Elon Musk’s trial against Sam Altman reveals power struggle for OpenAI
Musk, one of the original co-founders of OpenAI, is seeking US$150 billion in damages from the company and Microsoft, one of its largest investors
“This is the only chance we have to get out from Elon,” wrote Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and a co-founder, in the autumn of 2017. “Is he the ‘glorious leader’ that I would pick?”
Brockman’s diary entry is part of the thousands of pages of internal documents revealed in court since Musk, one of the original co-founders of OpenAI, sued the company, its chief executive Altman and Brockman in 2024.
Musk is seeking US$150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, one of its largest investors, according to a person involved in the case, with proceeds going to OpenAI’s charitable arm.
Jury selection for the trial is planned for Monday in the Oakland, California, federal court, with opening statements expected on Tuesday. The documents offer a rare window into egos and personalities that have shaped OpenAI as it evolved from a non-profit research lab in Brockman’s flat to a tech giant worth more than US$850 billion.
They also shed light on how the CEOs with the most power to shape generative AI think about the technology. The trial risks complicating OpenAI’s plans for a potential initial public offering by casting doubt on its leadership. A drumbeat of unflattering disclosures could also intensify Americans’ growing pessimism about AI technology more broadly.