Anthropic acquires Vercept, the AI job crisis scenario, and Microsoft’s past Epstein connections

Anthropic acquired Seattle startup Vercept on Wednesday, raising familiar questions about the impact of early exits on the broader Seattle startup ecosystem, and the question of whether AI startups can compete long-term against the giants of the field.

We dig into the deal, the public feud between two of the company’s early investors on LinkedIn, and why one co-founder’s prior departure to Meta may have been worth more, ultimately, than the acquisition of the entire company.

Plus, a new research paper envisions a 2028 “global intelligence crisis” driven by AI-fueled white collar job losses, and we’re already seeing early signs in the news. 

Then, the New York Times reported this week that Jeffrey Epstein built deeper connections inside Microsoft than any other major tech company. We break down the key revelations, and talk about what we found when we searched the Epstein files for “GeekWire.”

WSJ: Bill Gates Apologizes to Foundation Staff Over Epstein Ties

And stick around for GeekWire Trivia: With Xbox entering a new era under Asha Sharma, we look back at the celebrity who appeared on stage for the original Xbox unveiling 25 years ago.

With GeekWire co-founders Todd Bishop and John Cook. Edited by Curt Milton.