Sam Altman · Microsoft · OpenAI · Elon Musk · xAI · California · BBC Technology
Elon Musk's central claim in this lawsuit is that Altman lied to him about his commitment to OpenAI's non-profit status
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But this trial has ended up being more than one famous man's word against another's.
Key facts
- Altman was, until recently, chairman of Helion's board and holds a stake worth more than $1.5bn — It is the legal showdown that has pitted two of the biggest names in tech, Elon Musk and Sam Altman, against each other
- In the weeks leading up to the trial, Altman had been the subject of a blistering New Yorker magazine profile by investigative reporter Ronan Farrow
- Zoning in on his career and moments such as his dramatic ousting from OpenAI in 2023, the story portrayed Altman as a pathological liar
Summary
It is the legal showdown that has pitted two of the biggest names in tech, Elon Musk and Sam Altman, against each other. At stake is the future of one of the world's most valuable start-ups, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, along with the reputations of Altman - the company's boss - and Musk, the man he founded it with. The central claim the jury has now retired to consider is Musk's argument his former friend "stole a charity", cheating him out of a fortune (albeit a tiny one, by Musk's standards) along the way - something Altman strongly rejects. Over the past three weeks, other reporters and the reporter has been glued to their seats at the federal court in California as the evidence ranged from explosive text messages to revelations of free Teslas allegedly offered in exchange for power.