Elon Musk vs OpenAI: Sam Altman to testify this week in high stakes trial

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is all set to testify in a high-profile legal battle between Elon Musk and OpenAI, in a California court on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The closely watched trial, now in its third week, could play a major role in shaping the future of OpenAI and its leadership at a time when the company is aggressively expanding its artificial intelligence infrastructure ahead of a potential trillion-dollar IPO.

SpaceX CEO alleges that Altman and other OpenAI executives convinced him to contribute nearly $38 million to OpenAI, a non-profit organisation focused on benefiting humanity at that time, and later shifted toward a for-profit structure.

OpenAI has denied the accusations claiming that Musk’s knew about the transition to a for-profit organisation, adding that he was fully aware of internal discussions but later became unhappy after failing to gain control over the company.

The courtroom showdown has attracted significant attention across Silicon Valley, with testimony from current and former OpenAI executives revealing growing tensions inside the company during its rapid rise in the AI industry.

Former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever testified on Monday that he spent nearly a year collecting evidence for the company’s board regarding what he described as a “consistent pattern of lying” by Altman.

Several senior figures have already appeared in court during the trial, including OpenAI President Greg Brockman, former chief technology officer Mira Murati and former board member Shivon Zilis.

Musk, who is seeking the removal of Altman and Brockman from their leadership positions, told the court that OpenAI was originally founded as a charitable organisation and accused executives of abandoning that mission.

According to Musk, his financial support for OpenAI was “specifically meant to be for a charity.”

The billionaire entrepreneur also testified that while he was aware of early conversations about creating a for-profit structure, he claimed Altman repeatedly assured him the nonprofit mission would remain intact.