Chat GPT boss in court: Musk tried to kill OpenAI, twice

Altman’s testimony seemed credible, unlike some other witnesses, at least according to The Verge. For example, Elon Musk claimed that he does not lose lives, only to lose them during interrogation, while the statements of Shivon Zilis, the mother of his children, appeared to be in direct contradiction to her text messages. Although Altman’s reputation was under attack, his version of the story is mostly supported by documents from the time.

The struggle for control

The conflict escalated when, after the victory of OpenAI’s system in the Dota 2 game, there was talk of establishing a for-profit branch. “Mr. Musk strongly believed that if we were going to start a for-profit company, he had to have full control of it at the beginning,” Altman testified. According to Altman, Musk believed that only he could make the right decisions.

This was unacceptable to Altman, because OpenAI was founded precisely with the idea that no one would independently control general artificial intelligence (AGI). His concern was confirmed by the response he received when he asked Musk about plans to inherit control at OpenAI, which he described as a “hair-raising” response. Musk reportedly said, “I haven’t thought about it too much, but maybe control should pass to my kids.”

Threats and Musk’s departure

The pressure continued when Musk tried to recruit Altman and key researchers at Tesla. Altman saw it as a “mild threat” that Musk would implement his AI plan “with or without us”. Later, messages from Musk’s chief of staff were shown in court saying: “I don’t like OpenAI continuing without Elon. I’d rather disable it by recruiting a leader.”

After Musk failed to take control, he cut off funding, putting OpenAI on an “extremely short window to bankruptcy.” His departure from the board, Altman said, did “tremendous damage to the culture of the organization,” though some were relieved.

Purpose of trial: Punishment, not victory

During cross-examination, Musk’s lawyer spent more than ten minutes listing everyone who publicly called Altman a liar. However, his arguments were often unconvincing. It seems that the goal of this trial was not even a legal victory, but punishing Altman and OpenAI by destroying their reputations.

In this, Musk has largely succeeded. He established in the public the image of Altman as an unreliable person, what is more it has real consequences. The Wall Street Journal reported that, citing the impeachment, various Republican attorneys general have called for an investigation into Altman’s investments. Although Altman may have won in court, it seems that Musk’s revenge campaign has only just begun.