Elon Musk said he co-founded OpenAI to counter Google and promote safe, open-source AI|Daniel Oberhaus|CC BY 2.0
The high-profile legal battle between Elon Musk and Sam Altman continued for a second day in a federal court in Oakland, with Musk taking the stand as the first witness.
Musk had sued OpenAI, its CEO, Altman, and president, Greg Brockman, in 2024, alleging they had moved away from the company’s original nonprofit mission.
During his testimony, Musk said he co-founded OpenAI to counter Google and promote safe, open-source AI. He left the company’s board in 2018.
Musk accused the company of stealing from the public.
He also said his roughly $38 million contribution was redirected toward commercial goals. He clarified that he supports a capped-profit structure but warned that it should not dominate the nonprofit's vision.
He is seeking $150 billion in damages and wants the company restored to nonprofit control. OpenAI dismissed Musk’s claims as baseless, while lawyers from both sides presented opening arguments.