walden

Elon has a track record of proving the doubters wrong. He usually is just overly optimistic about the time frame. But regardless, his offering of SpaceX stock is no scam by the definition of a scam. It’s only a scam if material information is withheld or fraudulent information is provided. He is transparent in his financials. Everyone is free to evaluate and buy or not buy the stock. What is true is that controversy follows OpenAI. And they still have no path to profitability, which can make them desparate.

I’m team Sam on this one. Elon calling people scammers while pitching space datacenters is just way too funny. Sam cooked him. 🤣

@anishmoonka OpenAI did not explicitly deny the allegations. They issued the equivalent of a no comment. OpenAI seems to be fundamentally untrustworthy. They are always at the center of controversy. And they are still in a precarious financial position with no real path to profitability.

OpenAI paid $6.5 billion for a startup that had never shipped a single product. Fifty-five employees. That is about $120 million a head. What made them worth that price lived inside their heads: they knew how Apple designs and builds hardware. The startup was io, which Jony Ive co-founded in 2024 with Tang Tan and other Apple alumni. Tan spent 24 years at Apple running product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch. OpenAI is worth around $852 billion, and every one of its products runs on hardware someone else made, the phone in your pocket, the laptop on your desk. To own the next device, it has to build one. Hardware knowledge does not come from training a model. It comes from people who have shipped hardware in huge volumes: which supplier to call, which step breaks once you are making millions, what a decade of expensive mistakes already ruled out. So OpenAI recruited from Apple, and it recruited hard. Apple's complaint, a 41-page suit filed Friday, says more than 400 former Apple employees now work there. Two of them are named as defendants. Apple alleges that Tan used Apple's internal codenames during OpenAI job interviews to ask candidates still at Apple about unreleased products, told them to bring "actual parts" like batteries and logic boards for "show and tell," and passed around an internal Apple exit document so new hires could slip past the company's exit security checks. The other defendant, an engineer named Chang Liu, allegedly kept his work laptop and downloaded dozens of confidential files on his way out. OpenAI denies all of it and says it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets. io's founders were paid in OpenAI stock, not cash. OpenAI has now filed to go public at a valuation of up to $1 trillion, as soon as this year. Everyone building the hardware division holds shares that turn into cash the day the stock starts trading. Ship the devices faster, and the payoff grows. That is the engine sitting under the story that went viral. The asset Apple owns is years of knowing what does not work, carried in the memory of the people who learned it. One leaked file barely matters next to that, and it is the one thing $6.5 billion cannot download. OpenAI wants to go public at up to a trillion dollars, and part of that price is a hardware business Apple is now asking a court to rule was built on stolen work.

OpenAI at this point has earned zero trust. People should be weary of doing business with them or investing in them. Suppliers should beware. OpenAI may have no problems not paying their bills. As to this that OpenAI is still bleeding money and heavily in debt, with no real path to profitability.

Apple just sued OpenAI, and the wildest part is how they got caught: one candidate screenshotted confidential Apple files on his Apple work laptop hours before his OpenAI interview. Apple reads its own server logs. The recruiting pipeline generated its own evidence trail. The complaint says OpenAI's hardware chief Tang Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran, directed candidates still employed at Apple to bring "actual parts" (batteries, logic boards) to interviews for show and tell sessions. One candidate was surprised, saying he didn't even know you could take those out of the office. Apple also alleges Tan circulated an internal Apple offboarding document to coach new hires on dodging exit security checks, and that a departing engineer kept his Apple laptop, found a bug that still gave him access to Apple's cloud storage, and downloaded dozens of confidential hardware files after joining OpenAI. Then the supplier: OpenAI allegedly got one of Apple's manufacturing partners to demonstrate a proprietary metal finishing technique by letting the partner believe Apple had approved it. Over 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI. Apple says it flagged all of this to OpenAI in February and never got a response. Five months later, it filed. The ask reveals the strategy. Apple wants an injunction barring OpenAI from using the secrets, the return of every file, and full discovery into io, right as OpenAI preps its first device launch and an IPO. If a judge grants it, OpenAI may have to prove the device was built clean, component by component, before it ships. The device was supposed to run on the world's best hardware talent. Now its bill of materials is evidence.

