Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman: Who do you trust with AI?

Elon Musk took the stand and didn’t hold back. He said OpenAI’s shift from nonprofit to profit-driven company wasn’t just a business move — it was a betrayal. He claimed Sam Altman promised to keep AI open and safe, then turned around and partnered with Microsoft, locking down the tech behind ChatGPT.

Altman didn’t deny the pivot. But he said trust isn’t about keeping promises in stone — it’s about delivering results. He pointed to how OpenAI’s models now help teachers, nurses, and small shops — people who never had access to this kind of power before.

Musk’s team showed emails where Altman called AI the ‘most important thing in the world.’ Musk asked: If it’s that important, why did you sell it?

Altman answered: I didn’t sell it. I built it — with help. He reminded the court that OpenAI’s early funding came from Musk himself. The split wasn’t a heist. It was evolution.

La gente in the room? They weren’t just watching two billionaires argue. They were wondering: Who’s really looking out for the tools that will run our schools, our clinics, our jobs?

Why this matters for us: The AI in your phone, your kid’s homework, your abuela’s doctor appointment — who controls it, and why, changes everything.