Public dossier section · @ben
sources
This is @ben's profile revision 1. The original date and editorial confidence below are attributed to its publisher, not independent verification.
Original credited author: Hraness
AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.
Back to the full profile · Markdown version · Original document
Published text
- v7 context — siliconangle.com (2025-06-18, reporting). v7 context; clip-length comparisons
- the optics are shitty verbatim — simonwillison.net (2022-09-04, reporting). "the optics are shitty" verbatim
- cheeky monkey quote — news.sky.com (2023-04, reporting). "cheeky monkey" quote; organizer dispute
- gan mechanics — smithsonianmag.com (2018-10, reporting). gan mechanics; name pun on goodfellow
- stable diffusion public release — stability.ai (2022-08-22, primary). stable diffusion public release; openrail-m open weights
- the midjourney teardown — systemaic.com (2026-07-09, reporting). ~10.7m visits, –21.3% qoq; 63% direct; $500m secondary-reported revenue; brand-term ads since aug 2024
- grok integration — techcrunch (2024-08-14, reporting). grok integration; guardrail-light positioning
- openai's ghibli moment — techcrunch (2025-03-26, reporting). flood timeline; style-not-copyrightable legal note
- pricing tiers — techcrunch (2025-06-18, reporting). pricing tiers; relax unlimited for pro/mega
- v7 alpha — techcrunch (2025-04-03, reporting). v7 alpha; personalization default; post-ghibli timing
- lifted-protections allegation — techcrunch (2025-09-05, reporting). lifted-protections allegation; mj fair-use stance
- modes — techrepublic.com (2025-04-07, reference). modes; v6 fallback for edits
- official feature list verbatim — techspot.com (2023-03-17, reporting). official feature list verbatim
- holz: significantly surpassed $200m, gone up despite traffic decline — texxr.com (2026, reporting). holz: "significantly surpassed" $200m, "gone up" despite traffic decline
- he doesn't need vc in his life — the information (2023-09-05, reporting). $200m pace; ~40 staff; profitable early; craigslist ambition; advisors (paywalled; quotes via secondary excerpts)
- subscription-tier detail in complaint — thefashionlaw.com (2025, reference). subscription-tier detail in complaint
- niji = spellbrush collaboration mechanics — tokenizedhq.com (undated, reference). niji = spellbrush collaboration mechanics
- office-hours 3d/enterable images — tomsguide.com (2024, reporting). office-hours 3d/enterable images; v7/video timelines
- skin/text improvements — tomsguide.com (2024-07-31, reporting). skin/text improvements
- v7 default date 2025-06-17 — toolworthy.ai (2025, reference). v7 default date 2025-06-17; speed stats
- recraft v3 five-month arena lead — topaitracker.com (2026-07-07, reporting). recraft v3 five-month arena lead; ideogram 3 vs imagen 3/flux1.1
- théâtre d'opéra spatial registration refused — u.s. copyright office (2023-09-05, primary). review board denial; ≥624 prompts; prompts-not-instructions holding
- images not the product of human authorship — copyright.gov (2023-02-21, reporting). images "not the product of human authorship"; arrangement protected
- founders — venturebeat (2024-08, reporting). founders; three-tier licensing
- editor scope — venturebeat (2024-08-16, reporting). editor scope; holz discord message
- launch — venturebeat (2023-08, reporting). launch; typography differentiator; $16.5m seed
- midjourney v6 is here — venturebeat (2023-12-21, reporting). v6 features; "third model trained from scratch on our ai superclusters"; 17m discord
- takedowns — the verge (2022-12-23, reporting). takedowns; opt-in noai tag
- obvious/barrat attribution fight — the verge (2018-10-23, reporting). obvious/barrat attribution fight; gan primer
- midjourney stops free trials — the verge (2023-03-30, reporting). "extraordinary demand and trial abuse"; throwaway accounts; china how-to video; v5 not in trial
- trend escalation — the verge (2025-03, reporting). trend escalation; darker remixes
- the balenciaga pope — the verge (2023-03-27, reference). anatomy of the fake; teigen tweet; telltale artifacts
- holz stepping stone/real-time open-world simulations verbatim — the verge (2025-06-19, reporting). holz "stepping stone"/"real-time open-world simulations" verbatim
- kole/chayes origin — vice.com (2022-12, reporting). kole/chayes origin; artstation faq
- beta-opening quotes, discord stress test — vice.com (2022-08, reporting). beta-opening quotes, discord stress test
- ip-permissive early outputs noted — voicebot.ai (2023-08-31, reporting). ip-permissive early outputs noted
- escalation framing — washingtonpost.com (2025-06-11, reporting). escalation framing
- loosened rules — washingtonpost.com (2025-03-28, reporting). loosened rules; historical-photo remixes
- discovery-phase significance — washingtonpost.com (2024-08-14, reporting). discovery-phase significance
