Roundup: Sam Altman is out at OpenAI

I won’t lie to you: I truly could not care less about Sam Altman being ousted as CEO of OpenAI. I find him about as interesting as I find this whole AI hype cycle, by which I mean I feel quite bored every time I have to talk about it. But this is one of those moments where I still feel I need to know what’s happening, so I have been delving into the coverage and figured I’d summarize a bit of it so you don’t have to do the same reading. (Unless you want to, of course, then go wild. Who am I to tell you not to? Plenty of links below the break!)

On top of my commentary on Altman, there are plenty of recommended reads, labor updates, and more news you might have missed! One that really stands out looks at the fears of Arab Americans in tech to speak out in solidarity with Palestinians. To get it all, make sure to become a paid subscriber and support the work that goes into writing Disconnect.

One more thing before we dig into this issue. I interviewed Access Now’s Marwa Fatafta over on Tech Won’t Save Us about the role of social media and internet blackouts on Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. It’s a great conversation on what this all means for Palestinians stuck in this conflict — one that’s been going on since long before October 7.