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Musk Lawyer: Altman Lied About OpenAI Stake
13 May
Summary
- Altman testified about Musk's "stack ranking" and chainsaw analogy.
- Musk lawyer questioned Altman's truthfulness on his OpenAI financial stake.
- Altman admitted indirect equity in OpenAI via YCombinator.
During the trial for Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI co-founders, CEO Sam Altman took the stand. Altman presented his account of OpenAI's early years, detailing Elon Musk's management style, which included "stack ranking" and demotivating researchers. Altman also recalled Musk expressing interest in OpenAI passing to his children and an unusual 2018 meeting where Musk showed him memes.
Altman's testimony then shifted to a critical point: his financial stake in OpenAI. Musk's attorney, Steven Molo, questioned Altman's truthfulness, particularly regarding his 2023 sworn testimony to the U.S. Senate where he stated he had no equity in OpenAI. Under cross-examination, Altman admitted for the first time that he holds an indirect equity stake in OpenAI through YCombinator, the incubator he formerly ran.
