
Someone just spent $236,000,000 on a painting. Hereβs why it matters for your wallet.
Late last year, a Klimt sold for the highest price ever paid for modern art at auction.
An outlier sure, but it wasn't a fluke. U.S. auction sales grew 23.1% in 2025. The $1-5mm segment even grew 40.8% YoY.
Meanwhile, Apolloβs chief economist Torsten Slock said to expect βzero in return in the S&P 500 over the coming decade.β
Each environment is unique, but after dot-com, post war and contemporary art grew about 24% annually for a decade. After 2008, about 11% for 12 years.
Itβs also had near-zero correlation with the S&P 500 since β95.*
Now, Masterworks lets you invest in shares of artworks featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso.
$1.3 billion invested across over 500 artworks.
28 sales to date.
Net annualized returns on sold works held 12 months+ like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.
Shares can sell quickly, but my subscribers can skip the waitlist:
*Investing involves risk. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. See important Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.
βοΈ POLICY & REGULATION
AI Development and Nuclear Power: Navigating New Risks: The administrationβs push to accelerate both AI development and nuclear deployment is raising concerns about whether oversight is keeping pace with public safety risks. Link
Closing Arguments in Landmark AI Trial: Musk vs. OpenAI: Lawyers for Elon Musk and OpenAI began closing arguments in a landmark case that could shape the future of artificial intelligence. Link
Illinois Democrats Advocate for AI Regulation: Illinois Democrats are backing new bills aimed at creating guardrails for artificial intelligence. The proposals would establish a state-level framework for overseeing AI development and use. Link
π‘οΈ SAFETY & SECURITY
Anthropicβs Mythos AI Model Exposes macOS Vulnerabilities: A new report says Anthropicβs Mythos model uncovered macOS security flaws now under investigation by Apple. Link
Middle East Conflict Elevates UAE's AI Infrastructure Risk Management: Ongoing regional conflict is shifting UAE AI risk planning from cyber threats toward physical infrastructure protection. Atlantic Council analysis suggests AI power status now brings new geopolitical exposure. Link
π° POWER & CAPITAL
Microsoft Shifts Focus to AI Infrastructure: Microsoft is repositioning itself from a software-first company into an AI infrastructure powerhouse. The move signals how compute, data centers, and platform capacity are becoming core strategic assets. Link
Andy Jassy Invests Billions in AI Amidst Amazon's Challenges: Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is reportedly pouring billions into AI as the company navigates one of its biggest strategic transitions. The investment reflects how central AI has become to Amazonβs long-term competitiveness. Link
Anthropic Secures $30 Billion Funding Round Led by Four Major Investors: Anthropic has lined up Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia Capital, and Altimeter Capital to co-lead a $30 billion raise at a reported $900 billion valuation. The deal would nearly triple the companyβs valuation from its fundraising just months earlier. Link
State Farm CEO Bets on AI and Evaluates Future in California: State Farmβs CEO is making a major AI push while weighing the insurerβs long-term positioning in California. The story highlights how AI investment is becoming a strategic lever well beyond the tech sector. Link
ποΈ INDUSTRY IMPACT
Marketers Emphasize Process Over Technology in AI Strategies: Brands seeing the strongest AI results are focusing first on workflow and operational process rather than the tools themselves. The lesson for marketers is that implementation discipline matters more than chasing the newest model. Link
Asia's Aggressive Embrace of AI: Asia is accelerating AI adoption through mobile-first usage, rapid experimentation, open-source ecosystems, and deep software talent pools. The regionβs approach suggests a distinct path for scaling AI globally. Link
The Case Against Emotion-Reading AI: A Cautionary Perspective: A critique of emotion-reading AI argues that affect detection and sentiment inference are fundamentally flawed and potentially harmful. It adds to growing skepticism about whether these systems should be deployed at all. Link
π‘ PRODUCTS & SIGNALS
OpenAI Brings Codex Coding Capabilities to ChatGPT Mobile App: OpenAI released Codex agentic coding features in preview inside the ChatGPT mobile app. The move extends advanced coding assistance beyond desktop workflows and into mobile use. Link
xAI Launches New AI Coding Agent Grok Build: Elon Muskβs xAI introduced Grok Build, a coding agent aimed at software engineering and more complex programming tasks. The release adds another competitor to the fast-growing AI coding assistant market. Link
Google Set to Announce New Gemini Model at I/O Conference: Google is expected to unveil a new Gemini model at I/O, with sources suggesting performance around the class of OpenAIβs GPT-5.5. The launch would be another key signal in the intensifying model race among major labs. Link
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