He needed to have total control over it Altman testifies Musk never trusted shared leadership during OpenAI trial

Date:
Wed, 13 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
Sam Altmans testimony in the high-stakes OpenAI lawsuit paints Elon Musk as focused on personal control.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Sam Altman testified in the ongoing OpenAI trial He claimed Elon Musk wanted total control over the company during its early years Altman alleged that Musk suggested he would pass OpenAI to his children Sam Altman's time on the witness stand during
Elon Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI was no less heated than Musk's own
Terminator- infused claims , if less cinematic in references. He described Musk to the jurors in Oakland, California, as a man unwilling to build OpenAI unless he could ultimately dominate it .

The OpenAI CEO alleged Musk pushed aggressively for control during the companys early years and resisted structures that distributed authority among multiple leaders. According to Altman, Musk believed only he could be trusted to make the difficult long-term decisions surrounding artificial
intelligence. Musk "felt very strongly that if we were going to form a for-profit he needed to have total control over it initially, Altman said. He only trusted himself to make non-obvious decisions that were going to turn
out to be correct. Latest Videos From You may like Elon Musk's courtroom
clash with Sam Altman turns personal Musk vs Altman trial could change AI for everyone Musk invokes Terminator fears in OpenAI trial

The testimony landed as one of the most dramatic moments yet in the closely watched Musk v. Altman trial, which has evolved into a sprawling public argument over money, power, ego, and who gets to shape the future of AI.

According to Altman, somebody asked Musk what would happen to that control after his death. Musk replied that, I havent thought about it a ton, but
maybe control should pass to my children.

For a company originally founded around the idea that advanced AI should benefit humanity broadly, the exchange sounded downright feudal. AI power struggle The courtroom battle technically centers on Musks claim that OpenAI betrayed its original nonprofit mission through its commercial partnership with Microsoft . Musk argues the company evolved from a public interest research lab into a profit-driven AI giant focused on commercial dominance rather than openness. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from
us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

But the testimony unfolding in court increasingly suggests the deeper
conflict began years earlier and had less to do with nonprofit structures
than with fundamentally different ideas about control.

Altmans version of events portrays Musk as somebody who viewed concentrated authority as necessary for building artificial general intelligence safely
and effectively. Altman pushed the opposite philosophy. He testified that one of OpenAIs founding principles was that no single individual should possess unchecked control over AGI systems, regardless of intent.

That distinction now feels central to the entire modern AI industry. Power increasingly centers around a handful of executives and companies, regardless of Altman's goals. OpenAI itself became one of the most valuable and influential AI firms on Earth, partly because of enormous outside investment and increasingly closed commercial products. Musk left OpenAI in 2018 before later launching xAI. What to read next Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off over AIs real danger 'It's not okay to steal a charity': Elon Musk rails against OpenAI in court Want the latest AI news? Here are the biggest stories from
the past week

The irony of a trial between these two, who once publicly framed OpenAI as a safeguard against concentrated AI power, is palpable. Altman described Musk
as deeply skeptical of governance structures that diluted his authority. He testified that he had seen enough startup control disputes over the years to doubt Musk would willingly surrender power later, once a company succeeded.
AI control The business dispute is being couched in philosophical terms for a reason. The jurors are hearing a debate between competing visions of how the AI industry should operate as much as one over contract violations.

Musks legal team argues OpenAI abandoned transparency and public benefit in pursuit of enormous commercial success. Altmans testimony suggests Musk
wanted personal authority from the beginning and became frustrated when he could not secure it.

As petty as some of it feels, the stakes of the trial are high. Musks lawsuit threatens billions in potential damages and could reshape OpenAIs corporate future if successful. But the testimony already reveals that all the high-minded arguments over advanced technology can often be a fight over who gets to control it. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. The best business laptops for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best business laptops 1. Best overall: Dell Precision 5690 2. Best on a budget: Acer Aspire 5 3. Best MacBook: Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4)



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/he-needed-to-have-total-cont rol-over-it-altman-testifies-musk-never-trusted-shared-leadership-during-opena i-trial


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)