Axios
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's first turn on the witness stand Tuesday sharpened the central fight in Musk's lawsuit: whether either man can be trusted to put AI safety ahead of money and control . Why it matters: The testimony showed how hard it is for any AI leader to claim the moral high ground while also fighting for money, influence and control. Driving the news : Altman rejected Musk's central claim that OpenAI and Microsoft had effectively tried to "steal a charity." "It feels difficult to even wrap my head around that framing," Altman said. He argued that shifting to a for-profit structure was the only way to raise the amount of money needed to develop safe and powerful artificial intelligence. Earlier in the trial, Musk offered a competing narrative, casting himself as the defender of OpenAI's original safety mission. Altman testified that Musk wanted to profit from OpenAI and also to control it, citing Musk's early push for a controlling stake or a merger with Tesla. Altman also said Musk wanted that control to pass to his children after his death. Catch up quick: Musk filed the current lawsuit in 2024, accusing Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman and Microsoft of betraying OpenAI's nonprofit mission. The trial began last month in federal court in Oakland, with Musk, Brockman, Sutskever, OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor and others among the witnesses. The big picture: Musk's lawyers used cross-examination to attack Altman's credibility, citing testimony from former OpenAI figures including Mira Murati, Ilya Sutskever and Helen Toner, along with older criticism from his career as a tech executive and investor. "I believe I am an honest and trustworthy business person," Altman said. Musk's lawyers also highlighted OpenAI's dealings with companies in which Altman holds a financial stake, including payments giant Stripe, chip startup Cerebras and fusion energy company Helion , where Altman holds a significant stake and was, until recently, board chair. Between the lines: Neither side has offered a clean, reassuring story about AI governance. What we're watching: Closing arguments are expected Thursday.
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