Elon Musk gets testy on the stand: ‘I thought I had started a nonprofit with OpenAI but they stole it’
Elon Musk testified in a high-profile trial alleging OpenAI betrayed its original nonprofit mission, clashing with the company's attorney over the nature of its agreements and his claims that OpenAI effectively became a for-profit entity. The judge emphasized the trial is not about AI safety or existential risks, rejecting attempts to broaden the scope beyond contractual disputes. Musk argued that he believed he was co-founding a nonprofit and accused OpenAI of breaking its founding principles, while OpenAI's lawyers denied any such binding commitments were made.
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Elon Musk on Thursday sparred with an attorney for OpenAI during his third day of testimony in the contentious trial over the company’s pivot from nonprofit status to a for-profit venture valued at hundreds of billions of dollars.Recommended Video The trial centers on the 2015 birth of the ChatGPT maker as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk. It pits the world’s richest person against Sam Altman, a fellow OpenAI co-founder he accuses of betraying promises to keep the company as a nonprofit dedicated to humanity’s benefit. Tempers have flared on both sides of the high-stakes trial, as the morning began with an existential discussion about the future of humanity — complete with references to “The Terminator” movies — and how much witness testimony would focus on AI safety.
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