Elon Musk Testifies in OpenAI Lawsuit, Claims He Didn't Read For-Profit Conversion Terms in Detail
In the lawsuit filed by Elon Musk against OpenAI, Musk testified that he did not thoroughly read the terms for OpenAI's conversion to a for-profit company. He claims co-founder Sam Altman assured him that OpenAI would remain non-profit.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 15:55
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 16:01 (6 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 16:55 (53 min after Collected)
Central News Agency (Oakland, California, 30th, comprehensive foreign report) Global richest man Elon Musk testified today under tense cross-examination that while he was aware of early discussions about converting OpenAI into a for-profit company, co-founder Sam Altman assured him that OpenAI would remain non-profit.
Reuters reported that Musk sued OpenAI, accusing the company, co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, and President Greg Brockman of securing his $38 million donation and personal assistance by promising to build a non-profit organization that prioritized safe AI development, only to later transform into a for-profit entity for their own benefit.
William Savitt, the lawyer for OpenAI, Altman, and Brockman, questioned Musk on whether he had read a list of terms forwarded by Altman on August 31, 2017, regarding OpenAI's transition from a non-profit organization to a for-profit company supervised by a non-profit organization.
Musk, appearing in court in a dark suit, black tie, and white shirt, said: "My testimony is that I did not read the detailed terms, I only looked at the title."
The third day of the court hearing in California could determine the future of OpenAI. OpenAI has led the widespread adoption of AI with its chatbot ChatGPT and continues to raise billions of dollars from investors to strengthen its computing power, preparing for a potential multi-trillion dollar initial public offering (IPO). Musk seeks fundamental reforms to OpenAI's governance and is claiming $150 billion in damages.
OpenAI stated that Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, was driven by a desire for control over OpenAI and became dissatisfied with OpenAI's success after leaving the board in 2018. OpenAI also pointed out that while he was still with the company, Musk did not prioritize safety issues and also tried to foster his own AI company, xAI, part of SpaceX, but xAI's user base is far smaller than OpenAI's.
Musk was asked why he did not sue OpenAI earlier, and how and why he did not realize OpenAI would transition to a for-profit company. Savitt also pointed out that emails sent by other OpenAI founders to Musk showed that they had discussed at some point converting OpenAI's technology to closed source or profiting from it.
Musk responded by saying: "Altman and others assured me that OpenAI would remain non-profit." (Compiled by: Zhang Xiaowen) 1150501
Choose to stand with the facts. Every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
Reuters reported that Musk sued OpenAI, accusing the company, co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, and President Greg Brockman of securing his $38 million donation and personal assistance by promising to build a non-profit organization that prioritized safe AI development, only to later transform into a for-profit entity for their own benefit.
William Savitt, the lawyer for OpenAI, Altman, and Brockman, questioned Musk on whether he had read a list of terms forwarded by Altman on August 31, 2017, regarding OpenAI's transition from a non-profit organization to a for-profit company supervised by a non-profit organization.
Musk, appearing in court in a dark suit, black tie, and white shirt, said: "My testimony is that I did not read the detailed terms, I only looked at the title."
The third day of the court hearing in California could determine the future of OpenAI. OpenAI has led the widespread adoption of AI with its chatbot ChatGPT and continues to raise billions of dollars from investors to strengthen its computing power, preparing for a potential multi-trillion dollar initial public offering (IPO). Musk seeks fundamental reforms to OpenAI's governance and is claiming $150 billion in damages.
OpenAI stated that Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, was driven by a desire for control over OpenAI and became dissatisfied with OpenAI's success after leaving the board in 2018. OpenAI also pointed out that while he was still with the company, Musk did not prioritize safety issues and also tried to foster his own AI company, xAI, part of SpaceX, but xAI's user base is far smaller than OpenAI's.
Musk was asked why he did not sue OpenAI earlier, and how and why he did not realize OpenAI would transition to a for-profit company. Savitt also pointed out that emails sent by other OpenAI founders to Musk showed that they had discussed at some point converting OpenAI's technology to closed source or profiting from it.
Musk responded by saying: "Altman and others assured me that OpenAI would remain non-profit." (Compiled by: Zhang Xiaowen) 1150501
Choose to stand with the facts. Every sponsorship you provide is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.