Today, one of the biggest tech showdowns of the year begins. It’s the day on which the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, and the world’s most influential AI leader, Sam Altman, are expected to appear in court to issue their opening statements in the OpenAI trial. Here’s what you need to know about the high-stakes case.
What is the OpenAI trial about?
The trial centers around the very public dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Musk is suing Altman and OpenAI for allegedly deviating from their commitment to keep the company a nonprofit institution, as it was when Musk first invested millions of dollars in the then-upstart between 2015 and 2017.
In 2018, Musk left the board of OpenAI. As Reuters reports, a year later, the company created a for-profit entity. Musk has alleged that this move went against the founding principles of the company that he invested in.
The Tesla CEO says that instead, Altman and others sought to turn OpenAI into a “wealth machine” to enrich themselves.
When does the trial start?
The trial officially started yesterday, when jurors were selected. But today is the day many consider the trial to really begin in earnest. That’s when both Elon Musk and Sam Altman are expected to make opening statements in the case.
The trial is being held in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland.
What is Elon Musk seeking?
Musk primarily wants three things.
