All posts tagged: duped

Musk v. Altman week 1: Elon Musk says he was duped, warns AI could kill us all, and admits that xAI distills OpenAI’s models

Musk v. Altman week 1: Elon Musk says he was duped, warns AI could kill us all, and admits that xAI distills OpenAI’s models

Published by skeptic

“I was a fool who provided them free funding to create a startup,” Musk told the jury. He said when he cofounded OpenAI in 2015 with Altman and Brockman, he was donating to a nonprofit developing AI for the benefit of humanity, not to make the executives rich. “I gave them $38 million of essentially free funding, which they then used to create what would become an $800 billion company,” he said. Musk is asking the court to remove Altman and Brockman from their roles and to unwind the restructuring that allowed OpenAI to operate a for-profit subsidiary. The outcome of the trial could upend OpenAI’s race toward an IPO at a valuation approaching $1 trillion. Meanwhile, xAI is expected to go public as a part of Musk’s rocket company SpaceX as early as June, at a target valuation of $1.75 trillion. This week’s testimony revolved around a central question of the trial: why Musk is suing OpenAI. Musk argued he was trying to save OpenAI’s mission to develop AI safely by restoring the company …

Steve Ballmer blasts founder he backed who pleaded guilty to fraud: ‘I was duped and feel silly’

Steve Ballmer blasts founder he backed who pleaded guilty to fraud: ‘I was duped and feel silly’

Published by skeptic

Silicon Valley tends to tolerate a certain amount of founder exaggeration when pitching investors, often dismissing it as part of selling a vision. But some choices cross the line and can lead to jail time for founders and scandal for their investors. A case in point is Joseph Sanberg, whose once high-flying fintech startup Aspiration Partners was backed by a roster of tech celebrities, including former Microsoft CEO and current Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. In August 2025, Sanberg pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and defrauding multiple investors and lenders, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a press release. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Ahead of sentencing, which is scheduled for Monday, victims were invited to describe their experience with Sanberg to the judge. Ballmer did so, and publicly. Ballmer’s lawyers said in the letter that he has lost money, been vilified, and that the NBA is investigating allegations stemming from the association. Sanberg co-founded green fintech startup Aspiration Partners, which offered what it called sustainable …

Kelvin MacKenzie praises ‘decent Guardian journalism’ and says he was ‘duped’ over hacking

Kelvin MacKenzie praises ‘decent Guardian journalism’ and says he was ‘duped’ over hacking

Published by skeptic

Kelvin MacKenzie must rank as the most successful editor ever to work for Rupert Murdoch. He guided The Sun to its highest circulation and was responsible for many of its memorable iconic headlines. He regarded Murdoch, the man he affectionately called “boss”, as the world’s greatest newspaper owner. When the phone-hacking scandal broke in 2011, MacKenzie was among the most forthright supporters of Murdoch’s company. In the course of several TV and radio appearances, he echoed the News International line that a single “rogue reporter” had been responsible for voicemail interceptions. It has long been known that MacKenzie was deeply upset when the truth about the scale of hacking finally emerged. But he maintained a silence in public until his appearance on ITV documentary The Real Hack – the companion to a seven-part drama series, The Hack. He has now revealed just how angry he was to discover the fact that hundreds of people had been hacked by journalists working for the News of the World. He said: “I wrote a note to Rebekah Brooks …