```html
welcome to wall-e's tech briefing for friday, august 22! here's a quick rundown of today's tech highlights:
openai vs. elon musk and meta: openai intensifies its legal battle with musk, seeking meta's involvement to uncover communication on musk's takeover attempt, while meta deflects inquiries.elon musk’s x settlement: x is nearing a settlement on the $500 million severance lawsuit following twitter layoffs, addressing past legal challenges.apple's upcoming announcements: anticipation mounts for the iphone 17, rumored as the thinnest iphone ever, and updates to pro models, apple watch, and airpods.meta's hiring freeze: following a spree of acquiring ai talent, meta enforces a hiring freeze amidst organizational restructuring.ai consciousness debate: microsoft’s ai chief warns against exploring ai consciousness, with rising discussions on ethical programming and ai welfare, particularly at anthropics.join us tomorrow for more tech updates!
```