The long-running feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has been laid bare in an Oakland courtroom, where a nine-person jury is now deciding whether the world's richest man was swindled out of a charitable venture. Musk accuses Altman and OpenAI of breaking a founding promise by turning the non-profit into a for-profit entity, a claim he has summarised as 'stealing a charity'. The trial, which has run for three weeks, has drawn in some of Silicon Valley's most prominent figures, including Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.
Musk's legal team has argued that he was lured into co-founding OpenAI in 2015 with a pledge to benefit humanity, only for Altman to seize control and abandon that mission for personal gain. The Tesla boss is seeking the removal of Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman, the reversal of the company's for-profit restructuring, and the transfer of $134bn from its for-profit arm to the non-profit foundation. His testimony stretched over three days, at times becoming heated, with the judge repeatedly urging him to answer questions directly.
OpenAI has rejected all allegations, insisting that Musk was aware of plans to adopt a for-profit structure and had even attempted to take full control before storming out in 2018 to found rival company xAI. Defence lawyers have portrayed Musk as a sore loser in the artificial intelligence race, pointing to his own commercial interests. They also note that OpenAI's for-profit arm remains overseen by a non-profit board, which they describe as one of the world's best-resourced charitable organisations.
Both moguls endured combative cross-examination, with their private messages, emails and even diary entries entered into evidence. Altman's testimony offered a starkly different account of OpenAI's origins, casting Musk as a disruptive force who departed when he could not get his way. The trial has underscored the depth of animosity between two of the industry's most powerful figures, with each side painting the other as untrustworthy.
If the jury finds in Musk's favour, the verdict could complicate OpenAI's plans to go public later this year at a valuation of $1tn. A loss for OpenAI might force significant changes to its corporate structure and leadership. The case is expected to go to the jury on Monday, bringing an end to a trial that has offered an unusually candid glimpse into the workings of the AI industry.
