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  • Ari Emanuel’s TKO Pay Rises to $67.3 Million

    Ari Emanuel’s TKO Pay Rises to $67.3 Million

    Ari Emanuel saw his compensation package at TKO Group Holdings rise to $67.3 million in 2025, a sharp increase from 2024, when his compensation totaled $18.1 million.

    Emanuel is executive chair and CEO of TKO, which owns the UFC, WWE, IMG and PBR, among other assets. His 2025 salary remained $3 million, while his bonus rose to $11.9 million, his stock award rose to nearly $44 million, and his non-equity incentive plan comp topped $8.1 million.

    TKO disclosed its senior executive pay in its annual proxy filing Thursday afternoon. Mark Shapiro, the president and COO of TKO, saw his compensation package rise to $42.6 million in 2025, up from $31.9 million in 2024, while CFO Andrew Schleimer saw his pay rise to $23.1 million.

    Nick Khan, the president of WWE and a TKO board member, had 2025 compensation that totaled $24.3 million.

    As with all executive compensation at large public companies, the amount the executives actually take home depends heavily on the trajectory of the company’s share price.

    2025, of course, was a big year for TKO, thanks to new rights deals it inked for the WWE with Netflix and USA, as well as UFC’s deal with Paramount, which officially began earlier this year. The company also closed its deal for PBR, IMG, On Location and other assets that had been a part of Endeavor Group Holdings.

    The proxy also disclosed some financial details related to Dwayne Johnson’s work with TKO. Johnson is now a major movie star, but used to perform for the WWE as “The Rock.” According to the proxy, TKO paid Johnson $900,000 in royalty payments related to the use of the Rock IP. TKO is also working with Johnson’s production company Seven Bucks on a potential unscripted project, paying the firm an amount less than $120,000 last year.

  • War-driven demand boosts profits for weapons and aircraft manufacturers

    War-driven demand boosts profits for weapons and aircraft manufacturers

    Geopolitical conflicts, including the United States and Israel’s war on Iran and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, have fuelled surging demand for US defence companies as the Pentagon races to replenish weapon and aircraft stockpiles.

    First-quarter results posted this week from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX Corporation and Boeing saw limited growth as supply chain and production delays weighed on the industry.

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    Lockheed Martin, which reported its first-quarter earnings on Thursday, fell short of analysts’ expectations, reporting lower first-quarter profit. Net earnings in the first quarter of 2026 came in at $1.5bn, marking a decline from $1.7bn in the first quarter of 2025.

    The Bethesda, Maryland-based defence giant said its aeronautics segment was hit by delays in F-16 fighter jet development, which tied flight test issues as supply chain strains weigh on the company’s C-130 transport aircraft.

    “The combined cost of the rework and schedule extension ran through our programme estimate,” an executive said on Lockheed’s earnings call.

    Sales tumbled as volumes on classified programmes slowed down by $325m from the previous quarter. However, losses were offset by growing sales of F-35 fighter jets.

    The administration of US President Donald Trump has proposed purchasing 85 new F-35 jets in 2027.

    “We aren’t surprised, given management’s desire to be aligned with the customer’s agenda,” said Seth Seifman, an analyst at JP Morgan.

    Lockheed’s stock is tumbling in midday trading, down 5.1 percent since the market opened Thursday, and is down more than 12 percent over the last five days.

    Boeing’s losses slow down

    Boeing, on the other hand, reported on Wednesday a first-quarter loss of $7m, a reduction from the $31m loss a year earlier. The Arlington, Virginia-based aeronautics giant is trying to recover from several years of turmoil.

    Defence and space earnings ticked up 50 percent to $233m in the first quarter. In late March, Boeing was awarded $2.3bn from the US Department of Defense to add onto an existing $4.9bn contract from December.

    Space travel drove some of Boeing’s success in the first quarter amid NASA’s successful Artemis II mission around the moon. The effort was part of a joint venture with Northrop Grumman.

    The company also saw its highest first-quarter deliveries since 2019 in its commercial aircraft unit. Revenue for the unit rose by 13 percent to $9.2bn for the quarter.

    However, those gains were offset by $1.5bn cash burn as it increased production capacity and ramped up certification programmed for 737 MAX variants and the 777X aircraft.

    Boeing’s stock is up in midday trading by 0.4 percent, continuing an upward trend over the last five days at 4.1 percent.

