Musk Testifies in Court Regarding OpenAI Lawsuit, Presenting His Claims
The tech mogul underwent friendly questioning by his own lawyers on Tuesday; cross-examination is still to come. After two years, countless legal filings, and numerous social media posts, Elon Musk finally had the opportunity in court on Tuesday to vent his frustrations with OpenAI.
The world's richest person accused OpenAI of betraying its charitable trust intentions and used his courtroom testimony to emphasize that the case will set a precedent, determining whether and how non-profit organizations can transform into commercial companies.
Under friendly questioning from his own lawyers, Musk first recalled the early history of OpenAI, explaining his original intention in co-founding the organization in 2015 – to ensure the safe and controllable development of artificial intelligence. He answered questions in court regarding his personal experiences and past email correspondence with Sam Altman and other OpenAI co-founders. Musk also predicted that artificial intelligence could reach human level in all tasks as early as next year.
When asked to explain the core claim of the lawsuit in his own words, Musk said: "Actually, it's very simple."
He stated that if the court rules OpenAI, Altman, and other defendants not guilty, "this case will become a precedent, creating a legal precedent, and in my opinion, that would be a green light for the plunder of assets of all charities in the United States." This view is consistent with Musk's posts on social platform X on Monday.
OpenAI has strongly refuted Musk's accusations and related characterizations.
Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman attended Tuesday's opening statements, but Altman left before Musk took the stand to testify. Lawyers for both sides will refute and question Musk's claims one by one during the cross-examination phase on Wednesday.