OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took the witness stand to testify in federal court in Oakland, California, on Tuesday as part of the trial in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the artificial intelligence company.
Bret Taylor, the chairman of the board at OpenAI, concluded his testimony before Altman was called.
Taylor was called as a witness on Monday afternoon, where he answered questions about the role of OpenAI’s board and the company’s corporate structure. He will re-take the stand at 8:30 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
Musk sued OpenAI, Altman, and the company’s president, Greg Brockman, in 2024, alleging they went back on their vow to keep the company a nonprofit and to follow its charitable mission. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI alongside Altman and Brockman in 2015, claims the roughly $38 million he donated to the company was used for unauthorized commercial purposes.
Altman’s testimony is a highly anticipated moment in the trial, which kicked off late last month. Musk, who took the stand during the first week of proceedings, repeatedly accused Altman and Brockman of trying to enrich themselves and “steal a charity.”
CNBC’s reporters covered the trial from the federal courthouse in Oakland, California, as well as from CNBC’s bureaus in San Francisco and Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
