{"id":21917,"date":"2026-04-28T12:37:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:37:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/the-download-musk-altman-openai-trial-ai-profit-problem\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T12:37:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T12:37:34","slug":"the-download-musk-altman-openai-trial-ai-profit-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/the-download-musk-altman-openai-trial-ai-profit-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: Musk and Altman\u2019s legal showdown, and AI\u2019s profit problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is today\u2019s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Elon Musk and Sam Altman are going to court over OpenAI\u2019s future<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman head to trial this week in a case with sweeping consequences. Ahead of OpenAI\u2019s IPO, the court could rule on whether the company can exist as a for-profit enterprise. It could even oust its leadership.<\/p>\n

Musk, an OpenAI co-founder, claims he was deceived into bankrolling the firm under false pretenses. He\u2019s seeking $134 billion in damages, the removal of Altman and president Greg Brockman, and the company\u2019s restoration to a non-profit.<\/p>\n

Find out how the trial could upend the global AI race<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Michelle Kim<\/em><\/p>\n

The missing step between hype and profit<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a celebrated South Park<\/em> episode, a community of gnomes sneak out at night to steal underpants. Why? The gnomes present their pitch deck. \u201cPhase 1: Collect underpants. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit.\u201d It\u2019s a business plan that captures the current state of AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Companies have built the tech (Step 1) and promised transformation (Step 3). But how they get there is still a big question mark. Read about the potential paths forward<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em><\/p>\n

This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things AI. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a> to receive it in your inbox every Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Welcome to the era of weaponized deepfakes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For years, experts have warned that deepfakes could be deployed in malicious ways. These dangers are now here.<\/p>\n

Cheap, accessible models now produce weaponized deepfakes\u2014from sexually explicit images to political propaganda\u2014that look startlingly real. They\u2019re already inciting violence, changing minds, and sowing mistrust, with women and marginalized groups disproportionately affected.<\/p>\n

Experts fear that they\u2019re cratering trust and critical thinking. Here\u2019s why they\u2019re alarmed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Eileen Guo<\/em><\/p>\n

Weaponized deepfakes are on our list of the <\/strong>10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now<\/strong><\/a>, MIT Technology Review\u2019s guide to what\u2019s really worth your attention in the busy, buzzy world of AI.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 OpenAI has ended its exclusive partnership with Microsoft<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/a>The new deal allows OpenAI to court rivals such as Amazon. (Reuters<\/a> $)
<\/strong>+ Microsoft will still license OpenAI\u2019s tech, but no longer exclusively. <\/em>(NYT<\/a> $)
+ OpenAI is missing key growth targets ahead of its IPO. <\/em>(WSJ<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

2 Google has signed a classified AI deal with the Pentagon
<\/strong>It permits AI use for \u201cany lawful government purpose.\u201d (The Information<\/a> $)
<\/strong>+ Over 600 Google workers had called for a block on the deal.<\/em> (QZ<\/a>)
<\/strong>+ AI firms are set to train military versions of their models on classified data.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

3 The EU has told Google to open Android to AI rivals<\/strong>
It wants to end Gemini\u2019s built-in advantage. (Ars Technica<\/a>)
+ Google calls the move an \u201cunwarranted intervention.\u201d <\/em>(WSJ<\/a> $)
+ A final decision is expected by the end of July.<\/em> (Reuters<\/a> $)<\/p>\n

4 OpenAI is reportedly developing an AI-first smartphone<\/strong>
It would replace apps with agents. (TechCrunch<\/a>)
+ Qualcomm and MediaTek may be developing its processors. <\/em>(Gizmodo<\/a>)<\/p>\n

5 A brain implant for depression is moving into human testing
<\/strong>The FDA has approved a human study of the device. (Wired<\/a> $)
+ BCIs have thus far struggled to reach the market. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

6 A populist backlash against AI is gaining momentum in rural America
<\/strong>From Indiana to Idaho, voters are pushing back against the technology. (NYT $<\/a>)
+ Anti-AI protests are expanding worldwide. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

7 DeepSeek has priced its new model 97% below OpenAI\u2019s GPT-5.5<\/strong>
It aims to attract more enterprises, developers, and agent-based users. (SCMP<\/a>)
+ Here are three reasons why DeepSeek V4 matters. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 AI now generates a third of new websites
<\/strong>A study found it\u2019s making the web more cheery and less verbose. (404 Media<\/a>)<\/p>\n

9 Top talent is leaving Big Tech to launch their own AI startups
<\/strong>Meta, Google, and OpenAI are facing a brain drain. (CNBC<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 Taylor Swift is trademarking her voice and image<\/strong>
The Grammy winner has been the target of numerous deepfakes. (NBC News<\/a>)
+ A growing number of celebrities are fighting AI with trademarks.<\/em> (BBC<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is people don\u2019t like him.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers reacts to prospective jurors confessing their negative views of Elon Musk ahead of his legal battle with Sam Altman, The Verge<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n


How covid conspiracy theories led to an alarming resurgence in AIDS denialism<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When Joe Rogan falsely declared that \u201cparty drugs\u201d were an \u201cimportant factor in AIDS,\u201d several million people were listening. He also asserted that AZT, the earliest drug used to treat AIDS, killed people \u201cquicker\u201d than the disease itself\u2014another claim that has been disproven.<\/p>\n

Such comments illustrate an unmistakable resurgence in AIDS denialism: a false collection of theories arguing either that HIV does not cause AIDS or that there is no such thing as HIV at all. By the dawn of the millennium, these claims had largely fallen out of favour. That changed when the coronavirus arrived.<\/p>\n

Follow the digital path from Covid skepticism to the return of a deadly conspiracy theory<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n


<\/strong>\u2014Anna Merlan<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ Explore the planets from your laptop<\/a> with this live sky map.
+ This marathon DJ set from Daphni<\/a> is an incredible journey through electronic music.
+ NASA\u2019s stunning Artemis II wallpapers<\/a> bring a high-res piece of deep space to your phone.
+ This fascinating GPS explainer<\/a> breaks down how your phone figures out exactly where you are.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21917"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21917\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}