Personal news! I'm joining @wsj.com to cover AI. I've had an amazing time at WIRED working with brilliant colleagues across the newsroom, but I'm very excited for this next chapter. I'll continue to cover OpenAI, Anthropic, and the bustling AI industry. I start next week!

NEW: A @wired.com review of OpenAI code on Github shows that the company is working on a “persistent” feature for its AI agent Codex. Maxwell Zeff has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/openai...

OpenAI Is Developing a ‘Persistent’ AI Agent

Code reviewed by WIRED reveals the company is developing a feature that enables Codex to continue working proactively until it is “put to sleep.”

wired.com

New: OpenAI is developing a "Persistent" mode for its AI agent, Codex. Persistent mode is a new level of reasoning effort that will make Codex "continue working until put to sleep." The agent will also proactively create follow up tasks for itself, per code reviewed by WIRED.

NEW, from @mzeff.bsky.social: "Multiple current and former OpenAI employees, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, tell WIRED they believe competitive pressures to quickly ship new AI models have made it difficult for staffers to sufficiently prioritize safety." www.wired.com/story/openai...

The Safety Reckoning Inside OpenAI

OpenAI’s rogue agent hack was a watershed moment for AI safety and cybersecurity. It also sparked internal questions about the culture that led to it.

wired.com

New: Silicon Valley has become obsessed with AI agents this year, but most people in the world still haven't touched one. Usage numbers for AI agents are still in the low tens of millions. When, if ever, are we getting the ChatGPT moment for agents? www.wired.com/story/why-no...

Why Normal People Aren’t Using AI Agents

The tech industry is realizing it needs to build agents based on what regular consumers want, not just what its AI models can do.

wired.com

SCOOP from @mzeff.bsky.social: OpenAI employees have donated more than $215,000 to a new group that directly opposes Leading the Future, a pro-AI industry super PAC with $50 million in funding from OpenAI president Greg Brockman & his wife www.wired.com/story/openai...

OpenAI Staffers Are Funding a Rival Super PAC to Take on Their Boss

OpenAI employees have donated more than $215,000 to a political effort opposing Leading the Future, a group backed by the company’s president, Greg Brockman.

wired.com

NEW, from me and @peard33.bsky.social: As some employees feared might happen, Meta exposed data internally from its controversial employee-tracking and data-training program, MCI (model capability initiative) www.wired.com/story/meta-a...

Meta Exposed Data Internally From Its Controversial Employee-Tracking Program

Employees had previously raised concerns about the initiative, which involves collecting workers' keystroke data to train AI models.

wired.com

WIRED has new details on the talks between Anthropic and the White house today. Still no agreement, Claude Fable 5 still offline. from @hugolowell.bsky.social @lhn.bsky.social @mzeff.bsky.social

Anthropic Is Still at Odds With the White House Over Claude Fable 5

Anthropic leaders flew to Washington, DC, to meet with White House officials on Monday. After high-level talks, they're still split on the risk Claude Fable 5 presents.

wired.com

New: Former OpenAI staffers and a group of nonprofits published a letter Tuesday warning that xAI could become a liability for the SpaceX IPO due to "unpriced risks" around safety. They claim xAI's poor safety record could expose it to unique regulatory risks. www.wired.com/story/ex-ope...

Former OpenAI Staffers Warn That xAI’s Poor Safety Record Could Complicate SpaceX’s IPO

The ex-employees, who cofounded a new AI watchdog group, say investors deserve more information about xAI’s safety practices before SpaceX goes public.

wired.com

Elon Musk has lost his lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI about as badly and quickly as you can lose a lawsuit. from @peard33.bsky.social and @mzeff.bsky.social

Elon Musk Loses Landmark Lawsuit Against OpenAI

The nine-member panel took only two hours to return a verdict in favor of OpenAI on Monday, which the judge quickly adopted as her own final decision.

wired.com

Three weeks into the Musk v Altman trial, it feels like every stakeholder is somehow losing in the court of public opinion. A jury is now tasked with deciding a verdict, and will start deliberations next week. From @peard33.bsky.social and me www.wired.com/story/musk-v...

The Real Losers of the Musk v. Altman Trial

A federal jury is now deciding whether Elon Musk will win his lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman—but the trial has made everyone look bad.

wired.com

So glad everyone involved in this trial continues to behave like a totally normal grown-up:

OpenAI Brings Its Ass to Court

In Musk v. Altman, the company sought to show the jury a remarkable trophy as physical proof of Elon Musk’s concerning behavior.

wired.com

it's the last day to present new evidence in the musk v altman trial openai brought its ass

NEW: Google quietly shut down Project Mariner yesterday, the web-browsing AI agent it highlighted onstage last year at Google IO. I reported for WIRED, nearly 2 months ago, that Google had moved staffers off the Project Mariner team as it responded to OpenClaw-style agents.

Greg Brockman recounted a fight with Elon Musk where he thought he was going to get physically assaulted: www.wired.com/story/greg-b...