    Northrop Grumman demand expands

    Northrop Grumman, which reported its earnings on Tuesday, showed higher first-quarter revenue, which ticked up 4.4 percent to $9.88bn compared to the same period last year. The Falls Church, Virginia-based defence contractor attributed it to surging demand for its long-range stealth bomber, the B-21 aircraft.

    In January, a US spending bill included $1.9bn for funding the B-21 raider, and in February, the company garnered an agreement with the US Air Force that would expand production capacity of the aircraft by 25 percent.

    Northrop posted a 10 percent increase in organic sales to $1.9bn in its defence systems segment, helped by a ramp-up in the Sentinel programme, its intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

    Northrop’s stock remained relatively flat in midday trading on Thursday, up by 0.1 percent, following a nearly 12 percent decline over the last five days.

    Meanwhile, the RTX Corporation, the parent company of Raytheon, in its first-quarter earnings report released on Tuesday, raised both its full-year profit and revenue forecasts after the Arlington, Virginia-based defence giant’s results saw a bump driven by demand for its missile systems.

    Revenue surged 9 percent in the first quarter $22.08bn compared to the same quarter this time last year. Sales in RTX’s Raytheon unit reported a 10 percent increase because of higher demand for both air and missile defence systems.

    In April, RTX secured a contract to supply Patriot GEM-T interceptor missiles worth $3.7bn to Ukraine.

    RTX stock is down 0.7 percent in midday trading and has tumbled 8.1 percent over the last five days.

  • Pope decries migrants and refugees being treated ‘worse than house pets’

    Pope decries migrants and refugees being treated ‘worse than house pets’

    Pope Leo has previously criticised Donald Trump’s immigration policies, calling for better treatment of refugees.

    Pope Leo has criticised the world’s treatment of migrants and refugees, claiming that they are often viewed as “worse than house pets or animals.”

    Leo, who has previously attacked US President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, called for better treatment of migrants as he flew back to Rome on Thursday following a four-nation Africa tour.

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    “They are human beings and we have to treat human beings in a humanitarian way and not treat them worse … than house pets or animals,” the pope said in a press conference.

    Leo, who is the first head of the Roman Catholic Church from the US, did not reference any specific country when calling out the ill-treatment of immigrants.

    The pope has previously questioned whether the Trump administration’s hardline policies are in line with the Catholic Church’s strict pro-life teachings, in remarks that drew sharp criticism from conservative US Catholics.

    Speaking on Thursday, Leo said that countries have a right to control their borders, but urged richer nations to help develop the countries that migrants are leaving, so they do not feel the need to leave.

    What are richer countries doing to change the situation for poorer countries?” he asked. “And why can’t we seek … to change the situations in [those] countries?”

    A woman carries a gift for Pope Leo as he points whilst standing behind her
    The Pope has condemend the ill-treatment of migrants [Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters]

    Critic of the Iran war

    Pope Leo also condemned the killing of protestors in Iran earlier this year, after president Trump attacked the Catholic leader for not speaking out on the subject whilst criticising the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

    “I condemn all actions that are unjust. I condemn the taking of people’s lives,” the pope said in response to a question in a press conference about reports that Iran killed thousands of anti-government protesters in January.

    Leo was attacked by Trump on social media as “terrible” on April 12, after the pope emerged as an outspoken critic of the Iran war.

    In a post two days later, Trump asked “will someone please tell Pope Leo” about the deaths of Iranian protesters.

    Speaking ahead of his tour of Africa, Leo said he did not wish to “debate” Trump and that he did not fear the Trump administration.

    “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote ⁠peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states ⁠to look for just ⁠solutions to problems,” he said.

    Authoritarian leaders

    Leo returns to Rome after wrapping up his Africa trip in Equatorial Guinea.

    The pope defended his decision to visit countries known for having authoritarian leaders, with both Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon governed by long-term leaders.

    He said the Vatican maintains diplomatic relationships with the governments in thsoe countries.

    “We don’t always make great proclamations … but there’s an awful lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to promote justice,” said the pope.

  • Elizabeth Banks Got Told ‘You Can’t Direct Men’ Because ‘They Won’t Follow You’ as a Woman Filmmaker

    Elizabeth Banks Got Told ‘You Can’t Direct Men’ Because ‘They Won’t Follow You’ as a Woman Filmmaker

    Elizabeth Banks recently appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” to promote her Peacock comedy series “The Miniature Wife” and was asked about times she was made to feel small as an actor, director and producer in Hollywood. She didn’t hesitate to remember being told that she could not direct male actors if she were to step behind the camera.

