‘I came up with the idea’: Elon Musk in court, questions OpenAI’s shift under Sam Altman

The long-running tensions between Elon Musk and Sam Altman have now spilled into a US courtroom, with both sides offering different versions of how OpenAI began and what it was meant to become.

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During his appearance, Musk told the court that OpenAI was built with a clear purpose to develop artificial intelligence in a way that benefits society, not investors. He described himself as the person who set the project in motion and helped bring together the original team.

“I came up with the idea, the name, recruited the key people… provided all of the initial funding,” Musk said.

He stressed that the nonprofit structure was not an afterthought but a core principle. In his view, it was meant to keep powerful AI systems from being driven by profit motives. Musk warned that changing that approach could have wider consequences, especially when it comes to public trust in organisations that claim to work for the greater good.

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“If we make it OK to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving… will be destroyed,” he said.

Musk has asked the court to award $150 billion in damages and push OpenAI back to its original nonprofit model. He also wants Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman removed from their positions.

OpenAI’s legal team pushed back, saying Musk’s account leaves out key details. According to them, he had earlier supported the idea of introducing a for-profit structure and later fell out with the leadership over control.

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They argued that the shift was necessary to raise the huge amounts of money needed to build advanced AI systems and stay competitive. Partnerships with companies like Microsoft, they said, have been central to that effort.

The case comes at a time when OpenAI is also exploring a potential IPO, adding to the stakes. The court’s decision could influence not just the company’s future, but also how AI firms balance public interest with business realities.