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The UK is slogging through an online age-gate apocalypse

The UK is slogging through an online age-gate apocalypse

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People across the United Kingdom have been faced with a censored and partially inaccessible online landscape since the country introduced its latest digital safety rules on Friday.

The Online Safety Act mandates that web service operators must use “highly effective” age verification measures to stop kids from accessing a wide range of material, on penalty of heavy fines and criminal action against senior managers. It’s primarily focused on pornography and content that promotes suicide, self-harm, or eating disorders, but the scope of “priority content” also includes materials related to bullying, abusive or hateful content, and dangerous stunts or challenges.

Effectively, web platforms must either set up an age verification system that poses potential privacy risks, default to blocking huge swaths of potentially questionable content, or entirely pull out of the UK. Residents are finding themselves locked out of anything from period-related subreddits to hobbyist forums — it’s little wonder that they’re turning to VPNs.

Over the past several days, several large social media platforms have started requiring age verification in the UK to access certain features and types of content, in partnership with third-party software providers. Users typically have a choice between uploading bank card information, an image of government-issued ID, or a facial scan that estimates the user’s age.

Meta users likely won’t have seen a huge difference over the weekend, as Facebook and Instagram rolled out age verification requirements a few years ago. Bluesky users in the UK, however, now can’t access direct messaging capabilities until they complete the platform’s new age verification process. Reddit has also blocked access to specific subreddits for UK-based users who don’t complete its age verification process, some of which — r/periods, r/stopsmoking, r/stopdrinking, and r/sexualassault, for example — provide valued community support and resources for adults and minors alike.

People are already finding loopholes for these systems. The face scanning systems for Persona and k-ID — the third-party verification software used by Reddit and Discord, respectively — can both be easily tricked using Death Stranding’s photo mode. (Facebook and Instagram use a similar service called Yoti, which so far does not appear to have been fooled the same way.)

X doesn’t yet have a direct verification system, and is instead currently estimating age based on factors like account creation date, social connections, email addresses, and legacy verification. Accounts that don’t have any of these signals in place are locked out of accessing certain content until X rolls out the ID and facial scanner-based checkers it’s planning to release “in the following weeks.” That includes protest footage and video game clips that depict violence — and users who aren’t even based in the UK are reporting content restrictions as well.

Outside the biggest platforms, some sites are entirely inaccessible. Cybersecurity company McAfee reports that more than 6,000 websites that host adult content have already implemented age assurance methods, but others have opted to geoblock their services in the UK. A wide variety of unrelated, innocuous websites have followed suit. That includes forums for owners of EV Renault vehicles, electronic music production, beaded jewelry patterns, and tech-focused blogs. Many smaller forums simply don’t have the resources to support third-party verification systems or risk millions of dollars in fines.

Wikipedia has voiced similar concerns over other Online Safety Act rules that could require it to verify its adult contributors, which the Wikimedia Foundation behind Wikipedia says could leave volunteers vulnerable to “data breaches, stalking, lawsuits, or even imprisonment by authoritarian regimes.” As such, while it’s still available for now, the platform is also considering blocking UK users to avoid compliance entirely.

The UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom, declined to offer an attributed on-the-record comment about the new age checks to The Verge. In unattributed statements to other outlets, it said it was “now assessing compliance to make sure platforms have them in place, and companies that fall short should expect to face enforcement action.”

UK residents have launched a parliamentary petition in response to the sweeping age verification requirements, urging the UK government to repeal the Online Safety Act, and describing it as “far broader and restrictive than is necessary in a free society.” The petition has attracted more than 350,000 signatures at the time of writing, surpassing the 100,000 signatures needed to force the government to consider holding a debate over the demands.

Meanwhile, some users have been finding ways to avoid undergoing verification entirely, expressing distrust over handing their personal information over to private overseas companies. Many restrictions can be evaded by using a VPN, which masks the user’s true location by making it seem like they’re in another country — one without the UK’s rigid online safety rules. VPN apps currently occupy five out of the top 10 most popular free apps on Apple’s iOS store in the UK. The top spot is currently held by Swiss-based VPN provider Proton VPN, which surpassed ChatGPT over the weekend.