    “I was literally told because I direct films that, ‘You can’t direct men. They won’t follow you,’” Banks said. “And then I directed Ray Liotta, who played Henry Hill in ‘Goodfellas,’ and I think I nailed it. Check. It’s all good.”

    Banks has directed major Hollywood studio movies such as “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Charlie’s Angels” and “Cocaine Bear,” the latter of which co-starred Liotta and grossed $90 million worldwide in 2023. The “Pitch Perfect” sequel was a worldwide hit with $287 million worldwide, while the “Charlie’s Angels” reboot in 2019 stumbled with $73 million. Banks has been honest in past interviews about her frustration over “Charlie’s Angels” being reduced to a chick flick by the media. She told The New York Times in 2022 that she wished the film’s marketing “had not been presented as just for girls,” later telling Rolling Stone that’s the only perspective the media was interested in perpetuating anyway.

    “So much of the story that the media wanted to tell about ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was that it was some feminist manifesto,” Banks said. “People kept saying, ‘You’re the first female director of ‘Charlie’s Angels!” And I was like, ‘They’ve only done a TV show and McG’s movies … what are you talking about? There’s not this long legacy.’ I just loved the franchise. There was not this gendered agenda from me. That was very much laid on top of the work, and it was a little bit of a bummer. It felt like it pigeonholed me and the audience for the movie.”

    “To lose control of the narrative like that was a real bummer,” Banks added. “You realize how the media can frame something regardless of how you’ve framed it. I happen to be a woman who directed a ‘Charlie’s Angels’ movie that happened to star three incredible women. You can’t control the media saying, ‘You’re a lady director, and that’s special!’ — which it is, but it’s not the only thing.”

    Banks recalled having to ask for the film to be promoted to men and not just women.

    “I remember having a conversation with someone who was like, ‘You guys are going to have a partnership with Drybar’ — which is, like, a hair-blowing thing,” Banks said. “And I was like, ‘Alright… but could we have an ad during the baseball playoffs? It’s not only this one thing.’ It was interesting to see how the industry sees things that star women. It was a real lesson for me.”

    When asked by Kelly Clarkson if being told she can’t direct man only adds fuel to her fire to do just that, Banks responded: “Yeah, of course!”

    Watch Banks’ full interview on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in the video below.

  • ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Movie With Jamie Lee Curtis Delayed to 2028

    ‘Murder, She Wrote’ Movie With Jamie Lee Curtis Delayed to 2028

    Murder, she postponed.

    “Murder, She Wrote,” a Jamie Lee Curtis-led reboot of the beloved crime drama, has been delayed a few months. Universal Pictures has pushed the film’s release date from Dec. 22, 2027 to Feb. 4, 2028.

    “Murder, She Wrote” will now have distance from three big sequels, Disney’s superhero adventure “Avengers: Secret Wars,” the Warner Bros. fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings: Hunt for Gollum,” and Lionsgate’s thriller “The Housemaid’s Secret” — all of which are set to open on Dec. 17, the weekend before “Murder’s” original spot on the calendar. Universal didn’t give a reason for the move.

    Curtis is starring in “Murder, She wrote” as the iconic crime writer and amateur sleuth known as Jessica Fletcher, who was memorably portrayed by Angela Lansbury in the original TV series. Plot details for the upcoming movie haven’t been revealed, but the show — which ran for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 — centered around Fletcher’s knack for solving murders in the fictional, quaint town of Cabot Cove, Maine.

    “Pitch Perfect” filmmaker Jason Moore is directing the “Murder, She Wrote” reboot from a screenplay by “Dumb Money” writers Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, whose latest film “Project Hail Mary” became a box office hit with $577 million globally and counting, will produce the film through their first‑look deal with Universal Pictures.

  • Aave rallies DeFi partners to contain fallout from $292 million KelpDAO hack

    Aave rallies DeFi partners to contain fallout from $292 million KelpDAO hack

    Aave and several major crypto firms are coordinating a recovery effort to stabilize decentralized finance (DeFi) markets after a $292 million exploit left the sector’s largest lender grappling with a large hole in collateral backing.

    The initiative, dubbed “DeFi United” and led by Aave service providers, is aimed at restoring the backing of rsETH, a yield-bearing derivative token of ether ($ETH), at the center of the exploit.

