Out Of Office

Out of Office: Musk vs OpenAI, trouble for Irish wind farms and help for joint account holders

The Business Post gets you up to date with the big stories of the day

Peter O'Dwyer
March 1, 2024

Today’s stories cover OpenAI, Statkraft and Bank of Ireland

Welcome to the Business Post’s Out of Office, your daily round-up of the day’s business, tech, markets, legal and politics news.

Earlier this week, Kathleen Gallagher revealed how legal restrictions had left joint account holders without the help of the financial ombudsman when needed.

Today, Kathleen reported how politicians have taken up the fight for legislative change to ensure these vulnerable customers aren’t left exposed and without recourse when trouble hits.

As well as bringing you the most recent development in the story, Kathleen has a handy explainer detailing how the approach of other countries could offer a path forward for those customers.

If that issue had gone somewhat under the radar until the Business Post’s reporting, at the opposite end of the spectrum are Elon Musk and OpenAI, both of which are rarely out of the headlines these days.

Now, the parties find themselves in a legal battle after the X owner filed a lawsuit alleging that OpenAI had breached its founding agreement by putting profit ahead of benefiting humanity.

Earlier in the week, Charlie Taylor, our technology and innovation editor, detailed more positive news for the ChatGPT parent when they landed in Dublin and spoke of the “intoxicating” tech talent in Ireland.

Must Read: Daniel Murray’s explainer on how Ireland has broken the link between economic activity and carbon emissions

Two long-running sagas took a new twist early on Friday when, first, Ryanair announced it was cancelling flights over the summer due to delays in the delivery of new Boeing aircraft. Just days earlier, Michael O’Leary, the Ryanair chief executive, had floated the prospect of the Irish airline being compensated for such delays.

By the time lunchtime rolled around, the first meeting between the RTÉ board and Catherine Martin since the media minister effectively fired its former chair had concluded.

You can catch up on our extensive coverage of Martin’s intervention and the political fallout that followed here.

Both sides were making conciliatory noises after the meeting while, separately, PJ Mathews, a member of the board, announced his resignation.

In what many will consider far more important matters, Daniel Murray, the Business Post’s political correspondent, offered readers an excellent, in-depth look into Ireland’s emissions and whether, remarkably, they may have peaked.

Donal MacNamee also followed his scoop earlier in the week on Bank of Ireland’s bonus scheme leaving staff disappointed with further detail of how the lender is engaging with staff over the scheme.

Following up on another exclusive, Lorcan Allen, our business editor, also revealed how yet another Irish wind farm project has been hit with a judicial review - the fifth in quick succession.

As it’s the weekend, we’ve some great lifestyle coverage for you to enjoy too including the “impeccable” 40-year legacy of Midleton Very Rare, scandi-style eco cabins in Waterford and a lovely piece from Jordan Mooney and Belfast chef Gemma Austin’s new patisserie.