AI Battle Royale: Who Will Win?

AI Battle Royale: Who Will Win?

From This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro by Jeanne Destro

May 2, 2026 · 15 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the legal battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman regarding compensation and the implications of AI on humanity.

In what could be a weeks-long trial; the world's richest man, Elon Musk, is squaring off against Open AI CEO, Sam Altman, over whether or not Musk, who voluntarily walked away from a seat on the Open AI Board in 2018, deserves $134 billion dollars in compensation for alleged harm. That is a big ask, and according to reports this week, including by NBC News, is also leading to bigger questions such as "Will AI lead to the extinction of the human race?". But, as you'll hear now in my conversation with former CNET Editor, and current CBS News Tech Contributor, Ian Sherr, it's more about money, power, and control, than it is about any high-minded moral quandaries or existential arguments. Find out more. Listen now.

People in this episode

Host: Jeanne Destro

Guest: Ian Sherr

Topics covered

  • AI
  • legal battle
  • technology
  • money
  • power
  • control
  • existential risks

Keywords

  • Elon Musk
  • Sam Altman
  • AI
  • Open AI
  • legal trial
  • technology
  • existential risks

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Open AI, CNET, CBS News, NBC News

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