9 Wild AI Stories You Missed Last Week

1. OpenAI Co-founder Tried to Fire Sam Altman

Court documents revealed that Ilya Sutskever wrote a 52-page memo accusing Sam Altman of “patterns of dishonesty and manipulation.” The memo, supported by former CTO Mira Murati, led to Altman’s short-lived ouster in 2023. Another document, the “Brockman Memo,” covered co-founder Greg Brockman’s behavior.

Details:

• The memos became central to OpenAI’s internal investigations.

• Altman was reinstated within days, backed by Microsoft.

• Lawsuits have since referenced both memos.

Why it matters:
It’s a rare look inside how the most powerful AI company almost tore itself apart. The fallout will influence how AI companies govern themselves in the years ahead.

2. Google Plans AI Data Centers in Space

Google revealed Project Suncatcher, an initiative to launch solar-powered TPU satellites that can process AI workloads in orbit. The company claims it could achieve 8× better energy efficiency than ground-based data centers.

Details:

• Two prototype satellites will launch in 2027 via Planet Labs.

• The goal is to eliminate cooling and electricity limits.

• Radiation-hardened TPUs passed five-year endurance tests.

Why it matters:
This is AI literally leaving the planet. If successful, Google could unlock sustainable compute that scales beyond Earth’s constraints.

3. Snapchat Makes Perplexity Its Default AI Search

Snapchat signed a $400 million deal with Perplexity AI to power all in-app search from 2026. The partnership includes both cash and equity, sending Snap’s stock up 24%.

Details:

• Perplexity replaces traditional keyword search entirely.

• Users will get conversational results inside Snap’s chat interface.

• The deal runs for at least five years.

Why it matters:
This is the first major social app to fully integrate AI-native search - a clear signal that conversational discovery is replacing the search bar.

4. Apple and Google Strike $1B Siri Deal

Apple confirmed a $1 billion-per-year deal to license Google’s custom Gemini model for the new Siri. The revamped assistant will focus on summarization, reasoning, and privacy-first cloud compute.

Details:

• The Gemini model powering Siri has 1.2 trillion parameters.

• Siri’s upgrade launches alongside iOS 19 next year.

• Apple engineers are testing hybrid on-device inference.

Why it matters:
Apple finally admitted it can’t catch up alone. By working with Google, it’s betting that great AI experiences matter more than keeping control.

5. China Bans U.S. AI Chips

Reuters confirmed that China has banned NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel from use in all new state-funded data centers. Only domestic AI chips are allowed going forward.

Details:

• Applies to all new and early-stage government projects.

• Domestic suppliers like Huawei and Biren will fill the gap.

• Comes after years of U.S. export restrictions.

Why it matters:
It’s an economic and political signal: AI chips are now a matter of national sovereignty.

6. “Vibe Coding” Is 2025’s Word of the Year

Collins Dictionary picked vibe coding as Word of the Year, describing it as the act of creating software simply by explaining ideas to AI. It reflects the new normal of building through conversation.

Details:

• The phrase appeared over 1.2 million times online this year.

• Startups and no-code platforms are quickly adopting it.

• “Vibe-to-build” features are already included in most major AI tools.

Why it matters:
Coding used to be technical. Now it’s emotional, creative, and fast. AI has turned software development into a language-driven process.

7. OpenAI CFO Teases Government-Backed AI Loans

Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s CFO, suggested that the U.S. government could provide loan guarantees to help fund America’s trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion.

Details:

• The proposal mirrors programs used for renewable energy and telecom.

• Sam Altman clarified that OpenAI is not applying for loans itself.

• The idea could make AI infrastructure a shared public-private investment.

Why it matters:
The U.S. is preparing for the next phase of AI growth. Compute power is becoming as critical as oil once was, and data centers are the new factories driving innovation.

8. Michael Burry Bets $1B Against AI Stocks

“The Big Short” investor Michael Burry placed $1.1 billion in put options against NVIDIA and Palantir, calling current AI valuations “detached from fundamentals.”

Details:

• The positions were disclosed in recent SEC filings.

• The move echoes his famous bet during the 2008 housing market crash.

• Analysts believe it signals caution toward overheated AI stocks.

Why it matters:
Every surge attracts skeptics. Burry’s move suggests that some investors believe the AI market may be nearing its first correction.

9. Tesla Approves Musk’s $1 Trillion Pay Package

Tesla shareholders reapproved Elon Musk’s record compensation plan, which is tied to targets like building 1 million humanoid robots and reaching an $8.5 trillion market valuation.

Details:

• The package had previously been blocked by a Delaware court.

• Musk’s earnings now depend heavily on progress in AI and robotics.

• Projects such as Optimus and full self-driving remain central to these goals.

Why it matters:
Tesla is evolving from a car manufacturer into a robotics and AI company. Musk’s future wealth now depends on how far and fast Tesla can push artificial intelligence.