Musk-Altman Trial Spotlights OpenAI Power Struggle

A deposition transcript from the Musk v. Altman case reveals that Ilya Sutskever circulated a 52-page memo to OpenAI’s independent directors shortly before Sam Altman’s November 2023 ouster, accusing Altman of deception and urging termination. Sutskever sent the memo via disappearing email and relied largely on secondhand claims from Mira Murati about Altman and Greg Brockman, which he did not independently verify. He admitted the board’s decision process was “rushed,” attributing it to the independent directors’ inexperience and uneven engagement with operations. Sutskever also said follow-ups he recommended — including interviews with specific employees — were not pursued. The deposition sheds light on internal governance failures and decision-making that nearly derailed a leading AI company.

A deposition transcript in Musk v. Altman reveals that Ilya Sutskever sent a secret 52-page memo to OpenAI’s independent directors alleging Sam Altman’s misconduct and recommending termination, using a disappearing email out of fear of leaks. Sutskever admitted much of the memo relied on secondhand claims from Mira Murati and that he did not verify allegations about Altman and Greg Brockman. He called the board’s decision process to remove Altman and Brockman “rushed,” attributing it to board inexperience and limited familiarity with OpenAI operations. The memo’s suggested follow-ups were largely not pursued, and Sutskever conceded hindsight about the risks of unverified information.