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🗞️In this edition

  • •Sponsored: Mixus - Automate tasks via custom AI agents

  • OpenAI plans $500 Billion stock sale

  • •Workflow Wednesday #31 ‘AI Decision Making (+ AI Agents)’

  • •AI fuels Reddit’s comeback quarter

  • • In other AI news –

    • •Google’s Jules coding agent is now out of beta

    • •OpenAI hints at GPT-5 launch this Thursday

    • •Gemini adds ‘Guided Learning’ to rival Study Mode

    • •OpenAI offers ChatGPT to US government for $1

  • • 4 must-try AI tools

AI agents with human oversight. Finally.

Mixus lets you spin up custom AI agents in minutes, just describe what you want done. They connect with Gmail, Jira, Salesforce, and more.  But here’s the kicker: every action is reviewed by you. No rogue automations. No hallucinated tasks. Just smooth, safe execution with a human in the loop.

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OpenAI preps massive stock sale at $500B valuation amid AI talent battle

♨️News – OpenAI is in early discussions about a potential stock sale that would let current and former employees cash out some of their shares. If it goes through, the deal could value the company at around $500 billion, a major jump from its previous $300 billion valuation.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

  • The secondary sale could be worth several billion dollars.

  • Investors like Thrive Capital have shown interest in buying employee shares.

  • OpenAI recently raised $8.3 billion as part of a larger $40 billion round.

  • The company is looking to offer liquidity and retain top talent.

  • Rivals like Anthropic and xAI are also seeking high valuations, adding pressure.

🤓OpenTools POV –  OpenAI is using its momentum to reward employees and stay competitive in a talent war that’s heating up fast. Investors are clearly betting big on whoever wins the next phase of the AI race.

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This Week in Workflow Wednesday #31: AI Decision Making (+ AI Agents)

Understanding ChatGPT Agent Mode: A Beginner-Friendly Workflow
Since so many of you have been asking about AI Agents, here’s some insight: ChatGPT’s Agent Mode turns a regular AI chatbot into a semi‑autonomous assistant. Instead of simply answering one question at a time, Agent Mode can remember what you asked earlier, plan a series of tasks, use tools like a web browser or code editor, and produce real deliverables (spreadsheets, slides, emails).

Step 1: Activate Agent Mode

 To start, you need access to ChatGPT’s Agent Mode (available on Pro, Plus and Team plans). Open ChatGPT, go to the tools menu and select ‘Agent’ or type /agent. This tells ChatGPT to switch into agentic mode. You can also connect apps like Gmail or Google Drive through the integrated connector menu - only enable what you need.

Step 2: Define Goals & Provide Context

Before the agent starts working, give it a clear goal and as much context as possible. Explain what you want (e.g., research market trends and create…...We break it down fully in this week’s issue, along with 2 other AI workflows

Reddit posts strong growth as it becomes key AI source

☕News –  Reddit just posted its best growth numbers in over two years, with revenue jumping 78 percent in the second quarter to nearly $500 million. Most of that came from advertising, even as Reddit becomes an increasingly important source for AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. 

👨‍💻Fast facts –

  • Advertising revenue grew 84 percent year over year.

  • Licensing deals with OpenAI and Google made up just 7 percent of total revenue.

  • U.S. daily active users rose to 50.3 million, reversing a previous dip.

  • Reddit is the top-cited source in AI Overviews from Google and Perplexity.

  • Stock price is up 24 percent since the earnings report.

🤓OpenTools POV – Reddit’s role in the AI ecosystem is growing fast, but it's still early days on the monetization front. For now, it’s the strength of its human communities that’s powering both ad growth and AI relevance.

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🙆🏻‍♀️What else is happening?

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

  1. Learn How to Use AI - Starting January 8, 2025, we’re launching Workflow Wednesday, a series where we teach you how to use AI effectively. Lock in early bird pricing now and secure your spot. Check it out here

  2. PitchPower - A software service that helps consultants and agencies create powerful proposals quickly

  3. Entry Point - A platform that allows businesses to fine-tune AI models without any coding

  4. Stackbear - A no-code platform that allows you to create custom AI chatbots based on your own content

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