Axios

A California federal jury found that Israel-based spyware vendor NSO Group owes $167.25 million in punitive damages for enabling the hacks of about 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices.

Why it matters: The damages deal a major economic blow to one of the world's most prolific spyware vendors and sets a precedent for similar cases.

Billionaire hedge-fund manager Paul Tudor Jones said Tuesday that the U.S. trade war with China was past the point of no return.

Why it matters: Jones' comments come as economists have also suggested that the impact of Trump's tariffs are likely to outlast him.

Maryana Iskander, CEO of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, plans to step down early next year, Axios has learned first.

Why it matters: A search for a new CEO is underway in a critical moment for AI and the digital media ecosystem. 

The cybersecurity industry is rushing to confront a new identity crisis — not for people, but for AI agents that act autonomously and now need to be managed like employees.

Why it matters: Without proper guardrails, agents could, at the very least, cause incidental data breaches, misuse login credentials, and leak sensitive information.

Everyone knows getting power for data centers is a challenge for U.S. AI development — but don't sleep on minerals, new and recent analyses warn.

Why it matters: A new Barclays report finds that obtaining critical minerals and attracting elite talent are the "new battlegrounds in the fight for AI supremacy."

Cirrus, a leading maker of small planes, is adding a feature to its G7 model that allows it to land itself in an emergency.

Why it matters: The move is a step toward autonomous passenger travel, though landing a plane in an emergency is a long way from removing pilots from the cockpit.

The latest plot twist in OpenAI's epic corporate drama leaves Sam Altman only partway toward his goal, announced last year, of separating the ChatGPT maker from the nonprofit that controls it.

Why it matters: Since Altman was briefly ousted as CEO by the nonprofit board in November 2023, his efforts to raise billions for OpenAI's mission of creating advanced AI "that benefits all of humanity" have been shadowed by questions about the firm's governance.

President Trump on Monday pushed back against criticism of an AI-generated photo depicting him as the pope that was shared on his Truth Social account and reshared by the White House.

What they're saying: "I had nothing to do with it," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Somebody made up a picture of me dressed like the pope and they put it out on the internet. That's not me that did it, I have no idea where it came from. Maybe it was AI, but I know nothing about it, I just saw it last evening."

A Signal archiving tool the Trump administration relied on has suspended operations after two reported hacks, according to several news reports.

Why it matters: The suspension is just the latest in a series of events that highlights how poor security controls are putting high-value American secrets at risk.

More than 200 CEOs on Monday signed a letter urging state leaders to mandate artificial intelligence and computer science classes as a high school graduation requirement.

Why it matters: The letter follows President Trump's creation of an AI education task force to expand students' exposure to AI instruction, as aptitude with the technology increasingly becomes a workforce expectation.

A nonprofit will remain in control of OpenAI and its technology, according to a letter to employees from Sam Altman on Monday.

The big picture: OpenAI began as a nonprofit, but Altman has been considering changing the structure since his brief ouster in November 2023 shook the company and the cost of building and maintaining ChatGPT skyrocketed.