Proton VPN’s general manager, David Peterson, told The Verge that it had seen a more than 1,800 percent increase in daily sign-ups from UK-based users since Friday. The UK is now one of the countries generating the highest usage for Proton VPN, according to Peterson, with the vast majority of new users signing up for free accounts.

“This clearly shows that adults are concerned about the impact universal age verification laws will have on their privacy,” said Peterson. “The sign-up spike in the UK follows a similar pattern as when other governments put in place restrictions on communication or social media platforms, and shouldn’t be surprising since services like Wikipedia, Reddit, and X are reportedly being asked to comply with age verification requirements.”

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Watching Bluey, the beloved Australian cartoon show for kids, you might not think of Dropout, a streaming platform that revels in adult humor. But thanks to Game Changer‘s provocative Season 8 premiere episode, “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Dropout CEO and host Sam Reich has revealed an incredible connection between the comedy streamer and the hit cartoon. 

To answer burning questions we had about Game Changer‘s “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Reich about the ins and outs of the “legally spicy” episode. When asked about Lou Wilson’s Bluey rant — during which a parody of the adorable pup appeared onscreen — Reich revealed that he’d previously worked with Bluey creator Joe Brumm. 

“I don’t think that most people know this,” Reich said. “It’s the tiniest little diatribe, but we did an animated series really early on for Dropbox called What the Fuck 101, which was like a messed-up Magic School Bus.”

“At the time,” Reich explained, “The chief animator of that [show] was like, ‘I’m gonna have to pull double duty on this and another project that’s been green-lit, because it’s really personal to me.’ And so, simultaneously, this guy, Joe Brumm, was doing What the Fuck 101 and the first season of Bluey. And before that, he did a huge number of College Humor shorts. I mean, all over his resume, the biggest thing on his resume was College Humor before it was Bluey.” 

Reich clearly relished his time working with Brumm, both at College Humor and its spinoff streamer Dropout. And of Bluey, he said, “I’ve watched a fair amount of it. It’s fantastic. It’s so heartfelt and distinct and original, and it’s a work of art. And you would never guess the other things that Studio Joho was doing for us.”

WTF 101 is now streaming on Dropout. 

Bluey is now streaming on Disney+. 

#Bluey #unexpected #Dropout #connection #Game #Changer #shock">‘Bluey’ has an unexpected Dropout connection beyond the ‘Game Changer’ shock Watching Bluey, the beloved Australian cartoon show for kids, you might not think of Dropout, a streaming platform that revels in adult humor. But thanks to Game Changer‘s provocative Season 8 premiere episode, “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Dropout CEO and host Sam Reich has revealed an incredible connection between the comedy streamer and the hit cartoon. To answer burning questions we had about Game Changer‘s “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Reich about the ins and outs of the “legally spicy” episode. When asked about Lou Wilson’s Bluey rant — during which a parody of the adorable pup appeared onscreen — Reich revealed that he’d previously worked with Bluey creator Joe Brumm. “I don’t think that most people know this,” Reich said. “It’s the tiniest little diatribe, but we did an animated series really early on for Dropbox called What the Fuck 101, which was like a messed-up Magic School Bus.” Mashable Top Stories “At the time,” Reich explained, “The chief animator of that [show] was like, ‘I’m gonna have to pull double duty on this and another project that’s been green-lit, because it’s really personal to me.’ And so, simultaneously, this guy, Joe Brumm, was doing What the Fuck 101 and the first season of Bluey. And before that, he did a huge number of College Humor shorts. I mean, all over his resume, the biggest thing on his resume was College Humor before it was Bluey.” Reich clearly relished his time working with Brumm, both at College Humor and its spinoff streamer Dropout. And of Bluey, he said, “I’ve watched a fair amount of it. It’s fantastic. It’s so heartfelt and distinct and original, and it’s a work of art. And you would never guess the other things that Studio Joho was doing for us.”WTF 101 is now streaming on Dropout. Bluey is now streaming on Disney+.  #Bluey #unexpected #Dropout #connection #Game #Changer #shock

Bluey, the beloved Australian cartoon show for kids, you might not think of Dropout, a streaming platform that revels in adult humor. But thanks to Game Changer‘s provocative Season 8 premiere episode, “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Dropout CEO and host Sam Reich has revealed an incredible connection between the comedy streamer and the hit cartoon. 

