xAI Sues Apple and OpenAI - DTH

Summary

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Daily Tech Headlines – "xAI Sues Apple and OpenAI"

Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Sarah Lane, (with news from Robb Dunewood and Tom Merritt)

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Episode Overview

In this fast-paced episode, Sarah Lane delivers the day’s essential tech news, focusing on breaking industry developments. The big headline: Elon Musk’s xAI and X have filed a landmark lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI, alleging anti-competitive collaboration in the realms of smartphones and generative AI. The episode also covers Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone, Perplexity’s new publisher-friendly subscription, Nvidia’s latest robotics chip, a space science breakthrough from IBM and NASA, Netflix’s entertainment retail spaces, and a significant US government investment in Intel.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Apple’s Foldable iPhone on the Horizon

[02:00]

• Rumor: Apple to launch the first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring Touch ID (seen for the first time since the iPhone SE).
• Tech Changes: Apple shifts from on-cell to in-cell touch sensors for a thinner design and fewer display creases.
• Specs: Four cameras and new colors—white, black, light blue, and light gold.
• iPhone Air: Upcoming September launch with a single camera and "19 chip".

2. Perplexity’s New Comet Plus Subscription

[02:38]

• Launch: $5-per-month subscription tied to their Comet web browser—not the chatbot.
• Revenue Share: 80% of revenue to publishers—seen as a response to criticism over content usage.
• Intent: “Framed as a way to compensate content creators. After long running criticism that Perplexity used their work without permission.” (Sarah Lane, [02:50])

3. xAI and X Sue Apple and OpenAI

[03:00]

• Legal Action: xAI and X jointly filed suit, accusing Apple and OpenAI of “colluding to preserve monopolies in the smartphone and generative AI markets.”
• Allegation: The complaint suggests an “anti-competitive scheme between the two firms.” (Sarah Lane, [03:10])
• Context: xAI is Elon Musk’s AI company, which recently dropped its Public Benefit Corporation status in May 2024.

“X and xAI jointly filed a lawsuit Monday against Apple and OpenAI, accusing the companies of colluding to preserve monopolies in the smartphone and generative AI markets.”
— Sarah Lane [03:03]

4. xAI’s Corporate & Legal Woes

[03:16]

• xAI disbanded its Public Benefit Corporation status—even as CEO Musk continued calling it that.
• xAI merged with X without social responsibility obligations.
• Current legal issues: “Its data centers currently face an NAACP pollution lawsuit.” (Sarah Lane, [03:26])

5. Netflix House: Entertainment Retail Spaces

[03:28]

• Locations: First two to open at King of Prussia Mall (Philadelphia, Nov. 12) and Galleria Dallas (Dec. 11); Las Vegas in 2027.
• Experiences: “Feature things like themed mini golf, VR games, arcade attractions, and large-scale interactive events based on Netflix franchises, along with food and merchandise.” (Sarah Lane, [03:34])
• Tickets for immersive experiences: Available starting October 17th (Philadelphia) and November 18th (Dallas).

6. Nvidia’s Jetson AGX Thor Developer Kit

[03:50]

• Release: Robot “brain” developer kit, modules at $3,000 in bulk.
• Specs: Built on Blackwell GPU, supports 128 GB memory; targets robots, self-driving cars, and advanced AI applications.
• CEO Outlook: “Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says that he sees robotics as a big opportunity beyond AI.” (Sarah Lane, [04:05])

7. IBM and NASA’s Surya AI Model

[04:17]

• Collaboration: AI foundation model named Surya, trained on nine years of solar data.
• Purpose: To create a digital twin of the sun, improving forecasting for solar storms.
• Advances: “Can predict solar flares 16% more accurately and twice as fast as current systems, offering up to a two hour warning.” (Sarah Lane, [04:25])
• Impact: May help safeguard satellites, power grids, and communications.

