Reid Hoffman Leaves Microsoft Board To Focus On Manus AI

Former Microsoft board member Reid Hoffman has stepped down from the company’s board, marking a return to startup building and investment activities. Hoffman joined Microsoft’s board following the company’s $26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016.

Strategic Investment And Board Leadership

During his time on the board, Hoffman was involved in a period of significant investment in artificial intelligence, including Microsoft’s first $1 billion investment in OpenAI in 2019. As an early investor in OpenAI, Hoffman also served on the organisation’s board before stepping down in 2023 to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

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Acqui-Hire Deals And AI Synergies

Hoffman’s board tenure coincided with significant strategic moves, including Microsoft’s $650 million acqui-hire deal involving his AI startup, Inflection AI. This arrangement, which saw Microsoft adding Inflection co-founder Mustafa Suleyman to its ranks, highlights the increasingly blurred lines between corporate reinvention and startup innovation in the tech landscape.

Return to Founder Mode With Manus AI

In a recent conversation on his “Possible” podcast with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Hoffman revealed his excitement to return to “founder mode” with his latest venture, Manus. This AI-driven drug discovery startup has already raised over $50 million through early seed rounds, marking it as a promising player in the competitive field of AI in healthcare.

Leadership Under Visionary Guidance

Hoffman serves as co-founder and chair of Manus AI. Day-to-day leadership is led by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, a physician, biologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. The company is focused on applying artificial intelligence to chemistry and drug discovery, including research related to cancer treatment. Hoffman’s departure from Microsoft’s board comes as he increases his focus on new ventures in artificial intelligence and healthcare.

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Clive Owen Films Scorpion In Cyprus In One Of The Island’s Biggest Productions

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 13, 2026

Cyprus Secures Another High-Profile Production

Oscar-nominated British actor Clive Owen is filming Scorpion in Cyprus, a new action thriller from Copper Island that is understood to have one of the highest daily production budgets ever recorded for a film shoot on the island.

Filming began in Cyprus on July 6 and is scheduled to conclude later this month in Bulgaria. The production marks another high-profile international project to choose Cyprus as a filming location.

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A Cast Built For International Sales

Alongside Owen, the film stars Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, The Butler, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare) and Reda Elazouar (Sex Education, The Family Plan). The cast also includes Ronan Summers, Jake Ryan, Mark Rhino Smith, Joey Ansah, Alex Cooke and Luke Bouchier.

The screenplay is by Richard Hughes and Bennett Fisher. Copper Island’s Matt Murphy, David Mansfield and Luke Bouchier are producing, while WestEnd Films is handling international sales. The company is expected to present the first footage at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

A Survival Thriller

Scorpion follows Jason, a rookie police officer assigned to an elite special operations unit made up of Afghanistan war veterans. After arriving at an isolated farmhouse, the team is cut off from the outside world and given an ultimatum: every 30 minutes one member will die unless someone reveals the truth about a covert military operation carried out years earlier.

Cyprus’ Role In The Production

The production credited the Cyprus Film Commission for its support, with Copper Island founder Matt Murphy thanking both the commission and the local crew.

Owen also praised the experience of filming in Cyprus, describing the local crew as highly professional and highlighting the island’s diverse filming locations.

Copper Island Expands Its International Portfolio

Limassol-based Copper Island has worked on several international productions, including The Leader, which premiered at Tribeca, as well as Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire and Ron Howard’s Eden.

The company is also supporting Cypriot productions, including Apart by Stelana Kliridou and The Well by Marios Piperides, which is completing post-production in Limassol.

Matt Murphy is also serving as executive producer of the upcoming Anxious People, starring Angelina Jolie.

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