"A consistent pattern of lying": Musk v OpenAI trial exposes what insiders think of Sam Altman.

OpenAI, despite its name, is typically very secretive about its operations. It cultivates a carefully crafted public image. However, during Elon Musk's lawsuit against the startup and its CEO, Sam Altman, the artificial intelligence firm has been forced to publicly address some of the most problematic aspects of its rise to power. The Musk v OpenAI trial, now in its third week, has featured numerous prominent figures from Silicon Valley testifying about OpenAI's past and Altman's controversial leadership. Musk's lawyers have used former executives, private text messages, diary entries, and internal email exchanges to portray Altman as untrustworthy. Altman, who denies Musk's allegations, will testify in the coming days. OpenAI has also issued denials. While Musk's case centers on accusations that OpenAI and Altman violated a founding agreement by transitioning the company from a non-profit to a for-profit structure, the trial often feels more like a public relations battle than a debate about corporate governance. The history of internal turmoil at OpenAI, including a five-day period in 2023 when Altman was initially fired and then rehired, has provided ample fuel for this conflict. Altman's leadership and trustworthiness have long been scrutinized in the tech industry and have been extensively documented in numerous profiles and books about OpenAI, including a recent New Yorker article that included other tech figures suggesting Altman displayed deceptive tendencies. The trial has revealed even more details about OpenAI's turbulent corporate history than previously known, and has corroborated previously reported incidents through sworn testimony. Former allies describe Altman as untrustworthy. Last week, jurors heard video testimony from Mira Murati, OpenAI's former chief technical officer and once a close associate of Altman, in which she accused him of "creating chaos" within the company. Murati, who left OpenAI in 2024, testified that Altman had a pattern of "saying one thing to one person and completely the opposite to another person." The court also viewed text messages from Altman to Murati from 2023, during a brief period when OpenAI's board ousted him as CEO after accusing him of being misleading. Before he was reinstated five days later amid an internal power struggle, Altman texted Murati a series of questions about how the board was evaluating his future. She painted a very different picture than the one that ultimately unfolded, one in which Altman would be permanently removed. "Can you indicate directionally good or bad?" Altman texted Murati about his prospects. "Directionally very bad," Murati responded. "Ok," Altman replied. Murati was one of several witnesses who testified about Altman's personal and professional conduct. Former board member Helen Toner, who supported Altman's ouster, told the court in a video deposition that there was a "pattern of behavior related to his honesty and candor" that led to his removal. Natasha McCauley, another former OpenAI board member, alleged in her deposition that Altman caused "repeated crisis events" through his leadership. Musk's lawyers also called OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever to the stand to testify. Sutskever, who was also a member of the board that ousted Altman and left OpenAI in 2024, stated that he had concerns about Altman's management of the company and his truthfulness. "You told the board that Altman 'exhibits a consistent pattern of lying, undermining his execs and pitting his execs against one another,'" Musk's lawyer Steven Molo asked Sutskever. "Yes," Sutskever responded. "That was clearly your view at that time," Molo asked. "Yes," Sutskever replied. Microsoft's CEO criticizes OpenAI's board. Musk's attorney also questioned Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday about the 2023 OpenAI upheaval and Altman, with Nadella offering his perspective on the chaotic attempt to remove Altman – an event that OpenAI employees later referred to as "the blip." At the time, Microsoft was a major investor in OpenAI. Nadella described the situation as "unfortunate" and expressed concern about the impact on Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI. Testimony about Musk's own behavior. The jury has also heard testimony about the Tesla CEO's own erratic behavior. OpenAI's president, Greg Brockman, claimed last week that Musk became enraged and "stormed around the table" at a meeting shortly before the billionaire left the company in 2018. OpenAI's attorneys alleged in a filing that Musk contacted Brockman to settle the case two days before the trial, then became threatening when Brockman refused to meet his demands. "By the end of this week, you and Sam will be the most hated men in America. If you insist, so it will be," Musk texted Brockman two days before the trial began, according to a court filing. Musk's demands. Musk is seeking the removal of Altman and Brockman, as well as $134 billion to be redistributed to OpenAI's non-profit and the reversal of its for-profit structure. The trial's closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday.