Articles
December 29, 2023
The Copyright Case: When The New York Times Sued OpenAI
There is a lawsuit that was filed this month, and the lawsuit was the reckoning: the newspaper that sued the AI company, the copyright that was claimed, the training that was challenged, the case that would define the decade. The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft in December, and the suit became the landmark: the first major publisher to take the AI giant to the court, the billions in the damages that were sought, the fair use that was the battleground, the future of the AI training that was at stake. The copyright case is the subject of this article: what the newspaper alleged, why the case matters, and what it means for the AI and the content industries.
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December 14, 2023
The Dubai Deal: COP28 and the Beginning of the End of Fossil Fuels
There is an agreement that was reached this month, and the agreement was the historic: the world that came together in the desert city, the negotiations that went into the overtime, the text that was adopted, the fossil fuels that were named, the transition that was agreed. The COP28 deal is the December 2023 story: the climate summit that ended with the unprecedented language, the beginning of the end that was declared, the energy transition that was given the roadmap. The Dubai deal is the subject of this article: what was agreed, why it matters, and what the deal means for the energy and the business of the transition.
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November 22, 2023
The Five Days That Shook OpenAI: A Governance Lesson
There is a drama that unfolded this month, and the drama was the governance: the board that fired the founder, the employees who revolted, the investors who pressured, the company that was on the brink, the reversal that stunned the world. The OpenAI saga is the November 2023 story: the five days that shook the most important AI company, the firing and the backlash and the return, the governance that failed and was repaired. The five days are the subject of this article: what happened, why it happened, and what the drama teaches about the leadership and the governance.
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November 10, 2023
The App Store Moment: OpenAI DevDay and the Rise of GPTs
There is a conference that changed the platform this month, and the conference was the dev day: the first developer event of the AI leader, the announcements that were stacked, the store that was opened, the ecosystem that was born. OpenAI DevDay in November was the moment when the company revealed its platform ambitions: the new model that was faster, the custom chatbots that anyone could build, the marketplace that was announced, the app store moment that the industry had been waiting for. The dev day is the subject of this article: what was announced, why it mattered, and what it means for the future of the AI platforms.
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October 31, 2023
The Executive Order: Washington's First Word on AI
There is a document that was signed this month, and the document was the first: the executive order on the artificial intelligence, the most comprehensive action that the American government had taken, the framework that was sweeping, the moment that was historic. The October 30 executive order was Washington's first major word on the AI, and it became the signal: the technology that had outgrown the voluntary, the government that was catching up, the rules that were coming, the industry that would have to comply. The executive order is the subject of this article: what it contained, why it was issued, and what it means for the future of the AI in America.
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October 13, 2023
The $69 Billion Merger: Microsoft, Activision, and the Deal That Wouldn't Die
There is a deal that finally closed this month, and the deal was the saga: the sixty-nine billion dollar acquisition that was announced in the winter of the year before, that was fought by the regulators, that was challenged in the courts, that was blocked in one country and approved in the another, that was the largest in the history of the gaming. The Activision merger is the October 2023 story: the closing that was announced this month, the regulatory war that was finally over, the games industry that will never be the same. The sixty-nine billion dollar deal is the subject of this article: how it was fought, why it matters, and what the saga teaches about the business and the strategy.
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September 25, 2023
The Strike That Shook Detroit: UAW and the EV Transition
There is a strike that began this month, and the strike was the turning: the autoworkers who walked out of the plants, the union that took on the three giants, the demands that were about the future, the transition that was the backdrop. The United Auto Workers strike of September was the first to hit all three Detroit manufacturers at once, and it became the case study: the labor that met the electric transition, the wages that were negotiated, the plants that were the battleground, the industry that was being reshaped. The strike is the subject of this article: why it happened, what was at stake, and what it means for the future of the auto and the energy.
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September 12, 2023
The USB-C Revolution: How One Connector United the World
There is a connector that changed the world this month, and the connector was the port: the USB-C that finally came to the iPhone, the charger that the world had been waiting for, the standard that ended the cable chaos, the change that was small and enormous. The iPhone 15 is the September 2023 moment: the phone that was announced with the new port, the regulation that forced the change, the accessory industry that was upended, the consumers who were relieved. The USB-C revolution is the subject of this article: what changed, why it matters, and what the connector teaches about the standards and the operations.
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August 28, 2023
The Frugal Moon: Chandrayaan-3 and the South Pole Landing
There is a landing that was achieved this month, and the landing was the historic: the spacecraft that touched down near the south pole of the Moon, the fourth country that ever landed, the first that reached the pole, the mission that was built on the budget. Chandrayaan-3 was the Indian mission that succeeded where the others had failed, and its landing in August became the lesson: the engineering that was frugal, the persistence that followed the failure, the science that was delivered, the nation that announced itself. The frugal moon is the subject of this article: how the mission was built, why it mattered, and what it teaches the engineering and the operations world.
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August 1, 2023
The Metal Levers: China's Export Controls on Critical Minerals
There is a control that took effect this month, and the control was the lever: the export restrictions on the two obscure metals, the gallium and the germanium, the materials that are invisible and essential, the chips and the screens and the solar panels that depend on them, the supply chains that were suddenly at risk. The export controls are the August 2023 story: the announcement that came in the summer, the restrictions that began this month, the reminder that the critical minerals are the new oil, the leverage that is geopolitical. The metal levers are the subject of this article: what was restricted, why it matters, and what the controls mean for the operations and the business of the supply chains.
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