Ray Blanco:

Nebius Shares Soar 40% on Microsoft AI Deal

Shares of artificial intelligence infrastructure firm Nebius Group soared 40% Tuesday, a day after the company disclosed a multi-billion-dollar deal with Microsoft.

The Amsterdam-based firm announced it had struck a multi-year deal with Microsoft worth up to $19.4 billion to provide cloud computing power for AI workloads. Nebius, which was spun out from Russian internet giant Yandex in 2023, provides graphics processing units — or GPUs — for training AI models.

The deal will be worth $17.4 billion through 2031 to Nebius, which counts the likes of Nvidia and Accel as investors. Microsoft may also acquire additional computing capacity under the arrangement, boosting overall contract value to $19.4 billion.

Nebius shares climbed 60% Monday in extended trading and continued to surge Tuesday amid investor excitement over the deal. The news also boosted shares of rival AI infrastructure firm CoreWeave, which was up 8%.

The Nebius-Microsoft pact suggests demand for powerful computing equipment needed to train and run advanced AI systems remains strong.

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James Altucher:

From Deep Blue to Bittensor — Why Subnets Are the Next Internet Boom

In the latest episode of The James Altucher Show, James Altucher joins the Ventura Labs Podcast to explore the link between obsession, creativity, and execution. 

From contributing to IBM’s Deep Blue in the 90s to co-founding TAO Synergies, James shares how obsessions with chess, AI, and crypto have shaped his life and career.

The conversation covers the philosophy behind decentralized AI. You'll learn how Bittensor ($TAO) creates decentralized AI opportunities at a fraction of traditional costs. The talk also covers the mechanics of treasury companies and how TAO Synergies is building its playbook.

James also shares the lessons he has learned from failure, from HBO web series experiments to company collapses, and why generating ideas daily can reset your career.

This episode isn’t about trends — it’s about frameworks: how to spot real opportunities, how to build around them, and how to know when obsession is worth pursuing.

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Davis Wilson:

Nasdaq Seeks Access to Gemini’s Crypto Services via Investment

Winklevoss-founded crypto exchange Gemini has secured Nasdaq as a strategic investor as the company moves forward with its initial public offering (IPO) debut on the stock exchange.

The crypto exchange expects to raise up to $317 million through the IPO and has arranged for Nasdaq to purchase $50 million in shares via a private placement concurrent with the offering.

The investment is part of a strategic partnership that would enable Nasdaq to integrate Gemini’s custody and staking, while Gemini’s institutional clients would have access to Nasdaq’s Calypso platform to manage and track trading collateral.

The strategic partnership plans are subject to market conditions and possible changes, as mentioned by the sources.

The report came shortly after Nasdaq announced a major move into tokenized securities, or blockchain-based versions of traditional stocks, on Monday.

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