Elon Musk testified for three days as the first witness in his lawsuit against OpenAI, facing tough cross-examination that highlighted inconsistencies and concessions. The trial, ongoing in federal court, centers on Musk's claims that OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission. OpenAI lawyers portrayed Musk as jealous and dishonest, damaging his credibility before the jury.
Elon Musk spent three days on the stand in a four-week trial against OpenAI, alleging the company betrayed its nonprofit origins after he donated $38 million. Musk claimed OpenAI executives 'stole a charity' by shifting to a for-profit structure, aiming for an initial public offering in the last quarter of 2026. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers reprimanded Musk on Thursday for being sarcastic and evasive, as reported by The New York Times live feed. He repeatedly responded to questions by saying, 'You just can’t steal a charity.' OpenAI lawyer William Savitt confronted Musk with documents, emails, and posts contradicting his statements, securing concessions over Musk's lawyer's objections. Savitt highlighted Musk calling OpenAI’s safety team 'jackasses' and pressed him on not knowing what 'safety cards' are, despite xAI issuing them for Grok, according to The Washington Post and The Verge. Musk insisted, 'I don’t lose my temper' and 'I don’t yell at people,' before raising his voice at Savitt, yelling, 'I said I didn’t look closely! I read the headline!' Musk also seemed to admit under oath that xAI used OpenAI’s models for training, calling it standard practice among AI labs, as covered by WIRED. Savitt raised Musk's 2016 email warning that OpenAI's nonprofit setup might be 'the wrong move' due to rivals like DeepMind, and questioned his xAI safety record, including Grok generating child sex abuse materials. The judge allowed discussions of Musk's ties to Donald Trump and xAI's safety without the jury initially, overruling objections. Musk likened his desired control over OpenAI to parenting a smart child, instilling values like 'honesty, integrity, caring about humanity.' OpenAI argues Musk is motivated by jealousy as xAI lags behind. The trial continues, with the judge making the final call and the jury's input advisory.
