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petertl.bsky.social
Peter Thal Larsen
@petertl.bsky.social
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Global Editor, Reuters Breakingviews. Usual disclaimers apply. Signal: petertl.17
www.breakingviews.com
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Peter Thal Larsen @petertl.bsky.social · Nov 27
Here’s a starter pack of all the @breakingviews.reuters.com columnists currently on this thing.
bsky.app/start/did:pl...
Reuters Breakingviews
Join the conversation
bsky.app
petertl.bsky.social
When the main pitchman starts expressing doubts....
OPENAI CEO SAM ALTMAN SAYS DIFFUSION OF AI IN SOME WAYS IS SLOWER THAN HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE - Reuters News
February 3, 2026 at 5:49 PM
petertl.bsky.social
State capitalism in action: Glencore sells minority stake in its assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo to a consortium including the US government and Abu Dhabi's ADQ. First quote on the press release is from the US Deputy Secretary of State.
www.glencore.com/media-and-in...
Proposed acquisition by US-backed Orion Critical Mineral Consortium of a strategic stake in Glencore’s DRC assets
www.glencore.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM
petertl.bsky.social
This @edwardluce.bsky.social piece gets to something that's been bothering me about the emails. In Britain, Epstein's main associates have been stripped of royal titles, banned from the financial services industry, or reported to the police. In the US? A collective shrug.
www.ft.com/content/3f82...
The Epstein rot goes deep
America must now ask itself if it can restore a culture of shame
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:18 PM
petertl.bsky.social
The risk disclosures on the space data centre company’s IPO are going to be so long they will be visible from space.
raphae.li Raphael Satter @raphae.li · 6h
New: Together with colleagues I’ve been testing Grok.

The chatbot still produces sexualized images —

even when told the subjects don’t consent.

even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.

even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.

www.reuters.com/business/des...
Exclusive: Despite new curbs, Elon Musk’s Grok at times produces sexualized images - even when told subjects didn’t consent
Elon Musk’s flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people even when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent, Reuters has found.
www.reuters.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:08 PM
petertl.bsky.social
New episode of THE BIG VIEW 🎙️🎧: Everything you want to know about rare earths: what they are, why China controls their supply, what other countries can do, and how governments are intervening. With former diplomat and director of American Rare Earths Mel Sanderson.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
How to loosen China’s chokehold on rare earths
Podcast Episode · The Big View · 03/02/2026 · 36m
podcasts.apple.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
bruceandy.bsky.social
‼️SPAIN'S PM SANCHEZ: SPAIN WILL BAN ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA FOR MINORS UNDER 16

‼️SPAIN'S PM SANCHEZ: WE WILL CHANGE SPANISH LAW TO HOLD SOCIAL MEDIA EXECUTIVES ACCOUNTABLE FOR ILLEGAL, HATEFUL CONTENT
February 3, 2026 at 9:25 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Say what you like about AOL and Time Warner, but they never promised their merger would make a sentient sun to understand the Universe.
www.spacex.com/updates#xai-...
xAI joins SpaceX to Accelerate Humanity’s Future SpaceX has acquired xAI to form the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform. This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI's mission: scaling to make a sentient sun to understand the Universe and extend the light of consciousness to the stars!
February 3, 2026 at 9:33 AM
petertl.bsky.social
The world's largest company by stock market value:

September 2025: "intends to invest" up to $100bn in OpenAI
February 2026: " it was never a commitment"

nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/openai-...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
February 2, 2026 at 9:32 AM
petertl.bsky.social
“The deal marked something unprecedented in American politics: a foreign government official taking a major ownership stake in an incoming U.S. president’s company.” www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips.
www.wsj.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:32 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Just sent the latest edition of the Week in Breakingviews to the virtual printing press. Thoughts on AI stragglers, the dollar, and prediction markets - plus other highlights from the @breakingviews.reuters.com team - landing in inboxes tomorrow. Sign up here: www.reuters.com/newsletters/...
The Week in Breakingviews Insights from Reuters global financial commentary team   By Peter Thal Larsen, Global Editor Welcome back! The dollar is down and gold is up, prompting chatter about a “sell America” trade. At Breakingviews, we don’t see much evidence of it. Let us know what we’re missing. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to receive it in your inbox every weekend.
January 30, 2026 at 3:29 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Well this is going to be fun
Republican US Senator Tillis: position has not changed. Will oppose any nominee until DOJ query into Powell is resolved.
January 30, 2026 at 1:49 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Assuming Kevin Warsh is announced as the next Fed chair today, this lecture from last spring will be required reading. Hard to see how this approach is compatible with the Fed cutting interest rates anytime soon.
www.hoover.org/research/g30...
G30 Spring Lecture 2025 - Kevin Warsh, "Commanding Heights: Central Banks At A Crossroads"
Hoover Institution Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics Kevin Warsh delivers a lecture titled “Commanding Heights: Central Banks at a Crossroads" at the International Monetary Fun...
www.hoover.org
January 30, 2026 at 8:23 AM
petertl.bsky.social
The upcoming SpaceX IPO raised two questions: why does Elon Musk’s rocket company need so much cash, and how can it justify a $1 trillion valuation? Mashing it together with xAI may provide some answers. By @robcyran.bsky.social
www.reuters.com/commentary/b...
Breakingviews - Elon Musk engineers his sky-high meme machine
Rocket-maker SpaceX dominates its market but needs bold new frontiers to vaunt for a $1 trln-plus IPO. Chatbot lab xAI needs cash. Merging into an outlandish servers-in-space concern may help both, wh...
www.reuters.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:48 AM
petertl.bsky.social
Largest Amazon gift voucher ever
January 29, 2026 at 9:14 PM
petertl.bsky.social
No regulations about deepfake nudes in space… www.reuters.com/world/musks-...
Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX in merger talks with xAI ahead of planned IPO, source says
The merger would bring Musk’s rockets, Starlink satellites, the X social media platform and ​Grok AI chatbot together and could boost his efforts to launch data centers into orbit, according to a pers...
www.reuters.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:49 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Literally a year between these two diametrically opposed M&A announcements
International Paper Completes Acquisition of DS Smith 01/31/2025 Creates Significant Shareholder Value and a Global Leader in Sustainable Packaging Solutions with a Focus on Attractive and Growing North American and European Regions International Paper to Create Two Independent Public Companies 01/29/2026 Accelerating path to profitable growth by building two scaled, regional packaging solutions leaders in North America and EM
January 29, 2026 at 1:45 PM
petertl.bsky.social
The ultimate humiliation
www.reuters.com/world/uk/bri...
Starmer gifted Xi a ball from a recent match between Manchester United, the Chinese president's favoured team, and the British premier's team Arsenal.
January 29, 2026 at 1:27 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Once again find myself thinking about this movie
Scene from Civil War: “Three hundred buys you a sandwich” Scene from Civil War: “Three hundred Canadian”
January 27, 2026 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
petertl.bsky.social
New episode of 🎙️THE BIG VIEW 🎧: After 10 months of tariff turmoil, how are US importers faring? I spoke to Mike Musheinesh, CEO of Detroit Axle, a family-owned car parts firm. We talked about uncertainty, bringing back manufacturing, and suing the US government.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
How a Detroit firm is dealing with tariff turmoil
Podcast Episode · The Big View · 27/01/2026 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:58 AM
petertl.bsky.social
New episode of 🎙️THE BIG VIEW 🎧: After 10 months of tariff turmoil, how are US importers faring? I spoke to Mike Musheinesh, CEO of Detroit Axle, a family-owned car parts firm. We talked about uncertainty, bringing back manufacturing, and suing the US government.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/h...
How a Detroit firm is dealing with tariff turmoil
Podcast Episode · The Big View · 27/01/2026 · 32m
podcasts.apple.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
rtodkelly.bsky.social
Now I want to know which CNN reporter or producer doesn't know the word "sycophant."
January 26, 2026 at 7:26 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Owen Goal is unstoppable at the Emirates. What a signing he’s been.
January 25, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Reposted by Peter Thal Larsen
petertl.bsky.social
For once, Davos made history. Impressions from a consequential week in the Swiss mountains.