- he used ai to win a fine-arts competition — washingtonpost.com (2022-09-02, reporting). fair win; lamborghini-marathon analogy; judge quotes
- timeline: win aug 26, vice picked up aug 31 — westword.com (2022-09, reporting). timeline: win aug 26, vice picked up aug 31
- earliest ai program for artmaking — whitney.org (2024, reporting). "earliest ai program for artmaking"; explicit dall-e/mj/sd context
- 1972–2010s development — wikipedia (undated, reference). 1972–2010s development; autonomy claim; cohen bio
- sale details — wikipedia (undated, reference). sale details; wikiart 15k portraits; forked code chain
- technique mechanics — wikipedia (undated, reference). technique mechanics; ilsvrc/inception lineage
- advisor-of-midjourney citation chain to the information — wikipedia (2026, reference). advisor-of-midjourney citation chain to the information
- term history — wikipedia (undated, reference). term history; 2022 origins; woty 2025 (merriam-webster + ads); willison role
- win dated aug 29 — wikipedia (2026, reference). win dated aug 29; category details; judges would award anyway; $300
- mordvintsev origin story — wired (2015-12, reporting). mordvintsev origin story
- limited-registration framing — the wall street journal (2023-02-24, reporting). limited-registration framing
- 2026 landscape — youngju.dev (2026-05-15, reporting). 2026 landscape; mj7 as "aesthetic standard"
- open-philosophy vs closed-philosophy framing — zsky.ai (2026, reference). open-philosophy vs closed-philosophy framing; feature matrix
- summary of bi reporting — 9to5mac.com (2018-10-31, reporting). summary of bi reporting
- near $600m claim — unverified — theagenttimes.com (2026, reporting). "near $600m" claim — unverified
- v1 500+500 users detail — aituts.com (undated, reference). v1 500+500 users detail
- corroboration — allaboutai.com (2025-04, reporting). corroboration; @davidsholz handle
- notes 2022-09-07 office-hours recording — antoinebuteau.com (undated, community). notes 2022-09-07 office-hours recording
- holz office-hours response verbatim — seattletimes.com (2025-06, reporting). holz office-hours response verbatim
- botnet-like activity — arstechnica.com (2024-03, reporting). "botnet-like activity"; mostaque denial
- midjourney v5.2 — arstechnica.com (2023-06, reporting). v5.2 zoom out
- corroboration — benzinga.com (2024-02, reporting). corroboration
- the apple acquisition talks — business insider (2018-10-31, reporting). apple talks 2013 + spring 2018; $30–50m; "the devil"
- holz 23, florida tinkerer, isef mic project — bloomberg (2012-05-24, reporting). holz 23, florida tinkerer, isef mic project
- original plaintiffs/counsel — cartoonbrew.com (2023-01, reporting). original plaintiffs/counsel
- $200m arr — cb insights (2023-10-31, reporting). $200m arr; ~$10b hypothetical valuation
- second mirror of about page — cokeep.me (2022, primary). second mirror of about page
- aug 2021 founding — research.contrary.com (undated, reference). aug 2021 founding; sept 2021 demo; craigslist; stripe stat
- disney & universal v. midjourney — complaint — storage.courtlistener.com (2025-06-11, primary). c.d. cal. no. 25-5275; delaware corp; hq sf
- case no — crowell.com (2023, reporting). case no.; jan 13 2023 filing; oct 2023 ruling
- $200m recap — the-decoder.com (2023-09-06, reporting). $200m recap
- --weird 0–3000 — the-decoder.com (2023-07-01, reporting). --weird 0–3000
- vary (region) inpainting — decrypt.co (2023-08-22, reporting). vary (region) inpainting
- banu güler cdo — medium (2026-08-12, community). banu güler cdo; duncan wilson web lead
- advisors incl — everydev.ai (undated, reference). advisors incl. daniel gross; calloway ex-red hat
- magazine $4/mo — forbes (2023-03-15, reporting). magazine $4/mo
- weird + pan — forbes (2023-07-04, reporting). weird + pan
- word bans (arrested) — france24.com (2023-03-30, reporting). word bans ("arrested")
- price, patents/staff to ultrahaptics — gamesbeat.com (2019-05-30, reporting). price, patents/staff to ultrahaptics
- niji journey closed beta — gigazine.net (2022-11-15, reporting). niji journey closed beta; spellbrush
- holz fun quote — gizmodo.com (2023-03-15, reporting). holz "fun" quote
Original source occurrences
- v7 context · siliconangle.com · 2025-06-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-siliconangle-v1 · Other public citations of this URL
v7 context; clip-length comparisons
- the optics are shitty verbatim · simonwillison.net · 2022-09-04 (day) · original ID: src-ci-simonwillison-warzel · Other public citations of this URL
"the optics are shitty" verbatim
- cheeky monkey quote · news.sky.com · 2023-04 (month) · original ID: src-ci-sky-eldagsen · Other public citations of this URL
"cheeky monkey" quote; organizer dispute
- gan mechanics · smithsonianmag.com · 2018-10 (month) · original ID: src-ci-smithsonian-belamy · Other public citations of this URL
