Tags: Sam Altman

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, took the stand Wednesday in a California federal courtroom, facing a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk. The case, stemming from a rift that began when Musk invested $38 million in OpenAI’s early days, seeks to overturn the company’s for‑profit restructuring and strip Altman and co‑founder Greg Brockman of leadership roles. Testimony so far has included senior figures from Microsoft and former OpenAI insiders, underscoring the high‑stakes clash between two of the tech world’s most prominent AI pioneers. Read more

OpenAI has begun rolling out a new Trusted Contact tool for ChatGPT that lets users name a trusted adult who can be notified if the AI detects signs of self‑harm. The system flags at‑risk conversations, warns the user, and then passes the case to a human review team before any alert is sent. Notifications are delivered by email, text or in‑app message without sharing chat transcripts. Developed with input from mental‑health experts and a network of more than 260 doctors, the feature adds to OpenAI’s existing safety controls and raises questions about AI‑driven monitoring. Read more

The Vergecast highlighted the chaotic succession at OpenAI that unfolded after Sam Altman's 2024 ouster, a turmoil now on display in the Musk‑Altman trial. Text exchanges between Altman and former chief technology officer Mira Murati have become viral memes, underscoring the disorder. The episode also noted persistent rumors that OpenAI plans to launch its own smartphone—a move described as logical yet seemingly doomed. Additional tech news covered the new Fitbit Air, a home robot from iRobot founder Colin Angle, and a lawsuit over Apple’s Siri ads. Read more

Elon Musk’s legal action against OpenAI alleges that the lab’s for‑profit arm has abandoned its original safety mission in favor of rapid product rollout. In a federal court in Oakland, former employee and board member Rosie Campbell testified that key safety teams were disbanded and that a Microsoft‑deployed GPT‑4 model entered the Indian market without clearance from OpenAI’s Deployment Safety Board. The case also highlights internal board disputes, CEO Sam Altman’s alleged nondisclosure, and expert testimony that the organization’s governance now favors profit over safety, fueling calls for stricter AI regulation. Read more

In a courtroom testimony that has captured the tech world’s attention, former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati detailed the internal battles that led to CEO Sam Altman's abrupt removal in November 2023. Murati described how she helped compile a 52‑page memo for co‑founder Ilya Sutskever, exchanged dozens of urgent text messages with Altman, and briefly served as interim chief executive before the board installed Emmett Shear. The deposition reveals the board’s claim that Altman was “not consistently candid” and shows how employee backlash and Microsoft’s involvement forced a rapid reversal, returning Altman to the helm. Read more

At the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference, media veteran Barry Diller defended OpenAI chief Sam Altman’s character but warned that trust alone won’t safeguard humanity from the coming wave of artificial general intelligence. The IAC and Expedia Group chairman said the real danger lies in the unknown consequences of AI, urging stronger guardrails before the technology reaches a point where it could outpace human control. Read more

Elon Musk left OpenAI's board in early 2018 after a heated dispute with co‑founders over control of the nonprofit's future. The disagreement, which began in 2017 when Musk demanded full authority over a planned for‑profit arm, led to a breakdown in funding and eventually a legal battle that began in 2024. Testimony from OpenAI president Greg Brockman, including excerpts from his private journal, revealed the tension behind the scenes. The conflict has resurfaced as courts examine whether Musk’s departure was voluntary or forced, and how the organization’s governance evolved into the AI powerhouse it is today. Read more

In a video deposition aired during the Musk v. Altman lawsuit, Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former chief technology officer, said CEO Sam Altman falsely told her that the company’s legal team had cleared a new GPT model for release without review by the deployment safety board. Murati confirmed a clash with chief strategy officer Jason Kwon over the model’s safety status and said she forced the board review herself. Her testimony adds to earlier accusations from co‑founder Ilya Sutskever and former board member Helen Toner that Altman routinely misled executives and the board, leading to his 2023 dismissal. Read more