tech
April 29, 2026
Musk faces harsh grilling under oath in courtroom showdown with Sam Altman
Lawyers for Musk, the world’s richest person, sought to paint him as a tech pioneer who wanted to aid humanity. A judge cut off his long-winded answers
TL;DR
- Elon Musk is suing OpenAI co-founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, alleging they violated the company's founding agreement to benefit humanity.
- Musk accuses OpenAI of shifting from a non-profit to a for-profit structure and enriching themselves, seeking damages and the undoing of the for-profit model.
- OpenAI rejects the claims, calling them 'motivated by jealousy' and stating Musk was aware of business plans and left after a failed takeover bid.
- During cross-examination, Musk faced sharp questioning from OpenAI's lawyers regarding his knowledge of for-profit plans, leading to testy exchanges and judicial interventions.
- Evidence presented included internal emails and notes suggesting Musk himself considered creating a for-profit entity.
- The trial is closely watched due to its potential impact on OpenAI's planned $1tn valuation IPO.
- Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers intervened multiple times to control the proceedings, including admonishing Musk's lawyer for leading the witness and threatening to close an overflow room due to observer photography.
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