Anthropic opens its books, TRAI eyes your TV apps, and a challan scam that won't quit
Anthropic's IPO filing is public, TRAI wants a licence for the free TV apps on your smart TV, a fake mParivahan app is still draining savings, and Instagram tests 90-minute videos without paying for them. Plus a two-minute WhatsApp fix.
- Long Press · Daily Five27 Oct 202601 / 05
commentaryIgnore Anthropic's $80.7B loss. Watch who sells its product.
Anthropic filed its S-1 on October 26, putting $16.3 billion of first-half revenue and an $80.7 billion net loss on the record ahead of a Nasdaq listing as ANT, as Fortune reported. The loss is mostly a $72.4 billion paper charge on convertible notes, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. What I'd actually read twice is the distribution: nearly half the revenue runs through Amazon, Google and Microsoft's cloud marketplaces, and five customers account for about a quarter. That's a company renting its shop window from its biggest rivals.
The questionWhat did Anthropic's S-1 IPO filing reveal about revenue and losses?
In one lineAnthropic filed its S-1 on October 26, 2026 to list on Nasdaq as ANT. It reported $16.3 billion in first-half 2026 revenue and an $80.7 billion net loss, of which $72.4 billion is a non-cash charge on convertible notes. Operating cash flow was a positive $3.9 billion.
The problem
Frontier AI labs have been valued on private rounds and leaks for years, so nobody outside could check whether the revenue was real, how much compute it burned, or who held the power.
What changed
The S-1 shows revenue up about 1,300% to $16.3 billion in the first half of 2026, Q2 compute spend of $5.6 billion against $11.6 billion of revenue, positive operating cash flow of $3.9 billion and about 5,300 staff. A special class F share leaves the seven cofounders with 50.1% of the votes, per Yahoo Finance's live coverage and Fortune.
The catch
There's no price or share count yet, and the $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion valuation everyone's quoting comes from media reports, not the filing. Anthropic also admits 5% to 7% of this year's revenue came from customers it later caught breaking its rules.
What it means for you
If you're tempted by ANT, read the risk section before the hype pieces. If you just use Claude, nothing changes today, though public-market pressure tends to show up in pricing and plan limits sooner or later.
Questions people ask
Is Anthropic actually losing $80 billion a year?
No. About $72.4 billion of the $80.7 billion first-half loss is a non-cash accounting charge tied to the rising value of convertible notes. The operating loss narrowed to $693 million from $2.1 billion a year earlier, adjusted operating income was about $1.6 billion, and operating cash flow was a positive $3.9 billion, according to Fortune's read of the filing.
When will Anthropic's ANT shares start trading?
The filing doesn't set a price or a date. Fortune reports the debut is targeted for Thanksgiving week in late November 2026 on Nasdaq under the ticker ANT. Media reports put the target valuation between $1.5 trillion and $2 trillion, but those numbers come from reporting, not from the S-1 itself, so treat them as estimates.
What are the biggest risks in Anthropic's IPO filing?
The risk section runs about 94 pages. The top five customers made up roughly 25% of revenue, nearly half of revenue flows through Amazon, Google and Microsoft cloud marketplaces, and Anthropic estimates 5% to 7% of this year's revenue came from customers later found breaking its usage policies. The seven cofounders keep 50.1% of voting power.
SourcesFortune ↗Yahoo Finance ↗
- Long Press · Daily Five27 Oct 202602 / 05
newsIndiaTRAI wants a licence for the free TV apps on your smart TV
TRAI on October 26 recommended that free live-TV apps like Samsung TV Plus, YuppTV and Xiaomi TV+ hold a government licence, with Indian data servers and a one-year transition, as MediaNama reported. Licensing the distributor I can live with; cable operators have done it for decades. The part that bothers me is quieter: internet-only news channels can't register at all, and TV makers would have to pull any app that isn't on the ministry's list. That's the government curating your TV's app store.
The questionWill free live TV apps like Samsung TV Plus need a licence in India?
In one linePossibly. On October 26, 2026, TRAI recommended that apps streaming linear TV channels, such as Samsung TV Plus, YuppTV and Xiaomi TV+, get a government licence under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry still has to accept it before it becomes a rule.
The problem
Free ad-supported TV apps now come preinstalled on most smart TVs and stream hundreds of channels, many of which exist only online and sit outside both cable rules and the IT Act.
What changed
TRAI calls them Application-based Linear Television Distribution services and wants a Rs 1 lakh entry fee for a 20-year licence, Indian-only ownership, data kept in India and approved channels only. Broadcasters' own apps, social media live streams and on-demand services like Netflix are left out. Jio and Sony opposed the framework during the consultation.
