Sam Altman Details Failed Negotiations with Elon Musk Over OpenAI Control, Lawsuit Set for April 27

Gate News message, April 22 — Sam Altman has detailed the failed negotiations with Elon Musk over OpenAI’s governance structure in an appearance on the Core Memory podcast. Altman described how four core members—himself, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and Musk—initially agreed that OpenAI needed to transition to a for-profit structure.

Negotiations progressed through several stages of compromise. Musk first demanded a majority stake, which the group accepted. He then requested the CEO position to “let everyone know he’s in charge,” and they agreed to that as well. However, the talks collapsed when Musk demanded “absolute control over OpenAI.” Altman stated his position on the matter: “There should not be one person controlling the entire future, no matter who that person is.”

Altman called this account a version “never publicly discussed in years,” adding that the upcoming litigation “left us with no choice” but to reveal these details. He views the trial as an opportunity to “tell the story” clearly, while expressing concern that Musk might withdraw the lawsuit before trial, which would prevent them from presenting their account. The case is scheduled for trial on April 27, with Musk seeking damages between $79 billion and $134 billion.