The Information
SpaceX Delays Next Starship Test Launch Again -- Microsoft Hit Copilot Sales Goals in March Quarter, Commercial CEO Tells Staff -- OpenAI Apps Chief To Take a Short Medical Leave, Announces Broader Reorganization  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ 

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Apr 06, 2026

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Welcome back! OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and CFO Sarah Friar are diverging over the company’s timeline for an initial public offering. SpaceX delayed the next test launch of its Starship rocket. And Microsoft hit an internal goal for sales of its Copilot AI software in the first three months of this year.

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1.
OpenAI CFO Questions 2026 IPO Readiness
By Amir Efrati Source: The Information

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and CFO Sarah Friar are diverging over the company’s timeline for an initial public offering as Altman pushes for a public debut as early as the fourth quarter, The Information reported. Friar has privately expressed concerns that the AI startup will not be organizationally ready for a 2026 IPO, questioning whether its slowing revenue growth can support Altman’s aggressively escalating $600 billion server spending commitments.

The tension mirrors a classic Silicon Valley divide between visionary founders and risk-averse finance executives, prompting Altman to exclude Friar from several discussions regarding the company’s infrastructure and capital strategies, the report said.

2.
SpaceX Delays Next Starship Test Launch Again
By Theo Wayt Source: The Information

SpaceX has pushed back the timeline for the next test launch of its next-generation Starship rocket again, with CEO Elon Musk now saying the next test will occur in May.

Starship has not launched since October 2025, and still needs several more test launches before it can start making commercial missions. Musk had said this January that the next test would occur in March, then delayed the timeline to April. On Friday, he posted on X that the next Starship launch is “4 to 6 weeks away.” That would mean the test is now planned for the first two weeks of May, approximately a month before SpaceX hopes to go public.

While SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is currently a reliable and successful reusable rocket, virtually all of the company’s future plans rely on the larger Starship successfully entering service. Those include its next-generation Starlink Mobile satellites, future NASA missions and orbital data centers. Musk has a history of setting overly aggressive timelines that his companies fail to hit—SpaceX had previously said it would send Starship to Mars in 2026.

3.
Microsoft Hit Copilot Sales Goals in March Quarter, Commercial CEO Tells Staff
By Aaron Holmes Source: The Information

Microsoft hit an internal goal for sales of its Copilot AI software in the first three months of 2026, commercial CEO Judson Althoff told staff on Thursday, according to someone who heard the remarks. Althoff did not disclose what the goal was, but called it “audacious,“ this person said.

Microsoft disclosed three months ago that it had 15 million paying users of 365 Copilot, the $30-per-month add-on to its Office 365 business software subscription that it launched in 2023, representing less than 4% of the total number of paying Office 365 users.

Microsoft has recently announced new ways for companies to pay for Copilot, including a new software bundle that combines Copilot with Office 365 and other business software for $99 per user per month. Microsoft is set to report March quarter earnings later this month, and its shares are down more than 21% since the start of the year amid investor skepticism over its ability to wring more revenue from its investments in AI.

4.
OpenAI Apps Chief To Take a Short Medical Leave, Announces Broader Reorganization
By Stephanie Palazzolo Source: The Information

OpenAI’s CEO of AGI Deployment, Fidji Simo, is taking “several weeks” of medical leave, according to an internal memo seen by The Information. Simo suffers from a chronic condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome which has led her to primarily work from her home in southern California since joining OpenAI last August.

In her absence, co-founder Greg Brockman will run the product organization while Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon, Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar and Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser will run the business and operations side of the company, Simo said.

“As I shared when I joined, I had a relapse of my neuroimmune condition a few weeks before starting the job,” Simo wrote in the memo. “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster since, and the last month has been particularly rough health-wise. For my entire time here, I’ve postponed medical tests and new therapies to stay completely focused on the job and not miss a single day of work. I took time off for the first time two weeks before the break for some medical tests, and it’s now clear that I’ve pushed a little too far and I really need to try new interventions to stabilize my health.”

Simo also announced other executive changes. OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap is leaving his current position to a “new role focused on special projects,” including OpenAI’s efforts to create a joint venture with private equity firms to sell its technology to their portfolio companies, Simo said. Lightcap will report to CEO Sam Altman.

Dresser, who previously served as the CEO of Slack, will take over Lightcap’s old role, with the exception of OpenAI’s government and OpenAI for Countries work, which will be moved into OpenAI’s strategy organization, led by Kwon. Dresser, whose role will continue to be chief revenue officer, will report to Simo.

Kate Rouch, OpenAI’s Chief Marketing Officer, will step down to “focus on her cancer recovery, and plans to return to a different, more narrowly scoped role when her health allows,” Simo said. Gary Briggs, who has previously served as the chief marketing officer of Meta and has served as a marketing adviser to OpenAI during the last year, will lead the company’s marketing team until it are able to find a replacement. He will report to Kwon.

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