To answer burning questions we had about Game Changer‘s “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Reich about the ins and outs of the “legally spicy” episode. When asked about Lou Wilson’s Bluey rant — during which a parody of the adorable pup appeared onscreen — Reich revealed that he’d previously worked with Bluey creator Joe Brumm. 

“I don’t think that most people know this,” Reich said. “It’s the tiniest little diatribe, but we did an animated series really early on for Dropbox called What the Fuck 101, which was like a messed-up Magic School Bus.”

“At the time,” Reich explained, “The chief animator of that [show] was like, ‘I’m gonna have to pull double duty on this and another project that’s been green-lit, because it’s really personal to me.’ And so, simultaneously, this guy, Joe Brumm, was doing What the Fuck 101 and the first season of Bluey. And before that, he did a huge number of College Humor shorts. I mean, all over his resume, the biggest thing on his resume was College Humor before it was Bluey.” 

Reich clearly relished his time working with Brumm, both at College Humor and its spinoff streamer Dropout. And of Bluey, he said, “I’ve watched a fair amount of it. It’s fantastic. It’s so heartfelt and distinct and original, and it’s a work of art. And you would never guess the other things that Studio Joho was doing for us.”

WTF 101 is now streaming on Dropout. 

Bluey is now streaming on Disney+. 

#Bluey #unexpected #Dropout #connection #Game #Changer #shock">‘Bluey’ has an unexpected Dropout connection beyond the ‘Game Changer’ shock

Watching Bluey, the beloved Australian cartoon show for kids, you might not think of Dropout, a streaming platform that revels in adult humor. But thanks to Game Changer‘s provocative Season 8 premiere episode, “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Dropout CEO and host Sam Reich has revealed an incredible connection between the comedy streamer and the hit cartoon. 

To answer burning questions we had about Game Changer‘s “Don’t Wake Standards and Practices,” Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko spoke with Reich about the ins and outs of the “legally spicy” episode. When asked about Lou Wilson’s Bluey rant — during which a parody of the adorable pup appeared onscreen — Reich revealed that he’d previously worked with Bluey creator Joe Brumm. 

“I don’t think that most people know this,” Reich said. “It’s the tiniest little diatribe, but we did an animated series really early on for Dropbox called What the Fuck 101, which was like a messed-up Magic School Bus.”

“At the time,” Reich explained, “The chief animator of that [show] was like, ‘I’m gonna have to pull double duty on this and another project that’s been green-lit, because it’s really personal to me.’ And so, simultaneously, this guy, Joe Brumm, was doing What the Fuck 101 and the first season of Bluey. And before that, he did a huge number of College Humor shorts. I mean, all over his resume, the biggest thing on his resume was College Humor before it was Bluey.” 

Reich clearly relished his time working with Brumm, both at College Humor and its spinoff streamer Dropout. And of Bluey, he said, “I’ve watched a fair amount of it. It’s fantastic. It’s so heartfelt and distinct and original, and it’s a work of art. And you would never guess the other things that Studio Joho was doing for us.”

WTF 101 is now streaming on Dropout. 

Bluey is now streaming on Disney+. 

#Bluey #unexpected #Dropout #connection #Game #Changer #shock

Volvo’s compact, quirky EX30 had a lot of problems when it was first released. Tariffs essentially erased its affordability, making it more expensive to own, and a battery recall made it dangerous to park indoors. But its discontinuation didn’t spell the end of Volvo’s efforts to sell more affordable electric models. In fact, the Swedish automaker is already at work on a new offering for the US market.

The news of an affordable Volvo EV for the US came during a media roundtable this week related to the US launch of the new EX60. Luis Rezende, president of Volvo Cars America, said that the decision to discontinue the EX30 was not solely about tariffs and profitability, noting that the company is preparing to introduce a new EV in 2027 that will occupy a similar role in the lineup — though not necessarily at exactly the same price point as the EX30.

“Very similar, I would say,” Rezende said about the mystery EV’s price comparison to the EX30. “It’s going to be an EV that will deliver a lot of good things in a bigger space, but it will be also fun to drive, I can promise you.”

Other than that, details were scarce. Volvo’s executives talked later about the desire to build a larger, family-oriented SUV at its factory in Charleston, South Carolina — though that vehicle will likely use a “multi-fuel” strategy rather than being exclusively electric from launch.

The EX60, which will start customer deliveries in the US this summer, is Volvo’s attempt at a reset in the US. The compact SUV, which is built on a different architecture than the EX30, will start at $59,795 for the entry-level P6 Plus version, and climbs up to $68,745 for the more powerful P10 AWD Ultra variant.

Volvo is the latest automaker to try, and stumble, in its efforts to build an affordable EV for the US market that is both desirable and profitable for the company. To date, few have pulled it off, as it requires a certain level of scale, vertical integration, and mastery of the supply chain that only companies in China seem to have really nailed down. Of course, Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, but the company’s desire to sell EVs in North America will necessitate a different approach to affordability.

Affordability was one of the EX30’s main selling points. When it was first announced in 2023, Volvo said the price would start at $34,950, positioning it as the smaller, less expensive EV that many people were clamoring for. But after the election of Donald Trump, Volvo was forced to delay the EX30’s arrival in the US until 2025, citing newly leveled tariffs against vehicles built in China. Eventually, the model that went on sale in the US started at $44,900, about $10,000 more than the original price.

Then, in February, further bad news as Volvo issued a recall for the EX30 because the vehicles’ batteries were at risk of overheating or catching on fire. The next month, Volvo pulled the plug on the vehicle in the US.

Correction May 18th: A previous version of this story stated that the EX60 is the only Volvo EV in the US. The EX90 is also available.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
#Volvo #teases #affordable #replace #discontinued #EX30Cars,Electric Cars,News,Transportation,Volvo">Volvo teases a new affordable EV to replace discontinued EX30Volvo’s compact, quirky EX30 had a lot of problems when it was first released. Tariffs essentially erased its affordability, making it more expensive to own, and a battery recall made it dangerous to park indoors. But its discontinuation didn’t spell the end of Volvo’s efforts to sell more affordable electric models. In fact, the Swedish automaker is already at work on a new offering for the US market.The news of an affordable Volvo EV for the US came during a media roundtable this week related to the US launch of the new EX60. Luis Rezende, president of Volvo Cars America, said that the decision to discontinue the EX30 was not solely about tariffs and profitability, noting that the company is preparing to introduce a new EV in 2027 that will occupy a similar role in the lineup — though not necessarily at exactly the same price point as the EX30.“Very similar, I would say,” Rezende said about the mystery EV’s price comparison to the EX30. “It’s going to be an EV that will deliver a lot of good things in a bigger space, but it will be also fun to drive, I can promise you.”Other than that, details were scarce. Volvo’s executives talked later about the desire to build a larger, family-oriented SUV at its factory in Charleston, South Carolina — though that vehicle will likely use a “multi-fuel” strategy rather than being exclusively electric from launch.The EX60, which will start customer deliveries in the US this summer, is Volvo’s attempt at a reset in the US. The compact SUV, which is built on a different architecture than the EX30, will start at ,795 for the entry-level P6 Plus version, and climbs up to ,745 for the more powerful P10 AWD Ultra variant.Volvo is the latest automaker to try, and stumble, in its efforts to build an affordable EV for the US market that is both desirable and profitable for the company. To date, few have pulled it off, as it requires a certain level of scale, vertical integration, and mastery of the supply chain that only companies in China seem to have really nailed down. Of course, Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, but the company’s desire to sell EVs in North America will necessitate a different approach to affordability.Affordability was one of the EX30’s main selling points. When it was first announced in 2023, Volvo said the price would start at ,950, positioning it as the smaller, less expensive EV that many people were clamoring for. But after the election of Donald Trump, Volvo was forced to delay the EX30’s arrival in the US until 2025, citing newly leveled tariffs against vehicles built in China. Eventually, the model that went on sale in the US started at ,900, about ,000 more than the original price.Then, in February, further bad news as Volvo issued a recall for the EX30 because the vehicles’ batteries were at risk of overheating or catching on fire. The next month, Volvo pulled the plug on the vehicle in the US.Correction May 18th: A previous version of this story stated that the EX60 is the only Volvo EV in the US. The EX90 is also available. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Andrew J. HawkinsCloseAndrew J. HawkinsPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Andrew J. HawkinsCarsCloseCarsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All CarsElectric CarsCloseElectric CarsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Electric CarsNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsTransportationCloseTransportationPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TransportationVolvoCloseVolvoPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All Volvo#Volvo #teases #affordable #replace #discontinued #EX30Cars,Electric Cars,News,Transportation,Volvo

its discontinuation didn’t spell the end of Volvo’s efforts to sell more affordable electric models. In fact, the Swedish automaker is already at work on a new offering for the US market.