Poles apart The conventional critique of the World Economic Forum is that it's a talking shop where nothing happens. Not this year. The elite gathering in Davos provided a scenic backdrop to geopolitical thuggery, economic bombast, and frenzied diplomacy. In the end, participants and financial markets breathed a sigh of relief that a showdown over Greenland had been averted. Yet future historians may mark the week in the Swiss mountain resort - held under a banner of "The Spirit of Dialogue" - as the moment the eight-decade-old transatlantic military alliance definitively unravelled. The immediate crisis began and ended with Donald Trump. The U.S. president's threat to slap fresh tariffs on several European countries unless the United States was allowed to buy Greenland prompted protests and hurried discussions about retaliation. It culminated on Wednesday with Trump's rambling Davos speech, where he pledged not to take the Danish territory by force but issued a threat with all the subtlety of a mob boss: "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember." A few hours later, the former reality TV star declared he had reached a deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Although their agreement to cooperate on security in the Arctic remains vague, stock markets rallied on both sides of the Atlantic. Even so, European leaders must now confront a future outside the American security umbrella. They have increased defence spending in response to Trump's justified complaint that they were contributing too little, boosting the stock market appeal of European defence manufacturers like CSG. But the president's transactional approach devalues any promise of future support. Even before the latest showdown, many military analysts questioned whether the U.S. would step in if Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened a NATO member. The Greenland crisis confirms the club urgently needs alternative arrangements. The consequences of ripping up the global order stretch far beyond military matters. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared in a powerful and clear-eyed Davos speech on Tuesday: “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” Behind closed doors, financiers and business leaders debated the ongoing consequences for trade, capital flows, and technology. One recurring theme was that investors are diversifying away from the United States, seeking fresh opportunities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The world cannot collectively dump U.S. financial assets without a corresponding shift in trade flows. Even so, large institutions that previously slashed their holdings of Chinese stocks are rebuilding exposure to the world’s second-largest economy. Financial protectionism is also on the rise. One private equity executive said a Scandinavian institution had ruled out investing in funds managed by an American firm. Denmark’s AkademikerPension declared it was selling its $100 million portfolio of U.S. Treasury bonds, prompting Scott Bessent to dismiss the investment – and Denmark itself – as “irrelevant”.
January 24, 2026 at 2:19 PM
petertl.bsky.social
For once, Davos made history. Impressions from a consequential week in the Swiss mountains.
Poles apart The conventional critique of the World Economic Forum is that it's a talking shop where nothing happens. Not this year. The elite gathering in Davos provided a scenic backdrop to geopolitical thuggery, economic bombast, and frenzied diplomacy. In the end, participants and financial markets breathed a sigh of relief that a showdown over Greenland had been averted. Yet future historians may mark the week in the Swiss mountain resort - held under a banner of "The Spirit of Dialogue" - as the moment the eight-decade-old transatlantic military alliance definitively unravelled. The immediate crisis began and ended with Donald Trump. The U.S. president's threat to slap fresh tariffs on several European countries unless the United States was allowed to buy Greenland prompted protests and hurried discussions about retaliation. It culminated on Wednesday with Trump's rambling Davos speech, where he pledged not to take the Danish territory by force but issued a threat with all the subtlety of a mob boss: "You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember." A few hours later, the former reality TV star declared he had reached a deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Although their agreement to cooperate on security in the Arctic remains vague, stock markets rallied on both sides of the Atlantic. Even so, European leaders must now confront a future outside the American security umbrella. They have increased defence spending in response to Trump's justified complaint that they were contributing too little, boosting the stock market appeal of European defence manufacturers like CSG. But the president's transactional approach devalues any promise of future support. Even before the latest showdown, many military analysts questioned whether the U.S. would step in if Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened a NATO member. The Greenland crisis confirms the club urgently needs alternative arrangements. The consequences of ripping up the global order stretch far beyond military matters. As Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared in a powerful and clear-eyed Davos speech on Tuesday: “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” Behind closed doors, financiers and business leaders debated the ongoing consequences for trade, capital flows, and technology. One recurring theme was that investors are diversifying away from the United States, seeking fresh opportunities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The world cannot collectively dump U.S. financial assets without a corresponding shift in trade flows. Even so, large institutions that previously slashed their holdings of Chinese stocks are rebuilding exposure to the world’s second-largest economy. Financial protectionism is also on the rise. One private equity executive said a Scandinavian institution had ruled out investing in funds managed by an American firm. Denmark’s AkademikerPension declared it was selling its $100 million portfolio of U.S. Treasury bonds, prompting Scott Bessent to dismiss the investment – and Denmark itself – as “irrelevant”.
January 24, 2026 at 2:19 PM
petertl.bsky.social
Kiss of death from @financialtimes.com
Arsenal’s business tactics bring rewards on pitch
January 24, 2026 at 9:47 AM