OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reveals Elon Musk's 2018 departure details in court

According to testimony from Beating Monitor, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made his first court appearance on Tuesday, revealing previously hidden details about Elon Musk’s exit from OpenAI’s core decision-making circle in 2018: far beyond the publicly cited “ideological differences,” Musk’s intense desire for control was the true catalyst. Altman testified that Musk had demanded that OpenAI be turned into a subsidiary of Tesla. When other founders questioned, “What happens to the company after you die if you hold all the power?” Musk replied: “Maybe it should go to my children.” Altman described this proposal as “creepy.” Citing a shared consensus that “no single individual should control AGI,” the founding team rejected Musk’s takeover plan. After being rebuffed, Musk cut off his quarterly $5 million donations in early 2018 and wrote in an email that without him, OpenAI’s chance of success was “not 1%, but 0%.” Altman countered that Musk did not understand how to manage a research lab and relied on pressure tactics such as ranking researchers; his eventual departure, Altman said, significantly “boosted OpenAI’s morale.” Musk attempted to use this lawsuit to accuse OpenAI of stealing a charitable organization—but Altman’s testimony turned the tables: Who was it, exactly, who walked away because he failed to privatize and familialize AGI?