Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - Elon Musk delivered fiery testimony against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in a high stakes federal trial, accusing his co-founder of betraying the nonprofit's mission and stealing a charity for Microsoft profits. The Tesla chief, who donated $44 million to OpenAI, seeks $138 billion in damages and Altman's ouster, claiming he was defrauded into funding a for profit pivot.

Musk called Altman Scam Altman and untrustworthy, testifying he quit when Altman rejected his CEO bid and control demands; he regrets his $44M donation, saying he'd never have funded without the nonprofit promise I conceived it, named it, recruited talent. He warned of Terminator outcome from unchecked AGI, accused OpenAI of abandoning safe AGI for humanity to become Microsoft's profit engine, and revealed emails showing his demands for majority equity before launching xAI. Musk alleged Altman and Brockman colluded with Microsoft against founding agreements, seeks $130B+ redirected to nonprofit OpenAI with Altman/Brockman removed, and noted Altman's pain from his attacks since Musk was once his idol. The trial stakes couldn't be higher: a verdict could derail OpenAI's 2026 IPO and reshape AI governance.

Musk's emotional testimony frames the trial as civilization's fate versus greed, but OpenAI calls it sour grapes from a rejected control freak jury deliberations will decide if Silicon Valley's nastiest feud redefines AI's future or just enriches lawyers.