Musk Attorney Questions OpenAI CEOs Trustworthiness

Elon Musk’s lawyer began his cross-examination of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in court on Tuesday with a brief statement: Musk’s lawyer asked if Altman was completely trustworthy.

Musk is suing OpenAI and its leaders over allegations that they breached their charitable trust when the company shifted from its nonprofit mission to include a profit-oriented structure.

Microsoft, an early investor in OpenAI, is named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit.

Musk’s lawyer grilled Altman about accusations of dishonesty from OpenAI’s board members, his investments, and his brief, tumultuous ousting as CEO in 2023.

OpenAI’s attorney suggested that Musk, who helped create and fund the company, angled early for total control of OpenAI as Altman pushed back to ensure the powerful tech was not dominated by just one person.

Allegations of Dishonesty

Musk’s attorney, Steven Molo, cited earlier testimony from OpenAI board members and former executives that Altman was dishonest and created a toxic culture of lying.

Altman called himself “an honest and trustworthy business person” but said he wasn’t aware of some specific accusations.

He also criticized how the board handled his removal and said there were “misunderstandings.”

Altman stated that he was not trying to deceive the board.

Board Members’ Testimony

OpenAI board members and executives testified about their qualms with Altman earlier in the trial, including what they described as his resistance to the board’s oversight and alleged dishonesty with senior leadership.

OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever, who played a major role in Altman’s displacement, testified on Monday that he spent months gathering evidence showing what he said was Altman’s pattern of deception and poor management.

Sutskever later voted to have Altman return, saying he regretted the decision.

Altman returned to his role just days after his removal and a new board was instated.

Altman described the 2023 events as an “incredible betrayal” that was “very public” and “very painful” in Tuesday’s testimony.

Control Over Artificial General Intelligence

Control over artificial general intelligence was an important factor in OpenAI’s founding, Altman said.

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The company was founded in part because Altman and the other cofounders believed one person should not be in charge of AGI if it were achieved, he said.

Musk wanted “total control” of any for-profit OpenAI entity to start, Altman testified, with a promise to reduce that control over time.

But Altman wasn’t convinced Musk would step back, citing his experience working with startups where leaders rarely give up power over a successful company, he said.

Altman believed Musk wanted to have long-term control and that he would have had that had they agreed to the structure he wanted.

OpenAI’s cofounders once asked Musk what would happen to the company on his death, and Musk responded that he hadn’t thought about it much and that he might pass it on to his children.

Musk’s reply was a “hair-raising moment” in the early days of OpenAI, Altman said.

Altman didn’t feel comfortable with that.

Musk’s Resignation

Musk eventually resigned because he lost confidence in OpenAI and didn’t think it would be successful, Altman suggested.

At one point, Musk wrote in an email that OpenAI wasn’t a “serious counterweight” to Google’s DeepMind AI research lab, according to evidence presented in court.

Before resigning from OpenAI’s board in 2018, Musk “demotivated” some key researchers by ranking their accomplishments, Altman testified, which damaged the company culture.

Musk’s resignation boosted morale, Altman added.

The trial is ongoing, with a ruling in Musk’s favor potentially scrambling OpenAI’s plans for an initial public offering later this year.

OpenAI has denied Musk’s claims, saying Musk wanted a for-profit structure and only brought the case after he failed to gain control of OpenAI.

They have claimed Musk, who started his own AI company after leaving OpenAI in 2018, is now attempting to harm a competitor.

The case has sparked interest in the tech industry, with many watching to see how it will affect the development of artificial general intelligence and the broader tech industry.