@barneymac

Business editor @ObserverUK. Writing the Boardroom Sensemaker. Email me: [email protected]

 London/Edinburgh
Joined June 2009
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
The Observer
@ObserverUKSep 27
Rogue AI agents leave insurers facing dilemma over liability Insurance companies are weighing up the risk of providing policies to cover the damage caused by AI cyberattacks ✍️ @barneymac bit.ly/4heX28P

Rogue AI agents leave insurers facing dilemma over liability

Insurance companies are weighing up the risk of providing policies to cover the damage caused by AI cyberattacks

observer.co.uk
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Candidates interviewing for jobs at Anthropic have reported being asked a surprising question: “How would you feel if the company someday abandoned its AI ambitions for safety reasons, and that decision sent the stock to zero?” 1/
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5/ but there are BIG caveats to the LTBT’s power. The structure contains a built-in “kill switch” that allows the entire trust to be fired with the support of 85% of shareholders’ voting power. Post IPO the % who may view the trust as an obstacle to unlocking value, could grow.
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For last weeks Boardroom Sensemaker @ObserverUK, I dug into Anthropic’s Catch 22: observer.co.uk/news/business…

Anthropic’s Catch-22: the unique governance structure cau...

It is coming under scrutiny as the maker of the chatbot Claude gears up for a blockbuster IPO

observer.co.uk
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
The Observer
@ObserverUKSep 13
Fears over AI security push ‘digital sovereignty’ up the agenda for British businesses Silicon Valley’s dominance is leading to calls for tech firms in the UK and Europe to pool their resources against a US hegemony ✍️ @barneymac bit.ly/4xUZlDZ

Fears over AI security push ‘digital sovereignty’ up the ...

Silicon Valley’s dominance is leading to calls for tech firms in the UK and Europe to pool their resources against a US hegemony

observer.co.uk
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EXC: The UK gov's space strategy next week will include £30m in funding for the SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, expected to be the site of the 1st vertical rocket launch from Europe in the next few months. A big boost for UK's burgeoning space industry 🚀 shorturl.at/BLstp

Government’s new space strategy targets UK tech companies

SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland to receive funding boost as potential site of first vertical rocket launch from continental Europe, as part of wider package for industry

observer.co.uk
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
The Observer
@ObserverUKMay 17
A bank with adult content on the side? @barneymac reports as OnlyFans plots its financial future The platform faces the challenge of winning over the creators it once threatened to ban, as it eyes a move into fintech bit.ly/4for9tJ

Could OnlyFans become the bank that likes to say yes, yes...

Having helped its creators monetise their wares, the porn-friendly media company may one day offer them bank accounts, loans, even mortgages. What could go wrong?

observer.co.uk
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
The Observer
@ObserverUKMay 10
The Observer issue no. 12,231 The man who bought Britain Christopher Harborne funded the Brexit party, put £5m in the pocket of Nigel Farage and bankrolled Reform to become a national party. He is a crypto billonaire who lives in Thailand Featuring: Keir Starmer interviewed by @RSylvester1 @DAaronovitch on the biggest donor in British political history @CatNeilan on the coming investigation into Nigel Farage Pick up a copy today, available nationwide. Subscribe to get a copy of The Observer delivered right to your door every week: observer.co.uk/subscribe
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
Ben Zaranko@BenZarankoApr 12
For my first column as Observer economics editor, I've written about the folly of calling for blanket price subsidies during a global energy shortage. It doesn't seem to be online so if you want to read in full, you'll have to buy a physical paper like the good old days.
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NEW: Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner sank $170m into an obscure British e-commerce company that auditors flagged last year over doubts that it would survive without fresh investment. For @ObserverUK observer.co.uk/news/business…

Kushner’s $170m bad bet on obscure British Amazon aggregator

Efforts by Trump’s son-in-law to raise billions from Middle East governments for investment firm Affinity Partners face scrutiny by Democrats

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More recently, he’s been courting $5 billion in new investment for his fund Affinity Partners… while also “volunteering” for the US in diplomatic talks in the Middle East.
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
Rachel Sylvester
@RSylvester1Mar 22
Palantir - the good, the bad and the ugly. My piece for @ObserverUK observer.co.uk/news/national…

Inside Palantir’s growing grip on UK public services

The US data analytics company is being used to fight crime, cut hospital waiting lists and bolster asymmetrical warfare, but its use is raising wider questions about control and surveillance

observer.co.uk
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Thrilled that Ben is joining us @ObserverUK!! One of the best brains in British economics
Ben Zaranko@BenZarankoMar 20
Some personal/professional news: today is my last day at the IFS. There’s nowhere else I’d rather have spent the last nine years and leaving is such a wrench. But it’s time for something new, and I’m excited to be joining The Observer as Economics Editor from 7 April.
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
Fairness Foundation@fairnessfdnMar 19
Today, we've released a new report by political economist and author @williamnhutton. It explains why Britain is stuck- and what policymakers can do about it. Read the full report today👇 🔗fairnessfoundation.com/escap…
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Patricia Clarke@paticlarkeMar 10
If you can't trust a citation, what can you trust? AI chatbots are inventing academic sources – and scholars are citing them. My latest on "scholarly slop" for @ObserverUK observer.co.uk/news/science-…

AI is inventing academic articles – and scholars are citi...

From fake footnotes to phantom studies, AI-generated citations are slipping into real academic publishing. Scholars and publishers fear this ‘scholarly slop’ is polluting truth and science

observer.co.uk
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
The Observer
@ObserverUKMar 7
The Telegraph rejoins Europe: how a German firm bought the Brexiteers Axel Springer’s surprise gazumping of DMGT puts its Europhile chief executive in charge of the right-wing stalwart, write Stephen Armstrong and @barneymac bit.ly/4s0MOfc

The Telegraph rejoins Europe: how a German firm bought th...

Axel Springer’s surprise gazumping of DMGT puts its Europhile chief executive in charge of the right-wing stalwart

observer.co.uk
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Barney Macintyre retweeted
Sharon Goldman
@sharongoldmanMar 7
BREAKING: OpenAI robotics leader resigns over concerns about surveillance and autonomous weapons amid Pentagon contract fortune.com/2026/03/07/opena…

OpenAI robotics leader resigns over concerns about surveillance and autonomous weapons amid...

A senior OpenAI robotics leader says she left over concerns about surveillance and autonomous weapons as the company expands its work with the Pentagon.

fortune.com
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