The model will reportedly be made available to enterprise customers and paid subscribers. 

Just two months after rolling out Mythos to a limited pool of high-level users, Anthropic has announced the release of Claude Fable 5, an AI model similar to Mythos but with significant safeguards and blocks to prevent deliberate misuse and security breaches, according to the company. 

Unlike Mythos, which is currently only available to a select number of organisations and institutions due to major concerns about securing critical infrastructure, Claude Fable 5 will be made available to enterprise customers and paid subscribers. 

The model has built-in barriers that aim to block responses in high-risk areas such as cybersecurity, chemistry and biology, with such interactions automatically handled instead, the company said, by its Opus 4.8 model.

Fable 5, Anthropic claimed, shows strong capabilities in software engineering, knowledge work, vision, scientific research and similar fields.

In a statement, Anthropic explained that over the course of the past few months, the organisation has worked to improve safeguards that would make Claude Fable 5 “robust enough for a general release”, adding that in prioritising safety, some measures are “stricter than would be ideal” and some benign requests may be classified as risky. However, there are plans to further refine the model’s regulation systems. 

Anthropic has also announced an updated version of the Mythos model, Claude Mythos 5, reportedly similar to Fable 5 but with the cyber safeguards lifted. 

The organisation said, “In consultation with the US government, we plan to steadily expand access to Claude Mythos 5, continuing our periodic addition of new partners, as well as pursuing a trusted access programme that allows cybersecurity organisations to apply in a more systematic manner.”

In early June, Anthropic unveiled plans for a historic initial public offering that could take the company’s valuation soaring above $1trn. The proposal came less than a week after Anthropic overtook OpenAI’s valuation with a $65bn Series H funding round that valued it at $965bn.

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While the deal could be signed in ‘the coming days’, talks are ongoing and it may not materialise at all, sources told Reuters.

Nuvei, a payments company based in Montreal, Canada, is reportedly in “advanced talks” to acquire Payoneer Global for $2.7bn, according to Reuters.

The purchase price – which includes Payoneer’s cash holdings – implies an enterprise value of about $2.3bn, according to two sources familiar with the matter that spoke with the publication.

While the deal could be signed in “the coming days”, talks are ongoing and it may change or not materialise at all, the sources added.

If the deal was signed, the resulting acquisition would combine Nuvei’s payment processing business with Payoneer’s cross-border payments solution.

Nuvei, which provides payment processing, risk management and payout solutions to merchants globally, was founded in 2003 by Philip Fayer, who is also the company’s chair and CEO.

Nuvei is backed by Canadian investment group CDPQ and private equity firms Novacap and Advent International – the latter of which took Nuvei private in 2024 through an all-cash transaction that valued the payments company at approximately $6.3bn.

Payoneer, which is based in New York, was founded in 2005 by Yuval Tal with $2m in seed funding from Tal and other private investors.

The company – which processes cross-border payments for freelancers, sellers and businesses – supports 70 currencies and has a number of high-profile customers, including Google, Ebay, AirBnB, Fiverr, Visa and Walmart.

Since Reuters’ report on the potential acquisition, Payoneer shares have risen significantly, jumping by more than 24pc. Its market capitalisation at the time of writing is currently $2.13bn.

At the start of this year, the US fintech acquired Dublin-based start-up and employee record-keeping platform Boundless for an undisclosed amount.

Boundless enables businesses to handle cross-border payroll, taxes, benefits and compliance, with the aim of simplifying complexities surrounding international employment to make it easier for companies to hire and support talent globally.

The acquisition was expected to help Payoneer access and manage its talent spread globally, especially as limited staff and varying local regulations make payroll compliance difficult, the company said at the time.

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What we know so far: As the server battle between AMD and Nvidia enters a new phase, the two companies have begun trading jabs through performance estimates and early benchmarks. While Nvidia-approved results suggest its Vera processors outperform most AMD Epyc chips, Team Red believes its upcoming Venice lineup can leave Vera in the dust.

AMD recently published performance projections claiming its upcoming server CPU platform will dramatically outpace Nvidia’s latest showing. AMD’s estimates directly reference earlier results from controlled benchmarks that had favored Nvidia’s processor.

Team Red’s next data center CPU platform recently entered production and is on track to launch later this year. Built on AMD’s Zen 6 architecture, Epyc Venice chips will offer up to 256 cores and 512 threads. The lineup also marks AMD’s transition to TSMC’s 2nm process, a jump directly from the 4nm Epyc Turin that skips the 3nm node entirely.

AMD is projecting a 70% overall improvement in performance and efficiency over Turin, along with a 30% increase in thread density.

Nvidia, for its part, formally launched its Vera server CPU at GTC in March. The Arm-based SoC packs 88 cores and 176 threads. In recent benchmarks, Phoronix described Vera as the most capable Arm processor it has ever tested, outclassing Intel Xeon and AMD Epyc across most workloads. However, the tests were conducted at Nvidia’s headquarters and came with several restrictions to ensure Nvidia’s sign-off.

