Thinking Machines could face tough questions from investors after talent exodus
The AI startup from former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati had a rough week. After firing a co-founder, several researchers left for their former employer. A planned funding round at a $50 billion valuation could be in jeopardy.
South Koreans now spend more per month on AI subscriptions than on Netflix. According to Hankyung Aicel, payments for seven AI services, including ChatGPT and Gemini, hit an estimated 80.3 billion won (roughly $55-60 million) in December 2025. That's more than the average monthly Netflix subscription revenue in Korea during 2024, which came in at 75 billion won (around $50-55 million). One important caveat: the AI figure includes business payments, while Netflix is a consumer-only service.
Credit card payments for AI services jumped from 52,000 transactions in January 2024 to 1,666 million in December 2025. Private customers paid an average of 34,700 won (about $24), while businesses spent 107,400 won (roughly $74). ChatGPT dominated with 71.5 percent of all payments, followed by Gemini at 11.0 percent and Claude at 10.7 percent. According to Hankyung Aicel CEO Kim Hyung-min, Korea's subscription market continues to grow, and generative AI is becoming a regular subscription product.
For context: Netflix reports revenue per subscription of around $7 for Asia-Pacific, compared to roughly $17 in the US and Canada. That's significantly higher revenue per subscription per month.
Google is rolling out Gemini 3 Pro to power AI Overviews in search. The system now automatically routes complex queries to Google's most powerful language model, while faster models still handle simpler questions, according to Robby Stein, product manager for Google Search.
Google Search Product Manager Robby Stein announced the Gemini 3 Pro integration for AI Overviews. | Stein via X
This intelligent routing already works in AI Mode, Google's AI-powered search chat, and is now expanding to AI Overviews, the quick answers that appear directly below search queries. The feature is available worldwide in English, but only for paying Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
OpenAI's GPT-5.2 Pro has helped solve another Erdős problem. Neel Somani used the AI model to crack Erdős problem #281 from number theory. Mathematician Terence Tao calls this "perhaps the most unambiguous instance" of an AI solving an open mathematical problem. While earlier proofs may have influenced the model's answer, Tao confirms GPT-5.2 Pro's proof is "rather different".
But Tao warns against a skewed perception of AI capabilities. Negative results rarely get published, while positive results go viral. A new database by Paata Ivanisvili and Mehmet Mars Seven tracks AI attempts at Erdős problems, showing actual success rates of just one to two percent, clustered around easier problems.
Elon Musk's power fantasies were already extreme a decade ago. According to OpenAI, Musk wanted to amass $80 billion during the company's founding phase to build a self-sufficient city on Mars. He used this goal to justify why he needed a majority stake in OpenAI.
During discussions about potential succession, Musk also caught other participants off guard by suggesting his children should take control of AGI: AI systems capable of matching or surpassing human intelligence across all domains.
