OpenAI is making a comeback

The Guinness Book of World Records started because of a pub argument.

In 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver – head of Ireland’s Guinness brewery – got into a debate with friends about which bird flew the fastest. With no internet to settle the argument, he realized people in pubs argued about random facts all the time. So he created a reference book with oddly specific records, and it became a massive hit.

What’s in store:

OpenAI is outpacing Anthropic in business sales.
Your toilet may be AI’s new cooling system.
Mindstream Picks: TikTok is paying $400M to settle a major children’s privacy case.

Read Time: 5 minutes

AI RACE

More businesses are opting for OpenAI over Anthropic

OpenAI is making a comeback after losing its lead in the AI race back in May. At least when it comes to winning over business users.

The latest data from Ramp, a corporate expense management company, shows that OpenAI is growing faster among businesses than its nemesis Anthropic. In fact, OpenAI's business spend grew 82% quarter over quarter, compared to Anthropic's 76% (which is still nothing to scoff at).

This is likely for two reasons. The first is that GPT-5.6 Sol is killing it with developers. And second, OpenAI cut prices while Anthropic's Fable 5 stayed roughly twice as expensive per token.

But here’s the catch: there’s more than one race happening here. While OpenAI is outpacing Anthropic on growth, Anthropic is leading in revenue and holds a larger share of Ramp’s user base.

Splitting the scoreboard:

OpenAI's business spend grew 82% quarter over quarter, versus Anthropic's 76% rate.
Anthropic's Q2 revenue hit $11.6 billion, more than double the previous three months.
OpenAI's Q2 revenue was $6.7 billion. Less than Anthropic, but still up 18% from Q1.

The bigger picture

Zoom out and the story changes even more. Based on Ramp’s tracking reports, nearly 56% of businesses now pay for AI tools. That’s up from just 7.5% from January 2023. While this data is still limited to Ramp’s sample set, it shows that the market is continuing to expand.

These two competitors are running different strategies. OpenAI is leaning into customer acquisition, while Anthropic doubles down on the clients they already have.

But this neck-and-neck battle – especially as the market continues to swell – demonstrates that neither company has locked in lasting user allegiance. Businesses are switching providers as fast as labs ship new models.

Two rivals, one market, zero loyalty.

This race is as thrilling as F1. - TL

If OpenAI and Anthropic both IPO'd tomorrow, which would you bet on?

OpenAI for faster growth

Anthropic, nothing beats the bottom line

Vote for live results and see results + opinions from yesterday at the bottom of the email.

Riddle Me This

I'm orange, I wear a green hat, and I sound like a parrot. What am I?

Find the answer at the bottom of the email!

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DATA CENTERS

Pee on computers, save humanity?

Artificial intelligence. It brings up a multitude of philosophical questions:

Can a machine truly think?

Will AI ever experience emotions?

Is it possible to cool data centers with our pee?

ICYMI, Liquid Death and Jason Kelce came together for a ballad-style music video with an inspiring message: “Let’s pee on computers together to save humanity!”

The cheeky marketing campaign riffed on recent data-center drama surrounding AI’s massive water demand. But along the way, it sparked a real conversation about whether sewage could be big tech’s next sustainability tool. Turns out, it can.

How wastewater cooling works:

Unfortunately, mineral deposits from raw urine clog the cooling towers. So that doesn’t work on its own.
Using membrane bioreactors, reverse osmosis, and UV light, treatment plants can convert sewage into an industrial coolant.
This recycled water is safe enough to use for mass cooling… and even, drinking 😳

The reality check

Take Loudoun County as an example. Located outside of Washington, DC, it’s home to 250+ data centers, which use about 200 million gallons of recycled sewage water a day.

Sounds impressive. Except, that only accounts for 43% of the county’s needs. The remaining 260 million gallons are still sourced from the local tap-water supply. That means AI’s water problem is less about urine and more about building the pipes, plants, and treatment capacity to make recycling work at scale.

So the potential is there, but we still have a long way to go.

Even still, ‘peeing for humanity’ is an oddly compelling pitch.

In case you needed one more reason to stay hydrated this summer. - TL

Mindstream Picks

Space: ESA’s Mars Express has captured stunning new views of Schiaparelli Crater, revealing terrain shaped by ancient water flows billions of years ago.

Business: Shein is targeting a valuation of nearly $27 billion when it makes its long-awaited Hong Kong stock market debut on 1 September.

Music: Sir Anthony Hopkins has revealed that music was his original dream before acting, as he prepares to release an album of orchestral works written across more than six decades.

Don’t Miss: TikTok will pay $400 million to settle a US lawsuit alleging it collected children’s data without parental consent and failed to delete accounts when requested. The settlement is one of the largest ever under US children’s online privacy law.