Table of Contents

• AI News

• Senior Living News

• Wage / Salary Comps

• Job Listings

AI NEWS

French AI Startup Mistral Eyes $14B Valuation
Paris-based Mistral AI is reportedly finalizing a massive new funding round that would value the young company at about $14 billion. Founded just two years ago by former DeepMind and Meta researchers, Mistral has quickly become Europe’s AI darling by developing open-source large language models and a chatbot called Le Chat. The rumored €2 billion investment (about $2.2B USD) would be Mistral’s first big raise since mid-2024, when it was valued around €5.8B. It has already raised over €1B from prominent venture firms. The deal would make Mistral one of Europe’s most valuable tech startups and highlights the region’s AI momentum – European AI companies saw a 55% jump in funding early this year, with numerous new “unicorn” startups. Investors are bullish on Mistral’s strategy of creating powerful, open AI models tailored for European languages and needs. If the funding closes, it will give Mistral a war chest to challenge US-based AI giants and potentially establish Europe as a bigger player in the AI landscape.

Scale AI Sues Rival Over Alleged Client Poaching
Data platform Scale AI has filed a lawsuit against a former employee and a competitor, Mercor, accusing them of trying to steal Scale’s biggest customers using inside information. Scale, which helps companies prepare data to train AI models, claims a sales executive left to join Mercor and took over 100 confidential files about Scale’s clients and sales strategies. According to the suit, before he even quit, the employee allegedly pitched Mercor’s services to one of Scale’s largest customers (“Customer A”), using knowledge from those files. Scale is suing for misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract. Mercor’s co-founder denies using any stolen data, saying the employee did have some old Scale documents in a personal drive but that Mercor never accessed them and even offered to destroy them. The ex-employee also insists he didn’t misuse any files. This legal tussle highlights the fierce competition in the AI industry – startups are aggressively vying for big-name clients, and the lines around talent moves and confidential information can get blurry. All eyes will be on how the court sorts out claims of intellectual property theft versus normal competition as AI firms race to scale up.

Another Top Exec Departs Elon Musk’s xAI
Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, has seen yet another high-profile departure – Chief Financial Officer Mike Liberatore has left after just a few months on the job. Liberatore, an ex-Airbnb finance executive, joined xAI in April and helped the company raise an impressive $5 billion in debt and $5 billion in equity (about half of that funding came from Musk’s SpaceX). He also oversaw building out xAI’s data center operations. His exit around the end of July is the latest in a string of leadership shakeups at xAI. In August, the general counsel and another senior lawyer also departed. And one of xAI’s co-founders left recently to start his own AI safety venture fund. These moves follow the resignation of Linda Yaccarino (formerly CEO of Musk’s social network X) amid some controversy over xAI’s chatbot behavior. The rapid turnover of top talent is sparking chatter about turbulence inside Musk’s AI initiative. Musk only launched xAI last year with the ambitious goal of building a rival to systems like ChatGPT. The company has access to significant resources, but the wave of exits suggests possible strategic disagreements or growing pains. Industry watchers wonder if Musk’s bold vision for xAI is hitting real-world hurdles as key players bow out early.

CoreWeave Buys OpenPipe to Boost AI Training Tools
Cloud infrastructure startup CoreWeave is expanding its AI toolkit by acquiring OpenPipe, a young company that helps organizations train AI “agents” using reinforcement learning. CoreWeave is known for providing the powerful cloud servers needed to train and run AI models. By buying OpenPipe, it plans to offer customers an easier way to improve their AI systems’ reasoning and decision-making abilities. OpenPipe, a two-year-old Y Combinator-backed startup, built a popular open-source framework called ART (Agent Reinforcement Trainer) that lets developers train custom AI agents with feedback-based learning. In practical terms, it can help an AI model learn to perform specific tasks by “rewarding” it for correct actions – similar to how one might train a smart robot through trial and error. CoreWeave’s co-founder said reinforcement learning is becoming vital for boosting AI performance on complex tasks. Integrating OpenPipe’s self-learning tools with CoreWeave’s high-performance cloud means AI developers (from big labs to smaller enterprises) can more easily build smarter, specialized AI agents. OpenPipe’s team will join CoreWeave, and its customers will transition to CoreWeave’s platform. This deal, coming on the heels of CoreWeave’s earlier purchase of AI platform Weights & Biases, shows the company’s strategy of moving up the stack – not just renting out hardware, but also providing software solutions to train and refine AI. It’s an “AI infrastructure one-stop-shop” play that could attract more AI startups and research teams to use CoreWeave for their projects.

PayPal & Venmo Offer Free AI Browser to Users
Digital payment giants PayPal and Venmo are giving their users early access to a new AI-powered web browser called Comet – for free. Through a partnership with AI startup Perplexity, PayPal announced that U.S. users (and some international markets) will get a 12-month trial of Perplexity’s Comet Pro subscription at no cost. Comet is an AI-driven browser that delivers quick, summarized answers to users’ questions and can even assist with personal tasks like reading your emails or planning your schedule (with your permission). The service normally costs $20/month, so the year-long freebie (a $200 value) is a notable perk. It’s one of the first offerings in PayPal’s new “subscriptions hub,” which helps customers manage various subscriptions. For Perplexity – a startup backed by tech firms like NVIDIA – the deal opens access to PayPal’s huge user base of 430 million people, potentially making Comet a household name in AI search tools. PayPal benefits by adding value for its customers and positioning itself a bit in the AI conversation. This comes amid a race to integrate AI assistants into mainstream apps. Starting this week, U.S. users can find the Perplexity Pro offer inside their PayPal app, and select international users can activate it via PayPal at checkout on Perplexity’s site. As big tech firms develop their own AI bots, PayPal is taking a partnership route – handing its users a cutting-edge AI tool in hopes of keeping them engaged (and maybe using PayPal for more transactions along the way).

Salesforce’s AI Bet Yet to Pay Off, Forecast Disappoints
Enterprise software leader Salesforce signaled that the buzz around AI hasn’t yet translated into big bucks – at least not as fast as investors hoped. In its latest earnings outlook, Salesforce gave a weaker-than-expected revenue forecast for the upcoming quarter, causing its stock to drop over 5% in after-hours trading. The company actually beat earnings last quarter, but it warned that clients are becoming cautious with spending due to economic uncertainty. Salesforce has heavily promoted its new AI features (like the Einstein AI assistant and Agentforce platform) across its products, aiming to automate tasks and boost productivity for customers. However, analysts say the latest guidance shows “lagging monetization” of those AI initiatives. In other words, customers aren’t yet paying a lot more for the AI add-ons, or are slow to deploy them. Salesforce’s CEO noted that while interest in AI is sky-high, the sales cycle for large enterprises adopting these tools can be long, especially in a choppy economy. Investors, who have seen many tech companies pour billions into AI, are getting antsy to see tangible returns. One positive sign: Salesforce announced a $20 billion increase to its stock buyback program, showing confidence in its long-term prospects. Still, the company is under pressure to prove that its AI investments will eventually drive faster growth. Industry experts predict that as macro conditions improve and AI features mature, Salesforce could start reaping more revenue – but the latest outlook reminded everyone that the AI revolution won’t boost the bottom line overnight.

AI Tool “Hexstrike” Makes Hacking Scarily Easy
Cybersecurity experts are raising alarms about a new AI-powered tool that drastically speeds up hacking. The system, dubbed Hexstrike-AI, was originally created to help companies find and fix security weaknesses. But soon after its release, cybercriminals got hold of it and flipped it for nefarious use – turning a defensive tool into a weapon. According to a report from security firm Check Point, Hexstrike-AI can coordinate over 150 hacking tools and AI “agents” to automatically probe a target’s defenses, identify vulnerabilities (even newly discovered zero-day flaws), and launch exploits – all in a matter of minutes. In one example, hackers used Hexstrike to attack fresh zero-day bugs in Citrix NetScaler products less than 10 minutes after Citrix announced them. Typically, finding and exploiting such complex bugs would take skilled hackers days or weeks. With this AI “brain” orchestrating the attacks, an amateur can just type a command like “exploit this system” and watch the AI do the heavy lifting. On underground forums, malicious actors are boasting about how they can now operate more like “directors” rather than hands-on coders. The emergence of AI-automated hacking tools is a nightmare scenario for cybersecurity: it “democratizes” cyber attacks and shrinks the window companies have to patch vulnerabilities. Experts warn businesses to urgently beef up their defenses – including using AI for defense – because humans alone can’t respond fast enough. The game of cybersecurity is changing, as AI becomes both a potent weapon for attackers and a necessary shield for defenders.

