San Francisco, UNITED STATES — The legal battle for the soul of Artificial Intelligence reached a fever pitch as Elon Musk testified in a trial against OpenAI, its CEO Sam Altman, and President Greg Brockman.
Musk, the world’s richest man, characterized the organization as his “brainchild” and accused the current leadership of “looting a charity” by transforming a non-profit foundation into a for-profit juggernaut valued at over $850 billion (approx. ₦1.16 quadrillion).
Musk is seeking $150 billion (approx. ₦204 trillion) in damages—to be funneled back into OpenAI’s charitable arm—and the removal of Altman and Brockman from their leadership roles.
Okay News reports that the trial focuses on whether OpenAI breached its “charitable trust” by accepting a $10 billion (approx. ₦13.6 trillion) investment from Microsoft in 2023, a move Musk’s legal team describes as greed-driven sabotage of the original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity.
In a counter-argument, William Savitt, representing OpenAI and Altman, told jurors that Musk is only suing because he failed to seize control of the company himself years ago. The defense added that Musk suggested making OpenAI a for-profit entity as early as 2018, provided he could lead it as CEO. When that bid failed, Musk exited the board and eventually launched xAI, which is now part of his SpaceX empire. Savitt characterized the lawsuit as a case of “Elon Musk not getting his way” rather than a genuine concern for charitable ethics.
The trial took a dramatic turn before the jurors were even seated, as US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers admonished Musk for his social media activity. The judge warned Musk against using X (formerly Twitter) to attack Altman as “Scam Altman” outside the courtroom, noting his “propensity to use social media to make things work” in his favor. Both Musk and Altman have since agreed to minimize their online commentary as the trial continues into Wednesday, where Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is also expected to testify.
As OpenAI explores a potential IPO that could value the firm at $1 trillion (approx. ₦1.36 quadrillion), the outcome of this case could fundamentally reshape the regulation of “public benefit corporations” in the United States.
