OpenAI said the purchase will be part of its strategy to further the conversation on the changes brought about by artificial intelligence.

OpenAI, in what is being described as an unusual move, is set to purchase the Technology Business Programming Network (TBPN), a daily, live tech talk show hosted by Jordi Hays and John Coogan, that often features high-profile tech leaders and entrepreneurs. OpenAI 

OpenAI’s chief executive officer of applications Fidji Simo said: “As I’ve been thinking about the future of how we communicate at OpenAI, one thing that’s become clear is that the standard communications playbook just doesn’t apply to us. We’re not a typical company.

“We’re driving a really big technological shift. And with our mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity comes a responsibility to help create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates, with builders and people using the technology at the centre.”

While the full details of the deal have yet to be disclosed, OpenAI said the TBPN team will maintain editorial independence and make decisions on their guests and programming. According to the Wall Street Journal, TBPN stated that it generated $5m in advertising revenue last year and is on track to exceed $30m in revenue in 2026.

However, an OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg that the platform is not aiming to make TBPN a money-making enterprise. 

In a statement, Hays expressed excitement at the venture, while making note of the importance of a strong partnership where both parties work as a team to communicate change and innovation in the AI and tech spaces. 

He said: “While we’ve been critical of the industry at times, after getting to know Sam and the OpenAI team, what stood out most was their openness to feedback and commitment to getting this right. Moving from commentary to real impact in how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us.”

Earlier this week OpenAI closed a larger than expected funding round in which it raised $122bn, exceeding the projected figure of $110bn. Part of that funding is expected to be put towards the scale and growth of the platform’s AI technologies and research, in line with current global demands. 

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People are constantly pushing the boundaries of 3D printing, but shoes have long been the holy grail, or rather the holy nightmare, of the technology. They must be able to bend with each step, provide traction on a variety of surfaces, and withstand regular use without falling apart at the seams. DaveRig Design took on this exact task in a recent project, resulting in a pair of casual shoes that look and feel right at home on the street.

He started with the CityStep casual everyday sneaker design, which you can get at MakerWorld. This design features a slip-on form with a contoured profile that wraps around your foot snugly at the back and sides, while leaving the top of the shoe open and breathable. The design features a dense infill pattern on top to give it a knit fabric look and feel; there are no separate parts or glue jobs necessary, and the greatest part is that each shoe prints upright in one piece with a tiny heel stand to protect it from tumbling over while printing. Print times on typical machines are roughly sixty-six hours each pair, so you’re looking at around seventy-six hours on some machines due to the fine details and support structures.

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The actual game changer was the material he chose. DaveRig chose BIQU MorPhlex filament, a flexible choice that handles like ordinary TPU out of the spool, with a hardness of roughly 90 A, which is rigid enough to keep the printer from stringing and jamming, which is a common problem with softer filaments. Once the print is completed and the material has cooled, it transitions to a considerably softer seventy-five A rubber-like feel that provides cushioning and traction without the need for any additional post-processing gimmicks. He was using a Snapmaker U1 tool changer, a machine designed to automatically swap between four separate extruders, which came in handy for a project that required over three thousand swaps to blend colors and hardness levels across different parts of the shoe, ensuring that the sole remained grippy, the midsection flexed naturally, and the upper remained light and airy all at once.

Before sending it to the printer, he spent some time in Blender fine-tuning the model, making subtle changes to get the layer bonding just perfect so the finished shoes wouldn’t split when stretched over your foot. Supports were made with a combination of flexible filament and conventional PLA to make them easy to remove when the print was completed, and he strengthened them to keep them from shifting around during the long print. To ensure perfect colour consistency, he ran both shoes side by side on the same build plate.

When the print was finally completed and the supports were removed without a hitch, the results were a pleasant surprise, nearly factory-fresh polished. The upper has a nice textured surface that smoothes over the layer lines so they are scarcely noticeable, and they appear to have come off a production line rather than a homemade work. The sole provides just enough traction, the MorPhlex’s post-print softness makes it easy to grab surfaces, and the heel cup keeps everything held in place without slipping around during normal walking.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is suing Illinois, Arizona and Connecticut for attempting to outlaw or regulate prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket. The CFTC believes it has sole jurisdiction to regulate these platforms, and that states attempting to classify them as illegal gambling are overstepping their authority.

