What an energizing #CablesOfResistance workshop:

Purge Palantir

Jeff and Karl managed to have a fruitful conversation with a packed room. Lots of people contributed facts.

Having attended MP @sonjalemke's presentation this afternoon, I was able to contribute the fact that QTS (part of #Blackstone and a frequent contractor of ICE and Palantir) is planning a new datacenter in far west of Germany – in Lippetal near Hamm, Westphalia.

I also shared a detail from a public hearing in Baden-Wuerttemberg where the police presented a device called a “data diode” as an alleged proof that no data from Palantir servers in Germany can flow to Palantir headquarters in the US – which is a ridiculous suggestion. Palantir servers – even if located inside German police authorities – are always run by Palantir staff, and they will surely find a way to exfiltrate data when asked by their bosses or the US government (which can force US companies to hand out data even if it is stored on foreign servers because of the US CLOUD and FISA acts).

Talk abstract from the schedule:

An open discussion and exchange about organizing against Palantir and big tech in the US and abroad.
Jeff and Karl are organizers working with grassroots organizations, activist collectives, and labor unions in the US to slow authoritarian consolidation and curtail the power of Big Tech.
Jeff is part of the #teslatakedown core team https://www.teslatakedown.com/
Karl is a team member of PurgePalantir https://purgepalantir.com/

#purgepalantir #teslatakedown #palantir #qts #ice #datacenter #lippetal #hamm #westfalen

Bloomberg Technology | Madison Air Seeks $2.23B in IPO, Activist Investing Picks Up In 2026 | Bloomberg Deals 4/8/2026

A weekly, midday program that delivers high-impact, editorially driven coverage of the most important corporate transactions shaping the global market. Today's guests: Blackstone Global Head Private Equity Strategies Joe Barratta, Skadden Partner Head of Shareholder Engagement & Activism Elizabeth Gonzalez-Sussman, Kirkland & Ellis Partner Shaun Mathew, Palliser Capital Founder & Chief Investment Officer James Smith, and William Blair Global Head of Investment Banking Matt Zimmer. (Source: Bloomberg)

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2026-04-08/bloomberg-deals-4-8-2026-video

#madisonair #blackstone

qwant news | Anthropic in talks to invest $200m in private equity venture to push Claude deeper into enterprise

Anthropic is in advanced talks to create a private‑equity‑backed joint venture that would embed its Claude models across the portfolio companies of Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman and Permira. The plan calls for Anthropic to contribute roughly $200 million of its own capital while the buy‑out firms would collectively invest up to $1 billion, giving them equity stakes in a consulting‑and‑implementation vehicle that mirrors Palantir’s forward‑deployment playbook – engineers embedded inside customer organisations to drive adoption and workflow transformation. This would turn Claude from a standalone AI service into a bundled offering of model access, advisory and hands‑on integration, providing the sticky, recurring revenue streams AI firms need to justify massive infrastructure spend.

The venture is part of a broader scramble among LLM providers to use private‑equity networks as distribution channels. OpenAI is reportedly pursuing a similar programme with Advent International, Bain Capital, Brookfield Asset Management and TPG, but it is offering a guaranteed 17.5 % minimum return, whereas Anthropic is proposing ordinary equity with no floor – a signal of confidence in Claude’s commercial upside and a reflection of its safety‑first culture. Anthropic has already rolled out two major enterprise initiatives this quarter: a $100 million Claude Partner Network anchored by system integrators such as Accenture and Deloitte, and a direct integration of Claude into Xero’s accounting platform. As of April 2026, more than 1,000 businesses are spending over $1 million each per year on Anthropic services, and enterprise customers now account for roughly 80 % of the company’s revenue.

The joint‑venture discussion comes as Anthropic prepares for a potential IPO in October 2026, with a target raise of about $60 billion at a post‑money valuation near $380 billion. The PE‑backed vehicle would give investors both a financial stake and a built‑in channel to deploy Claude at scale, reinforcing the narrative that Anthropic’s technology is an enterprise infrastructure layer rather than a simple product. Unresolved issues include which firms will ultimately join, how governance of the venture will be structured, and whether Anthropic can maintain its model‑access controls while leveraging private‑equity partners that have strong incentives to push Claude broadly. The outcome will be a key test of how responsible AI deployment can coexist with aggressive commercial expansion.

Read more: https://thenextweb.com/news/anthropic-private-equity-venture-claude-enterprise

#anthropic #claude #blackstone

OpenAI offers 17.5% on venture deal! How can it do that?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/03/30/openai-offers-17-5-on-venture-deal-how-can-it-do-that/

bing news | Non-profit organization provides deep dive into Blackstone, a private equity NIPSCO stakeholder

A non‑profit watchdog called the Private Equity Stakeholder Project has begun a deep‑dive into Blackstone’s nearly 20 percent ownership of NIPSCO after many Indiana customers complained about rising utility bills. Communications director Matt Parr, who also lives in Valparaiso and is a NIPSCO customer, explained that Blackstone’s stake is part of a broader private‑equity investment strategy that includes a planned purchase of TXNM Energy, a utility operator in New Mexico and Texas. Parr says the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) lacks the authority to approve or deny such acquisitions, unlike New Mexico’s regulator, which can grant permission before the sale goes through.

Parr argues that the private‑equity model—buying companies, holding them for five to seven years, then selling—creates pressure to boost rates quickly in order to generate short‑term profits. He warns that this “short‑term” approach can lead to higher energy costs for consumers, as utilities seek to recoup investments and satisfy investor expectations. The nonprofit is urging residents to contact state legislators about House Enrolled Act 1002 (HEA 1002), a bill intended to give the IURC power to review and approve utility sales or reorganizations, which could increase transparency around deals like Blackstone’s involvement with NIPSCO.

NIPSCO responded that Blackstone’s 19.9 percent non‑controlling equity interest is **not** a driver of the utility’s rate structure. The company emphasized that any rate change must be vetted through a lengthy, public process overseen by the IURC, and that recent bill spikes are largely due to higher natural‑gas usage in winter rather than the equity stake. NIPSCO also noted its commitment to affordability through assistance programs, and reiterated support for HEA 1002 while stressing that the Blackstone investment strengthens its financial foundation, reduces debt reliance, and helps fund system upgrades without imposing undue rate pressure on customers.

Read more: https://www.abc57.com/news/non-profit-organization-provides-deep-dive-into-blackstone-a-private-equity-nipsco-stakeholder

#blackstone #nipsco #privateequitystakeholderproject #indianautilityregulatorycommission #houseenrolledact1002