Former OpenAI Exec Calls Decision to Remove Sam Altman a 'Hail Mary' During Musk Trial | KQED

"Whether Altman and other executives have maintained OpenAI's initial stated mission - to develop AI safely and for the "benefit of humanity" - is critical to Musk's suit, which claims that leaders breached their duty to its nonprofit mission by building a for-profit company on top of it. Musk also alleged that the company unfairly benefited at his expense."

"Musk also alleges that Microsoft, which is OpenAI's largest financial backer and until this week held the exclusive rights to license and sell its technology, aided and abetted that breach of trust. Whether Altman and other executives have maintained OpenAI's initial stated mission - to develop AI safely and for the "benefit of humanity" - is critical to Musk's suit."

"Molo asked Nadella if he was aware that, for a period of time, OpenAI's nonprofit did not have any employees. "I am not," Nadella replied. Molo also questioned Nadella about Microsoft's role during Altman's brief ouster. At the time, Nadella announced that he would hire Altman, along with OpenAI's third co-founder and current president, Greg Brockman, as well as other allies, to head up a new AI team at Microsoft."

"Nadella said that he "had ideas about how Sam [Altman] and the other employees could join Microsoft if they were not reinstated." "If people were going to leave OpenAI, I wanted them to come to Microsoft," he testified. Molo asked Nadella if he knew why Altman had been removed, to which Nadella said he was never given an "explicit answer.""

Testimony in Oakland focused on Sam Altman’s brief 2023 ousting and allegations about OpenAI’s conduct and Microsoft’s motives. The dispute centers on whether leaders maintained OpenAI’s stated mission to develop AI safely for the benefit of humanity, while Musk claims executives breached duties by building a for-profit company on top of a nonprofit. Musk also alleges Microsoft aided and abetted the breach, given its role as OpenAI’s largest financial backer and its prior exclusive licensing rights. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified that he was not aware that the nonprofit had no employees for a period. Nadella said he had ideas for how Altman and other employees could join Microsoft if not reinstated, and he aimed to bring them to Microsoft if they left OpenAI. Nadella said he was never given an explicit answer about why Altman was removed.

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