8. US Government’s $8.9 Billion Intel Investment

[04:45]

• Deal: US government acquires a 10% stake in Intel, mostly from existing CHIPS Act funding.
• Role: “The government’s role will be passive, with no board seats or governance rights.” (Sarah Lane, [04:52])
• Context: Follows SoftBank’s $2 billion investment in Intel the previous week.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “X and xAI jointly filed a lawsuit Monday against Apple and OpenAI, accusing the companies of colluding to preserve monopolies in the smartphone and generative AI markets.” — Sarah Lane [03:03]
• “Perplexity is launching a $5 per month Comet plus subscription that will share 80% of revenues with publishers.” — Sarah Lane [02:38]
• “Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says that he sees robotics as a big opportunity beyond AI.” — Sarah Lane [04:05]
• “This may help protect satellites, power grids and communications from solar disruptions.” — Sarah Lane [04:38]
• “Intel says the government’s role will be passive, with no board seats or governance rights.” — Sarah Lane [04:52]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------------|------------| | Apple foldable iPhone & iPhone Air rumors | 02:00 | | Perplexity Comet Plus publisher revenue share | 02:38 | | xAI/X lawsuit against Apple/OpenAI | 03:00 | | xAI corporate & legal update | 03:16 | | Netflix House retail/entertainment rollout | 03:28 | | Nvidia Jetson AGX Thor developer kit | 03:50 | | IBM/NASA Surya AI and digital sun | 04:17 | | US government's Intel investment | 04:45 |

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Summary Tone

The episode is brisk, factual, and informative, with Sarah Lane’s signature clarity and conciseness as she hits each headline for a tech-savvy audience seeking the news without fluff.

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For complete tech updates, visit dailytechnewsshow.com and access detailed show notes and news links.

Transcript

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These are the daily tech headlines for Monday, August 25, 2025. I'm Sarah Lane Bloomberg Sources say that Apple plans to launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026 and with it Touch ID. For the first time since the iPhone SE, Apple reportedly shifted from on cell to in cell touch sensors to keep the device thinner and and reduce display creasing. The foldable model may feature four cameras and color options including white, black, light blue and light gold. Apple is also rumored to be unveiling a new iPhone Air in September with a single camera and a 19 chip. Perplexity is launching a $5 per month Comet plus subscription that will share 80% of revenues with publishers. The plan is tied to Perplexity's Comet web browser rather than its chatbot and is framed as a way to compensate content creators. After long running criticism that perplexity use their work without permission, X and XAI jointly filed a lawsuit Monday against Apple and OpenAI accusing the companies of colluding to preserve monopolies in the smartphone and generative AI markets. The complaint alleges an anti competitive scheme between the two firms. Speaking of xai, CNBC reports the company dropped its Public Benefit Corporation status in May of 2024 despite CEO Elon Musk continuing to describe it that way amidst his lawsuit against OpenAI. The change led XAI merged with X without social impact obligations. Its data centers currently face an NAACP pollution lawsuit. Netflix is opening its first two Netflix House permanent entertainment and retail venues to this year in Philadelphia's King of Prussia Mall on Nov. 12 and Dallas's Galleria Dallas on Dec. 11, with a third location planned for Las Vegas in 2027. The free to enter spaces will feature things like themed mini golf, VR games, arcade attractions and large scale interactive events based on Netflix franchises along with food and merchandise. Tickets for immersive experiences go on sale October 17th in Philadelphia and November 18th in Dallas. Nvidia released the Jetson AGX Thor A3,500 developer kit it calls a robot brain with production modules for $3,000 if buying in bulk. The chip is built on Nvidia's Blackwell GPU and supports generative AI models with 128 gigabytes of memory. This is meant for powering robots, self driving cars and AI applications. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says that he sees robotics as a big opportunity beyond AI. IBM and NASA have developed an AI foundation model called Surya that creates a digital twin of the sun to improve solar storm forecasting. Surya is trained on nine years of data from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. It can predict solar flares 16% more accurately and and twice as fast as current systems, offering up to a two hour warning. The model integrates data from other spacecraft and can adapt to planetary and earth science. This may help protect satellites, power grids and communications from solar disruptions. And finally, big news from last week. The US government is taking a 10% stake in intel as part of an 8.9 billion dollar investment, most of which comes from funds already owed to the company under the CHIPS act and Secure Enclave program. Intel says the government's role will be passive, with no board seats or governance rights. This move follows SoftBank's $2 billion investment in intel earlier last week. For more analysis of the tech news of the day, you know what to do, so subscribe to Dailytech News show dot com. That's where you can find show notes and links to all these headlines there as well. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Sarah Lane, and we will talk to you next time.

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