Welcome back to Codes of Culture. I’m Ashumi Sanghvi.
This week, I’ve been thinking about who owns the interface between culture and its audience. The answer is becoming less obvious. Cognition AI has raised $2 billion at a $48 billion valuation, while Bending Spoons is buying Miro for $1.36 billion, two reminders of how quickly the AI and productivity landscape is consolidating around companies that can shape everyday behaviour.
At the same time, creators are building ownership into their business models: Steven Bartlett has launched OBSN with plans to invest up to $400 million across creator-led ventures, and Cat Goetze has taken an ownership stake in Smooth Media. Attention is still valuable, but ownership, infrastructure and distribution are where the real power is moving.
Fashion is facing its own version of that tension. The clash between CFDA CEO and PETA protestors at New York Fashion Week showed how the runway is no longer only a stage for clothes; it is also a stage where cultural values, activism and institutional authority collide. Also this week, Google’s new fashion tools moved AI further behind the scenes of show production, while Dior and A24 announced a two-year partnership spanning film, theatre and live events. The boundaries between technology, fashion, media and entertainment are disappearing in real time.
Scroll on for more news on our radar.
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