While it was said a few weeks ago that it could well be months before general activation, it seems that it will be a quicker affair. The first users are now receiving notifications that their pseudonym is now active and can be used. It remains unknown until when the WhatsApp feature will be available to all users.
Apple increases pressure on ex-employees at OpenAI
According to the Financial Times, Apple has contacted around 40 former employees who now work at OpenAI with so-called “preservation letters”. These are formal letters asking potentially relevant people to preserve documents, messages, files and other possible evidence. Such a letter expressly informs the person in question that a legal dispute is ongoing. If there are subsequent (verifiable) deletions, you are guilty of obstructing evidence. According to the report, the letters also request discussions with Apple’s lawyers.
The move is related to Apple’s lawsuit against OpenAI, io Products and former Apple employees Chang Liu and Tang Tan. Apple accuses them of improperly using trade secrets from the hardware sector to advance OpenAI’s own ambitions. The letters in question are quite typical in proceedings of this type – and, according to the report, show that Apple wants to have the case investigated much more broadly and aggressively than just taking action against the main suspects.