tech
May 16, 2026
Musk v. Altman week 3: Musk and Altman traded blows over each other's credibility. Now the jury will pick a side.
The trial spilled plenty of dirt—and raised more questions than answers about how the AI giant should be governed.
TL;DR
- The Musk v. Altman trial concluded its final week with both sides presenting closing arguments and questioning each other's credibility.
- Musk's lawyers accuse Altman and Brockman of breaking promises to keep OpenAI a nonprofit and enriching themselves through a for-profit subsidiary.
- OpenAI's lawyers argue that no promises were made to keep the company nonprofit and that Musk's lawsuit is motivated by a desire to sabotage his competitor, xAI.
- Musk seeks to unwind OpenAI's restructuring and claims damages of up to $134 billion.
- The jury will deliver an advisory verdict, but the judge will make the final binding decision.
- The trial's outcome could significantly affect OpenAI's IPO plans and valuation.
- Allegations of lying and conflicts of interest were central to the arguments against Sam Altman.
- The safety of AI development was a recurring theme, with both ChatGPT and Grok's safety records being debated.
- A symbolic trophy related to AI safety was presented to the judge.