Semafor

🟡 Semafor is launching a new initiative: Silicon Valley & The World, bringing together leaders building artificial intelligence and other breakthrough technologies with leaders responsible for shaping the strategies, policies, and institutions around them. Co-Chaired by Divesh Makan, @satyanadella, Jensen Huang, Ruth Porat, and @LisaSu, the inaugural gathering will convene leading technology CEOs, senior government officials, and global financial leaders in Silicon Valley in November.

Nigerian politician Peter Obi withdrew from a coalition that agreed to present a united front against President Bola Tinubu in January’s election, increasing the likelihood that the opposition vote will be split. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

Watch this episode of CEO Signal on YouTube: youtu.be/rIy0WpUHm_w

“I said no a couple of times.” @Verizon CEO @Dan_Schulman on his reluctance to leave retirement on his Montana ranch, and why a sense of loyalty and obligation brought him back to Verizon. From The CEO Signal. Watch the full conversation here: youtu.be/rIy0WpUHm_w

Global credit ratings agency Moody’s gave up its South African license, leaving a regulatory hole that hands GCR — the continent’s biggest home-grown ratings house — a clear shot at filling the gap with boots on the ground. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

International Monetary Fund warns Angola’s will hit its debt ceiling in the next few years. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

Listen to the full interview on Compound Interest from Semafor Business wherever you get your podcasts, or watch it on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=PLR8Co…

.@mcuban's next target? Health insurance. He tells @lizrhoffman and @rogoswami how he plans to disrupt the industry:

The contrast is stark, but there’s a common thread: Asymmetric warfare is now as much a part of the Gulf’s security arena as traditional military tools.

There are many competing visions of how technology and military strategy should be combined in the Gulf’s waters, some of which cross into the bizarre. From autonomous patrol boats to monitor waterways and enforce maritime rules, to strapping mines onto dolphins. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

The Iran war is now hurting the clean energy markets, as many byproducts of the oil and gas industry are essential for making solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries, including plastics like ethylene and polypropylene, and sulfuric acid (used to process copper). semafor.com/article/05/04/…

It is the first time a US company has acquired AI technology of this kind developed in the UAE, according to TII.

The UAE capital’s Technology Innovation Institute sold a data privacy product to San Francisco-based AI firm OPAQUE in the “multi-million-dollar range,” a spokesperson told Semafor, while declining to specify the value or structure of the deal.

Abu Dhabi’s massive investment in advanced technology research is starting to pay off. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

Saudi Arabia, which accounts for nearly half of the region’s $2 trillion project pipeline, saw awards fall 51% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. The even bigger UAE market also saw a significant fall.

The Gulf’s construction market was worth $175 billion in 2025; the war has now put much of that on pause. The number of contract awards across the region fell from 80 in February to just 25 in March, with their value dropping from $26 billion to $11.8 billion. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

The Middle East’s most populous nation imports the vast majority of its fuels, and is particularly vulnerable to the energy crisis sparked by the conflict. In response, it has secured an $8 billion emergency lifeline from the International Monetary Fund. Though the financing has eased some of the pressure, analysts have warned that no quick fixes exist for Egypt’s import dependency, forcing Cairo to turn to Chinese green tech to boost long-term renewable energy production and self-reliance.

Egypt has increased industrial gas prices as it looks to contain the fallout from the Iran war. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

Thousands of political dissidents across Iran are believed to have been arrested during the war, while executions have surged to their highest level in 30 years. Many fear Tehran is in a vengeful mood after anti-regime protests following the killing of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the outset of the conflict.

Iran's hardline regime is cracking down harder than ever. Some say any possibility for a political liberalization in the country is now nonexistent. semafor.com/article/05/04/…

The European Political Community summit was founded in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. Armenia’s involvement is a sign of its growing independence from Moscow, as Yerevan seeks closer EU ties in the wake of a 2023 attack by Azerbaijan that Russia did nothing to stop.

Europe moved to widen its diplomatic circles, hosting a key summit in traditionally Russian-allied Armenia that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also attended. semafor.com/article/05/04/…