Sam Altman Testifies That Elon Musk Did Not Own the Charity Musk Says Was Stolen

Samuel Altman testified under oath that Elon Musk did not legally own OpenAI's original nonprofit structure, despite Musk's public claims that it was stolen from him. The two men co-founded the organization years ago with stated intent to develop artificial intelligence safely for humanity's benefit. Court records now contain the actual bylaws. The bylaws were entered as evidence because ownership became contested.

Two individuals who built separate business empires now dispute control of the entity that was supposed to prevent exactly this kind of concentration of power. The mission statement, which mentioned humanity, was referenced repeatedly in testimony. No one laughed. This is the acceptable tone for discussing the stewardship of consequential technology. Both parties are widely considered visionaries. Both parties are now witnesses in a property dispute.

The nonprofit structure will be assigned to whoever the court determines has the legitimate claim. Humanity will continue in the meantime. The mission statement will remain in the courthouse filing system.