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DULUTH, Minn. — What started in 1977 as a single race has grown into one of the most celebrated road races in the country, and this weekend, Grandma’s Marathon is marking five decades of history with its biggest celebration yet. Here are 10 things to know about the milestone weekend.

1. The race sold out faster than ever before

Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth opened registration and sold out in record time — just 12 hours. The half marathon also quickly sold out. The race is set for June 20, 2026, and will be the 50th running of the marathon along the North Shore.

That pace of registration followed a pattern organizers had anticipated well in advance. After record-setting registration numbers last year — the half marathon and 5K sold out in less than two days, and the marathon sold out in a month — organizers expected even more interest this year ahead of the event’s 50th anniversary celebration. “Wait until October 2, and you may be too late,” said Marketing and Public Relations Director Zach Schneider, referencing the event’s October 1 open date for general registration.

2. Organizers adjusted race capacities for the milestone year

Expecting more interest surrounding the 50th celebration, organizers adjusted capacities for the 2026 race weekend, with the marathon taking on more participants than in previous years to accommodate the heightened demand tied to the anniversary.

3. A drone show will light up the sky over Bayfront after the race

Grandma’s Marathon turns 50, and organizers are pulling out all the stops. New this year, a drone show sponsored by Visit Duluth will take to the night sky after the race wraps on Saturday, with 300 drones forming images central to the marathon and the community that fuels it. The show is set to highlight the weekend-long music festival and celebration at Bayfront Festival Park.

4. Two of Duluth’s most iconic landmarks will glow green for the weekend

Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert has announced that both the Aerial Lift Bridge and Enger Tower will be lit green for race weekend, turning two of the city’s most recognizable landmarks into part of the citywide celebration.

5. The festivities begin Thursday with a milestone expo

Before anyone laces up, the weekend begins at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Now in its 30th year, the Essentia Health Fitness Expo will fill Pioneer Hall and the Arena with close to 100 vendors showing off the latest in running apparel, gear, and technology. The expo is free and open to the public, running from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 18, and continuing the following day.

6. Friday kicks off with the William A. Irvin 5K and kids’ races

Races begin Friday, kicked off with Whipper Snapper races for kids at Bayfront Festival Park, followed by the William A. Irvin 5K, which was first run in 1994. The race is named after the Great Lakes ore boat docked in the slip at the canal; the course starts at the stern, circles the canal area, and finishes at the bow. Nearly 2,000 runners participate. The 3.1-mile route winds through Canal Park and even takes runners beneath the same finish line structure marathoners will cross the next day.

7. The half marathon sends thousands south along Scenic Route 61 before dawn

Early Saturday morning, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon kicks off, sending more than 7,000 runners south on Scenic Route 61 to Duluth. The half marathon was first run in 1991 and has since eclipsed the marathon in participation by a few hundred runners. The race starts near the Talmadge River and begins at 6 a.m.

8. The main event follows after 7:30 a.m., with a stacked music lineup all weekend

Saturday morning at the crack of dawn, runners take their mark for the half marathon, followed after 7:30 a.m. by the main event: the 50th annual Grandma’s Marathon. But it’s not just cardio: Rock the Bayfront will feature music on both Friday and Saturday with acts including Hippo Campus, Charlie Parr, Emily Haavik & the 35s, and Soul Asylum.

9. Traffic disruptions are expected, but one major road is getting a break

One thing for travelers to know: traffic won’t be as bad as it could be. The Minnesota Department of Transportation is pausing construction work on London Road for the weekend; however, multiple other roads on the North Shore will be closed, so drivers should give themselves plenty of time. Businesses in Canal Park are gearing up for extra customers, with at least one new business, Voyageur Donuts, planning to make 750 donuts as a first batch and preparing to make more if demand requires it.

10. The Young Athletes Foundation continues its mission of free youth programming

A central pillar of the race weekend’s broader mission involves the Grandma’s Marathon Young Athletes Foundation, which puts on free youth races throughout the year — including Whipper Snapper Races on Friday, Wednesday Night at the Races in the summer, and Saturday Morning at the Races in the winter. This year, in honor of the 50th Grandma’s Marathon, the foundation gave away free entries to runners 18 and under for other races, such as the upcoming Park Point 5-Miler and 2-Mile Walk on July 16. “It’s going so well that I can’t imagine having to pull back on that now and charging kids under 18 for races again because it’s so mission focused,” said race director Shane Bauer. “That’s the entire reason Grandma’s Marathon Young Athletes Foundation exists is to get people out there and active and conscious of that healthy lifestyle.”