CFTC defines prediction markets as “designated contract markets” where futures contracts are traded, essentially letting people bet on the outcome of events (for example, who will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2028). And because futures contracts are financial instruments distinct from traditional bets, they arguably fall under the supervision of the CFTC rather than the sports gambling authorities of individual states.

Multiple states, including the three the CFTC is suing, have challenged that interpretation of what prediction markets are and how they operate. Nevada sued Kalshi in February for operating a sports gambling market without proper licenses, a lawsuit made possible because a federal appeals court declined to prevent Nevada from pursuing its case. Arizona’s attorney general filed a lawsuit against Kalshi in March along similar illegal sports gambling lines, and because the platform let people bet on Arizona elections, which violates state law. Both Illinois and Connecticut have also sent Kalshi and other prediction markets cease-and-desist letters, ordering them to stop advertising and offering their services in their respective states.

“The CFTC will continue to safeguard its exclusive regulatory authority over these markets and defend market participants against overzealous state regulators,” CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig said in a statement. “This is not the first time states have tried to impose inconsistent and contrary obligations on market participants, but Congress specifically rejected such a fragmented patchwork of state regulations because it resulted in poorer consumer protection and increased risk of fraud and manipulation.”

Attempts to regulate, or in this case, stave off regulation of predication markets are complicated by the fact that President Donald Trump’s family has ties to the industry. Donald Trump Jr. is a paid advisor for Kalshi and investor in Polymarket. Major transactions made before recent US military actions in Iran have also suggested that people close to the government might be trading on prediction markets with insider knowledge. Some prediction markets have implemented new rules to prevent insider trading, but given the circumstances, it makes sense that states wouldn’t be satisfied with companies policing themselves.

Ahead of its premiere, Dave Filoni has revealed that the Star Wars animated series Maul: Shadow Lord will return for a second season. The Lucasfilm co-president revealed that season 2 is already in the works, telling Esquire that “at the end of the day, people like that character.”

Filoni didn’t reveal any other details about the plot or release date for season 2. However, the news isn’t a great surprise given Lucasfilm’s past history with its animated series — The Clone Wars ran seven seasons, Star Wars Rebels four seasons, Star Wars Resistance two seasons and Star Wars: The Bad Batch three seasons.

Maul: Shadow Lord explores the Zebrak Sith Lord’s story about a year after the time of the Clone Wars. Season 1’s 10 seasons will stream twice a week on Disney+ starting on April 6 and run through May 6. It covers Maul’s plot to rebuild his criminal syndicate “on a planet untouched by the Empire,” according to Lucasfilm. “There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who may just be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.”

Microsoft has been pushing AI on consumers whether they wanted it or not. Given the ferocity with which the company has been pushing AI into its products, you might be surprised to learn that it didn’t use its own AI. It took OpenAI’s technology, wrapped it into Copilot and Teams, and called it a day.

But things are changing. Whether the company noticed the public’s negative reaction to its bloated Windows 11 operating system or saw Linux gaining market share in gaming, Microsoft is finally working to introduce a calmer Windows 11 and focus on developing its own AI models.

As reported by Bloomberg, Mustafa Suleiman, CEO of Microsoft AI, made the ambition clear: “Certainly by 2027, the objective is to really get to state-of-the-art,” covering models that can handle text, images, and audio.

What was stopping Microsoft from doing this sooner?

A contract. Microsoft’s deal with OpenAI previously prevented the company from building its own broadly capable AI models. That clause was removed as part of a renegotiated agreement last year, giving Microsoft the freedom to operate independently.

The company isn’t starting from zero, either. In October, Microsoft began using a cluster of Nvidia GB200 chips to build the computing power needed for frontier-level AI development. Regarding the timeline, “we’re sort of ramping over the next sort of 12 to 18 months to get to frontier-scale compute,” Suleyman said.

What does this mean for you?

The first sign of this push is here. Microsoft has released a speech transcription model that outperforms rival products in 11 of the 25 most widely spoken languages. It’s built to handle noisy environments and will soon be rolling out to Teams and other Microsoft apps.

The bigger picture is that Microsoft wants long-term AI self-sufficiency. CEO Satya Nadella reinforced the message this week, emphasizing the importance of building state-of-the-art models over the next three to five years.

For everyday users, more competition in AI means better, smarter tools built into the apps you use. On the other hand, it also means another big company exponentially ramping up purchases of GPUs and RAM, which will drive prices for consumer RAM, GPUs, and SSDs even further.

