Elon Musk and when ‘Founder Mode’ goes too far

Plus: Black Pearl Group beta launches new product, Altman lays out plan for GPT 5 and Simon Watts gives ultimatum to gentailers.

Happy Friday!

Happy Valentines Day and I hope whatever version of it you have is the one you most want. I also hear the most romantic thing you can do for your partner is gift them a subscription to Caffeine so feel free to do that if you’re reading this and suddenly remembering you need a present.

To start out this morning, we have a deep dive from me into what happens when ‘Founder Mode’ goes too far in the form of Elon Musk and DOGE - spoiler: it’s not good. Then we get into our usual mix of Daily Shot and Weekend Fuel.

Here’s your Daily shot of news you don’t want to miss!

• Black Pearl Group wants to automate your American approaches

• Erica Stanford grilled on visa changes by Simon Shepherd

• Sam Altman lays out plan for GPT 5

• Energy Minister gives ultimatum to gentailers

• Musk may withdraw OpenAI bid if terms are met

• Your weekly dose of recommendations to read, watch and listen

Thank you so much to everyone who has subscribed already this year and for those who haven’t, if you could recommend the substack or share with friends and whanau that still helps out in a big way.

Finn & the Caffeine Team