Igor's departure | Sam Altman's Merge Labs | Apple's expansion plans | Rapido's food delivery

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Co-founder of Elon Musk’s xAI departs the company
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• Igor Babuschkin, who co-founded xAI with Elon Musk in 2023, announced on August 13, 2025 that it was his last day at the company and that he’s launching his own venture capital firm, “Babuschkin Ventures,” which will focus on AI safety research and startups that “advance humanity.”

• He was inspired to launch the VC firm after a conversation with Max Tegmark (Future of Life Institute), discussing safe AI development and its role for future generations.

• His departure follows a series of controversies surrounding xAI’s chatbot Grok—issues ranged from echoing Musk’s personal opinions to antisemitic content and generating AI-created nude videos of public figures—despite xAI still delivering state-of-the-art model performance.

Sam Altman’s New Startup Wants to Merge Machines and Humans
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• Sam Altman, formerly a co-founder of OpenAI, is backing a new brain-computer interface (BCI) startup called Merge Labs, positioning it as a direct competitor to Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

• The concept echoes his 2017 “the merge” blog post, where Altman envisioned humans and AI integrating closely—whether through implanted electrodes or advanced chatbots.

• The development signals the rivalry between Altman and Musk extending beyond AI to the broader frontier of human–machine integration.

Apple Plots Expansion into AI, Robots, Home Security, and Smart Displays
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• Apple is preparing a significant expansion into the smart home space—developing a range of AI-enhanced devices including robots, smart home cameras, and intelligent displays—all supported by a new operating system called homeOS and powered by Apple Intelligence, its in-house AI platform.

• Products under development include an affordable iPad-style smart display (code-named J490) for controlling home devices and media, and a high-end tabletop robot (J595) with a motorized arm, both designed to enhance smart home automation and security. The vision is to rival offerings from Amazon and Google and make Siri the central command interface.

• Apple is also investing heavily in sensing hardware and software, focusing on how users interact with robots—prioritizing design and anthropomorphic traits. However, these robotics projects are still in early proof-of-concept stages, with mass production unlikely before 2028.

India’s Rapido begins testing food delivery to take on Swiggy, Zomato
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• Rapido, the India-based ride-hailing startup, has launched a beta test of its food delivery service called “Ownly” in Bengaluru, covering neighborhoods like BTM Layout, HSR Layout, and Koramangala.

• The service is offered through a newly formed subsidiary, Ctrlx Technologies, enabling Rapido to sidestep potential conflicts of interest with Swiggy, which holds a minority stake in the ride-hailing business.

• Ownly is undercutting competitors with food offerings about 15% cheaper than Swiggy or Zomato by charging restaurants a fixed per-order fee instead of taking commission—potentially under 30%—and leveraging Rapido’s massive two-wheeler fleet and delivery data.