Musk accuses Altman’s lawyer of trickery in $150B OpenAI suit
Musk accuses Altman’s lawyer of trickery in $150B OpenAI suit
Elon Musk faces off in Oakland court as he seeks $150 billion from OpenAI and Microsoft, arguing the AI group's mission to benefit the public has been abandoned.
Elon Musk took the stand in a California federal courtroom on Wednesday, deriding questions from a lawyer for Sam Altman as part of a high-stakes case over Musk's lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its stated mission to build artificial intelligence for the public good. The cross-examination unfolded in Oakland as Musk defended his decision to donate $38 million to OpenAI and explored tax benefits tied to that gift.
The central claim is that Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, with any award earmarked for OpenAI’s charitable arm. He contends that OpenAI, once a nonprofit vow, veered away from its original mission, creating a for-profit engine that diverged from public-benefit goals.
During the session, William Savitt, OpenAI’s lawyer, pressed Musk on the simplicity of his questions about the tax benefits Musk reaped by donating $38 million to OpenAI, insisting that his lines of inquiry were straightforward. “Your questions are not simple. They’re designed to trick me,” Musk replied to a nine-person jury in Oakland.
Analysts say the case could have sweeping implications for how AI labs align with public-interest promises and how large tech entities handle philanthropic funding. The dispute centers on OpenAI's historical commitments and how far its current business setup departs from that ethos. The trial continues with further witness testimony and arguments about damages, attribution, and the role OpenAI and Microsoft play in the evolving AI landscape.
Despite the dramatic courtroom exchange, both sides have kept the legal fight in focus, underscoring the broader debate over AI's governance, accountability, and the boundaries of charity in tech.
