Altman and Musk put AI trust on trial

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's first turn on the witness stand Tuesday sharpened the central fight in Musk's lawsuit: whether either man can be trusted to put AI safety ahead of money and control.

Why it matters: The testimony showed how hard it is for any AI leader to claim the moral high ground while also fighting for money, influence and control.

Driving the news: Altman rejected Musk's central claim that OpenAI and Microsoft had effectively tried to "steal a charity."

• "It feels difficult to even wrap my head around that framing," Altman said. He argued that shifting to a for-profit structure was the only way to raise the amount of money needed to develop safe and powerful artificial intelligence.
• Earlier in the trial, Musk offered a competing narrative, casting himself as the defender of OpenAI's original safety mission.
• Altman testified that Musk wanted to profit from OpenAI and also to control it, citing Musk's early push for a controlling stake or a merger with Tesla. Altman also said Musk wanted that control to pass to his children after his death.

Catch up quick: Musk filed the current lawsuit in 2024, accusing Altman, OpenAI, Greg Brockman and Microsoft of betraying OpenAI's nonprofit mission.

• The trial began last month in federal court in Oakland, with Musk, Brockman, Sutskever, OpenAI board chair Bret Taylor and others among the witnesses.

The big picture: Musk's lawyers used cross-examination to attack Altman's credibility, citing testimony from former OpenAI figures including Mira Murati, Ilya Sutskever and Helen Toner, along with older criticism from his career as a tech executive and investor.

• "I believe I am an honest and trustworthy business person," Altman said.
• Musk's lawyers also highlighted OpenAI's dealings with companies in which Altman holds a financial stake, including payments giant Stripe, chip startup Cerebras and fusion energy company Helion, where Altman holds a significant stake and was, until recently, board chair.

Between the lines: Neither side has offered a clean, reassuring story about AI governance.

What we're watching: Closing arguments are expected Thursday.