Former OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever testified Monday that his ownership stake in the AI startup is worth approximately $7 billion. The disclosure came during his testimony in the ongoing legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI, a trial that could reshape the company's future.
Sutskever revealed he had considered removing co-founder Sam Altman as CEO for at least a year before the November 2023 board vote. He described Altman's conduct-including pitting executives against one another-as "not conducive to any grand goal," including the creation of safe AGI. Sutskever played a key role in Altman's dramatic firing and subsequent rehiring. He left OpenAI in 2024 and founded Safe Superintelligence.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also testified Monday, calling the tech giant's investment in OpenAI a "calculated risk" and noting the early investments were worthwhile for marketing benefits. Musk is seeking fundamental governance changes and $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft.