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Disney wants to drag you into the slop

Disney wants to drag you into the slop

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Disney and OpenAI’s new $1 billion partnership feels emblematic of the terrible times we’re living through. In exchange for access to the generative AI firm’s APIs and tools like ChatGPT, the studio plans to let users of OpenAI’s Sora AI video generator create clips featuring hundreds of Disney-owned characters. Sora AI users will be able to generate as much uncanny Pixar / Marvel / Star Wars slop for themselves as they want, and Disney will share some of it in a special section on the Disney Plus platform. It’s not hard to see where this is going to go.

Disney CEO Bob Iger described the partnership as marking “an important moment for our industry” and said that it will give the studio’s customers “richer and more personal ways to connect with the Disney characters and stories they love.” Iger also said that the deal is meant to “extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.”

That might genuinely be how Iger thinks getting into bed with OpenAI will play out, but when you take an honest look at what Sora AI is and how Disney’s past experiments with generative AI have gone, it’s clear that this is all going to end very, very stupidly.

At its core, this partnership is about OpenAI securing a new influx of capital and Disney coming out in strong support of one of the big gen AI companies fighting for tech sector dominance. The $1 billion Disney has pledged won’t completely solve OpenAI’s cash flow problems, but it will make it the first company of its kind to do business with a legacy entertainment studio on this scale. While Sora isn’t immediately being integrated into the production workflows for Disney’s projects, it will give the studio a concrete way of signaling to the public its interest in using generative AI. And on the flip side of things, Disney is getting access to a boatload of slop content it can stream without having to pay anyone to make it.

After months of various studios including Disney filing lawsuits against gen AI companies for building models trained on unlicensed IP, it seems beyond odd that Disney would pay OpenAI for its use of Disney’s characters like the Avengers and the Mandalorian. On its face, the transaction reads as being pointedly imbalanced, but the situation is even stranger when you look at what Sora AI is capable of.

Though Sora can turn a couple of text sentences into glossy video footage, AI generated clips are always short, strange, and filled with inconsistencies that make them ill-suited to be used in the kinds of entertainment people are typically willing to pay for. That’s why so many “movies” and ads created with generative AI look like absolute garbage. But those limitations are also probably the reason that Disney plans to begin with a focus on bite-sized, user-generated content.

Fans entertaining themselves by riffing on corporate-owned IP with unique creations of their own is nothing new, but what’s different here is the way that Disney wants to capitalize on that behavior. Sora AI integration would give Disney direct access to a content pipeline that subscribers would be paying the studio to use. This system would effectively invite Disney Plus users to become customers and unpaid employees, which is a scenario that probably sounds ideal to Disney’s executive leadership. But the last time Disney gave people the ability to mess around with its IP this way, things quickly devolved in the most expected way possible.

While players couldn’t make Fortnite’s gen AI-powered Darth Vader NPC do whatever they wanted, it was possible to coax the character into saying hateful, bigoted things in James Earl Jones’ voice with enough prodding. Epic Games took some measures to try to keep Fortnite’s Vader from behaving in inappropriate ways, but — shocker — players still found workarounds because that’s the way people are. That same “let’s do it because we can” energy is what animates a lot of the clips you see on the dedicated Sora AI social video platform, where it’s easy to find footage of figures like Mister Rogers and Bob Ross saying and doing offensive things.

OpenAI has likely told Disney leadership that it has put measures in place to keep people from, say, making characters from The Incredibles shout racist invective. But even if the studio reviews every single Sora AI output involving Disney characters, there is still going to be an endless stream of content that’s far from the quality the IP’s original creators — skilled human artists — intended.

It’s hard to believe Iger’s assurances that this partnership was made with the intention of respecting and protecting the art and artists that have made Disney such a powerful company. The company says that Sora AI will not be allowed to reproduce the voices or likenesses of any of the actors associated with its characters, but that, too, feels like a sign of how soulless this entire endeavor is. It gives Disney a solid way of making sure that it does not have to re-pay the performers whose work originally brought these characters to life. It also makes it seem like Disney thinks that people can be entertained simply by being shown familiar, decontextualized faces.

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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.”

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 $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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