A California court is hearing a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk against OpenAI founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Musk alleges that OpenAI has betrayed its founding principles as a non-profit charity, a charge vehemently denied by the AI company.
Musk testified that "It's not okay to steal a charity... If it's okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving will be destroyed." His legal team argues that without Musk's initial $38 million donation, OpenAI would not exist. They are seeking billions in "wrongful gains" to be redirected to OpenAI's non-profit arm and a shake-up of its leadership.
OpenAI counters that Musk's lawsuit is motivated by his desire to "kneecap a competitor" and by personal disappointment after failing to secure the CEO position. Lawyers for OpenAI contend that Musk accepted the company's pivot to a commercial model and left only when he couldn't control it. They accuse Musk of attempting to "bully" other founders and merge OpenAI with his company, Tesla.
The judge has cautioned both sides against using social media to influence the trial. Musk previously referred to Altman as "Scam Altman" on his platform, X. A verdict is anticipated in late May.