KORDUROYFriday, July 31, 2026 · Run 1 · 7:00 AM ET
Leopold's AI Fund Implodes, OpenAI Slashes Prices, and AI Now Drives Half of GDP Growth
9 stories from 3 sources
TL;DR
- Leopold Aschenbrenner's AI hedge fund fire-sold $10B+ in stock to Citadel after leveraged bets cratered.
- OpenAI cut GPT-5.6 prices up to 80% after cutting its own GPU serving costs.
- AI infrastructure spend drove over half of Q2 GDP growth, even as headline growth slowed to 1.5%.
AI Tips2
Delete stale AI instructions, rebuild from evidence
- Turn off your system prompt, skills, hooks, and custom instructions for a real task.
- Add an instruction only when the same mistake repeats, then retest before keeping it.
Help me run an ablation test on my AI setup. TASK: [Describe a real task.] GUARDRAILS: [List the rules that cannot be violated.] EXIT CRITERIA: [Define exactly what “done” means.] VERIFICATION: [Explain how the result can be tested or inspected.] Start without relying on my existing skills, hooks, memories, or detailed workflow instructions. Complete the task, record where you struggle, and distinguish one-time mistakes from repeated failure patterns. Recommend a new instruction only when the same failure occurs repeatedly. For every proposed instruction: 1. Explain the observed failure it fixes. 2. Write the smallest instruction that could fix it. 3. Retest the task with that instruction added. 4. Keep it only if the result measurably improves.
Source: The Neuron
Turn an idea into a working site with Lovable
- In ChatGPT, attach a reference screenshot and describe the app idea, scoped to one user journey.
- Ask ChatGPT to convert the conversation into requirements and a brand brief (prompt below).
- Create a Lovable project with the screenshot and the requirements, then test and refine.
Turn our conversation into concise feature requirements and a brand brief for Lovable, including colors, feel, and typography.
Source: The Rundown AI
AI News2
Leopold Aschenbrenner's AI hedge fund fire-sells $10B+ to Citadel
Situational Awareness, built on leveraged AI-stock bets, unloaded holdings (SK Hynix, Nebius, Micron, CoreWeave) after margin calls. Peak size is disputed: $20B+ (Neuron/FT) vs. $45B (Morning Brew).
Why it mattersA cautionary tale on leverage — a correct thesis can still get wiped out by financing timing.
Source: The Neuron, Morning Brew, The Rundown AI
OpenAI cuts GPT-5.6 prices up to 80%.
Luna input pricing fell 80% to $0.20/million tokens and Terra fell 20%, after OpenAI's own model rewrote its GPU serving code for a 20% cost cut.
Why it mattersCosts may drop again soon — recheck client proposals against the new pricing.
Source: The Rundown AI
Beyond AI5
US GDP growth slows to 1.5% in Q2, but AI infrastructure spending props up the number
Growth missed the 1.8% forecast and fell from 2.1% the prior quarter; more than half of Q2 growth came from AI-related data-center investment, per Stripe's chief economist, even as consumer spending accelerated to 3.2% on tax refunds and a brief dip in gas prices.
The takeawayA live data point for any client budgeting conversation about how much of the current economy is genuinely new demand versus AI infrastructure spend, and the Fed is now weighing a possible September rate move.
Conversation starterHow much of our own growth story this year is real new demand versus AI infrastructure spend propping up the topline?
Source: Morning Brew
Tim Cook closes out his final earnings call as Apple CEO.
Apple beat on iPhone and Mac revenue, but softness in China and services, plus perceptions that Apple is spending less on AI than rivals, sent the stock lower in after-hours trading; John Ternus takes over as CEO on September 1.
The takeawayA textbook case of a leadership transition landing at the same moment as market doubts about AI strategy, useful if you're advising a client through a CEO succession of their own.
Conversation starterIf you were advising Apple's board, would you be worried the market is judging Ternus on an AI story he didn't write?
Source: Morning Brew
Amazon's cloud unit beats, and Amazon raises its AI capex guidance to $220 billion
AWS reported its fastest sales growth since Q4 2021, sending the stock up 9% after hours; investors shrugged off the higher 2026 AI spending target, up from $200 billion, given the strong cloud results.
The takeawayCloud and AI infrastructure budgets keep climbing at the biggest players, a useful benchmark when a client pushes back on their own rising AI infra line item.
Conversation starterIf Amazon just raised its AI capex guidance again, are we still comfortable with the budget assumptions in our own AI roadmap?
Source: Morning Brew
Jersey Mike's goes public, raising about $1 billion in the largest restaurant IPO since 2021
The sandwich chain priced at $23/share on the NYSE under ticker JMKE, just 18 months after Blackstone bought it, though shares closed down about 6% from the IPO price on debut.
The takeawayNo direct relevance to your work, general awareness only.
Conversation starterDid you see Jersey Mike's average location does nearly triple Subway's revenue with a fraction of the locations? Says a lot about franchise economics.
Source: Morning Brew
UEFA's 55 member nations threaten to boycott FIFA competitions over a private-equity plan
The dispute centers on a proposal, reportedly involving Josh Kushner, to sell equity stakes in FIFA tournaments including the 2030 World Cup to private investors.
The takeawayNo direct relevance to your work, general awareness only.
Conversation starterInteresting test case for how much pushback outside capital gets when it touches something as symbolic as the World Cup.
Source: Morning Brew
Summarized from The Rundown AI, The Neuron, Morning Brew (Jul 31)
