Hard Fork
Hard Fork

The A.I. Trade Secrets War + Economists Say ‘We Must Act Now’ + HatGPT

July 17, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

A confusing moment opened this episode: host Kevin Roose bought a new ice cream scoop, noticed a sticker reading "this product contains AI," and spent several minutes baffled before realizing the sticker actually said "AL"—the chemical symbol for aluminum. That mix of anxiety, hype, and misinterpretation set the tone for a week packed with OpenAI turmoil, a new economic warning about AI and jobs, and a round of rapid-fire news items.

OpenAI's Week: A Lawsuit, a Departure, and a Feud

OpenAI had a consequential and messy week. First, a personnel shift: Fiji Simo, who joined less than a year ago as CEO of applications and later became CEO of AGI deployment, stepped back from her role due to health issues. Her responsibilities will be divided among other executives. The hosts noted this as another instance of executive turmoil at a company that has seen plenty of it.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (02:11) **OpenAI's Big Week: New Model & New Legal Trouble** - Kevin and Casey recap a busy week for OpenAI including a personnel departure and a major lawsuit from Apple.
  • 2 (14:00) **GPT-5.6 "Sol" Is Out and Impressing Users** - OpenAI's new model is available and creating competitive pressure on rival Anthropic.
  • 3 (17:08) **The OpenAI vs. Anthropic Feud Heats Up** - The two leading AI labs are trading public barbs, signaling a deep and potentially dangerous rivalry.
  • 4 (28:02) **Economists Issue Stark Warning on AI and Jobs** - A new letter signed by nearly 200 economists, titled "We Must Act Now," warns of an economic transformation larger than the Industrial Revolution.
  • 5 (31:25) **Interview: Eric Brynjolfsson on "We Must Act Now"** - The economist explains the motivation behind the letter and his views on the coming economic disruption.
  • 6 (38:32) **Can AI Be Steered to Complement Humans?** - Brynjolfsson responds to critics who doubt the ability to direct AI development toward human-complementary uses.
  • 7 (42:54) **The Need for Better Economic Data** - Brynjolfsson discusses the challenge of getting reliable data to track AI's economic impact in real-time.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This week, feuding between some of the biggest tech companies spilled into public view. We discuss Apple’s accusation that OpenAI tried to steal secrets about Apple’s hardware business, as well as share our reactions about OpenAI’s new model, Sol, and Anthropic’s decision to extend access to its model Fable.

Then, we unpack the loudest warning yet about A.I. and jobs. We talk with Erik Brynjolfsson, a Stanford economist, about a statement he helped organize that implores economists and A.I. researchers to “act now” to steer A.I. in a direction that complements humans.

And finally, we play a round of HatGPT.

 

Guest:

  • Erik Brynjolfsson, senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered A.I., and director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.

 

Additional Reading: