Unsealed NYT Filing Alleges Microsoft Executive Called AI Training 'Theft'

Unredacted court documents unsealed Sept. 17, 2026 in the New York Times copyright case against OpenAI and Microsoft allege a senior Microsoft executive privately described AI training — feeding published work into models — as 'theft.' The filing also claims OpenAI leaders called models an 'existential threat' to publishers. The claims are from the Times' brief; exhibits remain sealed.