The Musk v. Altman trial in Oakland is entering its second week — and the testimony is getting more explosive by the day. After Musk’s own questioning in Week 1, two key witnesses took center stage this week: former CTO Mira Murati and Shivon Zilis, an OpenAI board member and mother of Musk’s children.
Murati’s Video Testimony: ‘Catastrophic Risk’
Murati’s recorded testimony was played in court — and she didn’t hold back. Altman had ‘sowed chaos’ and was at times ‘deceptive’ with her and other executives. Her main accusation: Altman would say one thing to one person and the complete opposite to another.
Murati went further: Altman deliberately pitted executives against one another and undermined her role as technology chief. This put OpenAI at ‘catastrophic risk’ of falling apart entirely.
The twist: despite all this, Murati testified she had wanted Altman to remain CEO and had pressed the board for better justification before the brief November 2023 ouster.
Zilis Reveals Musk’s Poaching Attempts
Shivon Zilis, who sat on both the OpenAI board and has a close personal relationship with Musk, provided further revelations. Text messages and emails presented as evidence showed that Musk was actively trying to poach top talent from OpenAI — while he was still on the organization’s board.
This contradicts Musk’s earlier characterization of his role at OpenAI. Zilis also revealed that Musk had offered Altman a Tesla board seat to fold OpenAI into Tesla. And when OpenAI considered a for-profit structure, Musk stopped his regular donations.
What’s at Stake
Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft. His lawsuit argues that OpenAI improperly transitioned from a nonprofit to a for-profit organization, abandoning its original mission.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers expects the liability phase to wrap up by May 21. The jury’s role is advisory — the judge will make the final decision.
My Take
This trial is a window into the chaotic early history of the AI industry. Neither side comes out looking great: Altman as someone who eroded trust, Musk as someone who undermined the organization while officially sitting on its board. What remains is a picture of an industry that grew so fast, the human relationships couldn’t keep up.