Stripe
Stripe business and news from across the web.
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Stripe-led group is reportedly abandoning its PayPal acquisition
Stripe and buyout firm Advent have reportedly abandoned their acquisition of PayPal. The deal was rumored to be in progress earlier this month.
Nobody Knows Who Built Ox Alpha — And That’s the Point of a Stealth Model
A new, unnamed AI model called Ox Alpha has been released on OpenRouter, sparking speculation about its developer, with theories ranging from Chinese entities to Microsoft. The model is described as a 'stealth model' with an anonymous third-party provider, a strategy intended to gather user data and feedback before revealing its identity. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison praised the model, though his company is in the process of acquiring OpenRouter.
Report: Stripe Lining Up a $7 Billion-Plus Deal for OpenRouter
Stripe is reportedly in talks to acquire OpenRouter for over $7 billion, a significant increase from its $1.3 billion valuation just nine months prior. OpenRouter provides a routing layer for developers to access various AI models, described by its CEO as "Stripe for AI."
Etherealize CEO Vivek Raman: Wall Street’s private chain comeback is a ‘race to the bottom’
Etherealize CEO Vivek Raman criticizes the current trend of private, gated blockchains, likening them to a 'race to the bottom' and a repeat of past failures. He argues that open, permissionless networks like Ethereum provide superior interoperability and liquidity, with privacy features best built on top of these foundational layers. While acknowledging the market's current focus on enterprise sales, Raman believes that regulatory clarity will ultimately favor open networks due to their lack of a single controlling entity.
Stripe Is Reportedly Circling PayPal — and a $53 Billion Bid Already Got Turned Down
Stripe and private equity firm Advent International are reportedly in talks to acquire PayPal, which previously rejected a $53 billion offer. The potential deal aims to combine their payment volumes and reduce reliance on Visa and MasterCard. The outcome hinges on a revised offer price, with PayPal's current CEO, Enrique Lores, working on a turnaround strategy.
Stripe is reportedly in talks to buy PayPal
Stripe is reportedly in negotiations to acquire PayPal, with private equity firm Advent also involved in the discussions. Previous offers were reportedly rejected, but new price negotiations are underway.
MoneyGram Ramps goes live on Solana, offering cash-out across 170 countries
MoneyGram has launched its "Ramps" service on the Solana blockchain, enabling users to convert cash into digital assets and vice versa across 170 countries. This integration aims to simplify cross-border payments by leveraging MoneyGram's existing network without requiring users to directly interact with blockchain technology. The move follows MoneyGram's previous collaborations with the Stellar Development Foundation and its own stablecoin initiative, MGUSD.
Stripe and Advent to acquire PayPal (PYPL) for over $53 billion according to Reuters report
Stripe and Advent International have reportedly made a joint offer to acquire PayPal for over $53 billion, or $60.50 per share. This offer represents a significant premium over PayPal's recent stock performance, which has declined over the year amid increasing competition. Both companies would take a 50% stake if the deal closes, though PayPal, Stripe, and Advent have yet to comment.
"We have to have free human expression in some capacity": Patreon CEO shares frustrations about getting adult content past payment processors
Patreon CEO Jack Conte expressed frustration with payment processors like Stripe and Mastercard, who dictate policies on 'adult content' and threaten to withhold services. This pressure has led platforms like Steam and Itch.io to change their policies, impacting creators. Conte highlighted Patreon's efforts to build leverage through a 'hot-swappable payments architecture' to better support artists on the platform, while acknowledging the ongoing challenges in navigating these complex financial and content regulations.
Kickstarter rolls back new mature content guidelines after week of backlash
Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has reverted its new, more restrictive adult content guidelines after facing significant backlash from creators and users. The company cited pressure from its payment processor, Stripe, as the reason for the initial change, which banned content like "implied sex acts" and specific adult content terms. Kickstarter COO Sean Leow stated the company aims to regain user trust and continue supporting bold creative work.
"Honestly? We botched it" - Kickstarter apologises for its criticised adult content rules, and for betraying its "f*ck the establishment spirit"
Crowdfunding platform Kickstarter has apologized for its recently implemented adult content rules, admitting they "botched" the changes and alienated its community. The new guidelines, introduced due to clashes with payment provider Stripe, were too restrictive and abandoned Kickstarter's counterculture spirit. Kickstarter will revert to its previous guidelines while working on new ones that better balance creator freedom with payment processor requirements.
Morning Metaverse
The FCC has reportedly angered small carriers by allowing AT&T and Starlink to purchase EchoStar spectrum. Separately, Kickstarter has allegedly been forced to ban NSFW content due to demands from Stripe. YouTube is also evolving its TV app.
Adult games may be an unintended beneficiary as FTC pressure payment providers like Visa and Mastercard not to debank Trump supporters, but I doubt it
The US Federal Trade Commission has sent letters to major payment providers like Visa and Mastercard, urging them not to deny services based on political or religious views. This action, intended to prevent discrimination against Trump supporters, could inadvertently benefit the adult games industry by discouraging payment processors from bowing to pressure that previously led to content delistings on platforms like Itch.io and Valve.
The video game payment processor crisis may be getting better, thanks to the American Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued warnings to payment processors like Mastercard, Visa, Stripe, and PayPal, stating they cannot deny service based on political or religious views. This action may alleviate the ongoing crisis affecting video game developers and platforms, such as Itch.io and Valve, who have faced restrictions on content and payment services due to pressure from these processors.
Remember when Mastercard pressured Steam to remove a bunch of NSFW games? The FTC says that's not cool—sort…
The US Federal Trade Commission has sent letters to major financial services companies like Mastercard, Visa, PayPal, and Stripe, expressing concerns about potential political or religious discrimination in their services. This action follows Valve's report that Mastercard pressured Steam to remove NSFW games, a claim Mastercard denies, stating they only allow lawful purchases. The FTC's investigation could impact how payment processors handle content restrictions.
