Gate News message, April 29 — Elon Musk took the stand Tuesday as the first witness in his lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the company’s conversion to a for-profit structure “stole a charity” and set “a precedent for looting charities across America if they succeed.” Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages and demanding the reversal of OpenAI’s for-profit transition. OpenAI is currently valued at approximately $730 billion.
During opening statements, Musk’s attorney Molo compared OpenAI to “a museum gift shop that robbed the museum and stole Picasso to profit from it.” OpenAI’s attorney Savitt countered with a “sour grapes” accusation, noting that Musk left in 2018 without objection to Microsoft’s $1 billion investment the following year, only to sue after ChatGPT’s explosive success. “My client had the courage to succeed without him, and Musk is unhappy,” Savitt said. The attorney then presented an email from Musk’s chief of staff from before his departure, proposing to give Musk’s for-profit entity 55% equity while allocating only 7.5% to Sam Altman.
Musk testified he was OpenAI’s driving force: “I came up with the name, hired key people, and raised funds.” He acknowledged participating in discussions about establishing a for-profit entity but insisted the bottom line was keeping the for-profit portion small, stating “the tail cannot wag the dog.” Musk claimed he left because other co-founders sought excessive equity in the for-profit structure, describing the process as “very annoying.” He also recounted OpenAI’s origins, explaining that Google co-founder Larry Page once called him a “species-ist” for favoring humanity over future digital life, which prompted Musk to create OpenAI to counterbalance Google.
Microsoft’s attorney Cohen argued that Musk continued donating during OpenAI’s for-profit setup and never objected, only filing suit after ChatGPT’s success. Cohen also revealed that Microsoft had no prior knowledge when the board fired Altman in 2023. Musk is scheduled to continue his testimony on Wednesday.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
Taylor Swift applies for audio and image trademarks to prevent the spread of AI impersonation content
According to a report by the BBC on April 28, American pop singer Taylor Swift has filed three trademark applications in the United States, covering sound audio clips and stage images. The purpose is to protect her voice and appearance from AI impersonation; trademark attorney Josh Gerben first disclosed the details of the above applications on his blog.
MarketWhisper19m ago
White House Drafts Guidance to Allow Anthropic Use, Waive Supply Chain Risk Determinations
Gate News message, April 29 — The White House is drafting executive guidance that would allow government agencies to waive supply chain risk determinations for Anthropic and introduce new AI models including Mythos, according to sources familiar with the matter. The proposed administrative measure c
GateNews40m ago
GPT-5.4 Pro Solves the 60-Year Erdős Conjecture #1196
According to reports from OpenAI and Scientific American, 23-year-old amateur Liam Price, with help from GPT-5.4 Pro, solved the Erdős#1196 original set problem that had gone unsolved for 60 years. It took about 80 minutes of reasoning, 30 minutes to organize the results into LaTeX, and submit them to erdosproblems.com for review. The key is linking integer structures with Markov processes; Tao and Lichtman have expressed approval. It is still in the community verification stage and has not yet been completed for peer review. The information is available in ABMedia and the OpenAI 4/28 Podcast.
ChainNewsAbmedia52m ago
Eli Lilly Partners with Profluent on $2.25B AI-Designed DNA-Editing Drug Deal
Gate News message, April 29 — US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly announced on April 28 it signed a deal worth up to $2.25 billion with AI biotech startup Profluent to develop DNA-editing medicines. Lilly will receive exclusive rights to any medicines resulting from the partnership.
The companies d
GateNews58m ago
Former PayPal CEO David Marcus launches a Bitcoin wallet that supports AI agents
According to a report by Bitcoin Magazine, Lightspark CEO and former PayPal president David Marcus launched a new type of Bitcoin wallet on April 28 that allows AI agents to buy Bitcoin and carry out fund sending and receiving operations. Marcus confirmed that Lightspark’s Grid Global Accounts have officially gone live.
MarketWhisper1h ago
Nvidia Supplier Victory Giant Posts 40% Profit Jump on Strong AI Server Demand
Gate News message, April 29 — Chinese printed circuit board supplier Victory Giant Technology reported a 40% year-on-year increase in net income to 1.3 billion yuan (US$190 million) in the first quarter, driven by surging demand for AI server components. Quarterly revenue rose 28% to 5.5 billion yua
GateNews1h ago
