By AFP, Reuters and The Associated Press<\/p>\n
Published On 12 May 202612 May 2026<\/p>\n
In a United States court, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has rejected claims from fellow tech mogul Elon Musk that he betrayed the artificial intelligence company\u2019s original vision.<\/p>\n
Tuesday marked the start of Altman\u2019s testimony in a contentious trial unfolding in Oakland, California, between some of tech\u2019s richest and most powerful titans.<\/p>\n
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Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, has sued Altman<\/a> and OpenAI president Greg Brockman on the basis that they \u201cstole a charity\u201d by shifting its purpose.<\/p>\n He alleged that OpenAI\u2019s leader persuaded him to invest $38bn, based on a goal of improving humanity, only to see the company pivot to a for-profit venture in 2019.<\/p>\n On the witness stand on Tuesday, Altman instead framed Musk as a competitor obsessed with exercising control over OpenAI.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does not fit with my conception of the words \u2018stealing a charity\u2019 to look at what has actually happened here,\u201d Altman told the court.<\/p>\n The two men have long had an acrimonious relationship, driven in part by differing views about artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n Musk \u2014 a self-described free speech \u201cabsolutist\u201d \u2014 currently runs his own AI chatbot, Grok, which has been accused of perpetuating right-wing conspiracy theories and offensive materials.<\/p>\n He is seeking $150bn in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its principal investors.<\/p>\n Altman\u2019s testimony comes more than two weeks into the trial, which has seen him and Musk square off<\/a> against each other.<\/p>\n In his testimony, Altman argued that Musk knew of the plans to develop OpenAI into a for-profit enterprise when he invested, and he asserted that Musk even petitioned to have a majority stake in the company.<\/p>\n \u201cAn early number that Mr Musk threw out was that he should have 90 percent of the equity to start,\u201d Altman told the jury. \u201cIt then softened, but it always was a majority.\u201d<\/p>\n The outcome of the trial could determine the future of OpenAI, its leadership, and products like ChatGPT. As part of his lawsuit, Musk is pushing for the removal of Altman and Brockman.<\/p>\n The trial comes as OpenAI prepares for a potential initial public offering that could see it valued at $1 trillion, a historically large sum.<\/p>\n