Anthropic's Amodei and OpenAI's Altman Call for AI Pacing — Markets React
In what may be the most consequential alignment between frontier labs in years, Anthropic's Dario Amodei called on the industry to pace frontier development, and Sam Altman backed the appeal. SoftBank plunged 13% in Tokyo trading, SK Hynix dropped 5.3%, and Samsung fell 2.8%. Microsoft followed with a Saturday essay endorsing "deliberate pacing" and unveiled a Code of Conduct for its MAI models. Behind the scenes, The Information reports Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind have been meeting since July to create an industry-led standards body for AI — a potential alternative to waiting on government regulation.
Read on AI Weekly →MCP Market Projected to Hit $28.36B by 2035 — AI Agents Lead Applications
SNS Insider projects the Model Context Protocol market will grow from $1.2B in 2025 to $28.36B by 2035 at a 37.2% CAGR. The headline stat for PMMs: AI Agents & Automation already leads applications with 34.7% market share, while AI Assistants are the fastest-growing segment at 40.4% CAGR. Integration platforms capture 32.5% of the component market, and cloud-based deployment dominates at 58.6%. North America holds 42.4% share, but Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region. The message: MCP isn't a protocol niche — it's becoming the plumbing for enterprise AI.
Read on GlobeNewswire →Salesforce Ships 7 Named Agentforce Agents — Each Built for a Business Function
Salesforce on September 11 released seven named AI agents: Casey (service returns), Paige (seller coaching), Carter (campaign ops), Hunter (prospecting), Marshall (HR/IT), Piper (website qualification via Qualified), and Fin (customer service). Six are generally available; one is in pilot. The company claims 7 billion agent actions delivered to date. More interesting than the individual agents is the "long-horizon runtime" that allows these agents to pursue goals over weeks, not just single chat sessions — a shift from reactive to proactive automation.
Read on Salesforce →6,300+ Tech Job Cuts in First 10 Days of September
Business Standard tallies more than 6,300 tech job cuts globally in the first ten days of September 2026, led by Uber's roughly 3,300-role corporate reduction (about 10% of workforce), plus cuts at PayPal, Apple, Zomato, and Oracle. The cuts underscore a theme running through 2026: AI adoption isn't translating into headcount stability. Companies are deploying agents while trimming teams — and the roles being eliminated aren't just junior positions. For PMMs, this reinforces that demonstrating measurable AI-driven impact is now table stakes for career security.
Read on AI Weekly →Anthropic Guides to $11.5B Revenue, Approaches $2T IPO Valuation
The Financial Times reports Anthropic has told investors it will post positive adjusted operating income for a second straight quarter, projecting roughly $559M in Q2 operating profit on $11.5B in revenue (up from $4.73B in Q1). Gross margins are above 80% before revenue sharing with Amazon. Nvidia is reportedly weighing an anchor investment of up to $10B. Meanwhile, SoftBank secured an $11.87B two-year loan facility from about 20 banks to back its OpenAI stake — exceeding an initial $10B target. The AI infrastructure race is now denominated in tens of billions.
Read on AI Weekly →💡 My Take
The "pacing" call is strategic, not altruistic. When Anthropic, OpenAI, and Microsoft all endorse slowing down in the same weekend, it's worth asking who benefits. Answer: incumbents who already have massive model investments and distribution. Pacing creates regulatory moats that favor scaled players over insurgents. That said, the market reaction — SoftBank down 13% — shows investors interpret pacing as a growth headwind, not a governance win. For enterprise buyers, the signal is clearer: the window to build proprietary AI capabilities before standardization hits may be shorter than you think. Move now, or move within someone else's framework.