There was a time when upgrading to a new flagship phone felt like stepping into something noticeably better. Bigger batteries, sharper cameras, faster charging – real, tangible upgrades that justified both the hype and the price.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t quite feel like that moment. It feels like refinement masquerading as reinvention.

On paper, Samsung has done what it always does. The S26 Ultra comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, delivering roughly a 10% CPU and 15% GPU improvement over last year’s model. It now supports up to 60W wired charging, up from 45W, and introduces features like a privacy display and new AI-powered tools layered across the system.

Individually, these upgrades sound meaningful. Collectively, they don’t feel transformative. Because the fundamentals – the things users actually notice – haven’t really moved.

The battery is still 5,000mAh. That’s the same capacity Samsung has used across multiple generations, from the S23 Ultra to the S25 Ultra. Charging is faster, yes, but not dramatically so. In real-world terms, you’re saving minutes, not changing behavior. And in some tests, battery performance is only marginally better, largely due to efficiency gains from the new chip rather than any hardware leap.

The camera story is even more telling

The S26 Ultra retains a triple 200-10-50MP setup, with slight tweaks like a wider f/1.4 aperture on the main sensor. But the sensor size remains largely unchanged, and that matters. Competitors like Xiaomi and Vivo have pushed into 1-inch-type sensors, which physically capture more light and detail, especially in low-light conditions. The difference isn’t just technical – it’s visible in depth, dynamic range, and natural detail.

Samsung’s approach, meanwhile, continues to rely heavily on computational photography. The results are still excellent, but they’re also familiar. Bright, sharp, slightly processed images that look good on social media but don’t necessarily push the envelope.

And that’s the recurring theme here: nothing is worse, but nothing is meaningfully better.

So Samsung leans into AI

The S26 Ultra is packed with AI features – image generation, object insertion, real-time editing, writing tools, contextual suggestions. Some of these are genuinely impressive. You can take a photo, remove objects, change lighting conditions, or even insert entirely new elements using generative AI. You can rewrite messages in different tones or generate content directly from prompts.

Technically, it’s powerful. Practically, it’s complicated.

Because most of these features fall into two categories. The first is automation – things like translation, smart suggestions, or contextual actions. These are useful, but still inconsistent. Voice assistants like Bixby have improved, but they struggle with context and reliability. Ask a complex question, and you might still get an irrelevant answer.

The second category is generative AI – the flashy stuff. Image edits, creative tools, content generation. These are fun, but rarely essential. And there are trade-offs. Many of these tools reduce image resolution, sometimes by as much as 20–30%, or output content that doesn’t match the device’s native display ratio. In some cases, a generated image might come out at 1024×1024 resolution on a phone that has a 2K display.

It’s impressive tech, but it doesn’t always hold up in real use

Which leads to a bigger question. If the most noticeable upgrades are software features that could theoretically roll out to older devices, what exactly are you upgrading for?

This is where the S26 Ultra starts to feel less like a new phone and more like a software update packaged as hardware. And it’s not just Samsung. This is becoming the direction of the entire industry.

Flagship phones are no longer defined by massive hardware leaps. They’re defined by balance.

The S26 Ultra is arguably the most complete Android phone you can buy. It has a great display, strong battery life, versatile cameras, long-term software support (up to seven years), and one of the most customizable software experiences through One UI. It even includes features no one else offers, like the integrated S Pen.

But in trying to be the perfect all-rounder, it avoids taking risks. It doesn’t have the largest battery. It doesn’t have the biggest camera sensor. It doesn’t have the fastest charging. It doesn’t push any single category to its limit.

Instead, it plays it safe. And safe is starting to feel predictable. Other brands are experimenting more aggressively. Some are pushing camera hardware, others are pushing battery tech or charging speeds. Not all of it works, but it creates a sense of momentum – of progress.

Samsung, on the other hand, is optimizing rather than reinventing. That makes the S26 Ultra an excellent phone for most people. It does everything well, and for the average user, that’s exactly what matters. The camera is more than good enough. The battery lasts a full day. The performance is smooth. The experience is reliable.

But for anyone looking for something new – something that feels like a leap – it falls short. The irony is that the S26 Ultra proves just how mature smartphones have become. The gaps between generations are shrinking. The need to upgrade every year is disappearing.

And maybe that’s the real takeaway

The Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t a bad upgrade. It’s just not a necessary one. Because when your biggest innovations feel like features that could have been a software update, it’s a sign that the flagship race isn’t about breakthroughs anymore.

It’s about maintaining perfection. And perfection, as it turns out, can be a little boring.