That’s just gibberish. They were partners but not equals. Steve was far greater. As I mentioned there is one simple test. Steve created great design before partnering with Jony. After Steve passed away, Jony has done nothing of significant merit. In fact some of his design decisions have been failures. Others have been mediocre.

@walden @niccruzpatane NO, there energy bounced off each-other, they were partners Steve believed in him and gave him structure that he needed. And Ives created pure art in his time with Steve.

Maybe it’s time for companies to think twice about working with Jony Ive. He’s responsible for nearly ruining Ferrari’s reputation overnight with the Luce. Now, he’s named in a lawsuit over OpenAI allegedly stealing trade secrets from Apple to make a new AI device, which he is helping design. This is absolutely nuts. 😂

At this point any company or investor must question having anything to do with OpenAI. In business trust is everything. OpenAI seems to repeatedly prove that it cannot be trusted. And they are still swimming in debt with no clear path to turn a profit, which makes them desparate.

Elon Musk warned Apple about OpenAI two years ago.

@AI_Edge_Studio @niccruzpatane Steve was great before Ive. Ive hasn’t been great since Steve. No doubt Ive contributed. But Steve was clearly the greater design influence.

@walden @niccruzpatane He needed Steve and Steve needed him they balanced each out.

@markgurman OpenAI cannot be trusted. They are a way overleveraged company that is desperate.

Apple Sues OpenAI for Trade Secret Theft in Blockbuster Case bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

@Rv130R @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 They are demanding but not to this degree. LH never had Mercedes cripple the car of Rosberg or Bottas.

@walden @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 The best ones are demanding, just look at the stories you hear about LH. It’s a common trait with the greats.

🚨 | BREAKING! Multiple paddock sources claim McLaren and Max Verstappen are in the final stages of negotiations over a potential move from Red Bull, despite Zak Brown denying the rumours. 📰 @thomasmaheronf1

A theory: Max’s camp is creating these stories to try to gain leverage with RB. I don’t think any of those teams necessarily want him that bad. IMHO he’s a toxic force wherever he goes at this point, because he puts himself above the team. There are great players who just aren’t worth having on a team. And he hasn’t even proven he can really drive the current generation of cars that well.

🚨 | Max Verstappen's management is exploring all potential alternatives for next year, including Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari. "All of them have drivers under contract for next year, but Verstappen is Verstappen." [@BBCSport]

@Yablonski1Cliff @_HenryMill Michael had good teammates in relatively equal cars. It’s just that he was that much better. Max’s teammates were deprived of equal cars and consideration. Once Checo left they turned to relatively inexperienced drivers not known for competing that much.

@_HenryMill Well I am too Young to Talk about Senna. But since I followed F1 since the early 90s theres only two who always dominated their teammates totally, and thats Michael and Max. And they Share the Same Racing attitude: rather crash out than give in

Max his management can explore all they want. No serious team wants the Verstappen circus anywhere near them. Jos Verstappen is one of the most toxic figures in the sport, (there’s a reason why the convicted criminal fled to Belgium, nobody wanted to work with him) and the moment Max started winning, everyone suddenly forgot the toxic baggage that came with him. That is where the problem lies for the Verstappens. On top of that, Max is massively overrated. He’s the Taylor Swift of F1: a product built on relentless marketing and promotion. (F1TV and Sky are so far up Max his ass he should charge rent). Meanwhile, drivers like Alonso, Hamilton and Senna are the John Lennon and Paul McCartney of the sport. Their reputations were forged through years of proving themselves at the highest level. They worked to earn their status rather than having it handed to them on a silver platter or manufactured around them. At Red Bull, the entire structure was built around Max. One-man team, political protection, endless excuses, and a media machine selling the “generational talent” narrative. Any top driver can look untouchable when the whole operation is bent around them and the FIA repeatedly looks the other way. But other teams are actual two-driver teams. They are not going to dismantle their structure for a faux champion who still has not proven himself against a WDC-winning teammate, without heavy favouritism or a car designed entirely around him. It only worked at Red Bull because Horner and Marko were the toxic glue holding the whole thing together. Now that Mekies is pushing for a more equal team dynamic and Hadjar is getting close because he is allowed to have a similar spec, the myth is starting to crack. Just look at Red Bull now. The Verstappen project tore that team apart from the inside out, everyone capable left or got fired and the whole thing is now collapsing, with the only toxic factor left being the Verstappen clan. #F1 #MaxVerstappen

