OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared in court to address Elon Musk’s lawsuit regarding OpenAI’s structure. Altman was questioned about Musk’s claim that OpenAI’s founders improperly created a for-profit subsidiary. Altman dismissed this, citing OpenAI’s foundation as a major charity. Musk’s legal team noted that the foundation lacked full-time staff until recently, which Altman attributed to restructuring challenges. The core issue raised was whether safety was compromised as OpenAI grew commercially. Altman shared concerns in 2017 about Musk’s safety plans and potential control over OpenAI if it became for-profit. He highlighted Musk’s strategy of ranking researchers, which harmed the company culture. Altman emphasized defending the contributions of Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever, who managed OpenAI during transitions. Despite Musk’s departure to start new AI ventures, Altman maintained communication with Musk, updating him and seeking input. Musk was aware of major investments, such as a 2018 Microsoft investment, which did not alarm him at the time.
Musk considered transferring OpenAI to his children, Altman testifies
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