IT News Digest: May 24, 2026: SpaceX’s $15B AI Deal, Musk vs. Altman Trial & Google Avatars

A compact briefing on notable tech developments from major outlets, focused on AI advances, business disputes, and security incidents that matter to product and platform teams.

Google’s Gemini avatar experiment

WIRED published an account of someone using the Gemini app to produce highly realistic videos that feature a digital version of the user. The report highlights how Google positions the tool as a direction for creative work while the author described the end result as disquietingly similar to themselves.

Musk vs. Altman: a trial with big implications for OpenAI

The Verge outlined ongoing updates in the legal clash between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Musk’s 2024 lawsuit alleges OpenAI moved away from its founding mission of benefiting humanity and shifted toward profit-oriented goals; the trial could affect OpenAI and its flagship product, ChatGPT.

Telcos targeted by new Linux and Windows malware

BleepingComputer reported a Chinese cyber-espionage campaign aimed at telecommunications providers. Researchers identified two new strains: Showboat for Linux hosts and JFMBackdoor for Windows, both part of the operator’s toolkit against carrier infrastructure.

SpaceX IPO filing reveals Anthropic compute arrangement

WIRED’s coverage of SpaceX’s regulatory filing included details of a compute deal with an AI rival. The documents show Anthropic is paying $15 billion per year to access SpaceX data-center resources, reflecting a significant commercial relationship around GPU capacity.

Microsoft patches Defender zero-days under active exploitation

BleepingComputer noted Microsoft began distributing fixes for two vulnerabilities in Defender that had been exploited in the wild as zero-days. The company’s rollout addresses actively abused flaws in its security product.

Google accidentally exposed an unfixed Chromium flaw

BleepingComputer also reported that Google inadvertently disclosed information about an unresolved Chromium bug. The issue can keep JavaScript running after the browser is closed, creating conditions that could enable remote code execution on affected devices.

Stay vigilant: these stories span product innovation, corporate strategy, and operational security — a reminder for engineering and security teams to weigh new capabilities alongside emerging risks.