Looking Ahead to the Next 50 Years

Race weekend, which also includes the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon and William A. Irvin 5K, has seen record numbers of finishers each of the previous two years, with 18,359 finishers being the official total from a year ago. Even amid the celebration of the milestone anniversary, organizers say their attention is already turning to what comes next. Bauer and his staff of 10 full-time employees and one part-timer — plus the thousands of volunteers who help — are already thinking ahead to the next 50 years of Grandma’s Marathon, and what it could look like, including potential partnerships with the city of Duluth to get more year-round use out of Bayfront Festival Park.

“It’s great to be a part of it in any year, and then with the 50th,” Bauer said, “I know we had a great staff, but this year, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ It’s a superhero staff. It’s cool to be a part of.”

Schneider echoed that sense of pride in the event’s growth over five decades. “The way the race has grown in these 50 years is phenomenal,” Schneider said. “We’re excited to celebrate and honor that history and success while at the same time setting the stage for many years to come. Each year, we get to showcase our community on a worldwide stage, and that part never gets old.”

Selena Gomez’s husband, Benny Blanco, has taken over the internet with a dramatic change in his appearance, leaving social media users stunned. The music producer’s unexpected hairstyle has been trending across social media since he appeared on the YouTube series “GOAT Talk.”

The New Look

While he and rapper Lil Dicky spent the episode discussing their favorite “greatest of all time” names from the worlds of television, film, and music, viewers couldn’t stop discussing his hair. The 38-year-old was seen in a half-shaved style, with the left side of his head appearing completely buzzed while his curly hair remained untouched on the right.

During the show, Blanco did not address the makeover, leaving fans confused about whether the hairstyle was genuine or part of a joke.

The Internet Reacts

As soon as the episode was released, social media and the video’s comment section were flooded with reactions from viewers, many of them amused — and a few expressing genuine sympathy for Gomez.

“What bet did Benny lose?” one user wrote. Another added, “I feel so bad for Selena.” A third commented, “Please tell me Benny didn’t cut his hair.” Another viewer offered a more pointed theory, writing, “Bald cap, fun choice. Double-check everything or AI will get you.”

Other reactions leaned more toward bewilderment. “Umm, what happened, Benny my boy?” read one comment, while another wrote, “Benny Blanco’s new haircut… wow. That’s quite the transformation.” One user even drew a comparison to a well-known animated franchise, asking, “Is he auditioning for Shrek 5?” Another speculated that the look may have been a direct response to prior criticism, writing, “Benny Blanco took those comments about his hair to heart and actually shaved his head…”

Not the First Time Blanco Has Generated Online Buzz

The viral haircut moment is far from the first time Blanco has found himself at the center of internet attention since his relationship with Gomez became public. The producer has previously addressed controversy surrounding comments about his feet during a podcast appearance, and Gomez herself has spoken publicly about that same “dirty feet” episode, telling fans she finds herself falling more and more for her husband despite the online chatter surrounding it.

Blanco also directly addressed the feet controversy during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show, reacting with apparent disbelief that the topic had generated as much attention as it did.

Separately, the couple has also had to contend with periodic divorce rumors circulating online, despite no indication from either Gomez or Blanco that their marriage is in any difficulty.

Benny and Selena’s Relationship

The couple often posts glimpses of their life together with fans through social media. Record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco and singer-producer-actress Selena Gomez have been together since June 2023.

Their relationship has continued to develop in the public eye, with the couple regularly marking milestones together. Last year, the two celebrated their first Thanksgiving together following their marriage, sharing the occasion with fans through social media posts.

A Candid Admission About Their Romance

Blanco has previously spoken candidly about his own surprise at the relationship’s trajectory, particularly given Gomez’s global fame as both a singer and actress. Last year, during his appearance on the Today Show, Benny Blanco admitted his initial disbelief about dating Selena. “I wake up every day, and I look in the mirror, and I’m like, ‘How did this happen?’ But until anyone figures it out,” he remarked.

The Wedding

The couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in California on September 27, 2025, after confirming their engagement in December 2024. The wedding capped a relationship that had developed largely in public view, with both Gomez and Blanco frequently sharing details of their courtship with fans across various platforms.

