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Reading Room

Read the arguments shaping this field: original letters and essays, independent reporting, interviews, and podcasts. Every item says whether the text is available here or should be read at its publisher.

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Announced May 4, 2026. Long Lake Management agreed to acquire American Express Global Business Travel in an all-cash take-private valued at approximately $6.3 billion, with support from General Catalyst and Alpha Wave; Koch Equity Development was also reported in the syndicate. Shareholders receive $9.50 per share, a 60.2 percent premium to the May 1 closing price. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary conditions and regulatory clearances. American Express is selling its roughly 30 percent stake for $1.5 billion and expects to record a pre-tax gain of about $975 million; its brand license and other commercial agreements with Amex GBT remain in place. Paul Abbott is chief executive of Amex GBT, which operates in more than 140 countries. Ken Chenault, General Catalyst chairman and former American Express chief executive, commented on the deal. Long Lake was founded in 2023.

OpenAI

Announced December 1, 2025. OpenAI took an undisclosed ownership stake in Thrive Holdings, the acquisition and operating vehicle launched in April 2025 by Thrive Capital, itself one of OpenAI's major investors. Rather than paying cash, OpenAI contributes embedded research, product, and engineering teams plus platform access in exchange for equity, with reporting indicating its stake grows if the portfolio companies succeed. The work begins with accounting and IT services, chosen for high-volume, rules-driven, workflow-heavy operations and aging operational infrastructure, with the stated intent of producing a repeatable model extensible to other industries. Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's chief operating officer, and Joshua Kushner, founder and chief executive of Thrive Capital and Thrive Holdings, both commented. Financial terms were not disclosed. OpenAI was valued at roughly $500 billion at the time and had recently taken stakes in AMD and CoreWeave; press coverage characterized the arrangement as another circular deal, a framing a Thrive Holdings spokesperson disputed, pointing to organic demand at portfolio companies including the accounting firm Crete. Thrive Holdings later raised $2 billion at a $12 billion valuation in August 2026.

Sequence — Poker NightCompany announcementExcerpt

A Luma event listing, not an article. Poker Night hosted by Sequence Holdings at 300 Vesey Street, suite 1230, New York, on Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 7:15pm, with guests asked to meet in the lobby. The listing describes an open, casual evening of cards, wine and cocktails, and catered food, states that non-players are welcome and will be taught the basics, and carries no buy-in, stakes, agenda, or speaker information. Registration was required. The page is now marked as a past event. The same listing was also posted on Partiful.