AMD drew on Phoronix’s figures when building the methodology for its Venice projections.

Comparing core counts per CPU, node power, nodes per rack, and a 100kW rack power budget, the company estimates Venice will deliver 3.3 times Vera’s per-rack performance. AMD also projects its 192-core Epyc 9965 Turin and the 128-core Intel Xeon 6980P GNR-AP can reach 2.37x and 1.46x of Vera’s output, respectively.

AMD is also challenging Nvidia on per-core performance, claiming a 64-core Venice chip can beat Vera by 27%, with the 96-core variant edging it by 11%.

As both processors target AI workloads, AMD argues that Venice’s higher core counts will translate into a meaningful advantage for agentic AI deployments. Even so, the true performance gap will remain uncertain until independent benchmarks arrive.

While promoting Venice’s theoretical performance, AMD is already hinting at what comes next. “Verano” will be AMD’s first CPU designed specifically for AI infrastructure. That chip is expected to introduce the Zen 7 architecture. Supply chain reports suggest Zen 7 will target TSMC’s A14 node, a 1.4nm-class process that would mark AMD’s entry into the angstrom era and deliver further gains in performance and efficiency beyond 2nm. AMD has not confirmed those details.

The iOS 26 update has the second-worst adoption rate of all iOS releases since 2015, falling behind both iOS 18 and iOS 8.

Though all eyes might be on iOS 27 and its AI-infused Siri, which debuted at WWDC, the software has only entered beta testing.

Most iPhones, or 79% of all devices to be more precise, are currently running iOS 26. This is according to Apple’s App Store data for June 2026, which also revealed that 86% of all devices introduced in the last four years have iOS 26 installed.

While these figures might seem impressive when taken at face value, the iOS 26 adoption rate is actually worse than that of the preceding iOS 18 update. In June 2025, 82% of all iPhones ran iOS 18, more than the 79% currently running iOS 26.

When taking into account Apple’s App Store data from all iOS releases from 2015 through 2026, the iOS 26 update actually has the second-lowest adoption rate, with only iOS 17 seeing fewer user upgrades.

The exact adoption rates for iOS 8 through iOS 26 for all compatible iPhones are the following:

• 2015 iOS 8: 84%
• 2016 iOS 9: 84%
• 2017 iOS 10: 86%
• 2018 iOS 11: 81%
• 2019 iOS 12: 88%
• 2020 iOS 13: 81%
• 2021 iOS 14: 85%
• 2022 iOS 15: 82%
• 2023 iOS 16: 81%
• 2024 iOS 17: 77%
• 2025 iOS 18: 82%
• 2025 iOS 26 79%

Note that all of these adoption rates were taken in June of the corresponding year, with the exception of iOS 12 usage data, which was published in August 2019.

At 79%, the iOS 26 adoption rate is below the 82.3% average from 2015 through 2026. Still, it’s not all bad news.

In February 2026, only 66% of all iPhones were running iOS 26, meaning more users have upgraded in the last couple of months. This is to be expected, though.

Even so, not everyone has embraced the controversial iOS 26 upgrade. According to Apple’s June 2026 App Store data, 14% of devices are still running iOS 18, while 7% are still on even older releases.

Apple’s data on newer devices running iOS 26

Since 2020, in June of every year, Apple has published iOS adoption rates for devices “released in the last four years.” At 86%, the adoption rate for iOS 26 is identical to that of iOS 17 in 2024. Meanwhile, iOS 18 had a higher score, at 88%.

The adoption rate of iOS 26 is also lower than the 87.6% average when Apple’s data from 2019 through 2026 is taken into account. Previous iOS updates, like iOS 12 in August 2019, saw lower adoption rates among newer devices, so iOS 26 is not an outlier in any sense.

Apple’s exact numbers for “all devices introduced in the last four years,” since the company released such data, are:

• 2019 iOS 12: 85%
• 2020 iOS 13: 92%
• 2021 iOS 14: 90%
• 2022 iOS 15: 89%
• 2023 iOS 16: 90%
• 2024 iOS 17: 86%
• 2025 iOS 18: 88%
• 2026 iOS 26: 86%

While iOS 26 has fallen behind iOS 18, possibly due to its Liquid Glass design language, the difference is likely not enough to cause alarm for Apple. Looking ahead, iOS 27 could boost iOS adoption rates.

Rather than controversial design changes, Apple says the iOS 27 update will deliver improved performance on older iPhones, with app opening speeds now being 30% faster, relative to previous releases.

Additionally, the same iPhone models that support iOS 26 can be updated to iOS 27, including the iPhone 11. As such, iOS 27 seems to have little to deter potential upgraders. Time will tell if the iOS 27 adoption rate will actually be higher than that of iOS 26, though.

Microsoft shared a 30-minute gameplay video for Fable right after the latest Xbox showcase. The footage offers the most detailed look yet at how Playground Games plans to handle the return to Albion. Players step into the role of a hero who begins as a child discovering unusual powers in the village of Briar Hill. A time jump then moves the story forward to adult life, where decisions start to shape both the character and the surrounding world.

