Altman details Musk's OpenAI fallout, says nonprofit was 'left for dead'

A combination photo shows CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman (L) on April 28, 2026 and Elon Musk on April 29, 2026 during the trial in Elon Musk's lawsuit over OpenAI for-profit conversion at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, U.S. Manuel Orbegozo | Reuters OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in the Musk v. Altman trial on Tuesday, where he tried to make his central claim clear to the jury: He didn't steal a charity , but Elon Musk abandoned one. Altman, wearing a blue suit and tie, spoke from the witness stand in federal court in Oakland, California over the course of about four hours. He said that Musk , who co-founded OpenAI alongside him in 2015, did not keep his promises and eventually deserted the young startup as it was trying to chart out an uncertain future. "We were kind of left for dead," Altman testified. Musk sued OpenAI , Altman and the company's president, Greg Brockman , in 2024, alleging they went back on their vow to keep the artificial intelligence company a nonprofit and follow its charitable mission. He argued that the roughly $38 million he donated to OpenAI was used for unauthorized commercial purposes. Altman testified on Tuesday that he did not make any commitments to Musk about OpenAI's corporate structure. …