads in Apple Maps

Apple has started showing paid placements in Apple Maps in the US and Canada, placing ads in search results and the 'Suggested Places' area, marked with a blue "Ad" label. Businesses must claim their location to run campaigns via an automated, auction-based system; advertisers pay depending on user actions. Apple says it selects ads using session context signals (search terms, approximate location, map viewport) and does not link interactions to Apple accounts. The rollout expands Apple's ad inventory and revenue potential but raises criticism concerning a perceived conflict with Apple's privacy positioning.

• Apple has begun serving paid ads in Apple Maps, initially rolling out in the United States and Canada.
• Ads can appear in search results and the 'Suggested Places' section and are labeled with a blue 'Ad' symbol.
• Advertisers must claim their business listing in Apple Maps and can run self-funded campaigns; placements are automated and priced via an auction model with payment tied to user actions.

Global Marketing Influencer Seth Matlins and Vox Media Announce The Create or Destroy Sessions

Inaugural business and growth leaders summit takes place October 26-28 in Napa Valley.

'How I Built This' Partners with Vox Media for Ambitious New Chapter

Creator and host Guy Raz acquires full ownership of the iconic entrepreneurship franchise and partners with Vox Media to lead expansion into video, live events, and more.

Vox Media Announces New Podcast Launches and Live Tours

Vox Media's news page has been updated with several new press releases, including the launch of the Criminal live show 'Don't Worry' across 13 cities, the second annual Pivot national tour, the new 'Happy Hour With Ina Garten' weekly show, and the 'Monday Music Club' podcast with Will Anderson.