With the viral haircut moment continuing to circulate widely online, it remains unclear whether Blanco intends to address the style change directly or whether it will simply join the growing list of internet moments tied to the couple’s relationship that have generated significant public attention without an official explanation from either party. Given the pattern of past controversies — from the feet comments to ongoing divorce speculation — fans and followers will likely continue parsing Blanco’s public appearances closely in the days ahead, watching for any further commentary on the hairstyle or any visible change before his next public appearance.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are coming in September, potentially with significantly higher prices. For months, rumors and leaks have been providing information on what to expect from the devices, and the picture is getting clearer as the launch window approaches. Here are the most significant upgrades reportedly coming to Apple’s next flagship lineup.

A Familiar Design With New Colors and Improved Durability

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are reportedly getting the same design on the back that Apple introduced with the iPhone 17 Pro. The camera plateau is here to stay, but Apple is reportedly equipping the models with several new color options. The most talked-about addition may be a new Dark Cherry shade that has been extensively leaked. Apart from it, reports also point to a light blue, a dark blue, and a silver colorway.

Durability is reportedly improving as well, with a new manufacturing process for the aluminum body expected to strengthen the iPhone’s corrosion resistance and make discoloration less likely — an issue some iPhone 17 Pro models reportedly suffered from.

An Almost 50% Smaller Dynamic Island

One of the most significant visual changes coming to this year’s Pro models involves a substantial reduction in the size of the Dynamic Island, the interactive cutout area on the front of the display. Rumor has it that the Dynamic Island could be around 50% smaller than what the element was in the iPhone 17 Pro, which should make the display more elegant and immersive.

According to leaked specifications, the Dynamic Island is said to be around 13.49 millimeters wide, compared to 20.76 millimeters wide on the iPhone 17 Pro. Apart from the visual change, the functionality of the Dynamic Island is reportedly staying the same as last year’s.

A New A20 Pro Chip Built on a 2nm Process

On the performance front, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Pro are reportedly going to be powered by Apple’s next-generation 2nm chip, the A20 Pro. Significant increases in power and efficiency are expected thanks to the new 2nm manufacturing process, which would represent a meaningful step forward from the chip architecture used in the current generation.

Meanwhile, the A20 Pro is reportedly getting paired with the C2 modem, Apple’s second-generation connectivity chip, which is also rumored to bring satellite 5G capabilities. The phone is also reportedly featuring Apple’s N2 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and Bluetooth 6, improvements that should boost AirDrop and Personal Hotspot performance, as well as download and upload speeds.

A Variable Aperture Camera, a First for iPhone

Perhaps the most technically significant camera upgrade involves a feature that has never before appeared on an iPhone. The main 48-megapixel camera of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Pro may be gaining a variable aperture feature this year. A variable aperture would allow the camera to adjust the amount of light that enters the sensor based on lighting conditions and give users control over the depth of field for a DSLR-like blur in portrait photos.

Before this change, iPhone cameras have always come with a fixed aperture. This change could noticeably elevate the photo quality and overall look of images produced by the Pro-branded iPhone 18 models, bringing a level of optical control previously found primarily on dedicated cameras to Apple’s flagship smartphone line.

Siri AI and Expanded Apple Intelligence Features

On the software side, Apple has already begun rolling out one of its most significant updates in years, with the new iPhones expected to showcase the feature at launch. Apple unveiled Siri AI during WWDC 2026 not too long ago, and it’s coming with iOS 27. The long-anticipated generative AI Siri upgrade is finally arriving, with the assistant gaining serious AI capabilities including the ability to see what’s on a user’s screen, process natural language, and learn personal context. The upgraded Siri will also be able to take actions in apps on a user’s behalf.

A wide range of iOS 27 apps are also gaining Apple Intelligence integrations as part of the broader update. Image Playground is gaining new capabilities such as tackling more complex scenes and creating wallpaper backgrounds based on user prompts, while the Camera app is getting a brand-new Siri AI mode, along with two new features designed to elevate photographs: extend and reframe.

An Upgraded LTPO+ Display

Rounding out the major hardware changes, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are reportedly going to feature LTPO+ displays, which should ensure lower power consumption and higher refresh rates. Standard OLED screens use LTPS, or Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon, for their backplane transistors, while LTPO panels use IGZO, or Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide.

The newer LTPO+ technology gives the phone finer control over the electrical current sent to each OLED pixel, allowing the device to adjust dynamically to on-screen content. There’s also reportedly going to be a new M16 material used for the displays of the two Pro-branded models, aimed at delivering greater color accuracy than previous generations.

What It All Means for Pricing

While Apple has not officially confirmed pricing details, the cumulative scope of this year’s upgrades — spanning a new chip architecture, a first-ever variable aperture camera system, an entirely overhauled Siri experience, and a significantly redesigned Dynamic Island — has fueled widespread speculation that the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could carry a noticeably higher price tag than their predecessors when they launch this September.

With Apple historically unveiling its new iPhone lineup in September, the coming months are likely to bring additional leaks and more detailed specifications as the launch window draws closer. Given the breadth of changes reportedly in store — from the camera system’s first-ever variable aperture to the dramatically reduced Dynamic Island and the long-anticipated arrival of a true AI-powered Siri — this year’s Pro-branded iPhones appear positioned to represent one of the more substantial generational upgrades in recent years, assuming the current wave of rumors and leaked renders proves accurate once Apple makes its official announcement.

A retired FBI agent is raising new questions about the investigation into Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, explaining why certain details could make the case especially difficult for law enforcement to solve if the abduction was tied to a cryptocurrency-motivated scheme rather than a more conventional crime.

Coffindaffer’s Latest Analysis

Jennifer Coffindaffer took to X to share her latest thoughts on the case, outlining several elements she believes would point to a sophisticated and deliberately calculated operation if her theory proves accurate. Coffindaffer outlined several elements that she believes would point to a complex operation, writing, “This attack was sophisticated enough to: Stump the FBI and LE for 4 months. Send ransom messages via media website in boxes that can’t be traced. Set up a Crypto Bitcoin account whose wallet holder can’t be identified. Hire a mope(s) to do the job who will stay silent.”

Questioning How Guthrie Was Targeted

Coffindaffer also raised pointed questions about how Guthrie, as an individual, would have come to be selected for this type of crime in the first place. “How was Nancy targeted if it was a Wrench by Proxy?” she wondered. “It just has to be someone familiar with [Tucson] and one of their most famous celebrities-Savannah. Someone they knew would pay, until mope messed up like mopes do.”

That line of reasoning suggests Coffindaffer believes whoever orchestrated the crime, if her theory holds, would have needed specific local knowledge of the Tucson area combined with an awareness of Savannah Guthrie’s public profile and presumed financial means — a combination that narrows, at least theoretically, the pool of people who might have had both the motive and the information necessary to plan such an operation.

A Hope for Resolution, Tempered by Realism

Despite the complexity she described, Coffindaffer expressed continued hope that the case will ultimately be solved, while acknowledging the specific theory she has raised would complicate that path considerably. “I just hope Nancy will be found and those responsible will face justice. If it is a Wrench by Proxy, the case will be much tougher to solve,” Coffindaffer added.

What a “Wrench Attack” Actually Means

Coffindaffer has previously discussed the possibility that Guthrie’s disappearance could involve a “wrench attack,” which involves “the use of physical force or intimidation to gain access to a victim’s cryptocurrency holdings,” according to blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs. The term has become an established piece of vocabulary within the cryptocurrency security industry, used to describe crimes in which physical coercion — rather than technical hacking — is used to force a victim or their associates to hand over digital currency holdings.

The “by proxy” variation of the theory that Coffindaffer has raised specifically would involve targeting a victim’s family member or associate as leverage, rather than the cryptocurrency holder directly — a scenario that would apply to Guthrie’s case given that any presumed digital asset wealth would more plausibly be tied to her daughter, Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, rather than to Nancy Guthrie herself.

Law Enforcement’s Response to the Theory

Although investigators have not said whether they believe Guthrie’s disappearance involved a “wrench attack,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that he had “flagged it to the investigation team,” according to Fox News Digital’s Mike Ruiz. That acknowledgment from the sheriff represents one of the more direct, if still measured, responses from law enforcement to the cryptocurrency-related theory that has continued circulating in connection with the case.

The sheriff’s confirmation that the theory has at least been formally noted by investigators does not constitute an endorsement of the theory itself, nor does it indicate that detectives have shifted the overall direction of the investigation toward a cryptocurrency-focused motive. It does, however, suggest that the possibility has not been dismissed outright by the team leading the inquiry.

