Microsoft and OpenAI Are Officially on Collision Course

Welcome back apprentices! 👋

Let’s set the scene:

Microsoft is handing out AI discounts like candy, begging SMBs to jump on Copilot for Microsoft 365.

Meanwhile… OpenAI (yes, the same company Microsoft poured billions into) is secretly building a ChatGPT-powered competitor to Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.

What started as a happy tech partnership has turned into something that feels one board meeting away from a corporate breakup… or a lawsuit.

For your business? 

This means more AI tools, more “limited-time offers,” and a looming choice: 

Stick with Microsoft? Wait for OpenAI? Or brace for Google’s next move?

In today's email

• Why Microsoft is slashing Copilot prices

• How OpenAI plans to rival Office and Workspace

• The Microsoft–OpenAI feud heating up fast

• What you should do before signing software deals

• + more AI news

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Quick News 

🧬 AI Cracks the DNA Code (Faster Than Ever). DeepMind just unveiled AlphaGenome, an AI model that can scan over 1 million DNA letters at once and predict how genetic mutations might disrupt gene function. Unlike older tools, it doesn’t just flag single issues — it provides a multi-layered, high-resolution readout on how variants could affect everything from gene expression to RNA splicing (a major factor in diseases like cancer and cystic fibrosis). Scientists are already using it to pinpoint mutation impacts and explore new treatment targets, with the tool now available via API for research use.

💸 The AI Talent Bidding War. Apple and Meta are reportedly in a full-blown talent and startup shopping spree, with both companies eyeing AI firms like Perplexity and making plays for big names from top research labs. Apple considered buying Perplexity to build a Google-free AI search engine, while Meta flirted with Perplexity, Ilya Sutskever’s SSI, and Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines before dropping $14.3B on Scale AI. Oh, and according to Sam Altman, Meta even dangled $100M signing bonuses to lure OpenAI staff (spoiler: no takers).

🧪 New Safety Rules for AI in Biology. OpenAI just published a new “preparedness framework” for future AI tools in biology, aiming to prevent misuse as AI models get better at things like protein design and genetic engineering. While OpenAI says its current models aren’t yet capable of creating dangerous biological materials, the company is prepping safeguards now — before future models can. This includes internal biosecurity audits, risk monitoring, and tighter oversight for future biology-related research features.

Microsoft & OpenAI 
The Productivity Tools Battle Just Got Spicier

June 2025 might go down as the month Microsoft smiled through gritted teeth. 

On one hand, they’re handing out Copilot discounts like candy. On the other? OpenAI — the company Microsoft poured billions into — is quietly (and not-so-quietly) building a full-blown, AI-native competitor to Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.

What started as a cozy AI partnership is now edging toward full-on corporate divorce court, with rumors of antitrust complaints, legal threats, and secret side-deals with Google. 

For you? It’s time to start paying attention to which AI will be running your inbox, documents, and calendar in the next 12 months.

Key AI Headlines You Actually Care About:

🤑 Microsoft’s Copilot Discounts: The Classic “Stick Around, Please” Move

What’s happening?
Microsoft is offering 15% off Copilot for Microsoft 365 (that’s their AI tool that drafts emails, summarizes docs, and makes meetings less painful).

Who qualifies?
Any SMB buying between 10 and 2,400 seats before September 30, 2025.

Translation:
Microsoft wants to lock you in now — before you start wandering toward shiny new AI tools from... well... OpenAI.

🧑‍💻 OpenAI’s Productivity Ambitions: Not Just ChatGPT Anymore

The Project:
OpenAI is building its own productivity suite that looks suspiciously like a hybrid of Google Workspace and Microsoft Office, but built from the ground up with AI at the center.

Features Already Built (But Not Yet Released):

• Multi-user chat inside ChatGPT: Teams will soon chat and collaborate in real time — inside the ChatGPT interface.
  

• Real-time document collaboration: Think Google Docs… but with AI deeply baked into every paragraph you write.
  

• “Record Mode” for voice transcriptions: Voice-to-text for meetings and calls, directly inside ChatGPT.
  

• Project File Uploads: Already live — users can upload files into ChatGPT “Projects” for collaborative work.
  

• Cloud Connectors: Pull data from Teams, Google Drive, and Dropbox directly into ChatGPT.

Who’s Behind This Push?
Kevin Weil (Chief Product Officer) reportedly demoed the early concepts last year, with development ramping up after the launch of OpenAI’s Canvas interface in October 2024.

The Money Motivation:
OpenAI made around $600 million from business subscriptions in 2024… but they’re projecting $15 billion by 2030, with much of that growth pinned to enterprise tools like this suite.

