{"id":20979,"date":"2026-04-29T03:05:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T03:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/20979\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T03:05:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T03:05:15","slug":"elon-musk-accuses-openai-ceo-sam-altman-of-trying-to-steal-a-charity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ai\/20979\/","title":{"rendered":"Elon Musk accuses OpenAI CEO Sam Altman of trying to ‘steal’ a charity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Billionaire technology entrepreneur Elon Musk took the stand today in a landmark trial that pits him against OpenAI Group PBC<\/a> Chief Executive Sam Altman, with the outcome set to have a major impact on the future of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cFundamentally I think they\u2019re going to try to make this lawsuit seem complicated,\u201d Musk said as he began his testimony. \u201cBut I think it\u2019s very simple, which is, it\u2019s not OK to steal a charity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Musk helped to found OpenAI, which began life as a nonprofit organization in 2015. His co-founders included Altman and the AI firm\u2019s current President Greg Brockman. They originally shared the same vision of developing AI to benefit humanity, but things soon went pear-shaped as their goals diverged. Musk left the organization three years later, and is now accusing Altman and Brockman of sacrificing its original nonprofit goals in order to enrich themselves.<\/p>\n

OpenAI has since evolved a for-profit arm and has gone on to raise many billions of dollars<\/a> in funding from outside investors. Thanks to its commercial operation, which owns ChatGPT, it has become one of Silicon Valley\u2019s most influential companies, and is widely regarded as one of the leaders of the AI revolution.<\/p>\n

Musk\u2019s lawsuit, which was first filed in 2024<\/a>, is asking the court to remove Altman and Brockman from their roles and restore OpenAI as a full nonprofit organization. In its defense, OpenAI accused Musk of trying to kill off a competitor to his own AI firm, xAI Corp., which is the developer of a rival chatbot called Grok<\/a>. \u201cMotivated by jealousy, regret for walking away from OpenAI and a desire to derail a competing AI company, Elon has spent years harassing OpenAI through baseless lawsuits and public attacks,\u201d the company wrote on a website specifically set up to provide its side of the story.<\/p>\n

Musk was the first witness called in the trial, which is expected to last around three weeks and will likely see various other influential tech figures appear on the stand, including Altman and Brockman and also Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella. The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX Corp. CEO has attracted a lot of supporters, plus dozens of members of the public \u2013 some wearing T-shirts saying \u201cStop AI\u201d \u2013 were lined up outside the court early, trying to get a seat inside.<\/p>\n

The focus of the case is on the original agreements and commitments made by the cofounders shortly after the company was founded, and whether the creation of a for-profit arm that\u2019s now worth hundreds of billions of dollars contradicts laws governing charities.<\/p>\n

Before the trial began, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California warned Musk and Altman not to stir up any more trouble by posting on social media. She demanded that they refrain from saying anything about the trial publicly. The two entrepreneurs, who regularly bash each other<\/a> on social media, agreed.<\/p>\n

Musk framed as one of the of the \u2018good guys\u2019<\/p>\n

Musk\u2019s lawyer Steve Molo, in his opening statement, described the billionaire as a \u201cgenius technologist\u201d and noted that he has created several companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, that have delivered profound breakthroughs. He tried to cast Musk as a man motivated not by greed, but by a desire to improve the well-being of humanity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any yachts,\u201d Musk said. \u201cI like working and solving problems that make people\u2019s lives better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elaborating on this, Musk said that SpaceX was building \u201clife insurance for life as we know it,\u201d while Tesla was started because humanity needs to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. With regard to AI, he said he has been worried about this technology for a long time, and believes it could be a \u201cdouble-edged sword\u201d because it has the potential to \u201csolve all the diseases and make everyone prosperous, or it could kill us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Musk, there are two outcomes for AI: a utopian, \u201cStar Trek future, or a dystopian \u201cTerminator\u201d-style world. He said he wants to help build a future that\u2019s more like Gene Roddenberry\u2019s vision rather than James Cameron\u2019s, referring to the directors of those two movies.<\/p>\n

Molo acknowledged that Musk is a \u201cdivisive figure,\u201d but he urged the jury to put any personal opinions they have of him to one side. \u201cLike him or dislike him, you can\u2019t disagree that he is a legend in the tech world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Musk was asked about the founding of OpenAI, and he responded that he was the \u201ccentral figure\u201d who helped the startup get off the ground. He said he provided the initial funding and business expertise, and also helped to convince a number of top AI researchers and engineers to join the organization. He added that Altman \u201cwasn\u2019t very accomplished\u201d when they first began OpenAI.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time very few people knew who Sam Altman was,\u201d Musk said, referring to the importance of his own contacts. \u201cThe only one who could call Satya Nadella and he would pick up the phone was me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft went on to become the first major backer of OpenAI as it began its first commercial venture in 2019, and has been named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The Windows software maker has stated in court filings that its investments in OpenAI \u201chelped to fund one of the largest nonprofits in the world\u201d and were \u201cnecessary for OpenAI to pursue its mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s chief lawyer Bill Savitt tried to paint a very different picture when cross-examining Musk, arguing that he wasn\u2019t really involved in developing the company\u2019s technology. He added that he wasn\u2019t especially knowledgeable about AI itself. \u201cMusk hadn\u2019t been much involved in the day-to-day of OpenAI,\u201d he added. \u201cHe didn\u2019t understand artificial intelligence very well.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Altman and Brockman decided to transition OpenAI from a nonprofit to a more traditional commercial venture to secure backing from venture capitalists, Musk allegedly demanded a significant stake in the company. He wanted control over both the company and any technology it develops, Savitt insisted. Musk left the organization in 2018 after Altman and Brockman stood up to him and rejected his demands, he added.<\/p>\n

Musk countered that he left OpenAI after Altman and Brockman proposed transforming it into a for-profit organization, with equal shares for each of the cofounders. \u201cI thought this seemed unfair and inappropriate, and that they should go and start their own company,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Savitt framed Musk\u2019s departure differently, saying that \u201csince he couldn\u2019t control OpenAI, he left it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photos:\u00a0TechCrunch\/Flickr<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0tldv.io<\/a><\/p>\n

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