The Case So Far

Guthrie, 84, has been missing since Sunday, February 1. Investigators believe that she was abducted from her Arizona home in the middle of the night. Despite receiving thousands of tips — and obtaining video footage of a possible suspect on Guthrie’s front stoop — authorities have not publicly named a person of interest in the case.

That combination of an active, evidence-rich investigation that has nonetheless failed to produce a named suspect after more than four and a half months has fueled much of the ongoing public speculation surrounding the case, including the various theories Coffindaffer and other retired law enforcement professionals have continued to put forward in the absence of an official resolution.

A Pattern of Public Commentary From Retired Investigators

Coffindaffer’s latest remarks continue a broader pattern that has developed throughout the case, with multiple former law enforcement officials offering their own analysis and, at times, pointed criticism of how the investigation has been handled and communicated to the public. That ongoing public discourse reflects both the intense national interest in the case, given Savannah Guthrie’s profile as a national television anchor, and a degree of frustration among some retired investigators over what they perceive as a lack of transparency from the agencies leading the inquiry.

With no official suspect named and the case now stretching well past the four-month mark, the path forward remains uncertain. If Coffindaffer’s “wrench by proxy” theory does reflect the underlying motive behind Guthrie’s disappearance, her own assessment suggests investigators may be facing one of the more challenging categories of crime to solve, given the deliberate use of untraceable communication methods, anonymous cryptocurrency wallets, and intermediaries hired specifically to carry out the abduction while insulating those who ordered it from direct exposure.

Whether law enforcement ultimately confirms or rules out that theory, Coffindaffer’s continued public engagement with the case underscores how much remains unresolved — and how significantly the eventual explanation for Guthrie’s disappearance could shape both the difficulty of bringing those responsible to justice and the public’s understanding of what happened to her on the night she vanished from her Tucson home.

SpaceX said it will acquire Anysphere, the company behind the popular AI coding assistant Cursor, in a $60 billion deal that marks one of Elon Musk’s most aggressive moves yet into the enterprise artificial intelligence market. The announcement comes just days after SpaceX’s blockbuster Nasdaq debut, which valued the company at more than $2 trillion. Here are 10 reasons behind one of the largest startup acquisitions in history.

1. xAI’s coding tools were falling badly behind rivals

The most immediate driver behind the deal was a glaring weakness in Musk’s existing AI division. Musk has previously expressed frustration that xAI was not “built right the first time around” and with its subpar coding product, which lags behind popular coding tools such as Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex. The company’s most recent model, Grok 4.3, placed at number 33 on AI benchmarking startup Vals.AI’s proprietary vibe coding benchmark, well below older models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

2. xAI was in genuine crisis when the deal came together

Beyond the coding gap, xAI faced a broader leadership exodus that made an external acquisition more urgent. While SpaceX was rocketing toward an IPO, its AI arm, xAI, was struggling. By the end of March, all 11 co-founders who helped build xAI alongside Elon Musk had quit the company.

3. The deal had already been quietly in motion for months

The acquisition was not a snap decision but rather the exercise of an option negotiated earlier in the year. In April, SpaceX said it had obtained the right to acquire Cursor for $60 billion later this year. The transaction materializes an option SpaceX unveiled in April, which gave the aerospace-and-AI giant the choice to either buy the San Francisco-based startup for $60 billion or pay $10 billion to work with it through a partnership.

4. Musk had already been poaching Cursor’s talent

Months before the formal acquisition, Musk had begun siphoning resources directly from the startup. The Tesla CEO had been gradually siphoning resources away from Cursor, one of the first startups to go all-in on AI-generated coding. In March, Musk confirmed that he had hired two product and engineering leads away from Cursor.

5. Cursor’s revenue growth was simply too attractive to ignore

Cursor’s underlying business performance gave SpaceX a financially compelling target regardless of the broader strategic rationale. Cursor built a popular AI coding tool that helps software developers generate, edit and review code, and the company has experienced explosive growth since its founding in 2022. In November, Cursor said it crossed $1 billion in annualized revenue. According to more recent reporting, the AI startup’s latest annualized recurring revenue has since surpassed $2.6 billion.

6. The acquisition fits SpaceX’s broader vertical-integration strategy

In its IPO prospectus, SpaceX said it sees its compute deal with Cursor as a natural extension of its strategy to vertically integrate compute infrastructure, AI models, and applications. In its own regulatory filing, SpaceX said Cursor fits its strategy to vertically integrate “compute infrastructure, models, and applications” — positioning the purchase not as a side bet, but as a core piece of the company’s long-term technology stack.

