Overview
- Elon Musk filed in federal court seeking $79 billion to $134 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, with a trial expected in April; both companies reject his claims.
- In a letter reported by CNBC, OpenAI warned investors that Musk will make deliberately attention‑grabbing remarks and said it is confident in its legal defense, estimating the case should not exceed his $38 million in donations.
- Sam Altman‑cofounded Merge Labs emerged from stealth and, according to TechCrunch reporting cited by IT之家, raised about $250 million at an $850 million valuation, with OpenAI described by unnamed sources as the largest investor.
- Merge Labs positions itself as linking biological and artificial intelligence using non‑invasive molecular and ultrasound methods, contrasting with Neuralink’s implant‑based approach, and its founders include Altman, Alex Blania and Sandro Herbig.
- Thinking Machines Lab, founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, is losing multiple senior staff, with some returning to OpenAI; the company says Barret Zoph was fired for serious misconduct, a characterization OpenAI’s Fidji Simo disputes as insiders cite deeper strategic disagreements.