Oct 01, 2025

Today I came across an interesting article discussing the risks associated with AI acceleration rather than focusing on the possibility of a bubble. The article highlighted the work of AI researcher Julian Schrittwieser, who predicts “exponential” technology gains by 2026. Schrittwieser emphasizes the importance of recognizing the exponential trends in AI progress, drawing parallels to early reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic. He believes that AI capabilities will continue to improve and sees a pivotal year for the widespread integration of AI into the economy by 2026.

Schrittwieser’s projections include models being able to autonomously work 8-hour days by mid-2026, matching expert human performance across many industries by the end of next year, and outperforming experts across many tasks by the end of 2027. His insights were flagged by Tom Lee of Fundstrat, who sees the potential for exponential AI gains leading to job losses and increased infrastructure spending. Lee also makes a case for investing in companies like Nvidia and cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ethereum.

In another article, the focus shifted to the potential impact of a government shutdown on the IPO market. With threats of a shutdown looming, companies seeking to go public may face delays if the Securities & Exchange Commission is closed. This could result in a band of idled IPOs, similar to what was seen after previous shutdowns. Companies like Neptune and Fermi are among those planning to price IPOs this week, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Today, I learned that U.K.-based Ark Data Centers is being considered for potential sale, with estimates suggesting it could fetch more than £3 billion. Additionally, there have been several mergers and acquisitions in the financial sector, including Castmagic acquiring Flowsend, Fiserv agreeing to acquire StoneCastle Cash Management, and Rose Rocket acquiring Centro. On the fundraising front, Concept Ventures raised $88 million for its second fund, Gemspring Capital Management raised $1.1 billion for its second growth solutions fund, and Goldenpeak was launched as a London-based private equity firm. Other notable news includes Serica Energy agreeing to buy North Sea oilfield operator Prax Upstream for $25.6 million.

In terms of personnel movements, Ben Daniel joined Quantum Capital Group to lead a new energy infrastructure investment platform, while Maureen Ladouceur joined Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe as a health care-focused operating partner. Additionally, Ken Johnson is set to retire from the Securities & Exchange Commission at the end of the year, and Turnspire Capital Partners promoted Ahdiv Nathan to principal. Sadly, there was also news of the passing of Joshua Pack, co-CEO of Fortress Investment Group, who died unexpectedly at the age of 51.

Stay Well!