• Elon Musk withdrew his lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its cofounders this week. 
• The Tesla CEO sued the AI startup in March, alleging the company had abandoned its nonprofit mission.
• Musk cofounded OpenAI along with Sam Altman and Greg Brockman in 2015. 

Elon Musk dropped his lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its cofounders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, on Tuesday, CNBC reported. 

The Tesla CEO's lawsuit withdrawal comes one day before a judge was set to consider the future of the case during a hearing in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Musk sued the hotshot startup and two of its co-founders in March, accusing Altman and Brockman of betraying OpenAI's initial mission to benefit humanity.

In the suit, Musk criticized OpenAI's partnership with Microsoft, saying the AI company had jeopardized its nonprofit mission in favor of maximizing profits for Microsoft.

Altman, Brockman, and Musk founded OpenAI in December 2015 as a nonprofit research lab. Musk left the company in 2018.

Contract law experts told Business Insider at the time the suit was filed that Musk's case appeared weak, casting doubt on the billionaire's claims of breach of contract given the absence of any written contract between Musk and Altman.

OpenAI responded to the suit by calling it "incoherent" and "contradictory," suggesting Musk was jealous of the company's success without him.

Since suing the company, Musk has continued to stoke the flames of his feud with Altman, frequently slamming OpenAI on X.

Lawyers for Altman, OpenAI, and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.

There's a scary version of AI where AI takes your job and/or destroys the planet. Then there's the version that's much more chill: AI as a personal assistant who helps you with your tasks — remembers things for you, finds stuff for you, helps you create presentations for work.

The kinder, gentler version is the one Apple showed off yesterday, though we won't really know how it works till it goes live later this year. Right now, all we have to go on is Apple's pre-recorded demo video.

One thing we can say at the moment: This is astonishingly similar to a vision of AI that Apple has been promoting for decades.

Check out this video Apple produced in 1987, showing off a theoretical "Knowledge Navigator" — a computer that lets you do lots of things you couldn't do back then. Most notably, it lets you converse with a digital, bow-tied "agent" that remembers things for you, finds stuff for you, and helps you create work presentations.

This one comes to us via New York's excellent John Herrman, who notes the similarities between the digital agent and Apple's description of Siri, which it launched in 2011. And then Herrman connects Siri with the demo Apple showed off this week and suggests that "Apple Intelligence" might really be called "Siri, but this time it works." You should read John's entire piece.

• Johnny Depp revealed he beat Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, and Michael Jackson out for the titular role in "Edward Scissorhands."
• The revelation comes from an untitled Tim Burton docuseries that world premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
• Depp's casting led to a decades-long collaboration with Burton on multiple iconic films.

Johnny Depp had some stiff competition to land his now-iconic role in Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands."

In an untitled docuseries on Burton that world premiered at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, Depp, 61, said that Tom Hanks and Michael Jackson were among the stars who contacted Burton to be considered for the title role in the 1990 hit gothic tale about an unfinished artificial teen who has scissor blades for hands.

Depp said in the docuseries even Tom Cruise "was not far away from actually playing Edward Scissorhands — true story," according to People.

At the time Burton — who was coming off hits "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and "Beetlejuice" — was casting the role, Depp was a teen idol known for his work on the TV show "21 Jump Street." At the time, he thought his chances of landing the role were slim.

"He's never going to cast me when everyone in Hollywood is after the part," Depp recalled in the docuseries.

"Tim's really juggling because he's getting hit by his agent, the studio, everybody," Depp continued. "So I called my agent after reading the script and said, 'Please cancel the meeting, I'm not going.' She said, 'Are you fucking nuts?'"

Depp said he "finally gave in" and agreed to meet Burton, and the rest is history: they started a collaboration that continued for decades with films like 1994's "Ed Wood," 1999's "Sleepy Hallow," the 2005 "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" remake," and 2010's "Alice in Wonderland."

• On a recent road trip across the American West, I made a stop at The Gold King Mine and Ghost Town. 
• The ghost town is part of the mining town of Haynes, Arizona.
• Today, visitors can explore an impressive collection of old buildings, antiques, and automobiles. 

I will never turn down a visit to a ghost town.

Whether exploring an abandoned castle in the Australian jungle or opening the door to an old miner's cabin in my home state of Colorado, the deserted destinations feel like traveling back in time.

So, on a road trip across the American West in the fall of 2023, I had a few ghost towns I was eager to visit.

