Elon Musk testifies in trial against Sam Altman, positioning himself as humanity-focused entrepreneur while casting Altman as a thief of charity.

On the stand in his lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Musk recounted his background from South Africa through his founding of SpaceX and Tesla, framing each venture as motivated by concern for humanity's well-being. He claimed to have worried about AI as a 'double-edged sword' since his college years—capable of solving diseases and creating prosperity or 'killing us all.'

Musk accused Altman of theft, stating: 'It's very simple: it's not okay to steal a charity.' He warned that if the defendants are found not guilty, the case would set precedent and 'give precedent to looting every charity in America,' potentially destroying the foundation of charitable giving.

The strategy contrasts Musk's stated humanitarian mission with Altman's background co-founding the social media app Loopt and serving as a partner at Y Combinator, presenting Musk as 'the good guy who cares about humanity' in opposition to his co-founder.