Ilya Sutskever, former chief scientist at OpenAI, testified Monday that he spent roughly a year compiling evidence against CEO Sam Altman, alleging a “consistent pattern of lying.” During the ongoing trial in California, Sutskever stated he prepared documentation at the board’s request detailing how Altman “undermined and pitted executives against one another.”
Sutskever was instrumental in the board’s November 2023 vote to fire Altman, though he later reversed his position and voted to reinstate him. The testimony comes as part of Elon Musk’s lawsuit, which accuses OpenAI of abandoning its nonprofit mission. Musk seeks $150 billion in damages and the removal of Altman and President Greg Brockman.
Sutskever also confirmed that after Altman’s ouster, OpenAI’s board discussed a potential merger with rival Anthropic, a move he was not “excited” about. He left OpenAI in 2024 and now leads a new AI startup, Safe Superintelligence.