Elon Musk is currently engaged in a landmark trial in Oakland, California, against OpenAI and its leadership, including CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman. Musk, who provided $38 million to the startup between 2015 and 2017, alleges that the company abandoned its original nonprofit mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. He claims that Altman and Brockman betrayed these promises by transforming the lab into a commercial venture now valued at more than $850 billion.
The trial, which began on April 27 and is expected to last several weeks, has seen Musk testify for over seven hours across three days. During a contentious cross-examination by OpenAI attorney William Savitt, Musk described himself as a fool for funding the organization and accused its leadership of looting the nonprofit. The proceedings have revealed previously private emails, text messages, and diary entries regarding the formation of the tech giant.
OpenAI's legal team has countered these claims, arguing that the lawsuit is a competitive grievance presented as a charitable principle. Musk has accused lawyers of asking misleading questions designed to trick him and the jury. As the trial continues, further testimony is expected from Greg Brockman and Jared Birchall, with Sam Altman scheduled to testify later.