The news of an affordable Volvo EV for the US came during a media roundtable this week related to the US launch of the new EX60. Luis Rezende, president of Volvo Cars America, said that the decision to discontinue the EX30 was not solely about tariffs and profitability, noting that the company is preparing to introduce a new EV in 2027 that will occupy a similar role in the lineup — though not necessarily at exactly the same price point as the EX30.

“Very similar, I would say,” Rezende said about the mystery EV’s price comparison to the EX30. “It’s going to be an EV that will deliver a lot of good things in a bigger space, but it will be also fun to drive, I can promise you.”

Other than that, details were scarce. Volvo’s executives talked later about the desire to build a larger, family-oriented SUV at its factory in Charleston, South Carolina — though that vehicle will likely use a “multi-fuel” strategy rather than being exclusively electric from launch.

The EX60, which will start customer deliveries in the US this summer, is Volvo’s attempt at a reset in the US. The compact SUV, which is built on a different architecture than the EX30, will start at $59,795 for the entry-level P6 Plus version, and climbs up to $68,745 for the more powerful P10 AWD Ultra variant.

Volvo is the latest automaker to try, and stumble, in its efforts to build an affordable EV for the US market that is both desirable and profitable for the company. To date, few have pulled it off, as it requires a certain level of scale, vertical integration, and mastery of the supply chain that only companies in China seem to have really nailed down. Of course, Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, but the company’s desire to sell EVs in North America will necessitate a different approach to affordability.

Affordability was one of the EX30’s main selling points. When it was first announced in 2023, Volvo said the price would start at $34,950, positioning it as the smaller, less expensive EV that many people were clamoring for. But after the election of Donald Trump, Volvo was forced to delay the EX30’s arrival in the US until 2025, citing newly leveled tariffs against vehicles built in China. Eventually, the model that went on sale in the US started at $44,900, about $10,000 more than the original price.

Then, in February, further bad news as Volvo issued a recall for the EX30 because the vehicles’ batteries were at risk of overheating or catching on fire. The next month, Volvo pulled the plug on the vehicle in the US.

Correction May 18th: A previous version of this story stated that the EX60 is the only Volvo EV in the US. The EX90 is also available.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

#Volvo #teases #affordable #replace #discontinued #EX30Cars,Electric Cars,News,Transportation,Volvo">Volvo teases a new affordable EV to replace discontinued EX30

Volvo’s compact, quirky EX30 had a lot of problems when it was first released. Tariffs essentially erased its affordability, making it more expensive to own, and a battery recall made it dangerous to park indoors. But its discontinuation didn’t spell the end of Volvo’s efforts to sell more affordable electric models. In fact, the Swedish automaker is already at work on a new offering for the US market.

The news of an affordable Volvo EV for the US came during a media roundtable this week related to the US launch of the new EX60. Luis Rezende, president of Volvo Cars America, said that the decision to discontinue the EX30 was not solely about tariffs and profitability, noting that the company is preparing to introduce a new EV in 2027 that will occupy a similar role in the lineup — though not necessarily at exactly the same price point as the EX30.

“Very similar, I would say,” Rezende said about the mystery EV’s price comparison to the EX30. “It’s going to be an EV that will deliver a lot of good things in a bigger space, but it will be also fun to drive, I can promise you.”

Other than that, details were scarce. Volvo’s executives talked later about the desire to build a larger, family-oriented SUV at its factory in Charleston, South Carolina — though that vehicle will likely use a “multi-fuel” strategy rather than being exclusively electric from launch.

The EX60, which will start customer deliveries in the US this summer, is Volvo’s attempt at a reset in the US. The compact SUV, which is built on a different architecture than the EX30, will start at $59,795 for the entry-level P6 Plus version, and climbs up to $68,745 for the more powerful P10 AWD Ultra variant.