Some were deserted — like an abandoned water park in the desert of California. Others were bustling with tourists eager to dive into history.

On that latter list was The Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, a former mining town where visitors can explore a handful of abandoned buildings, mining machinery, and antiques.

Jerome, Arizona's charming downtown drew me in, but The Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, a site with abandoned buildings, antiques, and automobiles, was what enticed me to stay.

The ghost town is dotted with old buildings. Some are original to the site, while others came from nearby towns.

It's only a 5-minute drive from downtown Jerome, but the abandoned mining town is technically located in the town of Haynes, Arizona.

I knew I was getting close to the ghost town when I spotted dozens of old abandoned vehicles.

After driving up the dirt road, I arrived at the site's entrance and paid $12 for my ticket.

I was handed a brochure with the town's history and map. A few paragraphs on Gold King Mine's past wasn't enough, so I tracked down Jay Harshman, the self-proclaimed "main guy."

Harshman told me he grew up in the region. After a stint in the corporate world, he returned to central Arizona and has worked at the ghost town for the past two years.

Harshman is a jack of all trades. He tinkers with old machinery, takes care of the property's farm animals, cuts wood, restores old buildings, and shares the town's history with anyone willing to listen.

"There's a lot that we do every day, and every day is not the same," he told me. "That's why I fell in love with it."

Harshman said the old mining town of Haynes was active between 1890 and 1938. While gold, silver, iron, and platinum could be found in the mines, its main commodity was copper.

Haynes was small, Harshman said. The average population was 300, with a height of 504 residents. On the other hand, Jerome had an average population of 2,000 and reached 15,000 people during the same period.

As we walked through the ghost town, Harshman said the area where we stood wasn't where people lived. It was where the mining happened.

Above us, on the side of the mountain, was where 305 structures and the town of Haynes formerly stood.

Today, The Gold King Mine and Ghost Town are filled with structures, old vehicles, machinery, and antiques, but Harshman said not all of it was original to Haynes.

A mine's elevator shaft and headframe were part of the original town, he said.

A nearby boarding house was also an original Haynes building, as are the assay office and jail bars that can be spotted in the ghost town.

These structures, and so many more, exist at the site today thanks to a man named Don Robertson, Harshman said.

Robertson grew up in Iowa and came out to the West in the 1960s. According to Harshman, he fell in love with Wild West culture and started collecting things.

When Robertson had gathered too much, Harshman said he searched for a place to store his collection.

That's when he found The Gold King Mine.

Robertson came to Haynes in 1978 and made a 100-year leasing deal with the two corporations that continue to own the land today.

Robertson brought his belongings and, in 1982, opened it up to visitors.

"His whole purpose of revitalizing this town was to show people what kind of things people were working with and living with back in the day," Harshman said.

Beyond an automobile collection and antiques, Robertson also preserved historical buildings from nearby towns.

The outhouse, for example, came from Wickenburg, Arizona.

Visitors can step inside a schoolhouse moved from Perkinsville, Arizona, which is filled with its original desks.

In another area of the ghost town is a dentist's office. Harshman said it was where Jerome's first dentists, Joseph and Raymond Pecharich, worked. Inside, the chair, equipment, and paperwork are all part of the original building.

Elsewhere, a service station was relocated from Cottonwood, Arizona, once known as Clemenceau.

And there is a shoe repair store from Wickenburg, Arizona.

Today, Harshman is continuing Robertson's mission by helping restore Ma's Kitchen, which was named by Robertson. Its original frame and floors were once part of a communal kitchen for miners in Haynes.

Harshman took me inside, where I spotted an old pie safe, a vintage telephone, and a decades-old jar of vaporizing ointment.

As we continued to explore the property, I spotted more old automobiles and interesting antiques.

I walked by farm ducks, said hello to friendly goats named Bonnie and Clyde, and overheard visitors amazed by the items in each building.

"A lot of people are cooped up in apartments or cities, especially people our age, and don't know what half this stuff does or that everything here was used for purpose," Harshman said. "Nothing is a prop."

I agreed. Walking through The Gold King Mine and Ghost Town felt like stepping back in time — an experience I don't often encounter in my normal city life.

• Nancy Strong, 89, from Dallas, has visited no fewer than 92 countries worldwide.
• She's been a travel agent for 50 years and says experiencing other cultures enriches your soul.
• This month, Strong — who turns 90 in August — will fly to London for the 35th time in her life.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nancy Strong. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I did the math with my granddaughter, Jennifer, I was amazed to learn I'd visited 92 countries.

