OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in federal court Tuesday, revealing new details about Elon Musk's 2018 exit from OpenAI's core decision-making. The real trigger wasn't the publicly stated "philosophical differences" — it was Musk's intense desire for control.
Altman testified that Musk demanded OpenAI become a subsidiary of Tesla. When other founders asked what would happen if Musk, with total power, died, Musk replied, "Maybe it should pass to my children." Altman called the proposal "creepy." The founding team rejected it, citing a consensus that no single individual should control AGI.
After the rejection, Musk cut off his quarterly $5 million donations in early 2018, emailing that without him, OpenAI's odds of success were "0%, not 1%." Altman countered that Musk didn't know how to run a research lab and often pressured researchers by ranking them. Musk's departure, Altman said, actually "boosted OpenAI's morale."
Musk's lawsuit accuses OpenAI of stealing a charity, but Altman's testimony turns the tables: who was the one who walked away because they couldn't privatize and dynasticize AGI?