SENIOR LIVING NEWS

The Springs Living Welcomes Pacillas as Chief People Officer
McMinnville, OR – The Springs Living has hired Rebecca Pacillas as its new Chief People Officer to lead the company’s overall people strategy. Reporting to the president, Pacillas will oversee talent acquisition, employee training and development, and human resources across The Springs Living’s senior communities. She brings over 20 years of HR leadership experience, most recently serving as Chief People Officer at a large financial services firm where she scaled the workforce and boosted employee engagement. Springs Living President Brenda Connelly said, “Rebecca is a visionary leader with a proven track record of aligning workforce strategies with business goals while fostering inclusive, high-performance cultures.” Pacillas has earned recognition such as an HR Executive of the Month award and has been active in professional HR groups. The Springs Living operates 20 senior living communities (independent living, assisted living, and memory care) in Oregon, Montana, and Washington. Pacillas’s expertise will help the company continue to grow while maintaining a supportive, purpose-driven workplace culture for its 1,800+ employees.

WesleyLife Names Boetger Chief People & Culture Officer
Johnston, IA – Donna Boetger has been appointed as WesleyLife’s new Chief People & Culture Officer, effective September 8. In this role, Boetger will join the nonprofit senior living organization’s executive team and head up human resources and culture initiatives. She brings more than two decades of experience in HR leadership and is known for championing “people-first” workplace cultures. Boetger previously spent 11 years at Life Care Services (LCS) as Senior VP of Human Resources, where she led a team supporting over 140 senior communities and 24,000 employees nationwide. At LCS, she implemented major improvements in performance management, recruitment, leadership training, and employee engagement. WesleyLife President/CEO Rob Kretzinger said, “Donna brings a remarkable breadth and depth of experience, coupled with a deep commitment to the people who make our mission possible. Her ability to connect strategy to culture – and culture to results – will be an incredible asset as we continue to grow our impact.” Prior to LCS, Boetger also held HR leadership roles in healthcare and senior care settings, including a mental health organization and a retirement community. In those roles she introduced innovative apprenticeship programs and onboarding processes to improve retention and team development. At WesleyLife (which operates senior living communities and home services across Iowa and Illinois), Boetger will focus on enriching workplace culture, supporting staff well-being, and ensuring the organization’s growth aligns with its core values of health and well-being for both residents and employees.

Lancaster Community Becomes Prototype for New Senior Living Brand
Lancaster, OH – A new $28 million senior living community in Lancaster is set to become the prototype for a series of “Kingsbury Living” communities planned across Ohio. Kingsbury Living – Lancaster will be the first location of a statewide network of senior communities being developed by Kingsbury Living, an Ohio-based venture founded in 2023. The Lancaster campus offers independent living apartments and luxury villa homes, assisted living units, and a specialized memory care neighborhood, all on one site. “We are thrilled to meet our first families here in Lancaster and provide a level of service that will lead to Kingsbury being known as the place where Ohioans can live like royalty,” said Vince McGowen, Chief Operating Officer of the community. Kingsbury Living – Lancaster features 81 assisted living apartments and 32 high-end independent villas. Amenities include all-day restaurant-style dining, daily enrichment and social programs, community gathering rooms for events, a library, pub and bistro, fitness center, beauty salon, and pet-friendly policies – plus 24-hour on-site nursing and personalized care plans for each resident. The community is conveniently located near local hospitals, shopping centers, the YMCA, and Lancaster’s historic district. Kingsbury Living was founded by Ohio entrepreneurs Bill Lemon and Dan DeHoff, with industry veteran Andy Harpster as president (bringing 25+ years of senior living operations experience). The company cites a growing need for senior housing in Ohio – the state’s 65+ population is projected to grow four times faster than the overall population by 2040. After Lancaster, Kingsbury plans to open four more Kingsbury Living communities in Ohio by 2027. The Lancaster campus opening will also create about 25 new jobs locally. Traditions Management, which operates 21 senior communities across multiple states, has been brought on to manage the Lancaster community and ensure Kingsbury’s quality standards are met as the brand expands.

