Musk testimony dominated first week Musk v. Altman. 'You can't just steal a charity'
By Ashley Capoot
Published on May 2, 2026.
Elon Musk, the world's richest person, is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and CEO Greg Brockman, alleging that they violated their promise to keep OpenAI a nonprofit and follow its charitable mission. Musk, who helped start OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit, claims that $38 million he donated to the project was used for unauthorized commercial purposes. The case could have significant implications for OpenAI, now valued at over $850 billion by private investors. The trial began Monday with the seating of a nine-person jury and the main event was Musk's testimony, which dominated the first week. During cross-examination, Musk accused OpenAI lead counsel William Savitt of lying and asking misleading questions designed to trick him. Following the end of testimony, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's lawyers called for up to $134 billion in damages for any gains from OpenAI and its foundation, which is also named as a defendant, and are seeking to have Altman removed from their roles and restructuring for-profit conversion. SpaceX has filed confidentially with the SEC for an IPO, which could be the largest in history.
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