Live updates from Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s court battle over the future of OpenAI

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Sam Altman and Elon Musk are facing off in a high-stakes trial that could alter the future of OpenAI and its most well-known product, ChatGPT. In 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding mission of developing AI to benefit humanity and shifting focus to boosting profits instead. Elon Musk, his financial manager and Neuralink CEO, Jared Birchall, and OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman have already testified before the jury.

Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member who shares four children with Musk, took the stand last week, and the courtroom also watched former OpenAI CTO Mura Murati’s videotaped deposition. For the trial’s third week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella appeared on Monday, followed by OpenAI cofounder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. Altman took the stand on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, proceedings began with an argument about a trophy that is the back half of a donkey.

Technical Details

Musk was a cofounder of OpenAI and claims that Altman and Brockman tricked him into giving the company money, only to turn their backs on their original goal. However, OpenAI says that “This lawsuit has always been a baseless and jealous bid to derail a competitor” in a bid to boost Musk’s own SpaceX / xAI / X companies that have launched Grok as a competitor to ChatGPT. In his lawsuit, Musk is asking for the removal of Altman and Brockman, and for OpenAI to stop operating as a public benefit corporation.

Musk has also demanded that OpenAI’s nonprofit receive up to $150 billion in damages he’s asking for if he wins the case. People to Know Plaintiff Elon Musk — plaintiff, OpenAI cofounder and now CEO of rival xAI Steven Molo — lead counsel for the plaintiff Jared Birchall — manager of Musk’s family office Shivon Zilis — former OpenAI board member who shares multiple children with Musk Defendant Sam Altman — defendant, CEO of OpenAI William Savitt — lead counsel for the defendant Greg Brockman — president of OpenAI as well as a cofounder Ilya Sutskever — former chief scientist at OpenAI and a cofounder Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers — aka YGR, trial judge Here’s all the latest on the trial between Musk and Altman: In his testimony, Musk said he never called anyone a jackass. Incredible evidence dispute this morning.

Sam Altman was winning on the stand, but it might not be enough About 200 people work on safety at OpenAI. The chair of OpenAI’s safety and security committee said they’ve formally delayed its model releases. Irritatingly, no one has asked him why he’s called “Zico.

Industry Implications

” Microsoft establishes that OpenAI has other investors… We see the Musk “bait and switch” texts again. What if we had a drinking game for this trial? Musk says, “This is a bait and switch” in a October 2022 text chain.

Molo is not doing especially impressive lawyering here. Molo asked Altman if he’d ever fire himself as CEO of the OpenAI for-profit. Well, I do love a long inquiry into the linear nature of time.

The difference between Musk and Altman on cross is really stark. Ronan Farrow’s article is brought up. Molo is going directly in at Altman: “Do you always tell the truth?

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