#sam altman

Elon Musk and Sam Altman battle it out in court, and the outcome could carry significant ramifications for how AI development is shaped.

In the second week of the landmark trial between Elon Musk and OpenAI, Musk’s motivations for bringing the suit were under scrutiny. Last week, Musk took the stand, alleging that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman had deceived him into donating $38 million to the company. He claimed that they’d promised to maintain…

In a week thats’s seen renewed hope for ending the war in Iran, ten weeks since it started, with four weeks of stalemate, a ceasefire and skirmishes over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Intermittent peace talks have boiled down to a fourteen-point, one-page “memorandum of understanding”, crafted by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which has been sent to Pakistani mediators and is being reviewed by Iran.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott. | Image: Getty Images When OpenAI was busy experimenting with AI-powered gaming bots, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman were in the early days of forming an AI partnership. Court documents from the ongoing Musk v. Altman trial have provided a rare look at the communications between Microsoft's top executives about investing in OpenAI and fears the AI startup could "storm off to Amazon" and "shit-talk" Microsoft. Just days after OpenAI showed a bot beating a Dota 2 professional in the summer of 2017, Altman responded to Nadella's congratulations email with a proposal for a much bigger partnership with OpenAI to fund its next phase of AI resear … Read the full story at The Verge.

Sometimes, companies pick CEOs based on carefully laid succession plans designed to maximize investor confidence and future performance. Other times, apparently, companies pick CEOs based on a bunch of video calls while the current CEO is texting the former CEO about who the new CEO even is. Such was the story of The Blip, the days in 2024 when Sam Altman was ousted from OpenAI. We knew that situation was chaotic; the ongoing Musk v. Altman trial is showing just how chaotic it really was. Verge subscribers, don't forget you get exclusive access to ad-free Vergecast wherever you get your podcasts. Head here. Not a subscriber? You can sign … Read the full story at The Verge.

Leaders at the tech giant were skeptical of OpenAI—but wary of pushing it into the arms of Amazon, according to emails dating back to 2018.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving 2023 was the AI industry's biggest soap opera moment. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was abruptly ousted from his role at the ChatGPT-maker. The explanation? That Altman was "not consistently candid in his communications with the board." Now, via witness testimony and trial exhibits in Musk v. Altman, the public is getting a concrete look behind the scenes of that dramatic weekend for the first time, much of it centered on former CTO Mira Murati. It was a unique situation in that the rollercoaster of a power play - which seemed to change every hour - took place, in many ways, publicly. The board's strikingly vague … Read the full story at The Verge.

Can Sam Altman—or any CEO—be trusted with super intelligence?

In the second week of the trial pitting Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, former board member Shivon Zilis took the stand before judge and jury. Zilis is romantically involved with Musk as he is the father of her four children. In this edition, we look back at what pushed the tech magnate to file this lawsuit to begin with and put in context Zilis's testimony that Musk wanted OpenAI to be a subsidiary of Tesla. Also in this segment: FIFA boss Gianni Infantino defends the 2026 World Cup's high ticket prices.

I sat down in the Musk v. Altman trial courtroom today, painfully aware that no one was going to ask Shivon Zilis the question on everyone's minds: Girl, what the fuck are you doing? Zilis, who testified under oath that she is the mother of four of Musk's children, was… what's the best way to characterize this? A Musk advisor? She denies she was a "chief of staff" but says she worked for Musk's "entire AI portfolio: Tesla, Neuralink, and OpenAI" starting in 2017. The two met through OpenAI, and they had what she referred to as a "one off" before becoming "friends and colleagues." The "one off," she confirmed, was "romantic in nature." Her … Read the full story at The Verge.

Messages between Shivon Zilis and Tesla executives reveal plans in 2017 to start a rival AI lab, potentially led by Altman or Demis Hassabis.

Testimony from billionaire’s confidante Shivon Zilis reveals wrangling over the future of the AI lab that led to lawsuit

Barry Diller defended OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, while warning that AGI remains an unpredictable force needing guardrails.

Mira Murati, OpenAI's former CTO, has testified under oath that CEO Sam Altman lied to her about the safety standards for a new AI model. In a video deposition shown during the ongoing Musk v. Altman trial on Wednesday, Murati said Altman falsely stated that OpenAI's legal department determined a new AI model did not need to go through the company's deployment safety board. "As you understand it, was Mr. Altman telling the truth when he made that statement to you?" Murati was asked in the deposition. "No," Murati said. Murat said that during her tenure at OpenAI, Altman made her work more difficult. Her criticism "is completely management r … Read the full story at The Verge.

Greg Brockman, OpenAI's president and CEO Sam Altman's top lieutenant, disclosed in court Monday that his stake in the artificial intelligence company is worth nearly $30 billion.

Greg Brockman has faced questions about his emails, texts and writings in his personal diary in second week of the trial As Elon Musk’s case against OpenAI entered its second week, focus shifted to the company’s president, Greg Brockman. Over the course of several hours on Monday and Tuesday, Brockman faced questions about his emails, texts and one piece of evidence that has become central to the trial: his personal diary. Musk’s lawsuit revolves around his allegation that Brockman, OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman violated the founding agreement of the artificial intelligence firm by turning it into a for-profit entity. Musk argues that Altman and Brockman also unjustly enriched themselves in the process, essentially taking Musk’s money while deceiving him about their true intent for the business. He is seeking Altman and Brockman’s removal, the undoing of the for-profit restructuring and $134bn, which Musk wants distributed to OpenAI’s non-profit. Continue reading...

Text exchange revealed in court filings came after world’s richest man tried to start last-minute settlement talks

Musk texted OpenAI's president and co-founder saying that he and CEO Sam Altman "will be the most hated men in America."

This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Two of the most powerful people in AI—Sam Altman and Elon Musk—began their face-off in court in Oakland, California, last week. Musk is suing OpenAI, alleging that the millions he spent to…

It's being called the most consequential courtroom drama Silicon Valley has ever produced. Elon Musk, the world's richest man, is squaring off against Sam Altman, the man who put artificial intelligence in everyone's pocket, in a federal courthouse in Oakland, California.