Volvo is the latest automaker to try, and stumble, in its efforts to build an affordable EV for the US market that is both desirable and profitable for the company. To date, few have pulled it off, as it requires a certain level of scale, vertical integration, and mastery of the supply chain that only companies in China seem to have really nailed down. Of course, Volvo is owned by China’s Geely, but the company’s desire to sell EVs in North America will necessitate a different approach to affordability.

Affordability was one of the EX30’s main selling points. When it was first announced in 2023, Volvo said the price would start at $34,950, positioning it as the smaller, less expensive EV that many people were clamoring for. But after the election of Donald Trump, Volvo was forced to delay the EX30’s arrival in the US until 2025, citing newly leveled tariffs against vehicles built in China. Eventually, the model that went on sale in the US started at $44,900, about $10,000 more than the original price.

Then, in February, further bad news as Volvo issued a recall for the EX30 because the vehicles’ batteries were at risk of overheating or catching on fire. The next month, Volvo pulled the plug on the vehicle in the US.

Correction May 18th: A previous version of this story stated that the EX60 is the only Volvo EV in the US. The EX90 is also available.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
#Volvo #teases #affordable #replace #discontinued #EX30Cars,Electric Cars,News,Transportation,Volvo
Anthropic announced Monday it has acquired Stainless, a startup founded by former Stripe engineer Alex Rattray whose software is widely used by rival AI labs, including OpenAI and Google.

Anthropic didn’t disclose terms of the deal. However, The Information reported last week that Anthropic was in talks to acquire Stainless, which is backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, for more than $300 million.

The acquisition will take a key infrastructure supplier out of the hands of Anthropic’s competitors. The company told TechCrunch it will wind down all hosted Stainless products, including its SDK generator. An Anthropic spokesperson said Stainless customers will still own the SDKs they’ve generated to date, and have full rights to modify and extend them however they wish.

The New York-based startup, founded in 2022, rose to prominence in the emerging AI industry for automating the creation and maintenance of software development kits, or SDKs — the libraries developers use to interact with APIs.

Rattray developed software that could take API specifications and turn them into production-ready SDKs across multiple programming languages, including Python, TypeScript, Kotlin, Go, and Java. It became a popular tool because the platform automatically updates the SDKs as APIs change and eliminated the time-consuming process of manually maintaining them.

The technology is particularly valuable to companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Replicate, Runway, and Cloudflare that are building AI agents that can connect to external software and complete tasks on behalf of users. Stainless’s SDK tools are an easy way to build and maintain those connections — but going forward, the tools will only be available to Anthropic, not its competitors.

According to Anthropic, Stainless software has powered the generation of every official Anthropic SDK since the earliest days of its API.

“I started Stainless because SDKs deserve as much care as the APIs they wrap,” Rattray said in a press release posted Monday. “Anthropic was one of the first teams to bet on this with us. We have been watching what developers have built on Claude over the last few years, which made bringing our teams together an easy decision. The team gets to keep doing the work we love, on the platform where it matters most.”

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

#Anthropic #acquired #dev #tools #startup #OpenAI #Google #Cloudflare #TechCrunchAnthropic,Stainless">Anthropic has acquired the dev tools startup used by OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare | TechCrunch Anthropic announced Monday it has acquired Stainless, a startup founded by former Stripe engineer Alex Rattray whose software is widely used by rival AI labs, including OpenAI and Google. Anthropic didn’t disclose terms of the deal. However, The Information reported last week that Anthropic was in talks to acquire Stainless, which is backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, for more than 0 million. The acquisition will take a key infrastructure supplier out of the hands of Anthropic’s competitors. The company told TechCrunch it will wind down all hosted Stainless products, including its SDK generator. An Anthropic spokesperson said Stainless customers will still own the SDKs they’ve generated to date, and have full rights to modify and extend them however they wish. The New York-based startup, founded in 2022, rose to prominence in the emerging AI industry for automating the creation and maintenance of software development kits, or SDKs — the libraries developers use to interact with APIs. Rattray developed software that could take API specifications and turn them into production-ready SDKs across multiple programming languages, including Python, TypeScript, Kotlin, Go, and Java. It became a popular tool because the platform automatically updates the SDKs as APIs change and eliminated the time-consuming process of manually maintaining them. The technology is particularly valuable to companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Replicate, Runway, and Cloudflare that are building AI agents that can connect to external software and complete tasks on behalf of users. Stainless’s SDK tools are an easy way to build and maintain those connections — but going forward, the tools will only be available to Anthropic, not its competitors. According to Anthropic, Stainless software has powered the generation of every official Anthropic SDK since the earliest days of its API. “I started Stainless because SDKs deserve as much care as the APIs they wrap,” Rattray said in a press release posted Monday. “Anthropic was one of the first teams to bet on this with us. We have been watching what developers have built on Claude over the last few years, which made bringing our teams together an easy decision. The team gets to keep doing the work we love, on the platform where it matters most.” When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.#Anthropic #acquired #dev #tools #startup #OpenAI #Google #Cloudflare #TechCrunchAnthropic,Stainless