‘I Actually Thought He Was Going to Hit Me,’ OpenAI’s Greg Brockman Says of Elon Musk

OpenAI’s president wrapped his testimony on Tuesday by revealing a fiery meeting with Musk and subsequent efforts to remove several board members.

wired.com

Wikipedia is convinced @mzeff.bsky.social is Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. We went down a rabbit hole to find out … why: www.wired.com/story/why-do...

Why Does Wikipedia Think I’m Evan Spiegel?

For the past week, a photo of me has been plastered on the CEO of Snap’s Wikipedia page. No one, not even Spiegel, seems to care.

wired.com

Witty article by my great colleague @mzeff.bsky.social on Wikipedia using his photo in Evan Spiegal entry--& how his heroic efforts have been unable to get it corrected. Under the surface, this indicates something rotten in Wikipedia, a failure of its crowd-sourcing. www.wired.com/story/why-do...

Why Does Wikipedia Think I’m Evan Spiegel?

For the past week, a photo of me has been plastered on the CEO of Snap’s Wikipedia page. No one, not even Spiegel, seems to care.

wired.com

The best part of this excellent @mzeff.bsky.social caper is Evan Spiegel’s reaction to the entire thing:

Why Does Wikipedia Think I’m Evan Spiegel?

For the past week, a photo of me has been plastered on the CEO of Snap’s Wikipedia page. No one, not even Spiegel, seems to care.

wired.com

@mzeff.bsky.social's photo got put on Evan Spiegel's Wikipedia page. Not the first journalist to be done dirty by a Wikipedia editor, either. "Ancient history", in terms of the Internet, at least: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped... Wonder how many others?

Why Does Wikipedia Think I’m Evan Spiegel?

For the past week, a photo of me has been plastered on the CEO of Snap’s Wikipedia page. No one, not even Spiegel, seems to care.

wired.com

We’re going to answer your questions about the 10-year-long fight between two billionaires that’s deciding the future of OpenAI. Tune in!

WIRED@wired.com · 5mo ago

On May 8, we’re going live to answer your questions about the Musk v. Altman trial that could determine the fate of OpenAI. www.wired.com/story/livest...

Something extremely funny to me about Altman and Musk trying so hard to win in the court of public opinion as their actual trial gets started

Elon Musk Boosts New Yorker’s Sam Altman Exposé on X as Trial Begins

The move comes as the trial for Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI kicks off in federal court in Oakland.

wired.com

New: The Musk v Altman trial is just getting started, but the public opinion war is well under way. On Monday morning, Musk used his social media platform, X, to promote The New Yorker's extensive investigation into Sam Altman's history of allegedly deceptive behavior.

Three OpenAI execs announced their departures today, including Kevin Weil, who had joined as chief product officer in 2024. scoop from @mzeff.bsky.social

OpenAI Executive Kevin Weil Is Leaving the Company

The former Instagram VP is departing the ChatGPT-maker, which is folding the AI science application he led into Codex.

wired.com

It's cool that Tinder now lets you see who has chosen to SUBMIT TO THE ORB. from @mzeff.bsky.social

Gazing Into Sam Altman’s Orb Now Proves You’re Human on Tinder

Honestly, what’s hotter than a real person?

wired.com

New: Anthropic is opposing the OpenAI-backed Illinois bill that would shield AI labs from liability for mass deaths or financial disasters caused by AI models. Governor Pritzker is signaling he doesn't like the bill, but it's exposing new battlelines in the AI policy debate.

NEW: Someone allegedly threw a molotov cocktail at Sam Altman's house then went to OpenAI headquarters to make threats at workers. @lmatsakis.bsky.social and Maxwell Zeff with the scoop: www.wired.com/story/sam-al...

for too long i have suffered in silence techcrunch.com/2026/04/10/p...

PSA: If you use the Meta AI app, your friends will find out and it will be embarrassing | TechCrunch

Now that Meta released its Muse Spark model, more people are downloading the Meta AI app. And if you join the app, your friends will probably get an Instagram notification about it.

techcrunch.com

OpenAI wants to be off the hook if its frontier AI models go rogue and cause 100+ deaths or more than $1 billion in financial damages. from @mzeff.bsky.social

OpenAI Backs Bill That Would Limit Liability for AI-Enabled Mass Deaths or Financial Disasters

The ChatGPT-maker testified in favor of an Illinois bill that would limit when AI labs can be held liable—even in cases where their products cause “critical harm.”

wired.com

fascinating behind-the-scenes about journalists using AI in different ways from @mzeff.bsky.social : www.wired.com/story/tech-r...

Meet the Tech Reporters Using AI to Help Write and Edit Their Stories

Independent writers are using AI agents all throughout their reporting process. What’s the value of a human journalist, anyway?

wired.com

For @wired.com Model Behavior this week @mzeff.bsky.social talked to prominent independent tech journalists using AI to write and edit their work. (Don’t shoot the messenger!)

Meet the Tech Reporters Using AI to Help Write and Edit Their Stories

Independent writers are using AI agents all throughout their reporting process. What’s the value of a human journalist, anyway?

wired.com