Elon Musk took the stand on Tuesday (28 April) at a high-stakes trial over the future of OpenAI, casting his lawsuit against the ChatGPT maker as a defence of charitable giving.
The world’s richest person is suing OpenAI, its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, and President Greg Brockman, alleging they betrayed him and the public by abandoning the company’s original mission.
He claims OpenAI shifted from a nonprofit aimed at benefiting humanity into a profit-driven organisation.
“If we make it OK to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving in America will be destroyed," Musk testified on the first day of the trial. "That’s my concern.”
Musk, who founded automaker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, characterised OpenAI as his brainchild as well.
"I came up with the idea, the name, recruited the key people, taught them everything I know, provided all of the initial funding," Musk said.
Before Musk began testifying, William Savitt, a lawyer for OpenAI and Altman, told jurors during his opening statement it was Musk who saw dollar signs as he helped finance OpenAI's early growth and pushed it to become a for-profit business, one he might eventually lead as CEO.
Savitt said Musk wanted "the keys to the kingdom," and sued only after he failed. In 2023, he started his own AI business, xAI, now part of SpaceX.
OpenAI's lawyer also framed OpenAI's March 2019 creation of a for-profit entity as critical to letting it buy computing power and pay top scientists to stay competitive with Google's DeepMind AI lab.
Musk's lawyer, Steven Molo, told jurors in his opening statement it was the OpenAI defendants who were greedy for money, as OpenAI began drawing investors including Microsoft, which invested $10 billion in January 2023.
"It wasn't a vehicle for people to get rich," Molo said.
Musk is expected to resume his testimony on Wednesday (29 April).
Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.
He also wants OpenAI to revert to a nonprofit, with Altman and Brockman removed as officers and Altman removed from its board. Musk's claims include breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment.
Musk agreed to minimise his social media activity, and Altman similarly agreed. Altman and Microsoft chief Satya Nadella are also expected to testify.
The trial offers a window into some of the egos and personalities that shaped OpenAI as it evolved from a nonprofit research lab in Brockman’s apartment to a company worth more than $850 billion.
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A pivotal trial that could shape the governance of artificial intelligence begins Tuesday in California, as Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off over OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model.
Elon Musk did not appear before French prosecutors on Monday after being formally summoned for questioning in an investigation into the alleged misuse of his social media platform X.
Blue Origin, the U.S. space company of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, successfully reused and recovered a booster for its New Glenn rocket launched from Florida on Sunday (19 April), in the latest chapter of its intensifying rivalry with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
NASA announced on Tuesday it has cancelled plans to deploy a space station in lunar orbit and will instead use components from the project to build a $20 billion base on the moon's surface, while also planning to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars.
Disney+ has debuted Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language, a new collection of animated musical sequences reimagined in American Sign Language (ASL), released on 27 April to mark National Deaf History Month.
Market reaction to DeepSeek’s preview of its next-generation artificial intelligence model has been relatively subdued, in sharp contrast to the global shock triggered by its breakthrough releases last year.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
Adidas shares rose after Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe delivered a historic performance at the London Marathon on Sunday (26 April), becoming the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran that does not deal with its nuclear programme. Washington is insisting that any talks must address Iran’s nuclear activities.
A pivotal trial that could shape the governance of artificial intelligence begins Tuesday in California, as Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off over OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model.
Market reaction to DeepSeek’s preview of its next-generation artificial intelligence model has been relatively subdued, in sharp contrast to the global shock triggered by its breakthrough releases last year.
Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said it's installing software on its employees computers to capture keystrokes and mouse movements to use to train its artificial intelligence (AI) agent models.
Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker XPeng says it expects to begin delivering its flying cars in 2027, as the company pushes ahead with plans to bring futuristic transport closer to everyday use.
China’s software and information technology services industry is on track to exceed 20 trillion yuan (around $2.9 trillion), underscoring the country’s rapid digital expansion and growing influence in the global technology sector.
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