Sam Altman Denies "Stole a Charity" in Musk Lawsuit

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against him and OpenAI. Altman denied accusations that he "stole a charity" by converting OpenAI from a nonprofit to a profit-driven entity. Musk alleges that Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman "looted" OpenAI's nonprofit structure. He claims they undermined its original mission by partnering with Microsoft, allowing private investors to profit. Musk contributed approximately $38 million to OpenAI before stopping donations in 2017. Altman stated that OpenAI remains a large charity. He framed the organization's evolution as a necessary adaptation to compete in a field requiring billions in compute infrastructure. He also testified that Musk himself sought tighter control over OpenAI early on, including proposals to merge it with Tesla. This trial highlights how hybrid nonprofit and for-profit structures are holding up in the tech industry.