    Aave said in a post on X that multiple participants have already made indicative commitments to support the effort.

    The first among them was staking provider Lido Finance, whose ecosystem contributor Lido Labs Foundation put forward a proposal to allocate up to 2,500 stETH, worth roughly $5.7 million at current prices, into a dedicated relief vehicle.

    The funds would be used to reduce the shortfall in rsETH backing and help prevent forced liquidations across lending markets.

    That was followed by EtherFi proposing a 5,000 $ETH plan to “protect users and prevent bad debt” across DeFi.

    Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave, offered a 5,000 $ETH contribution.

    “Aave is my life’s work and we’re working nonstop to find the best possible outcome for users,” he said in an X post. “I’m working to see this resolved and market conditions normalized as soon as possible.”

    Aave said it plans to announce more commitments once formalized.

    Exploit ripples across DeFi

    The initiative comes after the biggest crypto exploit of the year rattled DeFi lending markets,

    The incident traces back to a vulnerability in KelpDAO’s integration with LayerZero, where an attacker minted 116,500 unbacked rsETH tokens by exploiting the bridge’s messaging system.

    Instead of dumping the tokens, the attacker deposited nearly 90,000 rsETH into Aave as collateral, borrowing about $190 million in $ETH and other assets across Ethereum and Arbitrum.

    That left Aave with impaired collateral, triggering a run on deposits as lenders rushed to withdrew available funds. The total value of assets on Aave plunged by $10 billion following the incident.

    The total hole is estimated to be more than 112,000 rsETH, according to Aave’s incident report.

    Before the DeFi United initiative, there have been some early containment efforts. Earlier this week, Arbitrum’s security council froze 30,766 $ETH, worth roughly $71 million then, tied to the exploit.

    However, the remaining of the stolen funds were bridged and swapped into bitcoin via Thorchain, making recovery more complex.

    The current effort focuses less on clawing back funds and more on stabilizing the system with a coordinated bailout to recapitalize rsETH and mitigate losses.

  • A $10 Billion Options Expiration Is Coming Tomorrow for Bitcoin and Ethereum

    A $10 Billion Options Expiration Is Coming Tomorrow for Bitcoin and Ethereum

    Attention in the cryptocurrency market is focused on the major options expiration tomorrow. It is reported that approximately $9.87 billion worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum options will expire and be settled.

    GreeksLive, which shares data on the options market, announced that 109,000 Bitcoin options would expire on that date. The put/call ratio for these contracts was 0.93, while the maximum loss threshold was calculated at $72,000. The total nominal value of Bitcoin options was recorded at $8.55 billion.

    On the Ethereum side, 563,000 option contracts are expiring. These contracts have a put/call ratio of 0.72, with a maximum price threshold of $2,200. The total nominal value of Ethereum options is reported to be $1.32 billion.

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    The recent recovery observed in the market is noteworthy. The rise of Bitcoin’s price above $78,000 and the positive atmosphere created by the Web3 conference in Hong Kong have, according to analysts, also brought about a recovery in the altcoin market. This week’s expiry, a significant part of the monthly options cycle, is expected to see approximately 25% of total open positions closed during this period. Looking at the distribution of open positions, there is a concentration of 12% in May-end expiry dates and 24% in June-end expiry dates.

    Volatility data in the options market also provides important signals. In Bitcoin, implied volatility (IV) across different maturities has continued its downward trend this month, falling below 40% in most maturities. In Ethereum, while IV levels remain higher, the downward trend is evident; current levels hover around 60%. Despite price increases, the pullback in the “skew” data indicates that aggressive buying driven by excessive optimism or fear of missing out (FOMO) has remained limited in the market.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • Bob Iger Is Rejoining Thrive Capital

    Bob Iger Is Rejoining Thrive Capital

    Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is returning to the venture capital firm that he briefly worked at the last time he exited the entertainment giant.

    Iger is joining Thrive Capital, the New York-based VC firm founded by Joshua Kushner. Kushner announced Iger’s return Thursday, writing that “Bob leads with boldness and conviction because he knows what he is building and why. He is rejoining Thrive at a time when that kind of leadership matters most.”

    He added that “we are living through the most consequential technology shift of our lifetimes, where AI will democratize access to intelligence in the way the internet democratized access to information,” and that Iger’s experience with both technology and creativity will be pivotal in that new world.

    Iger was in New York earlier this week, where he attended the world premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2.