The catch
It's a recommendation, not a rule. The ministry asked for it in December 2025 and still has to accept it, and there's an open question whether the Telecommunications Act even covers internet apps, given the government has said it doesn't apply to OTT.
What it means for you
Nothing disappears from your TV today. If you rely on an internet-only news channel through one of these apps, though, keep an eye on this one, because that's the content the draft shuts out.
Questions people ask
What would TRAI's live TV app licence cost and require?
TRAI proposes a Rs 10,000 processing fee and a Rs 1 lakh entry fee for a 20-year national licence, open only to Indian-registered companies. User, payment and viewing data would have to sit on servers in India, apps could carry only approved channels, and each would need an Indian grievance officer and six-monthly compliance reports.
Can internet-only news channels stream on these TV apps under TRAI's plan?
No. Internet-only channels could register with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry for Rs 1 lakh a year, but internet-only news channels are barred from registering at all. Industry submissions told TRAI that about 70% of channels on these apps exist only online, so that clause matters more than the fees.
Will TRAI's rules remove apps from my smart TV in India?
Not yet. TV makers and app stores wouldn't need a licence, but they'd have to check apps against the ministry's master list and remove unlicensed ones. Existing apps would get one year after the rules are notified, and the ministry hasn't accepted the recommendations, so nothing on your TV changes today.
SourcesMediaNama ↗
- Long Press · Daily Five27 Oct 202603 / 05
tipStop strangers adding you to WhatsApp groups
WhatsApp's Groups privacy setting, under Settings, Privacy, Groups, lets you choose My Contacts or My Contacts Except, so strangers can't drop you into a group without a private invite that expires in three days, per WhatsApp's own blog. Most people leave it on Everyone, which is how the fake 'trading tips' groups and stray APK files keep finding them. A fake mParivahan app reportedly reached an 86-year-old in Ahmedabad this week through a WhatsApp group, per The420. Two minutes, one door closed.
The questionHow do I stop strangers adding me to WhatsApp groups?
In one lineOpen WhatsApp Settings, then Privacy, then Groups, and pick My Contacts or My Contacts Except. People outside that list can no longer add you directly; they have to send a private invite, which you can ignore and which expires after three days.
The problem
On default settings anyone with your number can add you to a WhatsApp group, and scammers use that to push fake investment pitches and malicious app files at scale.
What changed
Settings, Privacy, Groups offers Everyone, My Contacts or My Contacts Except. On anything but Everyone, an admin who isn't allowed to add you gets prompted to send a private invite instead, and it lapses after three days.
The catch
It does nothing about contacts who are already saved, or about scammers who message you one-to-one, so pair it with WhatsApp's unknown-caller and unknown-message protections.
What it means for you
Set it to My Contacts on your phone, then do the same on your parents' phones this weekend. They're the ones these groups are aimed at.
Questions people ask
What happens when someone can't add me to a WhatsApp group?
WhatsApp prompts the group admin to send you a private invite in a one-to-one chat instead. You decide whether to join, and if you do nothing the invite expires after three days. The group never appears in your chat list unless you accept, which removes the easiest route for scam trading groups.
Can I block specific contacts from adding me to WhatsApp groups?
Yes. Choose My Contacts Except under Settings, Privacy, Groups, then select the saved contacts you don't want adding you, or select all of them. WhatsApp replaced its older Nobody option with this, so selecting every contact is now the way to make sure nobody can add you without an invite.
SourcesWhatsApp Blog ↗The420 ↗
- Long Press · Daily Five27 Oct 202604 / 05
myth busterIndiaThat mParivahan app on WhatsApp is not the government's
An 86-year-old retired professor in Ahmedabad lost about Rs 10.8 lakh from two bank accounts after a fake mParivahan APK reportedly reached him through a WhatsApp group, The420 reported on October 26. The myth that keeps this scam alive is simple: if it says mParivahan, it must be official. It isn't, and no real challan ever needs an install. Kerala police warned about exactly this trick in September, and it's still working in October, which tells you the warnings aren't reaching the people who need them.
The questionIs an mParivahan app sent on WhatsApp for an e-challan genuine?
In one lineNo. Real traffic challans never require installing an app from a message. On October 26, 2026, an 86-year-old in Ahmedabad was reported to have lost about Rs 10.8 lakh after a fake mParivahan APK arrived through a WhatsApp group. Check fines only on the official Parivahan e-Challan portal.
The problem
Traffic fines feel official and urgent, and the government really does run apps called mParivahan and e-Challan, so a file with that name looks believable, especially to older users.
What changed
Besides the Ahmedabad case, Kerala police in September described fake e-challan sites that ask for a vehicle number and then push an APK through a fake 'Internal Security Review' prompt, per ThePrint. PIB Fact Check had already flagged challan links and APKs that expose OTPs.
