The Atlantic | The Altman-Musk Trial Was a Waste of Everyone’s Time by Matteo Wong
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The trial pitting Elon Musk against Sam Altman ended with a swift unanimous verdict: Musk’s lawsuit was filed outside the applicable statute of limitations, so OpenAI faces no liability, though a separate antitrust claim remains pending. The courtroom drama revealed both sides as petty and short‑sighted rather than illuminating any substantive debate about AI safety or the original non‑profit mission of OpenAI. Musk’s testimony was evasive and he struggled to articulate coherent AI‑safety arguments, while Altman’s answers were similarly vague, prompting the jury to question his trustworthiness. Former OpenAI executives described a culture of misinformation and internal conflict, and disclosed massive personal stakes in the company, contradicting Altman’s claim of no direct equity. The judge highlighted contradictions in Musk’s legal team, and the whole proceeding devolved into billionaire lawyers arguing over whether making “ungodly” sums of money is acceptable, leaving the broader question of responsible AI development largely unaddressed.
Read more: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/05/musk-altman-trial-waste-of-time/687213/?utm_source=feed
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