Musk-Altman Trial Nears End as Sam Altman Defends OpenAI Against $38 Million Mission Claim
Updated
Updated · WIRED · May 14
Musk-Altman Trial Nears End as Sam Altman Defends OpenAI Against $38 Million Mission Claim
8 articles · Updated · WIRED · May 14
Sam Altman took the stand in federal court in Oakland this week as major testimony in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI wrapped, with Altman casting himself as trustworthy and accusing Musk of seeking control and profit.
Musk’s case hinges on two points: that his $38 million in early funding carried conditions to keep OpenAI nonprofit, and that he only discovered the alleged breach in 2023—an argument crucial because the statute of limitations had otherwise expired.
Testimony from figures including Ilya Sutskever and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella resurfaced OpenAI’s internal turmoil, while courtroom evidence and messages appeared to damage Altman’s public image more than clearly strengthen Musk’s legal claims.
The dispute centers on whether OpenAI’s creation of a for-profit arm betrayed its founding mission, making the verdict significant not just for the parties but for how leading AI labs balance nonprofit ideals, investor money and control.
Could Musk’s lawsuit derail OpenAI’s rumored $1 trillion IPO, regardless of the verdict?
With AI compared to a nuclear arms race, can Trump and Xi agree on safety rules?
Why is a vaccine for a rare hantavirus being developed so quickly after the COVID-19 pandemic?