The catch
Police haven't confirmed exactly how the Ahmedabad phone was compromised, so the APK is the reported route, not a proven one.
What it means for you
Check fines only by typing the Parivahan e-Challan address yourself, never install an APK from a chat, and if you already did, go offline, call your bank and dial 1930.
Questions people ask
How does the fake e-challan APK scam work in India?
A message on SMS or WhatsApp says a traffic fine is pending and pushes a link or an APK file named like mParivahan. Kerala police said in September 2026 that fake sites even show an 'Internal Security Review' prompt before the download. Once installed, the app can read SMS and OTPs, letting fraudsters move money from bank and UPI accounts.
What should I do if I installed a fake mParivahan app?
Kerala police advise disconnecting the phone from the internet, avoiding any banking on it, and removing the app if you can. Check your UPI and bank transactions, call your bank straight away if anything looks wrong, change passwords from a different device, and report it on the 1930 helpline or the cybercrime portal.
How can I check a traffic challan safely in India?
PIB Fact Check says to verify challans only on the official Parivahan e-Challan portal, reached by typing the address yourself rather than tapping a link, and to download apps only from official app stores. Treat any message demanding urgent payment or an app install to clear a fine as a scam.
- Long Press · Daily Five27 Oct 202605 / 05
hot takeInstagram wants your 90-minute videos. It won't pay for them.
Instagram on October 26 started testing Features, a new upload type for videos up to 90 minutes, in Brazil, along with Clips as Reels that link short cuts back to the full video, TechCrunch reported. Mosseri admits he was against long-form for years, and the pay side shows it: there's no ad revenue share, and he calls the current payout program "just burning capital." So my advice is boring. Keep long videos on YouTube, where partners get 55% of ad revenue, and use Instagram's Reels to point people at them.
The questionDoes Instagram pay creators for its new 90-minute Features videos?
In one lineNot through ad revenue. Instagram began testing Features, videos up to 90 minutes, on October 26, 2026 in Brazil, but has no long-term pay model. Adam Mosseri said its current creator payouts are "just burning capital," while YouTube shares 55% of ad revenue with partners.
The problem
Instagram has the audience but almost none of the TV-screen watch time YouTube owns, and long videos are where that time, and the ad money, lives.
What changed
Features supports uploads up to 90 minutes, Clips as Reels lets a Reel link to the full video, and viewers can send long videos to Instagram's TV app. Testing is limited to Brazil for now, with a small US test next.
The catch
Creators earn only from brand deals, fan subscriptions and a small performance program. Meta says it's exploring ways for creators to earn from Instagram, but there's no ad share or date, and TechCrunch notes ads on long videos aren't confirmed.
What it means for you
Don't move your long-form library. If Features reaches India, test it with cut-downs that send viewers to your YouTube channel, and switch only when Instagram puts a revenue share in writing.
Questions people ask
What is Instagram Features and Clips as Reels?
Features is a new Instagram upload type for videos up to 90 minutes. Clips as Reels lets creators cut parts of a long video into Reels that link viewers to the full version, and viewers can save the long video and send it to Instagram's TV app. Both are in testing in Brazil, with a small US test next.
Is Instagram's 90-minute video feature available in India?
Not yet. Instagram is testing Features and Clips as Reels in Brazil first, with a small US test coming next, according to TechCrunch. Instagram hasn't given a date for India or any wider rollout, so creators here can't upload long videos as Features today.
SourcesTechCrunch ↗
Taps
Quick hits. One line each, for when a long press is too much.
- IndiaMediaNama ↗
India's draft AI rules now look like a November job
Ashwini Vaishnaw now says the consultation paper comes 'in the coming weeks', after promising it within a month on October 8, per MediaNama.
- IndiaThe420 ↗
ED makes seventh arrest in Rs 28,000-crore digital-arrest money trail probe
Advocate Rashesh Upadhyay was held at Mumbai airport. The case began with a Rs 2.6-crore Goa digital arrest and now spans about 400 mule accounts.
- GlobalMacRumors ↗
Apple's OLED iPad mini starts at $699, pre-orders open October 28
OFFICIAL: 8.5-inch OLED, A20 Pro, IP67, ships November 6. India pricing isn't out yet, and the 35W charger is extra.
- GlobalLowyat.NET ↗
iOS 27.2 is out, and Siri AI still skips every Indian language
New Siri AI languages are French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. It also patches 160-plus flaws, so install it anyway.
- GlobalBleepingComputer ↗
University of Copenhagen breach exposes data on 525,000 people
A test environment held real names, national ID numbers, phones and emails. Real IDs in test data is the actual failure.