7. Cursor’s developer data could directly improve Grok

Beyond the product itself, SpaceX is targeting the enormous trove of usage data Cursor generates from its developer base. “The depth of Cursor’s integration with a high-frequency coding workflow generates valuable developer interaction data, including coding generation prompts, iteration cycles, and software architecture decisions,” SpaceX said. “We expect that access to this data will enhance our model training and inference, including with respect to Grok.”

8. It supports Musk’s broader ambitions for autonomous, agentic AI

The deal also ties directly into Musk’s stated vision for a fully self-directed AI ecosystem capable of supporting SpaceX’s manufacturing operations. According to disclosures in SpaceX’s S-1 IPO prospectus, the company has outlined a strategy called Macrohard, aiming to build a next-generation, fully autonomous agentic AI ecosystem platform to facilitate the manufacturing, testing, and orbital docking of future Starships. The acquisition of Cursor will primarily help accelerate the construction of the Macrohard platform’s core, bypassing the need to develop underlying tools from scratch.

9. The all-stock structure made the deal financially efficient

The transaction’s structure allowed SpaceX to make an enormous acquisition without touching cash reserves, a dynamic analysts say was central to the deal’s logic. The $60 billion in Class A common stock that SpaceX has agreed to pay to acquire Cursor represented a 3.4% dilution at the aerospace and technology conglomerate’s IPO valuation. Under the agreement, Cursor common and preferred stock will convert into SpaceX Class A common stock, with the exact exchange ratio determined by the volume-weighted average closing price of SpaceX stock over the seven trading days prior to closing.

10. It positions SpaceX to compete directly against Anthropic and OpenAI

Ultimately, the acquisition gives SpaceX a recognizable, developer-favored product to compete head-on in one of the fastest-growing corners of the AI market. The Cursor deal could bolster SpaceX efforts to compete with rivals like Anthropic and OpenAI, which offer popular coding tools. If completed, the $60 billion purchase would give SpaceX one of the most recognizable AI coding products in the market, a developer-heavy customer base, and a direct weapon in its race against Anthropic and OpenAI.

A Joint Model Already in Development

Beyond the strategic rationale, SpaceX confirmed that work between the two companies was already well underway before the acquisition was even finalized. “For the past few months, SpaceXAI has been jointly training a model with Cursor, which will be released in Cursor and Grok Build soon,” SpaceX said in a post on X announcing the deal.

Cursor CEO Michael Truell welcomed the acquisition publicly, framing it as a natural next step for his company’s product ambitions. “Excited to partner with the SpaceX team to scale up Composer,” Truell said in a post on X, referring to his company’s AI model. “A meaningful step on our path to build the best place to code with AI.”

What Happens if the Deal Falls Through

The acquisition agreement also included specific financial protections in case the transaction does not ultimately close. If, for some reason, the deal is not consummated, SpaceX had agreed to pay Cursor a “termination fee” of $1.5 billion, and $8.5 billion in computing resources, according to its IPO filings — terms that underscore just how seriously both companies treated the binding nature of their original April agreement.

The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, with Cursor becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX once the transaction is finalized. Industry analysts have framed the acquisition as a signal that the broader AI coding tools market is consolidating rapidly, noting that GitHub Copilot has always been a Microsoft play, while Windsurf was acquired by OpenAI earlier this year — leaving Cursor as one of the last major independent players in the space before SpaceX’s purchase. With the deal expected to close within months, attention now turns to how quickly SpaceX can integrate Cursor’s technology and developer base into its broader Grok and Macrohard ambitions, and whether the acquisition meaningfully closes the coding-capability gap that helped trigger the deal in the first place.

Claude Guillemot, one of the five brothers who founded Ubisoft in 1986, has been killed in a plane crash in western France, the video game company confirmed. He was 69.

What Happened

On Friday, June 19, Guillemot was flying in a Cessna 421 twin-engine propeller aircraft that crashed in a field near the La Baule aerodrome in the Loire-Atlantique region of France. The circumstances of the crash are not entirely clear, but two fatalities were confirmed: Guillemot and a flight instructor from Rennes.

According to Ouest-France, the aircraft had departed from Rennes and crashed during its approach to the La Baule aerodrome, killing both passengers on board. The mayor of La Baule, Franck Louvrier, described the moments leading up to the crash. “It was a Cessna 421, a twin-engine propeller, with eight seats… The plane was on approach for the landing phase, when, according to witnesses, it made a turn and crashed,” Louvrier said.

