The OpenAI trial wraps up, and the Musk founder machine keeps spinning

The Musk v. Altman trial concluded this week, with final arguments centering on public trust in AI leadership. The proceedings unfolded as SpaceX moves toward a potential record-breaking IPO, while a wave of founders continues to spin out from Elon Musk's business empire.

The Musk v. Altman trial came to a close this week, and the final arguments kept circling back to one question: can we trust the people in charge of AI? All of this is playing out as SpaceX charges toward what could be one of the largest IPOs in American history, with a whole generation of founders already spinning out of the Musk empire. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane break down the trial’s closing stretch and what the growing Elon Musk founder ecosystem looks like on the ground, and the other deals that caught our eye this week. Listen to the full episode to hear about: - How Anduril landed a $5 billion Series H, more than doubling the valuation it landed just under a year ago - Why investors just can’t say no to Rivian’s RJ Scaringe, who’s raked in over $1 billion for spinout Mind Robotics - How voice AI startup Vapi beat out over 40 other companies to secure a contract handling all of Ring’s customer support - The Anthropic report about why AI agents tried to blackmailing its developers, and the debate over whether sci-fi narratives influenced its behavior. Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.