💻 $40 Billion Bet, Musk vs. Altman Trial Begins & Something Went Very Wrong With ChatGPT

Google is making an eye-popping move into the AI arms race with a deal that could reshape the industry — and it's not alone. Meanwhile, a high-stakes federal trial has officially kicked off that could determine the future of the world's most powerful AI company, with some very familiar faces set to take the stand. NASA is celebrating a historic milestone that humans haven't witnessed in over 50 years, but not everything in tech this week is cause for celebration. A sobering AI safety failure has triggered a formal apology from one of Silicon Valley's most powerful CEOs — and government officials say it's not enough. From used EV price crashes to optical tornadoes and a surprisingly affordable Apple laptop, today's episode covers the stories you need to know right now.

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Welcome to Technology Daily, your go-to source for the latest in tech news. I'm your host, and today is April 26th, 2026. We have a packed show covering everything from a massive AI investment deal, a landmark lawsuit between two tech titans, a stunning space mission recap, and a sobering reminder of what AI can get wrong. Let's dive in.

We start with some major AI money moves. Google has announced plans to invest up to a staggering 40 billion dollars into Anthropic, the AI startup behind the Claude family of models. Google is committing 10 billion dollars upfront, with an additional 30 billion available if Anthropic hits specific performance milestones. This follows a similar, though smaller, deal where Amazon invested 5 billion dollars, with up to 20 billion more on the table. Both deals are tied to Anthropic agreeing to use each company's respective AI chips and cloud infrastructure. It's the kind of circular investment arrangement that's become a hallmark of the AI industry — and it signals just how aggressively the biggest players are competing for dominance in the AI race.

Speaking of AI and legal battles, the long-anticipated Musk versus Altman trial is now underway. Jury selection has begun in an Oakland federal court, where nine ordinary citizens will decide whether OpenAI defrauded Elon Musk when it transitioned from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure. Musk, an early donor and co-chair of OpenAI, is seeking billions in damages and wants Sam Altman and Greg Brockman removed from leadership. Legal experts say actually undoing OpenAI's corporate restructuring is unlikely, but the trial could still reshape the AI industry. Expect fireworks — public testimony from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Altman himself is expected.

On a deeply serious note, OpenAI's Sam Altman has issued a formal apology for not alerting police to alarming ChatGPT conversations linked to the suspect in the deadly Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia shooting. OpenAI had banned the account of the alleged shooter for violating usage policies due to the potential for real-world violence, but did not notify law enforcement. Altman called the failure to act a grave mistake and pledged that OpenAI will work with governments to prevent similar tragedies. British Columbia's premier called the apology necessary but grossly insufficient. OpenAI has since committed to notifying authorities when it finds imminent and credible threats in user conversations.

Shifting to space, NASA has shared its initial takeaways from the Artemis II mission, which successfully sent four astronauts around the moon and back earlier this month. The Orion spacecraft's heat shield performed as expected, and the SLS rocket hit its insertion velocity right on target. The mission also broke the distance record previously held by Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise, who graciously congratulated the crew. There were a few hiccups — a urine vent line issue required in-flight troubleshooting — but overall, the mission is being hailed as a crucial stepping stone toward landing astronauts on the lunar surface as soon as 2028. Mission commander Reid Wiseman even shared a breathtaking cell phone video of the Earth setting behind the moon, a sight humans hadn't witnessed in over 50 years.

In a troubling move for American science, multiple reports confirm that the Trump administration has fired the entire National Science Board. The NSB advises the president and Congress on the National Science Foundation, which funds foundational research behind technologies as wide-ranging as MRI machines, cellphones, and even the early development of Duolingo. Democratic lawmakers have sharply criticized the move. The NSF had already been operating at historically low funding levels, and this dismissal raises serious questions about the future of federally supported scientific research in the United States.

Now let's talk about the DOJ stepping into the AI regulation debate. The Department of Justice has intervened on behalf of Elon Musk's xAI in its lawsuit against the state of Colorado. Colorado passed a law requiring developers of high-risk AI systems to disclose and mitigate algorithmic discrimination. The DOJ argues the law is unconstitutional, claiming it would force developers to distort AI outputs in ways that violate the Fourteenth Amendment. The move reflects the Trump administration's broader push to maintain federal control over AI regulation and resist state-level oversight.

On the EV front, there are two interesting developments. First, an influx of used electric vehicles is expected to dramatically bring down prices over the next few years. According to Cox Automotive, EV lease expirations are set to jump from 123,000 in 2025 to over 660,000 by 2028, flooding the used market with affordable options. Since most Americans buy used cars, this could be a major turning point for EV adoption. Meanwhile, Tesla is sweetening the deal for new buyers by offering one year of free Supercharging with purchases of the Model 3 Premium and Performance in North America. And on the more exotic end of the EV spectrum, Chinese automaker BYD unveiled its Denza Z hypercar at the Beijing Auto Show — a convertible four-seater capable of over 1,000 horsepower and a zero to sixty time of under two seconds. Surprisingly, Europe will get it first, with a debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK this July.

In fascinating science news, researchers have created what they're calling optical tornadoes — tiny swirling beams of light generated using liquid crystals rather than complex nanotechnology. By using self-organizing structures called torons, scientists can trap and manipulate light, causing it to spiral in intricate ways. The breakthrough could have significant implications for quantum communication. And on an even more mind-bending note, new research suggests that gravitational waves rippling through the early universe right after the Big Bang may have actually helped create dark matter itself, transforming into particles that eventually shaped the invisible scaffolding of galaxies.

On the software side, a report from researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Arizona reveals that humans are talking less than ever. Between 2005 and 2019, the number of words people spoke out loud to another person fell by nearly 28 percent. Researchers attribute the decline to the rise of texting, app-based ordering, and increasingly digital lives. And that trend has almost certainly worsened since the pandemic. Something to think about next time you text instead of call.

In the tech ecosystem, XChat — a standalone app for X's direct messaging feature — has launched on iOS. The app offers end-to-end encrypted messaging, video and audio calls, disappearing messages, and group chats for up to 350 people. It's worth noting the irony: Elon Musk originally promised X would become an everything app, yet the platform now requires three separate apps to use its core features. X is currently a subsidiary of xAI, which is itself part of SpaceX, and Musk's AI ambitions appear to have taken center stage.

Finally, Apple's upcoming CEO John Ternus has made waves with the MacBook Neo, a 599-dollar laptop that has impressed reviewers with its premium build quality despite its budget price point. With Ternus set to officially take over from Tim Cook on September 1st, the Neo is being seen as a signal of a more risk-tolerant Apple — one willing to build affordable devices that could attract new users into its ecosystem without sacrificing quality.

That's a wrap on today's Technology Daily. From billion-dollar AI deals and landmark lawsuits to moon missions and miniature optical tornadoes, the world of tech is moving fast. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you back here tomorrow for more of the stories shaping our digital world.