Musk v. Altman; Is the AI Job Apocalypse Overhyped?; DOJ Dismantles Voting Rights Unit

This week, the team discusses the stakes behind the trial of Elon Musk against OpenAI’s leadership (and how Microsoft is trying to stay away from the drama.) They also look into what recent layoffs announced at Meta and the industry at large say about the ways in which AI is — and isn’t — replacing jobs. Also, we dive into a WIRED investigation on how the Department of Justice has effectively hollowed out its voting rights work, and how this move could impact future elections. Articles mentioned in this episode: Musk v. Altman Is a Battle for OpenAI’s Soul | WIRED Some Musk v. Altman Jurors Don't Like Elon Musk | WIRED ‘It’s Undignified’: Hundreds of Workers Training Meta’s AI Could Be Laid Off | WIRED ‘The Damage Is Massive’: How the Justice Department Dismantled Its Voting Rights Section | WIRED Join WIRED’s best and brightest on Uncanny Valley as they dissect the collision of tech, politics, finance, and business, from the newest ventures to the effects of inaccurate information from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots on social protests. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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Musk v. Altman; Is the AI Job Apocalypse Overhyped?; DOJ Dismantles Voting Rights Unit is an episode from Gadget Lab: Weekly Tech News by WIRED.

This episode is 33:14 long.

This episode was published on Apr 30, 2026.

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