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The Musk versus Altman courtroom drama took a sharp turn this week, as OpenAI's CEO testified that Elon Musk once floated the idea of handing the company to his own children. The judge, by multiple accounts, was less than charmed by the proceedings — a sign that this dispute over OpenAI's founding mission and billions in assets is far from resolved.
Staying with the AI money trail, both Anthropic and OpenAI are now warning investors that secondary market share schemes may be entirely worthless. Anthropic went further, calling out Forge Global by name and declaring SPV-based arrangements invalid. It's a striking signal that these companies want tight control over who owns a piece of them — and at what price.
And on the security front, a sophisticated Android banking trojan is back in circulation, this time disguising itself as TikTok or popular streaming apps. What makes this variant particularly concerning is its use of blockchain infrastructure to evade detection — turning a technology built on transparency into a tool for hiding criminal activity. Credential theft and wire fraud are the reported goals.
That's your Tech Beat for today. Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.Welcome to Tech Beat, your daily read on the stories shaping the tech world.
In a San Francisco courtroom this week, the long-simmering feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman finally reached a judge — and by most accounts, the judge was not impressed. Altman testified that Musk once floated the idea of handing control of OpenAI to his own children, a detail Altman described as particularly hair-raising. The trial is painting a portrait of two enormous egos and a nonprofit that may have drifted very far from its founding mission.
Speaking of OpenAI, the company joined rival Anthropic this week in warning investors that shares purchased through third-party vehicles may be legally worthless. Anthropic went further, naming Forge Global specifically as operating schemes the company considers unauthorized. It's a stark reminder that in the rush to get a piece of the AI gold rush, secondary market buyers may be holding paper with no real value behind it.
And on the security front, a banking trojan is making the rounds on Android devices disguised as TikTok or popular streaming apps. What makes this variant particularly difficult to neutralize is its use of blockchain infrastructure to evade detection — turning a technology often associated with financial innovation into a shield for credential theft and wire fraud.
That's your Tech Beat for today. Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.