@Suitand78785204 @JamesonTimoros @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 He has direct experience which you do not. And it’s a simple judgment to make. Horner said that the entire RB project was oriented around Max. Max is a diva. He has to get his way. Max will become the center of gravity for any team he is with. He will drain it.

@walden @JamesonTimoros @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 I guess that's gospel then because he said it. The driver making 15 mil a year to do what he loved, had the worst job in F1. Cool

Other teams achieve a more equitable focus for both drivers regardless of experience. Antonelli and Piastri both were given more equal cars even though their teammates were more experienced. Checo said that if he was faster that was treated as a problem by the team. He said that being Max’s teammate was the worst job in F1.

@walden @JamesonTimoros @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 Ok but so what? Isaac just joined the team months ago....who else should they tailor the car towards, the rookie that just came in from F2, or the guy who's been driving it for the past 11 years?

@Suitand78785204 @JamesonTimoros @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 Hadjar has beaten Max when Max has made a mistake or the car broke. The car may have broken due to Max’s driving style. The truth is that RB is built around Max. Horner said so. Checo said so.

@walden @JamesonTimoros @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 Did Hadjar have unequal equipment when he beat Max in several sessions this past weekend? Also same Hadjar has been on average 2-3 tenths away from Max for most of the season...where's the running joke in that?

Other teams have managed their drivers with far more equality of equipment than RB with Max. It’s become almost a running joke about being Max’s teammate. Checo said that being Max's teammate at Red Bull is the worst job in Formula 1. He even said that if he was faster than Max that RB treated that as a problem.

@walden @JamesonTimoros @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 So if you were Mike Krack and you got one set of upgrades,would you give them to Alonso or Stroll? And would you develop the car towards Alonso or Stroll?

@The100Souls @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 The problem is that Max would never be happy with Lando having equal machinery. It’s one way he hurts a team from within. Max doesn’t seem to care about the team. Only himself.

@walden @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 Cry about it 🤣🤣 that’s why redbull literally dominated like hell, that’s why Schumacher made Ferrari great again. That’s why Lauda made Ferrari. You’re just scared about how much he’s going to humiliate Lando in equal machinery

@JamesonTimoros @Suitand78785204 @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 And RB didn’t give equal cars to each driver. Max always got the better car with the upgrades first. The car is developed with only Max in mind. With Max on the team the clear priority is him. I guarantee you that if Max leaves RB that the performance of Hadjar will improve.

@Suitand78785204 @walden @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 They fired Helmut and Horner because of his father wish🤣

Max has been a crybaby diva all season long. And he and his family try to control the team. And they do not allow the second driver on the team to challenge Max. Contrast with how Lewis handled having the very bad Mercedes car during the ground effects era. Maintained composure, kept working with the team, and when he left the team was in great shape.

@walden @racepluscom @thomasmaheronf1 No, the disintegration began with the death of Mateschitz. And there's a long history of drivers making things go their way at all costs.

@F1 Is it a problem with the car or a mismatch between the car and Max’s driving style? Hadjar has not had the same issue. So does RB need to change the car, or Max need to adapt his driving style more to the car? Or maybe a mix of both?

Straight talking from Max #F1 #BritishGP