Elon Musk Testifies in OpenAI Trial, Challenges Company's Shift to For-Profit Model

Elon Musk took the stand in a federal court in Oakland, California, to testify in his lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Musk alleges that OpenAI's shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity contradicts its founding mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity.

During cross-examination, Musk faced questions from OpenAI's lead attorney, William Savitt, and a representative for Microsoft, a defendant in the case. Musk's wealth manager, Jared Birchall, also testified, stating that Musk donated approximately $38 million to OpenAI during its nonprofit phase.

Musk defended his own AI venture, xAI, describing it as "very small" compared to competitors like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. He emphasized that xAI is about a tenth the size of OpenAI.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers instructed Musk to avoid discussing AI-related doomsday scenarios, focusing the trial on OpenAI's corporate transformation.

The trial is set to continue, with OpenAI's president and co-founder, Greg Brockman, expected to testify. Brockman's journal entries from the period before Musk's departure in 2018 are anticipated to provide insight into the company's transition.