Citing a source close to the investigation, one outlet reported that Guillemot was at the plane’s controls at the time of the crash.

A Delayed Identification Amid a Fire

The identification of the victims was complicated by the severity of the crash itself. Per reports, identification was delayed due to the nature of the crash, with the plane being ablaze when emergency services reached the crash site. According to one report, the aircraft burst into flames upon crashing, setting fire to several football fields’ worth of vegetation.

The scale of the emergency response reflected the severity of the incident. Emergency services launched a major response, deploying 63 firefighters and 29 specialized vehicles to the crash site. One report noted that 60 firefighters and 30 ambulances were mobilized in an attempt to tackle the blaze and search for a potential third victim, although fire and rescue officials stated that the search proved to be “futile.”

Guillemot’s family was informed of the tragic news the evening of the crash, several hours after it occurred.

Guillemot Was the Plane’s Owner

It was explained that Guillemot was the owner of the plane that crashed, and that he was on board with a flight instructor, who also died in the crash. Guillemot was also reported to be a member of the La Baule flying club.

According to multiple reports, Guillemot had been expected in La Baule that weekend for a gathering of more than 100 aircraft, an aviation enthusiasts’ event he was traveling to attend at the time of the crash.

An Investigation Now Underway

French authorities and aviation investigators have opened an inquiry to determine the cause of the crash. As of the most recent reporting, the precise cause of the accident has not been officially determined.

A Tribute From Ubisoft

The company Guillemot helped found nearly four decades ago issued a formal statement confirming his death. “Ubisoft has learned with profound sadness of the death of Claude Guillemot, co-founder of the Group and Chairman of Guillemot Corporation, in an accident,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Ubisoft added, noting that “no further communication will be made at this stage.”

Flags Lowered in Tribute

In a further sign of mourning tied to the crash, flags were flown at half-mast at the La Baule aerodrome on June 20, as a tribute to both victims of the accident.

Guillemot’s Role at Ubisoft

Claude was one of five brothers who co-founded Ubisoft in 1986. He started the company alongside Christian, Gérard, Michel, and Yves Guillemot. In company documentation, Ubisoft described Claude’s role: he sat on Ubisoft’s Board and served as Executive Vice-President in charge of operations. “He provides entrepreneurial spirit to the Ubisoft Board, as well as his international experience of Asia, where he lived, and his in-depth knowledge of gaming technologies for PCs, consoles and accessories,” the company’s documentation stated.

At the time of his passing, Claude Guillemot was also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Guillemot Corporation, the family-founded company specializing in audio and gaming hardware that predated Ubisoft’s creation.

The Origins of the Guillemot Brothers’ Business Empire

The path that led the five Guillemot brothers to found one of the world’s largest video game publishers began in an entirely different industry. In the early 1980s, the Guillemot family ran a successful agricultural supply business in France’s Brittany region. However, as the five brothers — Claude, Christian, Gérard, Michel, and Yves — returned home from university with business degrees, they sought to diversify into the burgeoning electronics market.

Claude initially experimented with selling audio CDs, but the brothers quickly recognized a much more lucrative frontier in the rapidly expanding home computing market. Realizing that importing hardware and software from the UK and U.S. was incredibly expensive for French consumers, they pooled their resources and established Guillemot Informatique, a mail-order business dedicated to selling affordable computer software and hardware components. By cutting out traditional middlemen, the brothers quickly turned their regional startup into a national success, setting the stage for their eventual leap into video game development and the creation of Ubisoft.

A Company Built on Major Gaming Franchises

In the decades since its inception, Ubisoft has been responsible for numerous hit franchises, including Rayman, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Anno. To gamers, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is perhaps the best-known member of the Guillemot family, but Claude played a vital role in the company’s success throughout its history, overseeing operational functions that helped the publisher grow into one of the largest names in the global video game industry.

With the investigation into the cause of the crash still underway, French aviation authorities are expected to provide further details in the coming days and weeks as the inquiry progresses. Ubisoft has indicated it does not plan further public statements regarding Guillemot’s death at this stage, leaving the company’s earlier tribute as its primary public acknowledgment of the loss of one of its five founding brothers, whose work helped build the foundation of one of the gaming industry’s most influential publishers.