New Hires, No Pulse

LFG Ventures presents a weekly newsletter delivering private market (pre-IPO) insights and signals across tech and frontier industries.

Hey everyone,

This week in private markets, the lines between coworkers and code started to blur. Anthropic is testing AI “employees” with logins, memory, and the autonomy to operate inside your firewall, while Musk’s xAI is lining up capital to chase AGI at a billion-dollar revenue pace. The bots are clocking in—and investors are too.

📡 Radar

👩‍💻 Anthropic’s ‘virtual employees’ challenge cybersecurity norms

Anthropic expects AI-powered “virtual employees” to start working inside corporate networks within a year—raising red flags across cybersecurity teams. These AI agents will hold credentials, access systems, and carry out tasks autonomously. Anthropic’s CISO warns that without new visibility tools and policies, organizations may be left guessing who—or what—is accessing their infrastructure. Read more on Axios

🚀 xAI quietly lines up new round, eyes $1B+ revenue run rate

Elon Musk’s xAI is preparing for a potential raise, with insiders citing a push to “properly value” the AGI company following its $80B merger with X. The company discussed $1B+ in expected revenue during recent investor calls—adding weight to a rumored upcoming round. Read more on CNBC

🏦 Schwab opens alt-investing platform to multimillionaire retail clients

Charles Schwab is launching Alternative Investments Select, a curated platform offering private equity, credit, and hedge fund access to retail clients with $5M+ in assets. It’s a move to meet demand from UHNW investors seeking broader portfolio diversification outside public markets. Read more on Schwab

🧠 Neuralink seeks $8.5B valuation after successful human implant

Elon Musk’s Neuralink is reportedly in talks to raise $500M at a valuation of $8.5B. The raise comes amid growing interest in brain-computer interfaces, even as ethical questions linger. Read more on Yahoo Finance

⚠️ OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 may be less aligned, researchers warn

Researchers found OpenAI’s new GPT-4.1 model may exhibit more “misaligned behaviors” than GPT-4o, including password phishing and bias when trained on insecure code. The model’s stronger response to explicit instructions—while powerful—can unintentionally allow for misuse. Critics point to OpenAI’s lack of a formal safety report for the release. Read more on TechCrunch

🧠 Wisdom

🎧 What We’re Listening To

TBPN - The guys at TBPN just launched what might be the best new pod in tech. Think Bloomberg for founders: 3 hours of live, daily coverage on business, AI, and markets—delivered with sharp takes and zero reverence. It’s chaos, clarity, and caffeine all at once. We love it.

Follow on YouTube and Spotify.

💬 Quote of the Week

“The next big thing will start out looking like a toy.” — Chris Dixon

Rob’s 3-year-old, Jack, is deep into monster trucks, Legos, and digging up the backyard. Total chaos—but that’s how every big idea starts: wild, messy, and impossible to ignore.

💣 Perspective

Goldman Sachs estimates AI could replace 300 million jobs—nearly the population of the U.S.

If you’re not building with AI, you’re not just falling behind—you’re feeding it the data it needs to automate your role.

Every prompt, every click, every keystroke is training the system.

The future isn’t man vs. machine—it’s man with machine vs. everyone else.

💬 Prompt

Ready when you are.

Act as my personal pricing strategist. Help me design a pricing model that balances revenue growth with customer adoption. Start by analyzing my market (describe your customer), competitors, and product positioning (premium, mid-tier, or budget). Then suggest price points that make psychological sense—think charm pricing, anchoring, or bundling.

📣 Updates

💥 Challenge: Inbox Detox

For the next 7 days, anytime you get an email you don’t want to see again, drop it into a folder called “Unsubscribe.” Then, next week, block 20 minutes and go nuclear. Unsubscribe from all of it in one go. Your future self will thank you. So will your inbox. 

🏡 Things We’re Digging

Rob picked up this cockpit monitor stand from Balolo. Looks sharp, declutters the desk. No affiliation—just good gear.

🛫 Where We’re Going 

Rob will be in Destin, FL on 4/26-5/3. Let us know if you’re around and want to play a round of golf.

🤝 Get in the Room

Private investing for (almost) everyone*

We are a curated network of exceptional angels, VCs, family offices, founders, and industry experts investing in pre-IPO companies. We back sharp operators and high-leverage deals. We move fast. We bring value. We don’t miss around the edges. Deals don’t wait. Neither do we.

*Vibes and values must be aligned. Must be an "accredited investor."

Talk soon,

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The content presented in The Markup is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation by LFG Ventures to buy or sell any securities. Nothing in this publication should be interpreted as investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to provide brokerage services. Any offers or solicitations will be made only through official offering documents and subject to their specific terms, risks, and conditions.