I've been to five continents and scores of capital cities. On June 15, I'm flying to London from my home in Dallas for the 35th time.

I've stayed in luxury hotels and camped in the boonies

My life has been a global adventure with too many memories to count. I've taken a donkey through the ancient ruins of Petra in Jordan, walked along The Great Wall of China, and ventured into the deepest jungles of Vietnam.

I've stayed in the best hotels and camped in the most basic settings. I've flown in economy, first class, and everything in between and met people living in remote villages in the Far East, even European palaces.

My first visit abroad was to Canada with my parents at 11. The next was to accompany my financier husband on a business trip to Paris in 1966 at the age of 32.

But I only caught the travel bug after working for a travel agency in Dallas in the fall of 1974. I hand-delivered airline tickets to corporate offices for $2 an hour. But, after five months, I struck out on my own after my three male bosses said I had to make their coffee.

My travels mix business with pleasure

My agency — which is still going after nearly 50 years — catered to top business executives such as bankers and lawyers. I booked first-class tickets and five-star hotels. I didn't want to recommend anywhere I hadn't stayed myself. I'd get to know the general managers who went the extra mile for my guests.

The stamps on my passport took up all the pages. Over the years, I went to countries as large as Australia and as small as Lithuania. I sailed on the Great Barrier Reef, toured the Taj Mahal in India, and visited the Berlin Wall.

One of my favorite continents is Africa. Once, on a safari in Kenya, we got a flat tire. But, lo and behold, a lion was feeding her cubs right next to the vehicle. The driver got out, and a man with a rifle stood sentry to protect us all. I never in my life saw anybody change a flat tire so fast.

I wish more people had the opportunity to travel

Many moments have taken my breath away. I've watched wildebeests migrate and monks pray in front of Buddha. I danced the tango in Argentina and drank wine in Tuscany.

Travel has taught me so much. It's opened my mind and rounded my character. I visited churches, synagogues, and temples. I saw people from different cultures and religions happily going about their lives. There would be world peace if everyone was able to travel and see how alike we are.

I'm 90 in August. My husband, Asa — to whom I've been married for 70 years — is 94. I don't want to leave him for too long, but it's not slowing me down. In May, I went to Paris to see Taylor Swift with some family and friends. Jennifer and I are hoping to catch another of her concerts when we're in London this month.

I've always joked that I've been everywhere but Antarctica. But I've just been invited on a cruise to see the penguins. I don't enjoy cold weather. But I never say never.

Do you have an interesting story about travel that you'd like to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com.

• Phil Coley moved from the UK to France with his wife after renovating a $29 four-bedroom house.
• Their children were born in France in 2021 and 2023.
• Coley, 55, shared his impressions of the country. He told Business Insider there are few negatives.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Phil Coley. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My wife, Kristi, and I were inspired to move to France after watching a documentary about British people who'd relocated there.

At the time, we rented a two-bedroom home in a sought-after area with high real estate prices. We realized we couldn't afford the type of place we wanted because it would have cost around $260K.

So, in 2017, we bought a four-bedroom fixer-upper in the north-west of France for $29K. Kristi, 38, lived in a tent during the start of the renovations, and I visited every two months to help. I fully transferred in 2020.

We're in a rural location close to Limoges, which has an airport. It's served by a low-cost airline, and, depending on the time of year, we can fly back to the UK for just $29 round trip.

Our family — we have two kids, Alicia, 3, and 18-month-old Haydn — is very happy. Meanwhile, the price of our property — now that it's renovated — has increased to between $215K and $260K. But, finances aside, we can't imagine going back to the UK.

Here are three pros and just one con about ex-pat life in France.

The French are friendly — but you need to make an effort with their language

It's important to try at least to speak some French, even if you get it wrong. In my experience, French people appreciate visitors and ex-pats who try to communicate and respect the culture.

Some ex-pats do themselves no favors by thinking, "Everyone speaks English, so why bother?"

It can be hard to understand colloquialisms and the local patois. But, if we trip up, it usually ends with a laugh.

Family comes first

The French don't live to work. They believe spending as much time as possible with family is essential.

In August, everything pretty much shuts down. Workplaces close — apart from essential services — and people go on vacation en masse.

It's usually four weeks of lovely weather, and the campgrounds, hotels, and B&Bs are often full. One of the most popular types of vacation is touring around in an RV. Practically every town and village has a motorhome stopover spot.

