OpenAI argues to keep countersuit against Musk; Meta and Anduril to make MR gears for soldiers; Germany weighs 10% tax on online platforms
OpenAI argues to keep countersuit against Musk
OpenAI said it should be allowed to keep its countersuit against billionaire Elon Musk, saying the Tesla CEO's motion to dismiss the ChatGPT maker's claims has 'no grounding in facts'. In a court filing late on Wednesday, OpenAI said its countersuit, which accuses Musk of engaging in fraudulent business practices under California law, should be included in the expedited trial, rather than put on hold. OpenAI has argued that a $97.4 billion takeover bid for the company earlier this year from a Musk-led consortium was a 'sham bid' aimed at drumming up media frenzy.
OpenAI alleged the bid was leaked to the media before the proposal reached OpenAI's board. Last year, Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left before the firm became an AI juggernaut, sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman over the company's transition to a for-profit model. He accused OpenAI of straying from its founding mission.
Meta and Anduril to make MR gears for soldiers
Meta and defence tech startup Anduril Industries on Thursday announced a partnership to build mixed reality gear for 'warfighters' (soldiers) to control autonomous systems on battlefields. Meta will incorporate augmented reality and AI, presumably in the likes of glasses, goggles, or visors, with an Anduril data analytics platform called Lattice, the companies said in a joint release.
'Meta has spent the last decade building AI and AR to enable the computing platform of the future,' Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said. 'We're proud to partner with Anduril to help bring these technologies to the American servicemembers that protect our interests at home and abroad.' Since Trump took back the White House, Zuckerberg has courted the president with frequent visits and notable changes to corporate policies on matters like content moderation, aligning himself politically with the Republican administration. The Anduril alliance will have Meta taking part in courting the U.S. military.
Germany weighs 10% tax on online platforms
Germany is considering a 10% tax on platforms like Google and Facebook, its new minister of state for culture told magazine Stern, in a move likely to heighten trade tensions with the Trump administration. The proposal comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to travel to Washington soon to meet with the U.S. President, although a trip has not yet been officially announced. Trump has in the past said he will not allow foreign governments to 'appropriate America's tax base for their own benefit'.
Culture Minister of State Wolfram Weimer said officials were drafting a legislative proposal while also seeking talks with platform operators that he accused of 'cunning tax evasion' to explore alternative solutions like voluntary contributions. Germany's ruling parties agreed in a deal earlier this year to consider the introduction of a digital services levy, but this was not on the list of projects the coalition wants to prioritise.
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Time of India
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