OpenAI Jury Hears Final Testimony, Including About a "Jackass" Trophy
Business Insider • • general
Key Points:
- The Musk v. Altman trial, focusing on accusations by Elon Musk that OpenAI founders misused the nonprofit, is concluding after three weeks of testimony, with closing arguments set for Thursday and jury deliberations to follow.
- OpenAI witnesses, including chief futurist Joshua Achiam, depicted a company compelled to partner with Microsoft to compete in AI, with Achiam recounting a tense 2018 exchange where Musk called him a "jackass" over safety concerns about Musk’s AI plans.
- OpenAI’s legal team attempted to introduce a "jackass" trophy symbolizing the exchange, but the judge rejected it as evidence, preventing its presentation to the jury.
- Expert testimonies clashed over OpenAI’s $13 billion Microsoft partnership’s impact; OpenAI’s expert used Musk’s own expert’s data to argue the deal generated substantial value for the nonprofit.
- Microsoft’s CTO revealed internal concerns about how early OpenAI donors, like Reid Hoffman, might perceive the partnership, though he clarified his comments were not directed at Musk; meanwhile, OpenAI lawyers used prior depositions to show internal support for the Microsoft deals despite criticisms of Altman.