Musk v. Altman: AI Control, Credibility, & Billions at Stake

In the final week of the Musk v. Altman trial, lawyers traded blows over the credibility of Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Altman was questioned about alleged lying and self-dealing with companies doing business with OpenAI. He responded by portraying Musk as someone seeking power to control artificial general intelligence, or AGI. OpenAI presented a trophy of a donkey's ass as evidence of their commitment to AI safety. This was given to an employee called a "jackass" for opposing Musk's plans to rush AGI development. Musk's lawyer argued Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman broke a promise to keep OpenAI a nonprofit. They claim the two created a for-profit subsidiary that made them wealthy. OpenAI's lawyer countered that Altman and Brockman never promised to stay a nonprofit and that OpenAI remains dedicated to safe AI development. She also suggested Musk sued too late and aims to sabotage a competitor to his own AI company, xAI. Musk is asking the court to reverse a 2025 restructuring, remove Altman and Brockman, and seeks up to $134 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft for OpenAI's nonprofit. The jury will begin deliberations soon and deliver an advisory verdict. This verdict is not binding on the judge, who will ultimately decide the case. This legal battle could significantly impact the future of major AI companies.