MissionCare Partners with Uber to Aid Caregivers with Rides & Meals
St. Petersburg, FL – MissionCare Collective, a company focused on solving caregiver workforce challenges, has teamed up with Uber for Business to help frontline senior care workers with transportation and food – two critical needs that often affect caregiver attendance and retention. Through MissionCare’s CoachUp Care platform, senior care employers will soon be able to provide Uber ride vouchers and Uber Eats meal vouchers to their staff as incentives or emergency support. This innovative collaboration aims to remove practical barriers that cause caregivers to miss shifts or leave the profession. “Our goal is to break down barriers that prevent caregivers from showing up – and measure the long-term impact of solving them,” said MissionCare Collective CEO Brandi Kurtyka. Many direct care workers in the U.S. struggle with reliable transportation or food security; over half rely on public assistance and about one-third are on Medicaid, according to MissionCare’s 2025 State of the Direct Care Workforce report. By offering on-demand rides to work or meal deliveries via CoachUp Care, providers can improve employee stability and reduce turnover. Early results are promising: pilot programs saw a 15%+ increase in 90-day retention when such supports were provided. Care organizations (including senior living communities, home care agencies, and even state programs) will be able to dispatch Uber vouchers directly to workers through the CoachUp Care app, whether as part of a rewards program, during outreach to at-risk employees, or in response to crises. The initiative not only helps caregivers in the moment but also collects data to show how these supports impact retention, staffing levels, and even care quality outcomes like client satisfaction. “Retention isn’t just a staffing issue – it’s a quality metric,” Kurtyka noted, explaining that keeping caregivers longer leads to better client experiences and safety. The new Uber voucher feature will roll out to providers on the CoachUp Care platform starting in September, and it represents a novel tech-enabled approach to bolstering the healthcare workforce by addressing real life needs outside of work.

Heritage Communities Expands with Arizona Acquisition
Omaha, NE / Glendale, AZ – Heritage Communities has expanded its footprint in the Southwest by acquiring a senior living community in Glendale, Arizona, and bringing it under its Orchard Pointe brand. Heritage purchased the 85-unit assisted living and memory care property formerly known as MorningStar at Arrowhead. The community has now been rebranded as Orchard Pointe at Glendale, aligning it with Heritage’s other Orchard Pointe communities in the region. This marks Heritage Communities’ fourth senior living location in the West Valley area of Phoenix, advancing the company’s strategic growth plan. The Glendale community will be managed by Heritage’s operating arm and is getting some upgrades to match Heritage’s care model. As part of the transition, Heritage is introducing its Montessori-based “Portraits” programming for memory care residents, the “Snapshots” support program for seniors with mild cognitive impairment, and new AI-powered fall detection technology in the memory care neighborhood – signature features of Heritage’s approach to care. “Purchasing and transitioning MorningStar at Arrowhead into Orchard Pointe at Glendale is a meaningful step forward in our expansion plan,” said Nate Underwood, President of Heritage Communities. “It’s our fourth community in the region, furthering our vision to bring consistent, high-quality senior living across the country – and specifically in Arizona. We’ve enjoyed getting to know each associate and resident at this community and welcoming them to Heritage.” The acquisition is part of Heritage’s broader growth strategy, which includes expanding third-party management services and pursuing select development opportunities. Heritage Communities, based in Omaha, NE, now operates 20 senior living communities across Nebraska, Iowa, Arizona, and Texas (17 of which it owns). The company employs over 1,000 staff and serves more than 1,600 residents. Leadership says the focus remains on maintaining quality as they grow: continuing to implement Heritage’s resident-centered programs and strong operational standards at each new site.

Liberty Senior Living Names Goyette as COO
Wilmington, NC – Liberty Senior Living has appointed Robert “Bob” Goyette as Chief Operations Officer, tasking the seasoned executive with leading operations across Liberty’s portfolio of senior living communities. Goyette is a veteran of the senior housing industry, with over 10 years in C-suite roles and nearly 30 years in the field overall. He has served in almost every leadership capacity – starting as a sales director and executive director of communities, and rising through regional and divisional operations roles to executive vice president. Throughout his career, he has helped open more than 50 senior living communities across the U.S. Will Purvis, President of Liberty Senior Living, said, “Bob has already made a tremendous impact on our systems and communities in a short time. His ability to bring structure, clarity, and purpose to complex operations is matched by his deep commitment to people. Bob’s leadership is strengthening our foundation and elevating the experience we provide across all our communities.” As COO, Goyette is focused on building scalable systems and consistent operating standards for Liberty’s diverse mix of communities – which include rental retirement communities, continuing care/life plan campuses, equity partnership communities, freestanding assisted living and memory care centers, and 55+ active adult neighborhoods. He is implementing performance dashboards and other business intelligence tools to help on-site teams measure quality and make data-informed decisions. “We’re using data not just to strengthen our financial position, but to improve lives,” Goyette noted, emphasizing that technology and analytics should enhance care and service. Goyette said he was drawn to Liberty’s mission of “cultivating community, enhancing lives, and promoting independence,” and he aims to support staff with the training and resources they need to deliver exceptional experiences for residents and families. Liberty Senior Living is part of the Liberty Healthcare family of companies (a family-owned organization founded in 1875). With Goyette as COO, Liberty is poised to continue growing “with purpose,” leveraging his expertise to ensure that expansion never outpaces quality.