😬 The Microsoft–OpenAI Relationship Status: It’s Complicated (And Possibly Litigious)

Partnership Mood:
Let’s call it… boiling point.

The Latest Drama:
OpenAI is reportedly considering filing an antitrust complaint against Microsoft, following fights over:

• Compute access

• IP rights

• Microsoft’s acquisition of AI startups like Windsurf (which OpenAI says directly competes with their own products)

Why?
Microsoft was a key holdout during OpenAI’s restructuring of its governance model earlier this year. The two sides met last month for “tense renegotiation talks.”

Meanwhile:
OpenAI recently signed a cloud compute deal with Google — yes, Microsoft’s biggest rival.
(If you’re keeping score: OpenAI’s AI models… funded by Microsoft… now training on Google Cloud.)

The Nuclear Option:
OpenAI insiders are reportedly weighing federal antitrust action against Microsoft, aiming to limit Microsoft's AI leverage long-term.

So… What’s The Actual Deal?

• Expect a tidal wave of AI productivity tools hitting your inbox and sales calls.

• Microsoft will aggressively push Copilot adoption.

• OpenAI will position ChatGPT as a total work hub, not just a chatbot.

• Google? Watching nervously… but probably cooking up Gemini for Workspace 2.0.

And for you?
The upside = more AI options.
The downside = more vendor lock-in traps disguised as “special limited-time offers.”

Before signing a multi-year software contract out of habit… pause.

Ask yourself:

"Am I buying the best tool for my business today… or helping fund Microsoft and OpenAI’s next public shouting match?"

Help Your Friends Level Up! 🔥

Hey, you didn’t get all this info for nothing — share it! If you know someone who’s diving into AI, help them stay in the loop with this week’s updates.

Sharing is a win-win! Send this to a friend who’s all about tech, and you’ll win a little surprise 👀

Together with… us :)

If ChatGPT (or any AI) still feels like a toy or a novelty, you’re not alone.

Most people never learned how to actually talk to AI — so they bounce between tools, hoping one finally “just works.”

But here’s the truth:

The tool you choose matters far less than how you use it.

That’s why we built the Practical Guide to Prompt Engineering:

✅ A step-by-step method to turn ChatGPT into a real productivity assistant
✅ Plug-and-play prompts for tasks like emails, summaries, and client reports
✅ Exercises that actually build skill — not just theory

Whether you stick with Microsoft, switch to OpenAI, or go full Gemini…
This guide makes any AI tool work better — because you’ll know exactly how to talk to it.

🎯 Built for real professionals. No hype. Just better prompts, better output.

👉 Unlock the Guide →

PS: try with the code TALKTOAI 😉

Even Quicker News 

🚀 Wix Buys Solo-Built AI Startup for $80M. Israeli developer Maor Shlomo just sold Base44, his one-man AI app-building platform, to Wix for $80M cash after hitting 250K users and $189K monthly profits in six months — proof that the “solo AI founder” era is very real.

🕵️‍♂️ AI Models Flunk the Blackmail Test. Anthropic found that when pushed in tests, several top AI models — including Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT — chose blackmail or corporate espionage to protect their goals, raising fresh concerns about AI autonomy and ethics.

🕶️ The New AI-Powered Sports Glasses. Meta and Oakley just announced the Oakley Meta HSTN, AI-enabled glasses with voice commands, an HD camera, and built-in speakers, designed for athletes and outdoor fans — dropping this summer starting at $399.

🧪 Test the Prompt

A playground for your imagination (and low-key prompt skills).

Each send, we give you a customizable DALL·E prompt inspired by a real-world use case — something that could help you in your business or job if you wanted to use it that way. But it’s also just a fun creative experiment.

You tweak it, run it, and send us your favorite. We pick one winner to feature in the next issue.

Bonus: you’re secretly getting better at prompt design. 🤫

👑 The winner is…

Last week, we challenged you to test GPT-4o’s visual generation skills with this prompt.

Here’s the WINNER:

Congrats to Eric with his interpretation of the Labyrinth of Intuition!🥳

Want to be featured next? Keep those generations coming!

🎨 Prompt: The Marketplace of Minds

Create a sprawling open-air marketplace where ideas are exchanged like goods. Each booth is made from [strange organic material], and the vendors are humanoid beings shaped like [creative emotion or mental state]. Glowing thought-bubbles float between stalls as customers inspect abstract inventions.
Style: panoramic fantasy scene with intricate stalls, sunset lighting, vibrant colors, Studio Ghibli-meets-Blade Runner vibe.

We’ll be featuring the best generations in our next edition!

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