Elon Musk slams OpenAI rival ahead of landmark trial in California: ‘Scam Altman’
nypost.com Apr 29, 2026

Elon Musk slams OpenAI rival ahead of landmark trial in California: ‘Scam Altman’

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Elon Musk criticized OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman on social media ahead of a trial in California, calling him "Scam Altman." The trial centers on claims that OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission to become a for-profit company backed by Microsoft. Musk's lawsuit accuses Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman of betraying OpenAI's original mission, seeking $150 billion in damages and restoration of its nonprofit status, with proceedings expected to feature key testimony.

💡 Why It Matters

  • · A ruling against OpenAI could force it back to nonprofit status, directly threatening Microsoft's multibillion-dollar investment and OpenAI's $157 billion valuation — Musk's "Scam Altman" posts are noise, but the legal question of whether a nonprofit can quietly convert to for-profit while retaining donated assets is one that affects every major AI lab structured similarly.