Sam Altman and Elon Musk are facing off in a high-stakes trial that could alter the future of OpenAI and its most well-known product, ChatGPT. In 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding mission of developing AI to benefit humanity and shifting focus to boosting profits instead.
The trial began with jury selection on April 27th, before Elon Musk took the stand on Tuesday as the first witness called, portraying his interest in founding OpenAI as an effort to help save humanity.
Musk was a cofounder of OpenAI and claims that Altman and cofounder Greg Brockman tricked him into giving the company money, only to turn their backs on their original goal. However, OpenAI says that “This lawsuit has always been a baseless and jealous bid to derail a competitor” in a bid to boost Musk’s own SpaceX / xAI / X companies that have launched Grok as a competitor to ChatGPT.
In his lawsuit, Musk is asking for the removal of Altman and Brockman, and for OpenAI to stop operating as a public benefit corporation. Musk has also demanded that OpenAI’s nonprofit receive up to $150 billion in damages he’s asking for if he wins the case.
Key Moments from Day One
- Musk appeared more petty than prepared, according to observers.
- He told the jury that all he wants to do is save humanity, emphasizing AI safety.
- Musk described the founding of OpenAI as a nonprofit, calling the name's "open" a reference to open source.
- He recalled meeting Altman and agreeing on AI safety concerns, contrasting with Larry Page's dismissal.
- Emails were presented showing Musk's role in securing Nvidia hardware from Jensen Huang.
- Musk said he was not averse to a small for-profit adjunct, but opposed a crypto coin issuance as "scammy."
As the trial continues, the outcome could reshape the governance of one of the most influential AI companies in the world.