tech
May 17, 2026
Why trust is a big question at the Elon Musk-OpenAI trial
A big theme in the trial’s final days was whether OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is trustworthy.
TL;DR
- The Elon Musk-OpenAI trial's closing arguments center on the trustworthiness of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
- Musk's attorney questioned Altman's past statements to Congress about his equity in OpenAI.
- Altman explained his past behavior as conflict-averse and acknowledged trying to improve.
- The issue of trust extends beyond Altman to all AI labs due to their private nature and lack of transparency.
- Both Altman and Elon Musk have faced scrutiny for past untruthful statements, but handled it differently in court.