Good Morning!
January, a.k.a. 2026’s free trial period, has finally come to an end. It has simultaneously felt like 0.5 seconds and 98 days long but we’ve made it to EoM - anything you accomplished that you are proud of?
What You Missed This Week:
1. 🚀 SpaceX hits $8B profit milestone ahead of IPO talks
New financial details indicate SpaceX generated about $8 billion in profit last year on roughly $15 billion–$16 billion in revenue, with Starlink driving a large share of the gains, as the company edges closer to a potential 2026 IPO. At the same time, sources say SpaceX is in discussions to merge with Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm xAI ahead of that public offering, potentially bringing rockets, satellites, the X social platform and AI assets under one roof. Banks estimate SpaceX could raise more than $50 billion at a valuation north of $1.5 trillion. (Reuters)
2. 🔗 Your SEO Team Is Probably Doing Links Wrong
In 2026, “link building” usually means outsourced labor, automated outreach, and junk “pay to play” placements that Google knows aren’t legit… which quietly caps growth for serious companies.
uSERP is different. Every backlink is earned in-house by senior SEOs who know how to scale authority in competitive markets. No volume games. No risky footprints. Just links from real publications that actually move rankings, traffic, and revenue.
If they are good enough for Monday.com, Form Health, and dozens more
Work with the link-building team that serious brands trust:
3. 💰 Anthropic Closed its Latest Funding Round Above $10Bn
Investors are piling into Claude, with Anthropic closing its latest funding round above its initial $10B target at a $350B valuation, landing somewhere between $10B and $15B. The final total could still climb if Microsoft and Nvidia follow through on previously announced plans to participate. The deal underscores surging demand for leading AI models as capital continues to concentrate around a handful of dominant players, including Anthropic. (CNBC)
4. 🤑 Amazon talks $50B OpenAI investment while Microsoft nets $7.6B
Momentum around OpenAI’s business is accelerating, with Amazon reportedly in talks to invest up to $50B in the ChatGPT maker, despite having backed rival Anthropic with billions since 2023. While details remain fluid and the final amount could change, sources say a term sheet may be signed in the coming weeks. The interest comes as Microsoft disclosed that its OpenAI investment boosted net income by $7.6B last quarter, reinforcing how lucrative the partnership has become as OpenAI deepens its commitment to Azure and Big Tech circles the AI gold rush. (TechCrunch)
5. ⛓️💥 Why The B2B Agency Model Is Broken
Most B2B agencies overpromise and underdeliver. They charge a % of ad spend (so they’re incentivized to make you spend more, not make more), lock you into 6–12 month contracts, nickel-and-dime every new ad or campaign, and take a week to respond when you need something.
They also bet everything on one channel 👎 One ad platform. One cold email sequence. One play. In reality, B2B buyers don’t convert from a single touch, you have to stay top of mind across multiple channels to actually get booked and get paid.
That’s why we built Max’s Team. One flat monthly fee. Unlimited lead gen across Meta & Linkedin ads, Google search (+RB2B), newsletters, LinkedIn content, and DM outreach, and more… all working together. Month-to-month contracts. No “out of scope” excuses. Just execution focused on qualified leads, like 100+ MQls generated in the first 6 weeks at $66 CPL in a notoriously tough ICP for our recent client.
6. 🍎 Apple pairs $2B AI acquisition with record iPhone sales
Apple kicked off 2026 with its second-largest acquisition ever, snapping up AI audio startup Q.ai in a deal reportedly worth $2B, signaling a deeper push into human-centric AI. At the same time, iPhone delivered its best quarter on record, driven by strong demand in China and India. The company sold $85B worth of iPhones in Q1, up from $69B a year earlier, underscoring how core hardware strength is funding Apple’s next AI chapter. I guess we can say Tim really Cooked in here. (The Verge)
Bonus. 🤖 Level Up Your AI Game
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