Elon Musk Takes Stand in Explosive OpenAI Lawsuit
Elon Musk walked through security at the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, Tuesday as he faces off against OpenAI and Sam Altman in court.
Musk accuses the company he co-founded of ditching its 2015 nonprofit mission to build AI for the benefit of all humanity. He says it turned into a closed, profit-hungry machine tightly linked to Microsoft, breaking the promises that got it started.
His lawyers hammered the point, calling it straight-up theft from a charity. They argue Musk’s vision and backing were key to OpenAI’s launch. Musk is pushing for billions in damages and wants the company forced back to its original open, nonprofit roots.
The trial pits two tech heavyweights against each other over the soul of AI: open development for the public good versus rapid commercialization critics say chases power and profits above all. Jury selection finished Monday, and opening arguments laid bare the bitter split over trust, broken deals, and who controls the most powerful technology on earth.
Musk, the world’s richest man and longtime AI risk whistleblower, is making his case before a jury far from Silicon Valley’s echo chamber. The stakes are huge for the future of AI labs and accountability in Big Tech. Testimony continues with Musk on the stand.