Elon Musk and Sam Altman took a stand against each other, just a few meters away, for the opening today, in Oakland, California, of the trial that will consider the boss of SpaceX's claim for compensation... $150 billion.
He claims that the head of OpenAI—and once his partner— turned artificial intelligence startup into a speculative organization, changing its original purpose.
At the beginning of the trial, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers criticised the world's richest man, Musk, and the leader of OpenAI on the other hand for recent hybrid exchange in X. After making them promise to stop commenting on the trial on social media platforms, the federal judge gave the floor to Musk's lawyer, for his introductory address.
«We are here today because the defendants They stole a charity and we're asking you to find them guilty.»Stephen Molo argued. Musk «is a legend, whether you like it or not.»He added, addressing the nine jury.
According to Molo, Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman betrayed Musk and the public for abandoning the company's original mission and turning it from non-profit to speculative colossus.
OpenAI and Microsoft lawyers will take the floor next.
Musk asks for compensation of $150 billion by OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, and promises that the money will be given to the charity department of the first. She also wants to force OpenAI to return to her non-profit character and get away from her administration Altman and Brockman. He still accuses the company of violating charity and unjust enrichment.
Musk and Altman established OpenAI in 2015, in order to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and prevent potential opponents, such as Google. Molo claimed that «Elon was worried.» As technology progressed and worked with Altman «to develop TN safely», since a meeting he had in 2015 with then US President Barack Obama gave no answers to the risks that could be caused by TN.
«It wasn't a rich vehicle.», argued the lawyer.
Musk then recruited top TN experts, such as Ilia Schutskever and used his relationships to achieve a partnership with Microsoft. «He developed a strategy. He taught them everything he knows about how to build a business. Without Elon Musk there would be no OpenAI», told the lawyer.
Musk, the founder of the companies Tesla and SpaceX, says he invested about $38 million in OpenAI for its original mission, but in March 2019 the company established a commercial subsidiary – about a year after he had left its board.
OpenAI for her part replies that Musk knew and supported this change and He sued the company only after not being given the position of president-director, while starting his own company AI to halt its development.
Molo said that a non-profit company can establish a speculative entity, since they share the same mission, bringing as an example a museum within which a gift shop operates. «The store cannot plunder the museum and sell Picasso paintings», comment.
Musk, Altman, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are among the witnesses expected to testify in the trial.
OpenAI responds that Musk was motivated by his jealousy, after a non-profit research lab launched based in Brockman's apartment evolved in a company whose value exceeds $850 billion. He also says that Musk is trying to undermine its development for the benefit of his own AI, which he founded in 2023, after OpenAI threw ChatGPT into the market. Musk participated in the discussions on the creation of this new OpenAI entity and had asked to take charge of it. He even knew from 2017 that was inevitable «trade turn» Company in order to collect the colossal amounts required for the development of the TN and the rupture between them was caused solely because he required absolute control.
Microsoft lawyers on their part appreciate that Musk «His hands are dirty.» because he suggested turning OpenAI into «a utility company», that is a speculative character, and he tried to link it to his own speculative company, Tesla.
The role of the jury in this case is exclusively advisory. The judge will then decide for itself what the legal consequences will be, in the second phase of the trial expected to begin on May 18. If it considers that OpenAI should return to its non-profit character, this would prevent its entry into the Stock Exchange.