Playground Games based the game on three key ideas from previous entries. A fairytale tone is undoubtedly evident, but it is balanced by a particular British sense of humor and a heavy emphasis on making decisions that will have long-term consequences. The new story stands on its own, but it has a very familiar approach to fantasy.

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The combat system functions efficiently because it is divided into three fundamental categories: Strength for close-up and melee combat, Skill for ranged attacks, and Will for magic. Some of the videos show some very innovative uses for that magic, such as transforming an enemy into a chicken and then shooting them with a fireball, or sneaking up behind someone and teleporting past for a quick strike before the green orbs light up to indicate you’re accumulating experience.

Reputation is based on what others see you do, not on an abstract number. So, assisting someone in need may earn you a virtuous or merciful reputation, which may result in a more welcoming reception from the community. If you cause disturbance in public, you may gain a reputation as a troublemaker, which could make things more difficult in the future. The system is clever since it allows you to build a reputation through a combination of good deeds as well as selfish goals, and you can even try to shape people’s impressions of you by spreading rumors or paying off local gossipmongers.

Is it more than just fighting and main quests? You can truly establish your existence in the world. You can purchase a home, open a bar, a blacksmith business, and so on. You can even develop relationships with others, some of which may lead to your own family or a shared home. Instead of always rushing to complete the main story, the game lets you to take a break and enjoy the journey.

Albion, the land in which you play, is full of little side paths and detours. There is no one “correct” way to play, so go explore, do some local jobs, and start building a life in any community you find yourself in. Towns look to be populated by real people, rather than just waiting for the hero to show, because the residents have their own schedules rather than simply hanging out till you arrive.

The visuals are bright and stunning, with a timeless quality about them. The villages are full of flowers and thatched roofs, and the locals look to be going about their everyday lives rather than standing around waiting for you, which is one of the most impressive elements of this demo, given that the entire game will be released on February 23rd, 2027.
[Source]

A former engineer at Elon Musk’s xAI has filed suit against the company and its parent SpaceX claiming he was fired for raising concerns about AI safety.

Devin Kim, who left xAI in September 2025, filed the suit in a California state court on Tuesday. The complaint comes days before SpaceX is set to join the public markets in what’s shaping up to be the largest IPO in history.

According to the lawsuit, which TechCrunch has viewed, Kim became a prominent voice for AI safety while working on Grok, xAI’s AI chatbot. He allegedly complained repeatedly about xAI’s failure to prioritize safety in Grok’s development, a product that has since come under fire for a range of safety and behavioral issues. In particular, Kim was concerned with the possibility that Grok could foment discrimination and help spread information about weapons of mass destruction.

“Grok, of course, proved Mr. Kim right by engaging in spectacular displays of online hatred and vitriol, with the model likening itself to Hitler (‘MechaHitler’),” the lawsuit reads. “Following the Hitler debacle, Mr. Kim worked to re-evaluate Grok’s political bias and discriminatory tendencies.”

A few months after Kim departed xAI, Grok made headlines again when the chatbot was used to flood X — Musk’s social media platform that also falls under the xAI umbrella — with nonconsensual sexual imagery.

The lawsuit also positions Kim as a whistleblower who was concerned about xAI’s alleged disregard for AI safety as “unlawful” in areas such as internet regulation, consumer protection and unfair business practices, and arms and explosives regulation, among others. 

xAI and SpaceX did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Kim’s focus on AI safety predates his time at xAI. While working at Scale AI, Kim worked on early safety AI initiatives, like leading a project that produced training data for AI to train systems to detect harmful content and comply with governance policies. Last week, the nonprofit Center for AI Safety, which focuses on AI risks, named Kim as its president.

Interestingly, the lawsuit doesn’t implicate Musk himself as a reason for a lack of safety. Rather, Kim’s lawyers describe Musk as having directed xAI to follow the law and implement appropriate safety and testing processes. Instead the claim targets Kim’s supervisor, xAI co-founder Jimmy Ba — who left the company earlier this year — saying that Ba ignored Musk’s directives and retaliated against Kim for pushing for safeguards, in an effort to “silence his repeated complaints about AI safety and biases.”

The lawsuit portrays Ba as someone who vehemently opposed AI safety measures, allegedly telling Kim at one point “AI will kill us all anyway,” and who was instead driven by a mission to make xAI the first to reach superintelligence. 

“In one instance in or around August 2025, Mr. Ba attempted to thwart EU safety regulations during the release of Grok Code 1, misrepresenting aspects of the model in order to avoid legally required testing,” the complaint says. “Mr. Ba indicated that he would rather release an unsafe model than a poor-performing one. Mr. Musk ultimately had to intervene.”

According to the lawsuit, Kim intended to give a presentation of his findings the week of September 15, 2025, but Ba called him into a meeting and told him they should “go [their] separate ways” without providing a satisfactory reason. 

TechCrunch has reached out to Ba for comment. 

Kim is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as a declaratory judgment that xAI and SpaceX’s conduct was unlawful.