OpenAI trial: Sam Altman defends trustworthiness in court clash with Elon Musk

The dispute between the two tech leaders is at the centre of a legal battle over OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, News.Az reports, citing Sky News.

Musk, who testified last month, has accused Altman and other executives of raising funds while the organisation operated as a nonprofit between 2015 and 2017, before later moving to restructure it into a commercial company.

Musk has argued that the transformation was aimed at personal enrichment, and has warned that Altman’s leadership poses a broader risk given OpenAI’s influence in artificial intelligence following the global rise of ChatGPT in 2022.

Under questioning on Tuesday, Altman rejected claims that he had misled investors or attempted to “steal a charity.” He said he did not believe he had acted improperly in any of his business dealings.

Altman also disputed Musk’s account of OpenAI’s restructuring, saying the Tesla and SpaceX chief was aware of plans to create a for-profit arm before leaving the company’s board in 2018. He further claimed Musk once sought a 90% stake in OpenAI, which he said made negotiations uncomfortable.

The case also includes allegations from Musk that OpenAI’s leadership undermined its original mission, while OpenAI has argued that Musk’s lawsuit stems from his regret over leaving the organisation before it became highly successful.

Testimony in the trial is expected to conclude soon, with jurors potentially beginning deliberations shortly afterwards. Musk is seeking significant damages and changes to OpenAI’s leadership, while the company rejects the claims.