Sam Altman Reveals Elon Musk’s ‘Hair-Raising’ Plan to Give OpenAI to His Kids

Sam Altman took the stand Tuesday in the high-stakes Musk v. Altman trial, facing hours of pointed questions from Elon Musk’s legal team about his alleged pattern of deception. The OpenAI CEO worked to defend his reputation as the courtroom drama escalated.

For Musk, the cross-examination marked a crucial turning point. His case has struggled to gain traction so far, but Tuesday’s testimony offered a much-needed opportunity to land blows. The exchanges grew heated as Altman responded to accusations from former colleagues who painted him as untrustworthy.

This evidence matters not just for winning over a jury, but for swaying public opinion. Days before the trial opened, Musk texted OpenAI president Greg Brockman, warning that he and Altman would soon “be the most hated men in America.”

Musk’s lawsuit alleges that Altman effectively stole the OpenAI charity, diverting the $38 million Musk donated to the nonprofit and using it to build a for-profit business now valued at over $850 billion.

Yet Tuesday’s proceedings did little to fill the gaps in Musk’s legal argument. Both Altman and Sam Teller, Musk’s former chief of staff, testified that they had no recollection of Musk attaching any special conditions to his donations. What’s more, evidence suggests Musk may have filed his case too late. By the time he made his last donation and grew suspicious that OpenAI had violated its charitable trust, the statute of limitations had already expired.

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Brockman and his wife, Anna, sat in the gallery alongside OpenAI’s chief futurist, Joshua Achiam. While Altman and Brockman stayed to watch Musk testify, Musk did not return the favor. (Flight records indicate he was traveling to the Washington, DC, area Tuesday to fly to China with President Donald Trump.)

Before facing Musk’s lawyers, Altman told his own story under gentle questioning from OpenAI’s legal team. Wearing a purple tie, he described himself as an entrepreneur and investor who has long been fascinated by,and worried about,the power of artificial intelligence.

Altman testified that Musk has always been obsessed with controlling OpenAI. He recalled “a particularly hair-raising moment” when Musk suggested that control of the organization should pass to his children if he died. “We didn’t feel comfortable with that,” Altman said. He also described Musk’s 2018 attempt to start an AI unit within Tesla, and the offer for Altman to run it, as a “vague, lightweight threat” that Musk would crush OpenAI with or without him.

Bombarding Altman

Steven Molo, Musk’s lawyer, opened his cross-examination with a direct question: “Are you completely trustworthy?” Altman said he believed so. Molo then asked whether the jury should trust the testimony he had just given. Altman replied, “That’s up to them. I’m not going to tell the jury what to think.” The exchange grew heated, as WIRED captured:

Molo: Do you always tell the truth?

Altman: I’m sure there is some time in my life where I have not.

Molo: Do you tell lies to advance your business interests?

Altman: No.

Molo: Have you misled people with whom you do business?