Intelligence Brief

The Intelligence Brief: Anthropic Crosses OpenAI, Beyoncé Returns to the Met, and Wembanyama's Record - May 9, 2026

Nike's Air Max 95 Big Bubble 'Slate' marks the first-ever faithful retro of the 1995 original, while Anthropic's ARR crossed OpenAI's, Wembanyama shattered a 41-year playoff record, and Beyoncé returned to the Met after a decade away.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: WNBA 30th Anniversary Pack, Wembanyama vs. Wolves, Mortal Kombat II, and OpenAI's $25B Run Rate — May 8, 2026

Nike's WNBA 30th Anniversary Pack — Sabrina 3, A'Two, Kobe 9 Low EM Protro, and LeBron 23 'Old Glory' — drops on the league's season opener while Wembanyama averages 25 and 11.5 in the Spurs-Wolves series and OpenAI crosses $25B in annualized revenue.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: adidas AE1 'Believe That' Debut, Pistons-Cavs and Thunder-Lakers Game 2s, and Sierra's $950M Round — May 7, 2026

Anthony Edwards' adidas AE1 'Believe That' debuts today at $100 across six colorways — Dreamstrike cushioning, deliberate pricing. Pistons-Cavs and Thunder-Lakers tip in Game 2 tonight, and Sierra closes $950M at a $15.8B valuation.

Culture

Rolling Stones Launch 25th Album 'Foreign Tongues' in Brooklyn Ahead of July 10 Release

The 25th Stones LP arrives July 10, with guest spots from Paul McCartney, Robert Smith, Steve Winwood, and a final archival contribution from Charlie Watts.

Culture

Bad Bunny Wore Prosthetics to the Met Gala as a Tribute to Johnny Pacheco

The aged-Bad-Bunny look wasn't a stunt. It was a Costume Institute argument about who gets archived as cultural history — and whether Latin music gets to be one of those archives.

Technology

Bret Taylor's Sierra Raises $950M at $15.8B Valuation as ARR Hits $150M

Sierra is now valued at $15.8B and has more than $1B in cash. The interesting number isn't the valuation — it's the ARR curve from $100M to $150M in three months.

Sports

Thunder Beat Lakers 108-90 in Game 1 as Chet Holmgren Posts 24-12-3

OKC took Game 1 from a Luka-less Lakers team behind Holmgren's 24-12-3 and 13 made threes — and they did it without Jalen Williams. The depth bill is coming due for Los Angeles.

Sneakers

Beams Plus x Sperry MIL-CVO Drops May 5 Using Original 1940s US Navy Tooling

A Japanese taste-maker, an American boat-shoe brand, and a wartime US rubber company's actual factory tooling — the May 5 drop is what serious heritage collaboration looks like.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: Sneaker News x BAPE STA "Day & Night," Knicks-76ers Game 2, and Cerebras' $26.6B IPO Filing — May 6, 2026

Sneaker News drops its first-ever collaboration — a BAPE STA 'Day & Night' NYC pack in two tight editions (1,386 'Day,' 556 'Night') hitting StockX today at $349. Cerebras files for a $26.6B Nasdaq IPO the same week Knicks-76ers Game 2 tips at MSG.

Culture

2026 Met Gala Raises Record $42M as Beyoncé Returns After Decade

The 2026 Met Gala raised a record $42 million, brought Beyoncé back to the steps after a decade away, and turned "Fashion Is Art" from a thesis into a runway. The night belonged to the people who treated couture as construction, not costume.

Daily Roundup

The Daily Roundup: Patta x Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 "Waves," Lakers-Thunder Game 1, Met Gala "Fashion Is Art," and Sierra's $950M AI Round - May 5, 2026

Patta's Mercurial Vapor 16 Waves ($320) is the most considered cleat of the World Cup cycle. Luka and Jalen Williams both sit out Game 1, Beyoncé returns to the Met carpet, and Sierra closes $950M to lead enterprise AI.

Music

Drake Announces ICEMAN for May 15 With a 25-Foot Ice Sculpture in Downtown Toronto

Drake's ICEMAN drops May 15. The 25-foot ice sculpture in downtown Toronto, the magazine clue, the fans hacking it open with pickaxes, and the police seal-off all happened first — and built a marketing campaign that other brands are now copying.