Musk testifies in OpenAI lawsuit, contradicts own tweets
Original: On the stand, Elon Musk can’t escape his own tweets
Why This Matters
High-profile legal battle could set precedents for AI company governance structures
Elon Musk testified in California federal court Wednesday in his lawsuit against OpenAI co-founders, claiming they converted a charity into a for-profit venture. Under oath, he admitted Tesla isn't pursuing AGI, contradicting recent tweets.
Musk sued OpenAI alleging Sam Altman and co-founders deceived him into backing a non-profit that later became dominated by its for-profit arm. During cross-examination, OpenAI's lawyer showed Musk had supported transitioning to for-profit status as early as 2016 to compete with Google, including exploring majority equity control in 2017. When those plans failed, he stopped regular donations but continued paying office space until 2020. Musk argued there's a significant difference between capped and unlimited investor profits, citing Microsoft's evolving investment terms as motivation for his lawsuit.