Elon Musk faced cross-examination on day three of his lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman. Musk accused an OpenAI lawyer of attempting to "trick" him during testimony, escalating the combative tone of the proceedings.
Musk filed the lawsuit claiming OpenAI abandoned its original nonprofit mission and transformed into a for-profit entity that prioritizes Microsoft's interests over humanity's. The case centers on whether OpenAI fulfilled its founding charter to develop artificial general intelligence for the public good.
The cross-examination tested Musk's claims and credibility. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before leaving the board in 2018, alleged the company deviated from its stated principles. OpenAI's legal team pressed him on the specifics of his complaints and the nature of his relationship with the organization.
The trial marks a high-profile clash between Musk and Altman, once allies in the AI startup world. Musk has invested in competing AI ventures, including his own xAI company, raising questions about potential competitive motives behind the lawsuit. OpenAI, now valued at $157 billion following a funding round, remains one of the most influential AI companies globally, developed the ChatGPT model that sparked widespread adoption of generative AI tools.