Spotify announces an in-house creative agency, tests generative AI voiceover ads

Spotify announced on Thursday that it’s venturing further into the ad space with its first in-house creative agency called Creative Lab, helping brands create custom marketing campaigns. It will also begin testing generative AI ads, the company said. The launch of Creative Lab shows that Spotify is ramping up its efforts to attract advertisers to … Read more

What StepStone’s $3.3B venture secondaries fund tells us about LPs’ current appetite for venture

StepStone raised the largest fund dedicated to investing in venture secondaries ever, the firm announced last week. This fundraise doesn’t just say a lot about StepStone’s venture secondaries investing prowess, but also about how LPs are thinking about the current venture market. The fund, StepStone VC Secondaries Fund VI, raised $3.3 billion. This marks a … Read more

Tesla shareholders vote yes again to approve Elon Musk’s $56B pay plan 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has secured enough shareholder votes to have his 2018 stock option compensation package approved. Shareholders also approved the company’s decision to re-incorporate Tesla in Texas, moving it away from the state where Musk’s pay package was struck down: Delaware.  Shareholders present at the company’s annual meeting Thursday, held at Tesla’s Texas … Read more

Former NSA head joins OpenAI board and safety committee

Former head of the National Security Agency, retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, will join OpenAI’s board of directors, the AI company announced Thursday afternoon. He will also sit on the board’s “security and safety” subcommittee. The high-profile addition is likely intended to satisfy critics who think that OpenAI is moving faster than is wise for its … Read more