Sam Altman took the stand in Elon Musk’s civil trial against OpenAI and delivered a claim that reframes the origin story of the most valuable AI company. According to Altman, Musk demanded 90% of OpenAI’s equity, full board control, and the CEO title during early formation.
The testimony covers negotiations from 2015 to 2018. Musk pushed for majority equity and dominance over the board, which Altman argues would have made OpenAI more of a personal fiefdom than a research lab.
This directly contradicts Musk's lawsuit, which accuses Altman and OpenAI leaders of betraying the founding mission by converting from a nonprofit to a for-profit giant. Altman insists Musk didn't leave because of mission drift, but because he lost control.
The trial’s outcome could impact Microsoft, which has invested billions into OpenAI. A ruling questioning the legitimacy of the conversion could complicate Microsoft’s AI strategy. The discovery process is also exposing internal communications OpenAI would rather keep private.
Musk runs xAI, a direct competitor to OpenAI.