- Altman’s cross-examination has been less combative than Musk’s.
- Altman was “completely caught off guard” when the OpenAI board removed him in 2023 and did not get much of an explanation why.
- Altman says joining Tesla would’ve destroyed the company’s ability to follow its mission, and a merger would have also “maybe destroyed” the nonprofit.
- Musk’s departure from OpenAI was a ‘morale boost’ for some researchers, Altman says.
- OpenAI board unanimously voted to reject Musk’s bid to acquire OpenAI last year, chair Bret Taylor testifies.
Musk vs Atlman, who you root for?
Altman testified over the course of roughly four hours, where he answered questions about his role in founding the company, his relationship with Elon Musk, OpenAI’s corporate structure and the chaotic few days in 2023 where he was briefly ousted from his role as chief executive.
“I had poured the last years of my life into this,” Altman said about his removal. “I was watching it about to be destroyed.”
Musk sued OpenAI, Altman, and the company’s president, Greg Brockman, in 2024, alleging they went back on their vow to keep the artificial intelligence company a nonprofit and to follow its charitable mission. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI alongside Altman and Brockman in 2015, claims the roughly $38 million he donated to the company was used for unauthorized commercial purposes.
Source: CNBC; https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/12/openai-trial-updates-sam-altman-set-to-testify-in-musk-suit.html
