Former OpenAI Executive Sutskever Alleges Year-Long Investigation into Sam Altman's Conduct

OpenAI's Former Chief Scientist Testifies Against CEO Sam Altman

In a California courtroom, Ilya Sutskever, former OpenAI chief scientist, took the stand on Monday, testifying against the company's CEO, Sam Altman. Sutskever revealed that he had spent approximately one year gathering evidence to present to OpenAI's board regarding Altman's "consistent pattern of lying." This testimony comes as part of a legal battle between OpenAI and Elon Musk, a co-founder of the company who left the board in 2018.

Sutskever confirmed that he had prepared a 52-page document detailing Altman's dishonesty at the request of OpenAI's board. He stated that Altman's conduct included "undermining and pitting executives against one another." Sutskever also revealed that he had discussed removing Altman as CEO with then chief technology officer Mira Murati for a long time.

Sutskever's testimony highlights the complexities of OpenAI's leadership and the company's future. His document, which detailed Altman's conduct, was prepared in anticipation of a potential vote to oust Altman as CEO, which ultimately occurred in November 2023. Sutskever played a key role in Altman's firing and subsequent reinstatement, expressing regret over his involvement in the board's actions.

Read also: Treasury Yields Experience Largest Increase in Two Weeks Following Release of Labor Market Data

OpenAI has been raising billions of dollars from investors to build out its computing power ahead of a potential trillion-dollar IPO. Musk, who is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and its backer Microsoft, has accused the company and Altman of abandoning its nonprofit roots and becoming a for-profit company to enrich themselves.

Sutskever also confirmed that after Altman's brief ouster, the remaining OpenAI board members met with rival Anthropic about a proposal for the Claude chatbot creator to merge with OpenAI and take over its leadership. He stated that he was "not excited" about merging OpenAI with another company. Sutskever's ownership stake in OpenAI was worth approximately $5 billion as of November 2025, and about $7 billion currently.

Closing arguments for the trial will happen on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took the stand earlier on Monday, characterizing the tech giant's investment in OpenAI as a "calculated risk," emphasizing that Microsoft considered its early investments to be worthwhile for marketing benefits.

Read also: US-Iran Tensions Spark Uptick in Oil Prices Amid Global Market Decline

Sutskever left OpenAI in 2024 and has since launched an AI startup called Safe Superintelligence. Former and current OpenAI executives, including Greg Brockman, Murati, and Shivon Zilis, have already testified in the trial.