The Download: Musk and Altman's legal showdown, and AI's profit problem

The DownloadThe Download: Musk and Altman’s legal showdown, and AI’s profit problemPlus: OpenAI has ended its exclusive partnership with Microsoft. By Thomas Macaulayarchive pageApril 28, 2026 This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. Elon Musk and Sam Altman are going to court over OpenAI’s future Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman head to trial this week in a case with sweeping consequences. Ahead of OpenAI’s IPO, the court could rule on whether the company can exist as a for-profit enterprise. It could even oust its leadership. Musk, an OpenAI co-founder, claims he was deceived into bankrolling the firm under false pretenses. He’s seeking $134 billion in damages, the removal of Altman and president Greg Brockman, and the company’s restoration to a non-profit. Find out how the trial could upend the global AI race. —Michelle Kim The missing step between hype and profit In a celebrated South Park episode, a community of gnomes sneak out at night to steal underpants. Why? The gnomes present their pitch deck. “Phase 1: Collect underpants. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit.” It’s a business plan that captures the current state of AI. 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. —Will Douglas Heaven This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday. Welcome to the era of weaponized deepfakes For years, experts have warned that deepfakes could be deployed in malicious ways. These dangers are now here. Cheap, accessible models now produce weaponized deepfakes—from sexually explicit images to political propaganda—that look startlingly real. They’re already inciting violence, changing minds, and sowing mistrust, with women and marginalized groups disproportionately affected. Experts fear that they’re cratering trust and critical thinking. Here’s why they’re alarmed. —Eileen Guo Weaponized deepfakes are on our list of the 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now, MIT Technology Review’s guide to what’s really worth your attention in the busy, buzzy world of AI. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 OpenAI has ended its exclusive partnership with MicrosoftThe new deal allows OpenAI to court rivals such as Amazon. (Reuters $)+ Microsoft will still license OpenAI’s tech, but no longer exclusively. (NYT $)+ OpenAI is missing key growth targets ahead of its IPO. (WSJ $)2 Google has signed a classified AI deal with the PentagonIt permits AI use for “any lawful government purpose.” (The Information $)+ Over 600 Google workers had called for a block on the deal. (QZ)+ AI firms are set to train military versions of their models on classified data. (MIT Technology Review)3 The EU has told Google to open Android to AI rivalsIt wants to end Gemini’s built-in advantage. (Ars Technica)+ Google calls the move an “unwarranted intervention.” (WSJ $)+ A final decision is expected by the end of July. (Reuters $)4 OpenAI is reportedly developing an AI-first smartphoneIt would replace apps with agents. (TechCrunch)+ Qualcomm and MediaTek may be developing its processors. (Gizmodo)5 A brain implant for depression is moving into human testingThe FDA has…

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