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Tech Startup Battles OpenAI And Jony Ive Over Alleged Stolen AI Ideas
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
iyO’s legal battle with OpenAI and Jony Ive has intensified with new allegations that a former executive disclosed trade secrets to a rival design team.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- iyO is suing OpenAI and Jony Ive over trademark infringement.
- iyO now accuses its ex-executive Dan Sargent of leaking trade secrets.
- The disputed AI device aims to replace screens with voice-based interaction.
The AP reports that a California-based technology company iyO Inc. has started legal action against a former executive, adding a new twist to an ongoing legal feud with OpenAI and Apple designer Jony Ive. iyO Inc. had already filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against OpenAI and Jony Ive for their hardware startup named “io.”
The company now accuses ex-executive Dan Sargent of leaking its unreleased product design through a confidential sketch, after his departure from the company and his meeting with “io” co-founder Tang Yew Tan, who has worked with Jony Ive for many years. The AP notes that Sargent, who joined Apple after his departure from iyO in December, did not provide any statement regarding the lawsuit.
“This is not an action we take lightly,” said iyO founder and CEO Jason Rugolo, as reported by the AP. “Our primary goal here is not to target a former employee, whom we considered a friend, but to hold accountable those whom we believe preyed on him from a position of power,” he added.
At the center of the legal drama is the race to build a new kind of AI interface—one that doesn’t require screens or voice assistants. Rugolo pitched his earbud-like “audio computer” in 2022 to both Altman’s Apollo Projects and Ive’s design firm, but both passed, as noted by the AP. What Rugolo didn’t know, he says, was that the pair had already started quietly working on their own AI device.
“I’m happy to compete on product, but calling it the same name, that part is just amazing to me,” Rugolo said, as reported by the AP.
The “io” name choice by OpenAI’s Altman received criticism from Rugolo, who called it “silly” and “disappointing,” because it references computer input/output, as reported by the AP. The court has allowed iyO to proceed with its case, because the judge found sufficient evidence to move forward, and a hearing is scheduled for fall.
Image by Solen Feyssa, from Unsplash
Viral TikTok Hoax Uses Fake Tour Site To Highlight Migrant Rights
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The fake alligator tour website created by a TikToker leads MAGA supporters to migrant aid resources instead of an actual tour.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- TikToker Lisandra Vazquez created a fake “Alligator Alcatraz” tour site.
- The spoof site redirects users to real migrant aid nonprofits.
- Users are invited to “claim an alligator” for $4,547 as a joke.
A TikTok comedian is drawing attention to migrant rights by duping MAGA supporters with a satirical tour website, as reported by The Latin Times (LT).
Lisandra Vazquez operates the fake tour company “ Terri’s Tourz ,” which promises to guide visitors through the Trump administration’s migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, nicknamed online as “Alligator Alcatraz”.
The parody website promotes fake “VIP” tour packages, along with an alligator adoption option for $4,547. Vazquez’s character, “Terri,” stars in a satirical video claiming that visitors could win a gift card to a “non-DEI business” if their adopted alligator eats a migrant.
But instead of selling anything, the site redirects users to real nonprofit organizations, such as the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and Border Kindness, which provide legal and financial assistance to migrants.
“Please resist the urge to put your email in unless you want to be considered one of them,” Vazquez warned fans, after adding a pop-up that asks for emails in exchange for 20% off the fake tours. She said she’s received over 6,000 visits so far, as reported by LT.
The real detention center has drawn criticism from environmentalists and human rights advocates. Built in the Everglades near Miccosukee and Seminole tribal lands, the facility faces scrutiny for environmental damage and alleged mistreatment of detainees, as reported by the AP .
The Trump administration claims the facility is necessary, stating it supports national security and can house up to 5,000 migrants, as reported by Reuters . Through satire, Vazquez aims to draw attention to the harsh realities migrants face in such detention centers.
