Elon Musk claims OpenAI was his idea before executives ‘looted’ it

Elon Musk has declared in federal court that OpenAI was his original idea before it was “looted” by executives chasing billions, launching what is shaping up to be one of Silicon Valley’s most consequential courtroom battles.

Taking the stand as the first witness in Oakland, Musk framed his blockbuster lawsuit against Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and investor Microsoft as far more than a personal feud, arguing that the case is about whether charitable institutions in America can be transformed into private wealth machines. 

“If we make it okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving in America will be destroyed,” Musk told jurors.

Musk insisted that he conceived the OpenAI project in 2015, coined its name, recruited key scientists, provided the initial funding and deliberately structured it as a nonprofit meant to develop artificial intelligence for humanity rather than individual enrichment.

“I came up with the idea, the name, recruited the key people, taught them everything I know, provided all of the initial funding,” Musk testified, describing the ChatGPT maker as his brainchild that was never intended to become a corporate profit engine.

His lawsuit seeks as much as $150 billion in damages and asks the court to force OpenAI back under nonprofit control while removing Altman and Brockman from leadership. 

At the center of Musk’s complaint is OpenAI’s 2019 creation of a for-profit arm and its later multibillion-dollar partnership with Microsoft, moves Musk says violated the founding promise made to him and the public.

But OpenAI’s legal team came out swinging, portraying Musk not as a betrayed philanthropist but as a failed power player who wanted control of the company and turned hostile only after being sidelined.

The three-week trial is expected to feature testimony from Altman, Brockman and Satya Nadella, while US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has already warned both Musk and Altman to keep their war off social media after Musk used X to repeatedly mock Altman as “Scam Altman.”