gan mechanics; name pun on goodfellow
- stable diffusion public release · stability.ai · 2022-08-22 (day) · original ID: src-ci-stability-sd-release · Other public citations of this URL
stable diffusion public release; openrail-m open weights
- the midjourney teardown · systemaic.com · 2026-07-09 (day) · original ID: src-ci-systemaic-traffic · Other public citations of this URL
~10.7m visits, –21.3% qoq; 63% direct; $500m secondary-reported revenue; brand-term ads since aug 2024
- grok integration · techcrunch · 2024-08-14 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techcrunch-bfl-grok · Other public citations of this URL
grok integration; guardrail-light positioning
- openai's ghibli moment · techcrunch · 2025-03-26 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techcrunch-ghibli · Other public citations of this URL
flood timeline; style-not-copyrightable legal note
- pricing tiers · techcrunch · 2025-06-18 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techcrunch-v1-video · Other public citations of this URL
pricing tiers; relax unlimited for pro/mega
- v7 alpha · techcrunch · 2025-04-03 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techcrunch-v7 · Other public citations of this URL
v7 alpha; personalization default; post-ghibli timing
- lifted-protections allegation · techcrunch · 2025-09-05 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techcrunch-wb · Other public citations of this URL
lifted-protections allegation; mj fair-use stance
- modes · techrepublic.com · 2025-04-07 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techrepublic-v7 · Other public citations of this URL
modes; v6 fallback for edits
- official feature list verbatim · techspot.com · 2023-03-17 (day) · original ID: src-ci-techspot-v5 · Other public citations of this URL
official feature list verbatim
- holz: significantly surpassed $200m, gone up despite traffic decline · texxr.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-texxr-200m · Other public citations of this URL
holz: "significantly surpassed" $200m, "gone up" despite traffic decline
- he doesn't need vc in his life · the information · 2023-09-05 (day) · original ID: src-ci-the-information-vc · Other public citations of this URL
$200m pace; ~40 staff; profitable early; craigslist ambition; advisors (paywalled; quotes via secondary excerpts)
- subscription-tier detail in complaint · thefashionlaw.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-thefashionlaw-disney · Other public citations of this URL
subscription-tier detail in complaint
- niji = spellbrush collaboration mechanics · tokenizedhq.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-tokenized-niji · Other public citations of this URL
niji = spellbrush collaboration mechanics
- office-hours 3d/enterable images · tomsguide.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-tomsguide-holodeck · Other public citations of this URL
office-hours 3d/enterable images; v7/video timelines
- skin/text improvements · tomsguide.com · 2024-07-31 (day) · original ID: src-ci-tomsguide-v61 · Other public citations of this URL
skin/text improvements
- v7 default date 2025-06-17 · toolworthy.ai · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-ci-toolworthy-v7 · Other public citations of this URL
v7 default date 2025-06-17; speed stats
- recraft v3 five-month arena lead · topaitracker.com · 2026-07-07 (day) · original ID: src-ci-topaitracker-compare · Other public citations of this URL
recraft v3 five-month arena lead; ideogram 3 vs imagen 3/flux1.1
- théâtre d'opéra spatial registration refused · u.s. copyright office · 2023-09-05 (day) · original ID: src-ci-usco-theatre · Other public citations of this URL
review board denial; ≥624 prompts; prompts-not-instructions holding
- images not the product of human authorship · copyright.gov · 2023-02-21 (day) · original ID: src-ci-usco-zarya-letter · Other public citations of this URL
images "not the product of human authorship"; arrangement protected
- founders · venturebeat · 2024-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-venturebeat-bfl · Other public citations of this URL
founders; three-tier licensing
- editor scope · venturebeat · 2024-08-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-venturebeat-editor · Other public citations of this URL
editor scope; holz discord message
- launch · venturebeat · 2023-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-venturebeat-ideogram · Other public citations of this URL
launch; typography differentiator; $16.5m seed
- midjourney v6 is here · venturebeat · 2023-12-21 (day) · original ID: src-ci-venturebeat-v6 · Other public citations of this URL
v6 features; "third model trained from scratch on our ai superclusters"; 17m discord
- takedowns · the verge · 2022-12-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-verge-artstation · Other public citations of this URL
