OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified for four hours on Tuesday during the trial of "Musk vs. OpenAI." In his testimony, Altman stated that the company had not abandoned its non-profit mission, and the reality was that Musk chose to "abandon" the company during its most difficult times.

Altman explained to the jury in court that in 2015, when Musk was a co-founder, he did not fulfill his financial commitments, leaving the startup in a vulnerable position as it struggled with an uncertain future.

"What Musk was really concerned about was control."

In response to Musk's accusation that OpenAI establishing a for-profit subsidiary was "stealing from a charity," Altman strongly refuted it. He pointed out that Musk left because his desire for complete control was not satisfied.

Altman revealed the following key points during the trial:

  • Obsession with Control: Musk did not trust others' decisions and insisted on working only in companies he completely controlled.

  • Management Disagreements: Altman frankly said Musk "did not know how to manage a research lab," and his management style had severely damaged the morale of researchers.

  • Rejection of Merger: Musk had suggested merging OpenAI with Tesla, but Altman refused, fearing it would destroy the non-profit organization's mission.

Responding to the "Untrustworthy" Accusation

Musk's lawyer tried to portray Altman as an "untrustworthy person" during cross-examination and mentioned Altman's brief dismissal by the board in 2023. Altman said he was "completely caught off guard" at the time and the board did not provide a specific explanation.

Altman emphasized that the valuation of OpenAI's for-profit subsidiary is now over $850 billion, but its core mission remains to benefit humanity. Musk had once emailed in 2018 that the probability of OpenAI's success was 0%, and Altman said that comment "was deeply engraved in his memory."

The closing arguments for this legal battle are scheduled for Thursday. Although the jury in this case has only an advisory role, the final judge's ruling will determine the future legal status and organizational structure of this globally most-watched AI company.