OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified for approximately four hours in a federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The testimony formed part of a lawsuit initiated by Elon Musk, who claims that Altman, Greg Brockman, and OpenAI founders violated a commitment to maintain the organization as a nonprofit dedicated to charitable work. Altman denied making any such formal commitments regarding the company's corporate structure. The lawsuit names OpenAI, Altman, Brockman, and Microsoft as defendants, alleging that Musk’s $38 million donation before his 2018 departure was misused for commercial purposes.

During the proceedings, Altman addressed his 2023 removal by the board, describing the experience as being caught off guard and fearing the potential destruction of his life's work. Regarding Musk's history with the company, Altman characterized Musk’s management style as demotivating and noted that his departure provided a morale boost for researchers. Altman also confirmed that OpenAI rejected a merger proposal with Tesla, citing concerns that Tesla was primarily a car manufacturer and that Musk’s demand for a controlling interest—which he allegedly wanted to pass to his children—would jeopardize OpenAI’s core mission.

Under cross-examination, Altman defended his integrity after attorney Steven Molo questioned his trustworthiness based on feedback from former associates and board members. The testimony also shed light on OpenAI’s financial structure, with Altman revealing that Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank have each invested more capital than Microsoft. Specifically, he stated that SoftBank’s $30 billion investment was roughly 2.5 times the $13 billion contributed by Microsoft. In separate testimony, OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor confirmed the board’s unanimous rejection of Musk's attempt to acquire the company last year. Additionally, Zico Kolter, a member of the OpenAI Foundation board and chair of the Safety and Security Committee, testified regarding his role in requesting delays and further information for new model releases to ensure safety standards were met.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified for approximately four hours in a federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The testimony formed part of a lawsuit initiated by Elon Musk, who claims that Altman, Greg Brockman, and OpenAI founders violated a commitment to maintain the organization as a nonprofit dedicated to charitable work. Altman denied making any such formal commitments regarding the company's corporate structure. The lawsuit names OpenAI, Altman, Brockman, and Microsoft as defendants, alleging that Musk’s $38 million donation before his 2018 departure was misused for commercial purposes.

During the proceedings, Altman addressed his 2023 removal by the board, describing the experience as being caught off guard and fearing the potential destruction of his life's work. Regarding Musk's history with the company, Altman characterized Musk’s management style as demotivating and noted that his departure provided a morale boost for researchers. Altman also confirmed that OpenAI rejected a merger proposal with Tesla, citing concerns that Tesla was primarily a car manufacturer and that Musk’s demand for a controlling interest—which he allegedly wanted to pass to his children—would jeopardize OpenAI’s core mission.

Under cross-examination, Altman defended his integrity after attorney Steven Molo questioned his trustworthiness based on feedback from former associates and board members. The testimony also shed light on OpenAI’s financial structure, with Altman revealing that Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftBank have each invested more capital than Microsoft. Specifically, he stated that SoftBank’s $30 billion investment was roughly 2.5 times the $13 billion contributed by Microsoft. In separate testimony, OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor confirmed the board’s unanimous rejection of Musk's attempt to acquire the company last year. Additionally, Zico Kolter, a member of the OpenAI Foundation board and chair of the Safety and Security Committee, testified regarding his role in requesting delays and further information for new model releases to ensure safety standards were met.