Elon Musk Had ‘Hair-Raising’ Idea of Passing OpenAI Onto His Kids, Sam Altman Says

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Maxwell ZeffParesh DaveBusinessMay 12, 2026 8:10 PMElon Musk Had ‘Hair-Raising’ Idea of Passing OpenAI Onto His Kids, Sam Altman SaysMusk’s lawyers questioned Altman over allegations of deception and his network of financial investments, but the OpenAI CEO painted a picture of Musk as obsessed with controlling the company. Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images Save this story Save this storySam Altman took to the witness stand to defend his reputation in the Musk v. Altman trial on Tuesday, as Elon Musk’s lawyers peppered the OpenAI CEO with hours of questions regarding his alleged history of deceptive behavior.

The cross examination was a much needed win for Musk, who has so far struggled to make a convincing case. Tuesday’s testimony included several heated exchanges in which the OpenAI CEO had to respond to allegations from former colleagues suggesting he’s untrustworthy. Highlighting this evidence is not only important for Musk winning over a jury, but also for beating OpenAI in the court of public opinion.

Technical Details

Days before the trial started, Musk texted OpenAI President Greg Brockman and told him that he and Altman would soon “be the most hated men in America. ”Musk’s lawsuit accuses Altman of effectively stealing the OpenAI charity, and taking the $38 million Musk donated to the non-profit organization and using it to create a for-profit business worth more than $850 billion. However, there was little evidence on Tuesday to address the gaps in Musk’s legal case.

Altman and Sam Teller, Musk’s former chief of staff, testified on Tuesday that they did not recall Musk ever attaching any special conditions to his donations to OpenAI. Additionally, it appears increasingly likely that Musk filed his case too late, years after he made his last donation to OpenAI and developed suspicion that the organization had breached its charitable trust. By then, the statute of limitations had already expired.

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Industry Implications

Brockman and his wife, Anna, sat in the gallery alongside OpenAI’s chief futurist, Joshua Achiam. While Altman and Brockman were present to watch Musk on the witness stand, Musk did not stay for Altman’s testimony. (Flight records suggest he was traveling to the Washington, DC area on Tuesday to fly to China with President Donald Trump.

)Before fielding questions from Musk’s lawyers, Altman had the chance to tell his side of the story, answering gentle questions from OpenAI’s lawyers. Wearing a purple tie, Altman painted himself as an entrepreneur and investor who’s always been fascinated by, and concerned about, the power of artificial intelligence. Altman testified that Musk has long been obsessed with controlling OpenAI.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.