Sam Altman Takes the Stand as OpenAI’s Safety Mission Faces Scrutiny in Musk Lawsuit
By James Dargan · · 1 min read
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in court against a lawsuit brought by co-founder Elon Musk, who alleges that the creation of OpenAI’s for-profit subsidiary amounted to misappropriating a charitable organisation built around safe AI development.
Altman pushed back on that framing, arguing that OpenAI had built one of the world’s largest charitable foundations and that its safety mission remained intact as the company grew commercially. He testified that it was in fact Musk who had raised concerns during early internal debates — stating that Musk’s own positions on safety and control gave him pause, particularly remarks suggesting OpenAI’s assets might one day pass to Musk’s children.
Altman also described Musk’s management approach as damaging to OpenAI’s research culture, alleging that his tactics demotivated key staff. OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor separately addressed questions about the foundation’s delayed staffing, attributing it to the complexity of converting equity into cash ahead of the 2025 restructuring.
Musk left OpenAI’s board before later founding rival AI venture xAI.
