Friday Founders: Issue #12 | Highlights from 5–11 September 2025

Hi Founders,

It’s Friday, 12 September 2025, and the week was stacked: custom AI chips, record infra deals, IPO heat, and platform pressure from Brussels. Here are the 10 stories you’ll want on your radar before the weekend.

1) 🤖 OpenAI plots in-house AI chips with Broadcom for 2026

TL; DR: OpenAI will produce its first custom AI chip with Broadcom, targeted for 2026 and intended for internal workloads. The move aims to diversify away from Nvidia and tune cost/performance for OpenAI’s stack. Reporting indicates the chips will be fabbed at TSMC.

Why you should care: When hyperscalers design their own silicon, ecosystem baselines shift and compatibility can fragment. Plan hardware-agnostic abstractions in your inference and training layers. Expect procurement conversations to ask about portability across Nvidia + custom parts.

Read more → Reuters.

2) 🧩 Broadcom lands $10B+ AI order; shares rip higher

TL; DR: Broadcom said it secured a $10B AI infrastructure order from a new customer, sending shares up sharply and reinforcing AI demand into FY2026. Management tied the order to booming gen-AI build-outs.

Why you should care: Big pre-buys signal tight supply and longer lead times for everyone else. If your roadmap depends on GPU/ASIC availability, front-load purchasing and build multi-supplier fallbacks. Infra pricing and delivery windows may move against late planners.

Read more → Reuters.

3) 💶 ECB’s Lagarde presses to close stablecoin loopholes

TL; DR: ECB President Christine Lagarde urged EU lawmakers to tighten rules so foreign stablecoin issuers meet EU-level safeguards, warning about cross-border run risk. It complements MiCA but targets remaining gaps.

Why you should care: Regulated stablecoin rails are coming with tougher disclosure and reserve standards. If you touch wallets, payouts, or cross-border settlement, get your compliance playbook (and vendors) audited now. Clear reserve attestation can become a sales advantage with enterprise partners.

Read more → Reuters.

4) ☁️ Oracle’s AI wave: stock surges toward the $1T club

TL; DR: Oracle’s shares spiked on multi-billion cloud compute deals tied to AI demand, briefly pushing valuation near $1T and fueling broader AI-trade momentum. The rally cooled the next day, but the AI narrative remains dominant.

Why you should care: CIOs are writing big checks for AI compute capacity; infra vendors with credible AI roadmaps are winning. If you sell into enterprise, tie your product to measurable AI outcomes and cloud contracts. Co-sell with hyperscalers/platforms where you can.

Read more → Reuters.

5) 🧠 Databricks hits $4B run-rate and adds $1B funding

TL; DR: Databricks closed a $1B round and said revenue is running at $4B annually, with $1B attributed to AI products. That puts it firmly in the first tier of AI-data infra players.

Why you should care: Buyers are consolidating around a small set of trusted data/AI platforms. Competing tools must differentiate via vertical depth, faster time-to-value, or complementary niches. Integrations into Databricks (and competitors) can be a distribution strategy.

Read more → Reuters.

6) 💳 Klarna’s NYSE debut pops ~30%, valuing firm at ~$19.7B

TL; DR: BNPL leader Klarna raised $1.37B in its U.S. IPO and surged on day one, a welcome signal for late-stage fintech listings. Management is shifting AI usage from bare cost-cutting to growth and experience.

Why you should care: Profit + growth is back in favor for fintech expect investors to press for clear unit-economics with AI as an enabler. If you sell into merchants/consumers, show how AI lifts conversion and risk outcomes. IPO windows can reopen quickly for the best performers.

Read more → Reuters.

7) 🏛️ EU hits Google with €2.95B adtech fine

TL; DR: Brussels fined Google €2.95B ($3.45B) over adtech practices after years of scrutiny, underscoring tougher platform oversight. The decision adds to DMA/DSA pressure on distribution and ad stacks.

Why you should care: Platform rules are loosening some gatekeeping while raising compliance duty. If you rely on Google ads/distribution, model scenarios for policy-driven changes in fees and APIs. Regulatory shifts can open niches for privacy-first or alternative ad products.

Read more → Reuters.

8) 🤝 Microsoft & OpenAI sign MoU for next-phase partnership

TL; DR: Microsoft and OpenAI signed a memorandum of understanding to frame the next phase of their relationship while they negotiate binding terms. It signals continuity amid governance changes at OpenAI.

Why you should care: Stability between two of the most important AI suppliers matters for startups building on their stacks. Expect continuity of services and possibly new commercialization paths. Keep an eye on licensing and API terms as the formal contract lands.

Read more → Reuters (video brief).

9) 📱 Apple launches iPhone 17 lineup and slimmer iPhone Air

TL; DR: Apple unveiled iPhone 17s (A19 chip, AI features), a new iPhone Air, and updates across Watch and AirPods—while holding prices steady despite tariff noise. The emphasis: on-device “Apple Intelligence” experiences.

Why you should care: Consumer expectations for real-time, on-device AI are rising fast. If you’re mobile-first, prioritize edge inference for latency and privacy. Marketing should lean into “works instantly, on your phone” as a differentiator.

Read more → Reuters.

10) 🏗️ Nebius signs $17.4B AI-infrastructure deal with Microsoft

TL; DR: Cloud/AI company Nebius inked a $17.4B multi-year infrastructure deal with Microsoft, sending its shares higher. The agreement underscores hyperscaler demand for partner capacity.

Why you should care: Multi-billion infra pacts create downstream opportunities for tools, data, and security startups that ride along. If you sell infra-adjacent products, align with marketplace listings and co-sell programs tied to these mega-deals. Distribution beats cold outbound.

Read more → Reuters.