Sam Altman testifies at court: Musk forced people at a Tesla meeting to watch “memes”

Elon Musk’s ongoing trial over a $134 billion lawsuit filed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman continued on May 12, with Altman testifying in court. During his testimony, he described a late-night meeting held at Tesla in 2017, when Musk suddenly pulled out his phone and forced everyone present to watch a “meme” on the screen for “a very, very long time.”

Meme incident: a late-night Tesla interlude

According to a report by Intelligencer, Altman recalled in his testimony that in 2017 the two sides were seriously discussing whether to fold OpenAI into Tesla for AI research. During that time, Musk abruptly interrupted the agenda, brought up memes from his phone, and forced everyone present to watch them for “a very, very long time.”

After the courtroom clerk heard this, he stopped taking notes on the spot, interrupted Altman’s testimony, and asked him to loudly repeat “the memes on his phone.” Reporter Mike Isaac (@MikeIsaac) live-posted the above details and the clerk’s on-the-spot reaction on X.

Key points from Altman’s testimony: the control dispute, the firing backdrop, and the 2017 emails

Altman testified in court on the following key issues:

Background of his dismissal in 2023: Altman said that a five-day dismissal episode in May 2023 (internally referred to as a “small interlude”) stemmed from “an apparent misunderstanding, and a fracture in trust.” He said he had warned the board before he was fired that doing so “would cause confusion” and damage the company’s reputation.

Early control dispute: Altman’s lawyer displayed multiple emails indicating that Musk already knew about the strategy of OpenAI’s transition into a for-profit company. Altman testified that during OpenAI’s early days, Musk sought more control but was refused; he said, “I don’t think AI should be controlled by any one person.” He also described a “particularly unsettling moment,” when a cofounder asked Musk how his OpenAI shares would be handled if he died, and Musk said they would be left to his children.

Cross-examination over the 2017 emails: Musk’s lead attorney Steven Molo cross-examined him over a January 2017 email. In it, OpenAI cofounders Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever questioned why Altman was “so eager to be CEO,” and asked whether it was connected to “political goals.” Altman confirmed that at the time he was considering running for governor of California.

FAQ

What are the claim amount and core allegations in Musk’s lawsuit against Altman?

According to Intelligencer, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against Sam Altman for $134 billion, mainly accusing Altman of deceiving Musk and deviating from the nonprofit mission at OpenAI’s founding.

What was the specific background of the Tesla meme incident, and what was the courtroom reaction?

According to Intelligencer, Altman testified that during a key Tesla meeting in 2017, Musk abruptly pulled up memes on his phone and forced everyone to watch them for “a very, very long time.” As a result, the courtroom clerk stopped taking notes and asked Altman to repeat and confirm “the memes on his phone.”

What was the core content of Altman’s testimony regarding the 2017 email?

According to Intelligencer, Musk’s lawyer Steven Molo cross-examined him about the 2017 email. In the emails, Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever questioned Altman’s motivation to run for CEO; Altman confirmed that at the time he was considering running for governor of California.