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Recent courtroom battles between Sam Altman and Elon Musk expose deep tensions over OpenAI’s governance, commercialization and control. Altman testified that Musk once sought majority ownership or even to pass OpenAI to his children, painting Musk as focused on control while defending OpenAI’s shift toward a for‑profit arm as necessary to fund safe AI. Musk’s lawsuit accuses Altman and others of betraying a nonprofit mission and cites bylaws changes that raised the bar for removing Altman as CEO. The dispute highlights broader issues around AI leadership, board structures, donor intent and investor confidence ahead of potential IPO and increased regulatory scrutiny.
Changes to OpenAI's governance affect executive accountability and control over a leading AI developer, which has implications for product direction, risk management, and investor or partner relations. Tech leaders need to monitor how governance shifts can lock in leadership and influence strategic decisions.
Dossier last updated: 2026-05-13 00:29:37
萨姆·阿尔特曼称，在这次高风险的庭审中，埃隆·马斯克曾要求获得OpenAI 90%的股权 - Al Jazeera
Sam Altman testified in court defending OpenAI against a lawsuit from co‑founder Elon Musk, revealing that Musk once proposed his children inherit control of an OpenAI for‑profit entity. Altman said Musk’s suggestion and desire to control the early commercial arm worried founders who aimed to prevent advanced AI from concentrating in one person’s hands. Altman also accused Musk of management approaches harmful to research culture, including ranking researchers and proposing mass cuts. The testimony defends decisions by Altman, Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever to commercialize models and rebuts claims that those moves hollowed out OpenAI’s nonprofit mission. The dispute traces to Musk’s 2018 exit and subsequent competing AI efforts (Tesla, xAI).
萨姆·阿尔特曼在法庭上与埃隆·马斯克对峙，为OpenAI辩护 - The Guardian
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, denied Elon Musk’s accusation in court that OpenAI and Microsoft attempted to “steal a charity,” testifying that converting OpenAI’s structure was necessary to raise funds to build safe, powerful AI. The testimony, part of Musk’s 2024 lawsuit alleging Altman, OpenAI executives and Microsoft betrayed OpenAI’s nonprofit mission, focused on trust, control and financial motives. Altman countered Musk’s portrayal of himself as a guardian of OpenAI’s original safety mission and accused Musk of seeking profit and control — including an alleged push for a controlling stake or Tesla merger and a plan to pass control to his children. Closing arguments are expected Thursday.
Sam Altman testified in the Musk v. Altman trial, describing Elon Musk as obsessed with controlling OpenAI and recounting a “hair-raising” moment when Musk proposed passing control of OpenAI to his children. Musk’s suit alleges Altman stole a nonprofit and converted Musk’s $38 million donation into a for-profit company now worth hundreds of billions, but Altman and others testified they recall no donation conditions and suggested the claim may be time-barred by the statute of limitations. Musk’s lawyers aggressively challenged Altman’s credibility, questioning his truthfulness and financial dealings, while Altman framed himself as a worried entrepreneur focused on AI safety. The testimony matters for corporate control of AI and public perceptions of major AI founders.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman denied Elon Musk’s allegation that Altman betrayed OpenAI’s public-benefit mission, saying Musk actually supported plans to create for-profit operations and was the one who sought control for profit. The dispute stems from a 2024 lawsuit in which Musk claims he was induced to donate $38 million to a nonprofit OpenAI that later converted toward commercial activities. The courtroom battle, now in its third week, could shape OpenAI’s governance and leadership just as the company prepares for a potential IPO that some value near $1 trillion. The outcome matters for investor confidence, regulatory scrutiny, and governance norms for major AI labs.
OpenAI诉讼案实时更新：萨姆·阿尔特曼出庭为自己辩护，对抗埃隆·马斯克 - The New York Times
Most newsworthy: court filings in Elon Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI claim the company quietly amended its bylaws last year to make removing CEO Sam Altman harder. According to expert testimony cited by Musk’s lawyers, OpenAI’s 2025 governance changes tied to its for‑profit conversion raised the threshold: dismissing Altman now requires a two‑thirds absolute majority of the public benefit company’s non‑employee directors rather than a simple majority. Under the new rules Altman needs the support of roughly one additional director to remain CEO, and with eight board members (seven voting) four votes to remove him would fall short. The filing cites analysis by Columbia law professor David Schizer; OpenAI hasn’t commented.