takedowns; opt-in noai tag
- obvious/barrat attribution fight · the verge · 2018-10-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-verge-belamy · Other public citations of this URL
obvious/barrat attribution fight; gan primer
- midjourney stops free trials · the verge · 2023-03-30 (day) · original ID: src-ci-verge-free-trial · Other public citations of this URL
"extraordinary demand and trial abuse"; throwaway accounts; china how-to video; v5 not in trial
- trend escalation · the verge · 2025-03 (month) · original ID: src-ci-verge-ghibli · Other public citations of this URL
trend escalation; darker remixes
- the balenciaga pope · the verge · 2023-03-27 (day) · original ID: src-ci-verge-pope · Other public citations of this URL
anatomy of the fake; teigen tweet; telltale artifacts
- holz stepping stone/real-time open-world simulations verbatim · the verge · 2025-06-19 (day) · original ID: src-ci-verge-v1-video · Other public citations of this URL
holz "stepping stone"/"real-time open-world simulations" verbatim
- kole/chayes origin · vice.com · 2022-12 (month) · original ID: src-ci-vice-artstation · Other public citations of this URL
kole/chayes origin; artstation faq
- beta-opening quotes, discord stress test · vice.com · 2022-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-vice-midjourney-inside · Other public citations of this URL
beta-opening quotes, discord stress test
- ip-permissive early outputs noted · voicebot.ai · 2023-08-31 (day) · original ID: src-ci-voicebot-ideogram · Other public citations of this URL
ip-permissive early outputs noted
- escalation framing · washingtonpost.com · 2025-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-wapo-disney · Other public citations of this URL
escalation framing
- loosened rules · washingtonpost.com · 2025-03-28 (day) · original ID: src-ci-wapo-ghibli · Other public citations of this URL
loosened rules; historical-photo remixes
- discovery-phase significance · washingtonpost.com · 2024-08-14 (day) · original ID: src-ci-wapo-orrick · Other public citations of this URL
discovery-phase significance
- he used ai to win a fine-arts competition · washingtonpost.com · 2022-09-02 (day) · original ID: src-ci-wapo-state-fair · Other public citations of this URL
fair win; lamborghini-marathon analogy; judge quotes
- timeline: win aug 26, vice picked up aug 31 · westword.com · 2022-09 (month) · original ID: src-ci-westword-state-fair · Other public citations of this URL
timeline: win aug 26, vice picked up aug 31
- earliest ai program for artmaking · whitney.org · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-whitney-aaron · Other public citations of this URL
"earliest ai program for artmaking"; explicit dall-e/mj/sd context
- 1972–2010s development · wikipedia · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-wikipedia-aaron · Other public citations of this URL
1972–2010s development; autonomy claim; cohen bio
- sale details · wikipedia · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-wikipedia-belamy · Other public citations of this URL
sale details; wikiart 15k portraits; forked code chain
- technique mechanics · wikipedia · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-wikipedia-deepdream · Other public citations of this URL
technique mechanics; ilsvrc/inception lineage
- advisor-of-midjourney citation chain to the information · wikipedia · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-wikipedia-nat-friedman · Other public citations of this URL
advisor-of-midjourney citation chain to the information
- term history · wikipedia · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-ci-wikipedia-slop · Other public citations of this URL
term history; 2022 origins; woty 2025 (merriam-webster + ads); willison role
- win dated aug 29 · wikipedia · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-wikipedia-theatre · Other public citations of this URL
win dated aug 29; category details; judges would award anyway; $300
- mordvintsev origin story · wired · 2015-12 (month) · original ID: src-ci-wired-deepdream · Other public citations of this URL
mordvintsev origin story
- limited-registration framing · the wall street journal · 2023-02-24 (day) · original ID: src-ci-wsj-zarya · Other public citations of this URL
limited-registration framing
- 2026 landscape · youngju.dev · 2026-05-15 (day) · original ID: src-ci-youngju-landscape · Other public citations of this URL
2026 landscape; mj7 as "aesthetic standard"
- open-philosophy vs closed-philosophy framing · zsky.ai · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-zsky-sd-vs-mj · Other public citations of this URL
open-philosophy vs closed-philosophy framing; feature matrix
- summary of bi reporting · 9to5mac.com · 2018-10-31 (day) · original ID: src-hp-9to5mac-apple-2018 · Other public citations of this URL