    Thrive, which announced a $10 billion raise for a new fund earlier this year, has backed companies like OpenAI, Spotify and A24. In fact, it was through Thrive where Iger was first connected with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, a source says. That meeting ultimately led to the Disney-OpenAI deal last year, which was unwound after OpenAI exited the generative video business last month.

    Iger previously joined Thrive in Sep. of 2022 as a venture partner and a mentor to some of its portfolio CEOs. He returned to Disney in November of that year, and acquired a small stake in the firm the following year.

    This time, he is said to be joining Thrive as an advisor. Kushner’s wife, Karlie Kloss, has also made her own investments in the media business through her holding company Bedford Media.

    During his foray outside of Disney, Iger also invested in companies like Genies, Funko and GoPuff. He and his wife Willow Bay also acquired the Angel City Football Club, a soccer team in the NWSL.

  • Fold Launches ‘Bitcoin Bonus’ Program for Employers Following Steak ‘n Shake Debut

    Fold Launches ‘Bitcoin Bonus’ Program for Employers Following Steak ‘n Shake Debut

    In brief

    • Fold launched its Bitcoin Bonus Program, enabling employers to offer recurring Bitcoin bonuses without custody responsibilities.
    • Steak ‘n Shake became the flagship partner, providing Bitcoin bonuses to over 10,000 hourly workers across its restaurant chain.
    • The B2B program targets mainstream employers beyond crypto-native companies, focusing on large-scale hourly workforces.

    Bitcoin financial services company Fold Holdings, Inc. launched a program Thursday that allows companies to pay recurring BTC bonuses to employees, following an initial rollout from restaurant chain Steak ‘n Shake earlier this year.

    The Bitcoin Bonus Program represents the first product from Fold Business, the company’s new enterprise division. Under the program, Steak ‘n Shake’s 10,000-plus hourly workers across the United States can receive Bitcoin bonuses, as announced in January and implemented on March 1. The restaurant chain pays $0.21 per hour worked into the bonus program for hourly employees, and it vests in full after two years.

    “We launched our Bitcoin Bonus Program because we saw a gap that no one was filling,” said Fold co-founder and CEO Will Reeves, in a statement. “An employer-grade bonus vehicle that’s differentiated enough to matter, accessible enough for every employee, and operationally simple enough that HR and Finance don’t need to become Bitcoin experts to run it. We’ve created a recruiting story that didn’t exist before.”

    The program handles all custody and compliance requirements, Fold said, allowing traditional businesses to offer cryptocurrency incentives without managing the technical infrastructure. Employers set bonus terms in dollars, and Fold converts and manages the Bitcoin distribution.

    Bitcoin mining firm Simple Mining has also adopted the program, according to a press release, offering a bonus to salaried employees based on their tenure.

    “Employee bonus programs haven’t changed in decades. Cash hits an account and it’s gone by Friday,” said Matt Garland, head of revenue at Simple Mining, in a statement. “Allocating 1% of every employee’s pay into Bitcoin, redeemable at year-end, lets our team share in that upside. The bonus grows with time, and so does the reason to stick around.”

    Unlike previous corporate Bitcoin initiatives that focused on treasury management or executive compensation, Fold’s program specifically addresses rank-and-file employees in sectors like food service and manufacturing, where retention and recruitment challenges have intensified since the Covid-19 pandemic.

    The company plans to expand its Business platform to include payroll, corporate Bitcoin treasury management, corporate cards, and additional enterprise financial tools. Fold previously focused on consumer Bitcoin rewards and spending solutions, including a debit card that offers bitcoin rewards on purchases, before developing these corporate services aimed at bringing cryptocurrency benefits to mainstream workplaces.

    Fold’s stock (FLD) is down more than 7% on the day, recently trading at $1.41. The firm’s stock has jumped more than 22% over the last week alongside broader market rises across crypto and stocks alike, but is down about 46% since the start of the year.

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  • Tencent’s New Hy3 AI Model Is the Most Efficient Chinese LLM No One’s Talking About

    Tencent’s New Hy3 AI Model Is the Most Efficient Chinese LLM No One’s Talking About

    In brief

    • Hy3 preview is a 295 billion parameter Mixture-of-Experts model with only 21 billion active parameters, making it cheaper to run than most rivals of similar capability.
    • On SWE-bench Verified—a coding benchmark testing real GitHub bug fixes—it jumped from 53% (Hy2) to 74.4%, a 40% improvement over the previous generation.
    • The model is already live across Tencent’s app ecosystem including Yuanbao, QQ, and Tencent Docs, with API access on Tencent Cloud starting at roughly $0.18 per million input tokens.

