On Tuesday, Elon Musk testified in court that his lawsuit against OpenAI and its executives goes beyond corporate disputes, concerning the future of artificial intelligence technology capable of destroying all humanity. Musk accused OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman of deceiving him and abandoning OpenAI's original non-profit mission. The case stems from Musk's founding of OpenAI with Altman and others in 2015 as a non-profit organization aimed at 'benefiting all humanity with AGI.' In 2018, Musk exited the board due to control issues. In 2019, OpenAI established a for-profit subsidiary and introduced Microsoft as an investor. In 2025, it reorganized into a public benefit corporation to pave the way for an IPO. Musk filed the lawsuit in 2024, accusing OpenAI of becoming a 'money-grabbing machine' that strayed from its non-profit mission. He demanded the removal of Altman and others from their positions, restoration of its non-profit status, return of equity and financial gains, recovery of illicit profits, and reversal of the restructuring plan. If Musk wins, OpenAI's structure, funding path, and even its IPO plans may be forced to be rewritten, impacting tech giants like Microsoft and the AI industry chain valued at over RMB 5.7 trillion.
