Good evening and welcome to Markets Desk.
Apple and OpenAI are now in open legal conflict, and Sam Altman is not hiding his feelings about it. The OpenAI chief described himself as a, quote, mega Apple fanboy, and said he was very sad to see the company sue his firm. The lawsuit underscores how badly the relationship between two of Silicon Valley's most powerful players has deteriorated.
Shifting to Walmart, the retail giant is making a push into restaurant delivery, the latest in a long line of moves to muscle into established markets using sheer scale and logistics power. From groceries to healthcare to financial services, Walmart has consistently borrowed ideas from competitors and weaponized its size to compete. Restaurant delivery is simply the newest frontier in that playbook.
And a story that hit the financial community hard this week. Erin Piacenti, a Bank of America attorney, was killed in a stabbing in Times Square on Monday. Colleagues remembered her as a superstar, sharp in her legal work and deeply committed to mentoring junior teammates. Her boss had described her to senior management in those exact terms before her death, a loss felt well beyond the walls of the firm.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
