# The Information

Type: media

Source: Startup Intelligence Brief — https://getstartupbrief.com/entity/the-information-media
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## Timeline

- **2026-06-16**: First Funding Round Closes — DeepSeek completes a $7.4 billion round at a valuation above $50 billion. Founder Liang Wenfeng contributes $3 billion, the government fund invests $150 million, and other investors commit under a 5-year lock-up through a limited partnership.
- **2026-06-11**: Data Center Lease Plans Revealed — The Information reports that Anthropic has signed over a dozen preliminary data center leases with >1 GW total capacity and is seeking Google's financial backing for the deals.
- **2026-06-05**: Confidential IPO Filing — Anthropic confidentially files for an initial public offering in the U.S., signaling its intent to go public at a near-trillion-dollar valuation.
- **2026-05**: Record $65B Fundraising Round — Anthropic raises $65 billion at a $965 billion post-money valuation, surpassing OpenAI and marking the largest private AI funding round ever.
- **2026-04**: Alphabet Plans $40B Investment — Alphabet announces its intention to invest up to $40 billion in Anthropic, further cementing their strategic relationship.
- **2026-02-26**: $50B Amazon Report — The Information reports Amazon's $50B investment plan tied to AGI or IPO milestones.
- **2024-10-01**: OpenAI Restructuring — Reports emerge that OpenAI is shifting to a for-profit model to attract more capital.
- **2023-09-25**: Amazon-Anthropic Deal — Amazon announces a $4 billion investment in OpenAI rival Anthropic.
- **2019-07-22**: Microsoft Partnership — Microsoft invests $1 billion in OpenAI, beginning a multi-year exclusive partnership.

## Recent coverage (5 stories)

### VCs win back high-flying Manus as revenue spikes to $500M
2026-06-19 22:50:47 · Sentiment: Negative · Impact: 7/10 · Sources: 2

Early investors HSG, ZhenFund, and Tencent are seizing the chance to repurchase AI startup Manus for $2 billion after regulators forced Meta's hand. The young company's annualized revenue has exploded to $500 million, demonstrating exceptional product-market fit for agentic AI and creating a rare buyback opportunity in venture capital.
Full story: https://getstartupbrief.com/story/manus-startup-buyback-vc-growth

### Startup Reversal: Manus Investors' $2B Buyback from Meta
2026-06-18 14:56:48 · Sentiment: Positive · Impact: 7/10 · Sources: 3

Original investors of AI startup Manus plan a $2 billion buyback from Meta after the 2025 acquisition was reversed by a Chinese government order, underscoring geopolitical risks for deep-tech exits.
Full story: https://getstartupbrief.com/story/manus-startup-buyback-2b-meta

### DeepSeek Locks Up $7.4B at $50B+ Valuation with Founder Control and 5-Year Hold
2026-06-17 00:21:27 · Sentiment: Positive · Impact: 8/10 · Sources: 3

The Chinese AI lab's first external fundraising round brings in $7.4 billion under a structure that keeps founder Liang Wenfeng in the driver's seat and imposes a five-year lock-up on investors. The deal sets new precedents for startup governance and the venture capital playbook in deep tech.
Full story: https://getstartupbrief.com/story/deepseek-7-4-billion-fundraise-founder-control-startups

### Anthropic Leases 1 GW of Data Centers as $965B Valuation Fuels IPO Prep
2026-06-14 11:21:22 · Sentiment: Neutral · Impact: 6/10 · Sources: 19

Anthropic’s move to secure massive data center capacity underscores an aggressive infrastructure buildout as it races toward an IPO. With a recent $65B raise at a $965B valuation, the AI startup is using its financial might to reduce cloud dependency and lock in compute for Claude models. This shift could redefine venture dynamics for infrastructure-heavy AI plays.
Full story: https://getstartupbrief.com/story/anthropic-1gw-data-center-leases-startup-ipo

### Amazon’s $50B OpenAI Gambit: A Strategic Bet on AGI and IPO Milestones
2026-02-26 17:22:12 · Sentiment: Neutral · Impact: 8/10 · Sources: 2

Amazon is reportedly exploring a landmark $50 billion investment in OpenAI, contingent on the startup achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) or launching an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This move signals a massive escalation in the cloud-AI arms race and a potential shift in OpenAI’s long-standing partnership with Microsoft.
Full story: https://getstartupbrief.com/story/amazon-openai-50-billion-investment-agi-ipo

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This page is a machine-readable summary. Sentiment measures the directional read of each development for this entity, not the tone of the reporting; impact weights consequence, not syndication reach. See https://getstartupbrief.com/guides/methodology for the full editorial methodology.