Did you know you can't steal a charity? Don't worry. Elon Musk will remind you. episode artwork

EPISODE · May 1, 2026 · 39 MIN

Did you know you can't steal a charity? Don't worry. Elon Musk will remind you.

from Equity · host TechCrunch, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Sean O'Kane, Theresa Loconsolo

Elon Musk spent the better part of three days on the witness stand this week in his lawsuit against OpenAI, and it's already getting messy. Emails, texts, and his own tweets are surfacing in court, and there are plenty more witnesses to come. Musk's argument against OpenAI? By converting the company to a for-profit model, Sam Altman betrayed the “nonprofit for the benefit of humanity” mission Musk signed up to fund. As Musk keeps reminding the courtroom: “You can't steal a charity.”  On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec and Sean O'Kane break down what's actually at stake in the courtroom and what to watch for as Altman and others take the stand, plus deals, defense tech, and what Big Tech's earnings week revealed about the limits of the AI spending era. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why cloud was the winner of earnings week, and what AWS, Google, and Microsoft's numbers say about where enterprise AI spending is actually landing The scholarship app founder taking Sallie Mae to court after they acquired his startup…and began selling its student data to ad networks and universities BMW i Ventures new $300 million fund with its sights set on AI How defense tech startup Scout AI is pitching “military AGI” using vision-language-action (VLA) models Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk spent the better part of three days on the witness stand this week in his lawsuit against OpenAI, and it's already getting messy. Emails, texts, and his own tweets are surfacing in court, and there are plenty more witnesses to come. Musk's argument against OpenAI? By converting the company to a for-profit model, Sam Altman betrayed the “nonprofit for the benefit of humanity” mission Musk signed up to fund. As Musk keeps reminding the courtroom: “You can't steal a charity.”  On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec and Sean O'Kane break down what's actually at stake in the courtroom and what to watch for as Altman and others take the stand, plus deals, defense tech, and what Big Tech's earnings week revealed about the limits of the AI spending era. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Why cloud was the winner of earnings week, and what AWS, Google, and Microsoft's numbers say about where enterprise AI spending is actually landing The scholarship app founder taking Sallie Mae to court after they acquired his startup…and began selling its student data to ad networks and universities BMW i Ventures new $300 million fund with its sights set on AI How defense tech startup Scout AI is pitching “military AGI” using vision-language-action (VLA) models Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Did you know you can't steal a charity? Don't worry. Elon Musk will remind you.

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The Syndicate Blogcast: Startups | Startup Investing | Tech News | Angel Investors | VC | Venture Capital | Private Equity | Crowdfunding | Fundraising Matt Ward - Serial Entrepreneur | Angel Investor | Startup Advisor | Amazon Ecommerce The Syndicate Blogcast show is an extension of The Syndicate podcast, featuring long form articles on the future technology, ecommerce, business and life. The mini-sodes deconstruct high level startup, business and tech issues to help investors and operators better understand and win the market. Recurring topics include: Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, Ecommerce, Blockchains, ICOs, Cryptocurrencies, Marketing, Fundraising, Venture Capital, Startup Challenges, Business Development and more. The Blogcast comes in addition to The Syndicate - the place where investors and startups combine to create crazy businesses and even crazier returns. The Syndicate podcast is a deep dive on the angel investors and VCs behind the big name startups. We interview the best and brightest investors, syndicate leads, GPs, limited partners and startup founders to create an original, off the cuff discussion on startup investing. The Future Of Work Collective Podcast Lucy Mundy Work isn't working anymore.The dissatisfaction people felt with the modern workplace was exacerbated by the pandemic, and nobody wants to be worse off after enjoying new freedoms and flexibilities. But bosses want people back in the office. Workers are striking for fairer conditions. Trust in staff is at an all time low. Economic pressures are in danger of pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion down the employment agenda. Bullying and stress are rife. We can't carry on like this. We need your help. Whether you're a cashier in Blackburn, an HR manager in Thurrock, or a farmer on Shetland - we need to listen to everyone about what the future of work should look like. This is a collective of people from different backgrounds, some of whom are experts in talking about work, and all of whom care about finding positive solutions. On our podcast, we discuss how we take action now to make work better for everyone. Modern Mindset Christopher Smith Modern Mindset with Christopher Smith is a must-listen podcast that delves into finance, private equity, real estate, and investment tips. WIth a professional and dynamic voice, it offers invites on emerging trends, market strategies, and the latest industry innovations. Tune in to stay ahead and transform your investment approach! Workforce Insights with Employ Milwaukee Employ Milwaukee Milwaukee’s workforce development ecosystem constantly adapts to change as it responds to economic disruptions, new technologies, socioeconomic disparities, and now the impact of a global pandemic.  Over the next decade, change will be even more dramatic, opening a whole new spectrum of possibilities around the notion of work and what both workers and employers need to be successful. Join workforce leaders from the public and private sectors, as they discuss insights, trends, challenges, and solutions. If you want to learn more about the opportunities we can embrace to ensure equity, expand job readiness, and catalyze collaboration among stakeholders, this podcast is for you!Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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This episode is 39 minutes long.

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This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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Elon Musk spent the better part of three days on the witness stand this week in his lawsuit against OpenAI, and it's already getting messy. Emails, texts, and his own tweets are surfacing in court, and there are plenty more witnesses to come. Musk's...

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