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Elon Musk \u201cspeaks\u201d publicly a lot (the guy is *always* tweeting), but rarely does he do it when he\u2019s not in control of the message. On X, he can manipulate the algorithm to boost himself and friendly replies. On the rare occasion that he sits down for media appearances anymore, it\u2019s usually a controlled environment with a friendly interviewer. When the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX took the witness stand for his trial against Sam Altman and OpenAI, he very quickly found himself in unfamiliar territory.<\/p>\n
It made for quite the show, per the reporters who were there and watched Musk get testy with opposing counsel on cross-examination. But it also produced quite a few notable bits of information\u2014juicy history between Musk and other big tech execs in the Valley, new details about his home life and romantic entanglements, and details about his businesses that paint a different picture than the one he\u2019s offered publicly. In case you missed it (or just prefer to tune out Musk as often as possible), here are some of the most interesting bits from Musk\u2019s time on the stand.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit that Musk is bringing against Sam Altman and OpenAI hinges heavily on the startup\u2019s origins. Musk holds that OpenAI was always supposed to be a nonprofit dedicated to improving humanity through the development of AI and not the for-profit entity that it has become. While on the stand, he talked often about OpenAI being a \u201ccharity\u201d and how he basically got tricked into giving it seed funding to become an AI giant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was specifically meant to \u200bbe for a charity that does not benefit any individual person. I could\u2019ve started it as a for-profit, and I specifically chose not to,\u201d Musk testified, per Reuters. He also said in his opening statement, \u201cI gave them $38 million of essentially free funding, which they then used to create an $800 billion for-profit company. I literally was a fool.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musk posited that allowing OpenAI to continue to operate as a for-profit company rather than forcing it back to its nonprofit origins could upend philanthropy entirely. \u201cIf we make it okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving in America will be destroyed. That\u2019s my concern,\u201d Musk said in initial remarks. (Note that Musk himself doesn\u2019t really give all that much, but you know, for the people who do, that\u2019s a big deal.)<\/p>\n
Musk left OpenAI in 2018. He didn\u2019t sue the organization for allegedly abandoning its original purpose until 2024. So, what gives? According to Musk, he didn\u2019t realize what was happening until 2022, when Microsoft announced that it was making a $10 billion investment in the AI lab.<\/p>\n
\u201cMicrosoft would only put $10 billion, which is a huge sum of money, into something if they feel like they will get a return,\u201d Musk explained while on the stand, per Business Insider. \u201cThere\u2019s no way Microsoft is just giving that as a donation or any kind of charitable way. That\u2019s an amount of money that doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI texted Sam Altman and said, \u2018What the hell is going on?\u2019 \u2014 something to that effect,\u201d Musk told the court. \u201cI think I said, \u2018This is a bait and switch.’\u201d Presumably, Altman responded, \u201cNew phone, who dis?\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s well known at this point that Elon Musk has a lot of baby mamas, many of whom he seems to see in court more often than in life. But Shivon Zilis, the mother of four of his children, likely sees Musk pretty regularly. Per an account of the CEO\u2019s testimony provided by Wired, Zilis lives with him\u2014though he didn\u2019t put a label on their relationship. Well, unless you count calling her \u201cchief of staff\u201d or \u201cclose advisor.\u201d Not exactly romantic, but to each their own.<\/p>\n
The Musk-Zilis relationship is not made any less complicated by her role at OpenAI. She was brought on as an advisor at the organization in 2016, and started getting romantic with Musk after the fact. When Musk left OpenAI, she stayed on\u2014and seemingly offered to serve as a spy for her partner.<\/p>\n
In a text sent to Musk shortly before he left OpenAI, Zilis asked, \u201cDo you prefer I stay close and friendly to OpenAI to keep info flowing or begin to disassociate? Trust game is about to get tricky, so any guidance for how to do right by you is appreciated.\u201d Musk responded, \u201cClose and friendly, but we are going to actively try to move three or four people from OpenAI to Tesla. More than that will join over time, but we won\u2019t actively recruit them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of Musk\u2019s case against OpenAI relates to what he claims is a key purpose for starting the organization: ensuring that AI is developed safely. While the judge in the case insisted that they wouldn\u2019t litigate whether AI presents an existential risk to humanity, that didn\u2019t stop Musk from slipping in references to pop-culture apocalypses brought about by the technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we build the robots,\u201d Musk told the court on Wednesday, per The Ringer, \u201cI can make sure that they\u2019re safe, and we don\u2019t have a Terminator<\/em> future situation.\u201d He brought up the film multiple times while on the stand, though he never really expanded on the idea other than that it would be bad if that happened. \u201cIt could also kill all of us \u2026 the Terminator outcome,\u201d he said, according to Wired. \u201cI think we want to be in a movie \u2026 like Star Trek, not a James Cameron movie.\u201d Presumably, that would also include the Avatar<\/em> extended universe.<\/p>\n While testifying, Musk was presented with some of the language that he\u2019s directed at employees, including reportedly calling the OpenAI safety team \u201cjackasses.\u201d In response, Musk insisted, according to The Verge, \u201cI don\u2019t lose my temper,\u201d and \u201cI don\u2019t yell at people.\u201d Wanna guess how well that held up?<\/p>\n It reportedly only took a few more exchanges with OpenAI\u2019s counsel, who seemed to be intentionally needling Musk, for him to completely undermine that premise. After getting questioned about whether or not he read a 2018 document from OpenAI regarding the formation of a for-profit arm, Musk lost his temper. \u201cI said I didn\u2019t look closely! I read the headline!\u201d he said, raising his voice.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nDo Not Put in the Papers That Elon Musk is Mad<\/h3>\n