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Musk, Altman Escalate Feud as Deposition Reveals OpenAI’s 2023 Anthropic Talks

The online clash unfolds against Musk’s lawsuit over OpenAI’s nonprofit-to-PBC shift, now spotlighted by Ilya Sutskever’s sworn account of board turmoil.

Overview

  • Sam Altman posted screenshots of his 2018 Tesla Roadster reservation, a refund request, and a bounced email, and Elon Musk replied that a refund was issued within 24 hours.
  • Musk accused Altman of having “stolen a non-profit,” while Altman said he revitalized what Musk “left for dead” and argued OpenAI’s structure is necessary; Altman also said Musk once pushed for a Tesla takeover of OpenAI.
  • OpenAI completed an October restructuring that placed the nonprofit OpenAI Foundation in control of the for‑profit OpenAI Group PBC, with the Foundation holding significant equity.
  • A newly released deposition by former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever describes a 52-page memo alleging Altman misled and divided executives, reflecting deep 2023 leadership rifts.
  • Sutskever testified the board briefly explored a merger with Anthropic immediately after Altman’s November 2023 ouster, a proposal he opposed that dissolved as Altman was swiftly reinstated.