Everybody wants to rule the AI world
On The Vergecast: Altman, Musk, Murati, Rando Twitch Guy… and the ChatGPT Phone.
On The Vergecast: Altman, Musk, Murati, Rando Twitch Guy… and the ChatGPT Phone.
by David Pierce
May 8, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC
David Pierce
is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.
Sometimes, companies pick CEOs based on carefully laid succession plans designed to maximize investor confidence and future performance. Other times, apparently, companies pick CEOs based on a bunch of video calls while the current CEO is texting the former CEO about who the new CEO even is. Such was the story of The Blip, the days in 2024 when Sam Altman was ousted from OpenAI. We knew that situation was chaotic; the ongoing Musk v. Altman trial is showing just how chaotic it really was.
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On this episode of The Vergecast, Nilay and David catch up on all the latest from the trials, including the text messages between Altman and Mira Murati that have become something of a social media meme. (It is, you might say, directionally very bad.) The hosts discuss what we’ve learned about the early days of OpenAI, the circumstances under which Musk left the organization, and what really happened in the days Altman wasn’t in charge.
After that, it’s time for some gadget news, starting with the ongoing rumors about OpenAI’s plan to build a phone. That plan makes perfect sense, is essentially OpenAI’s only choice in the market, and seems utterly doomed to fail. We also have some thoughts on the new Fitbit Air, the new in-home companion robot from iRobot founder Colin Angle, and the lawsuit over Apple’s Siri ads. (Go claim your $25!)
Finally, in the lightning round, it’s time for the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some deeply confusing rebranding news, and the positive early returns on the Asha Sharma era at Xbox.
If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started:
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- David Pierce
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