OAKLAND, California – Elon Musk took the stand on April 28 as the first witness in a blockbuster trial against OpenAI, accusing the ChatGPT maker of abandoning its founding nonprofit mission and “looting a charity” .
“If a verdict comes up that effectively makes it okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving in America will be destroyed – that’s my concern,” Musk testified . The billionaire, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, said he invested at least $38 million with the understanding that the organization would develop artificial intelligence “for the benefit of humanity” with open-source technology .
Musk’s lawsuit alleges that CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman betrayed that promise by steering OpenAI into a profit-driven juggernaut, culminating in a 2019 commercial subsidiary and billions from Microsoft . He is seeking up to $150 billion in damages, with any award directed to OpenAI’s charitable arm. He also demands OpenAI revert to a nonprofit and Altman’s removal .
OpenAI’s lead attorney William Savitt offered a sharp rebuttal, arguing the company had no choice but to seek outside investors given AI’s soaring costs . He accused Musk of launching a rival AI firm, xAI, and then filing suit because he “didn’t get his way” .
“What he cares about is Elon Musk being on top,” Savitt said .
Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers urged both sides to limit social media commentary. The trial is expected to last four weeks, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also scheduled to testify .