summary of bi reporting
- near $600m claim — unverified · theagenttimes.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-agenttimes-officehours-2026 · Other public citations of this URL
"near $600m" claim — unverified
- v1 500+500 users detail · aituts.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-hp-aituts-versions · Other public citations of this URL
v1 500+500 users detail
- corroboration · allaboutai.com · 2025-04 (month) · original ID: src-hp-allaboutai-v7-2025 · Other public citations of this URL
corroboration; @davidsholz handle
- notes 2022-09-07 office-hours recording · antoinebuteau.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-hp-antoinebuteau-holz · Other public citations of this URL
notes 2022-09-07 office-hours recording
- holz office-hours response verbatim · seattletimes.com · 2025-06 (month) · original ID: src-hp-ap-holz-response-2025 · Other public citations of this URL
holz office-hours response verbatim
- botnet-like activity · arstechnica.com · 2024-03 (month) · original ID: src-hp-ars-stability-2024 · Other public citations of this URL
"botnet-like activity"; mostaque denial
- midjourney v5.2 · arstechnica.com · 2023-06 (month) · original ID: src-hp-arstechnica-v52-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
v5.2 zoom out
- corroboration · benzinga.com · 2024-02 (month) · original ID: src-hp-benzinga-abbas-2024 · Other public citations of this URL
corroboration
- the apple acquisition talks · business insider · 2018-10-31 (day) · original ID: src-hp-bi-apple-leap-2018 · Other public citations of this URL
apple talks 2013 + spring 2018; $30–50m; "the devil"
- holz 23, florida tinkerer, isef mic project · bloomberg · 2012-05-24 (day) · original ID: src-hp-bloomberg-holz-2012 · Other public citations of this URL
holz 23, florida tinkerer, isef mic project
- original plaintiffs/counsel · cartoonbrew.com · 2023-01 (month) · original ID: src-hp-cartoonbrew-andersen-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
original plaintiffs/counsel
- $200m arr · cb insights · 2023-10-31 (day) · original ID: src-hp-cbinsights-midjourney · Other public citations of this URL
$200m arr; ~$10b hypothetical valuation
- second mirror of about page · cokeep.me · 2022 (year) · original ID: src-hp-cokeep-about-cache · Other public citations of this URL
second mirror of about page
- aug 2021 founding · research.contrary.com · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-hp-contrary-midjourney · Other public citations of this URL
aug 2021 founding; sept 2021 demo; craigslist; stripe stat
- disney & universal v. midjourney — complaint · storage.courtlistener.com · 2025-06-11 (day) · original ID: src-hp-courtlistener-disney-complaint · Other public citations of this URL
c.d. cal. no. 25-5275; delaware corp; hq sf
- case no · crowell.com · 2023 (year) · original ID: src-hp-crowell-andersen-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
case no.; jan 13 2023 filing; oct 2023 ruling
- $200m recap · the-decoder.com · 2023-09-06 (day) · original ID: src-hp-decoder-200m-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
$200m recap
- --weird 0–3000 · the-decoder.com · 2023-07-01 (day) · original ID: src-hp-decoder-weird-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
--weird 0–3000
- vary (region) inpainting · decrypt.co · 2023-08-22 (day) · original ID: src-hp-decrypt-varyregion-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
vary (region) inpainting
- banu güler cdo · medium · 2026-08-12 (day) · original ID: src-hp-enthusiastically-officehours-20260812 · Other public citations of this URL
banu güler cdo; duncan wilson web lead
- advisors incl · everydev.ai · undated (unknown) · original ID: src-hp-everydev-midjourney · Other public citations of this URL
advisors incl. daniel gross; calloway ex-red hat
- magazine $4/mo · forbes · 2023-03-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-forbes-magazine-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
magazine $4/mo
- weird + pan · forbes · 2023-07-04 (day) · original ID: src-hp-forbes-weird-pan-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
weird + pan
- word bans (arrested) · france24.com · 2023-03-30 (day) · original ID: src-hp-france24-freetrial-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
word bans ("arrested")
- price, patents/staff to ultrahaptics · gamesbeat.com · 2019-05-30 (day) · original ID: src-hp-gamesbeat-ultraleap-2019 · Other public citations of this URL
price, patents/staff to ultrahaptics
- niji journey closed beta · gigazine.net · 2022-11-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-gigazine-niji-2022 · Other public citations of this URL
niji journey closed beta; spellbrush
- holz fun quote · gizmodo.com · 2023-03-15 (day) · original ID: src-hp-gizmodo-magazine-2023 · Other public citations of this URL
holz "fun" quote