    Tencent quietly dropped its most capable AI model yet on Thursday, and the benchmark numbers are hard to ignore. Hy3 preview, the company’s first model after a full infrastructure rebuild, went open-source today across GitHub, Hugging Face, and ModelScope.

    It’s also available on Tencent Cloud’s official website, under a paid plan.

    My3 packs 295 billion total parameters (a measurement of a model’s potential breadth of knowledge) but only 21 billion active at any given time. That’s the beauty of a Mixture-of-Experts architecture—the model routes each query to a specialized subset of its “expert” sub-networks instead of running everything at once. Less compute, lower cost, roughly similar output quality. It also supports up to 256,000 tokens of context, which is enough to swallow a full-length novel in a single prompt.

    The model was built to balance three things Tencent says it stopped sacrificing for each other: capability breadth, honest evaluation, and cost-efficiency. Their previous flagship, Hy2, had over 400 billion parameters. Tencent explicitly walked that back, arguing 295 billion is the optimal sweet spot where reasoning fully matures but the cost of adding more parameters stops paying off.

    This also doesn’t mean the model is worse. Models with better training and lower parameters outperform bigger generalist ones quite frequently.

    On coding, the improvement is dramatic. SWE-bench Verified is a benchmark that tests whether a model can actually fix real bugs from GitHub repositories—not toy problems, but production code. Hy2 scored 53.0%. Hy3 preview scores 74.4%. That’s a 40% jump in one generation, landing it in range of Claude Opus 4.6 (80.8%) and above GLM-5 (77.8%) and Kimi-K2.5 (76.8%). Terminal-Bench 2.0, which measures autonomous task execution in a real command-line environment, went from 23.2% to 54.4%—also a massive leap.

    The model, however, can be a very interesting choice for people building with agents. Agents have a very complex set of instructions that involve memories, skills, and tool calls. They usually miss something, which can ruin a workflow or produce poor results. That’s why agentic capabilities are becoming more and more important for AI developers as this area becomes the most hyped thing in the industry. It’s also why the model was immediately made available on Openclaw.

    Search and browsing agents—where models must retrieve, filter, and synthesize information from the open web without human guidance—also improved sharply. On BrowseComp, a benchmark tracking complex web research tasks, Hy3 preview reached 67.1% (up from Hy2’s 28.7%). On WideSearch, it hit 70.2%, outperforming GLM-5 and Kimi-K2.5 but trailing Claude Opus 4.6’s 77.2%.

    In reasoning, the model topped every Chinese competitor on Tsinghua University’s math PhD qualifying exam (Spring 2026), scoring 88.4 on the average of three runs avg@3. That’s a real-world exam, not a curated dataset—the kind of evaluation Tencent says it’s prioritizing to avoid benchmark gaming. The model also scored 87.8 on CHSBO 2025 (China’s national high school biology olympiad), highest among Chinese models in that category.

    Hy3 preview started training in late January 2026 and launched Thursday—under three months from cold start to open-source release. Unusually fast for a frontier-class model. Tencent attributes it to a February infrastructure overhaul led by Yao Shunyu, its chief AI scientist, who pushed a full rebuild of the pretraining and reinforcement learning stack.

    This is a very different approach from what Chinese AI labs were doing a year ago, when DeepSeek’s R1 shocked the industry with its cost-efficiency.

    Hy3 still trails OpenAI and Google DeepMind’s flagships, but by the size-to-performance ratio, Hy3 preview is hard to dismiss: the agent benchmark composite shows it in the “optimal zone” with ~295 billion parameters, ahead of DeepSeek-V3.2 (600 billion+) and matching Kimi-K2.5 (over 1 trillion parameters) at a fraction of the compute cost.

    Hunyuan models have already been deployed across Yuanbao, CodeBuddy, WorkBuddy, QQ, and Tencent Docs. On CodeBuddy and WorkBuddy, first-token latency dropped 54%, end-to-end generation time fell 47%, and the model successfully ran agent workflows as long as 495 steps. Tencent Cloud is offering API access at approximately $0.18 per million input tokens and $0.59 per million output tokens, with personal Token Plan packages starting at around $4.10 per month.

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