reported last week that Anthropic was in talks to acquire Stainless, which is backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, for more than $300 million.

The acquisition will take a key infrastructure supplier out of the hands of Anthropic’s competitors. The company told TechCrunch it will wind down all hosted Stainless products, including its SDK generator. An Anthropic spokesperson said Stainless customers will still own the SDKs they’ve generated to date, and have full rights to modify and extend them however they wish.

The New York-based startup, founded in 2022, rose to prominence in the emerging AI industry for automating the creation and maintenance of software development kits, or SDKs — the libraries developers use to interact with APIs.

Rattray developed software that could take API specifications and turn them into production-ready SDKs across multiple programming languages, including Python, TypeScript, Kotlin, Go, and Java. It became a popular tool because the platform automatically updates the SDKs as APIs change and eliminated the time-consuming process of manually maintaining them.

The technology is particularly valuable to companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Replicate, Runway, and Cloudflare that are building AI agents that can connect to external software and complete tasks on behalf of users. Stainless’s SDK tools are an easy way to build and maintain those connections — but going forward, the tools will only be available to Anthropic, not its competitors.

According to Anthropic, Stainless software has powered the generation of every official Anthropic SDK since the earliest days of its API.

“I started Stainless because SDKs deserve as much care as the APIs they wrap,” Rattray said in a press release posted Monday. “Anthropic was one of the first teams to bet on this with us. We have been watching what developers have built on Claude over the last few years, which made bringing our teams together an easy decision. The team gets to keep doing the work we love, on the platform where it matters most.”

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#Anthropic #acquired #dev #tools #startup #OpenAI #Google #Cloudflare #TechCrunchAnthropic,Stainless">Anthropic has acquired the dev tools startup used by OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare | TechCrunch

Anthropic announced Monday it has acquired Stainless, a startup founded by former Stripe engineer Alex Rattray whose software is widely used by rival AI labs, including OpenAI and Google.

Anthropic didn’t disclose terms of the deal. However, The Information reported last week that Anthropic was in talks to acquire Stainless, which is backed by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, for more than $300 million.

The acquisition will take a key infrastructure supplier out of the hands of Anthropic’s competitors. The company told TechCrunch it will wind down all hosted Stainless products, including its SDK generator. An Anthropic spokesperson said Stainless customers will still own the SDKs they’ve generated to date, and have full rights to modify and extend them however they wish.

The New York-based startup, founded in 2022, rose to prominence in the emerging AI industry for automating the creation and maintenance of software development kits, or SDKs — the libraries developers use to interact with APIs.

Rattray developed software that could take API specifications and turn them into production-ready SDKs across multiple programming languages, including Python, TypeScript, Kotlin, Go, and Java. It became a popular tool because the platform automatically updates the SDKs as APIs change and eliminated the time-consuming process of manually maintaining them.

The technology is particularly valuable to companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Replicate, Runway, and Cloudflare that are building AI agents that can connect to external software and complete tasks on behalf of users. Stainless’s SDK tools are an easy way to build and maintain those connections — but going forward, the tools will only be available to Anthropic, not its competitors.

According to Anthropic, Stainless software has powered the generation of every official Anthropic SDK since the earliest days of its API.

“I started Stainless because SDKs deserve as much care as the APIs they wrap,” Rattray said in a press release posted Monday. “Anthropic was one of the first teams to bet on this with us. We have been watching what developers have built on Claude over the last few years, which made bringing our teams together an easy decision. The team gets to keep doing the work we love, on the platform where it matters most.”

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#Anthropic #acquired #dev #tools #startup #OpenAI #Google #Cloudflare #TechCrunchAnthropic,Stainless

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