Weekly Dose of Optimism #187

Curation edition covering Artemis II launch, OpenAI acquiring TBPN, Google DeepMind’s Gemma 4, solar breakthroughs, and Somos Internet expansion.

Curated Topics

1. Artemis II launches — First crewed mission to the Moon in 53 years. SLS rocket, four astronauts aboard Orion (named Integrity), 10-day free-return trajectory reaching 252,000 miles. ~$4.2B per flight.
2. OpenAI acquires TBPN — Purchase in the low hundreds of millions. McCormick frames it as a narrative fix — the real asset is creative talent (Jordi, John) to reshape how AI labs communicate beyond SF.
3. Gemma 4 open source — Google DeepMind releases 4-model family (31B dense, 26B MoE, two edge models) under Apache 2.0. Runs locally on phones/laptops. McCormick calls GDM “Zeus” in the AI competition.
4. 130% quantum yield solar cells — Kyushu University demonstrates singlet fission with tetracene + molybdenum complex, breaking the 100% quantum yield barrier. Proof of concept in solution, not panels yet.
5. Somos Internet $40M Series B — Forrest Heath III’s vertically integrated ISP in Colombia expanding to Mexico. nbc portfolio company.

RDCO-Relevant Flags

• Open-source AI / agent infrastructure: Gemma 4 edge models running locally could reduce our API costs for lightweight agent tasks
• Content strategy / media acquisitions: OpenAI buying TBPN is a signal that narrative capability is valued at nine figures — validates investing in content as competitive moat
• AI competition dynamics: ties directly to the Bad Analogies essay from the day before