You stay there for free. The idea is that people will buy something from the local stores, and it will generate business.

Kids start school at 3

The education system in France is superior. There are public schools for 3-year-olds, who must be potty trained at that age. The authorities believe adamantly in early education.

Alicia goes to school between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. No academics, and formal classes don't start until the children are 7.

It's well-known that the French love their cuisine. Alicia is served a healthy, four-course lunch at school. It's far more convenient for parents, and she loves it.

There's a lot of bureaucracy

The French like everyone to have a job. It's one of the reasons that a large proportion of the population works in the public sector.

The downside is that you will never deal with one person. They'll say they must pass things on to a colleague, then another colleague, and so on.

Filling out paperwork for a driver's license or passport is laborious and involves a lot of red tape.

Personally, I've also found that some people dislike online forms and email for official applications. Sometimes, they prefer handwritten or typed paperwork you must print out before sending it.

You can wait months for an answer but keep being fobbed off. Eventually, they will say they've lost the forms. And you have to start all over again.

Do you have an interesting story about living away from your native country that you'd like to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com.

• Automakers and their suppliers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in EVs.
• Demand for EVs has slowed over the past year while consumer interest in hybrids has soared.
• Kia says hybrids are an opportunity to get hesitant EV buyers into electrification. 

In recent years, global automakers and their suppliers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in developing new electric vehicles and the infrastructure to build and support them.

However, even as the automotive industry marches toward the inevitable point of full electrification, demand for EVs has slowed over the past year while interest in hybrids has soared.

Hybrids, with their excellent efficiency and lower cost, offer consumers a range-anxiety-free alternative to help bridge the gap between internal combustion and EVs, Steve Kosowski, the manager for Long Range Planning and Strategy at Kia Motors America, told Business Insider in a recent interview.

While EV sales fell in the first quarter of 2024 by more than 15% compared to the previous three months — their first drop since 2020 — hybrid sales are booming.

Traditional hybrids, with lower price points and limited all-electric range, saw a 45.7% sales uptick from January to March, while plug-ins, which are pricier but can go upwards of 60 miles on batteries, grew a whopping 69.7%, according to figures from PWC.

As a result, some automakers have postponed their plans to abandon internal combustion engines completely.

This development would seemingly threaten Kia, which has launched about half a dozen new BEVs in recent years, including the stylish EV3 SUV this May.

But Kia sees hybrids as an opportunity to get potential BEV buyers in the door.

"If you look at resistance in the market to buying an EV, number one is price and then it's range and (charging) infrastructure, " Kosowski said. "But if you look at hybrids and PHEVs, the resistance because of price is much much lower."

"The last time I looked, transaction prices for EVs and plug-in hybrids were in the same area, which signals to me that consumers want to electrify and are willing to pay for it," he added."

With range anxiety a non-issue, hybrids, especially those of the plug-in variety, allow people who are hesitant to fully electrify a way to ease into it.

Hybrids accounted for about 8.4% of the total market during the first quarter of 2024.

But if you look at the largest and arguably most important segment these days, compact SUVs, hybrids account for nearly one-fifth of sales, Kosowski said.

This places added importance on the need to have hybrid options available for sale.

Fortunately for Kia, the company hedged its strategy and has no fewer than half a dozen hybrids and PHEVs currently on sale in the US, including the Niro Hybrid and Sportage PHEV compact SUVs.

"As an automaker, you take a step back from this, and you go, it makes so much more sense to proliferate hybrids within your lineup," he said.

For Kia, building hybrids instead of EVs affects its bottom line beyond the revenue it generates. EVs cost substantially more to build than ICE and hybrid vehicles.

According to Kosowski, who has spent the past two decades with Kia, the material cost of a typical ICE car is half of the sticker price. The cost of materials to build an EV is 50% more than that.

"This is the 800-pound gorilla in the room for the industry," he added. "The thing about EVs is their material cost is so high that the margin for everybody gets squeezed until it becomes negative."

The popularity is a surprising turn of events from hybrids. Until recentlythey were maligned by consumers for being substantially more expensive and complex than a fully ICE vehicle and by environmentalists for not being as eco-friendly as a full BEV.

However, hybrids' day in the sun is likely to be temporary due to increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

"EV sales can only go up. These cars are coming because every automaker has to sell in order to meet zero-emissions vehicle production (ZEV) regulations, and greenhouse has rules," Kosowski said.