Former OpenAI Scientist Claims He Dedicated a Year to Collecting Evidence Against Altman
Former OpenAI scientist Ilya Sutskever provided testimony indicating that he collected evidence suggesting Sam Altman consistently misled executives and board members.
Former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever testified in court that he dedicated approximately a year to collecting evidence that he believed demonstrated a “consistent pattern of lying” by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman.
Sutskever provided testimony on Monday in the ongoing legal dispute involving OpenAI and its co-founder, Elon Musk.
The AI researcher acknowledged that he had been contemplating the removal of Altman from his role for a minimum of a year prior to the OpenAI board’s decision to dismiss him in November 2023.
Sutskever prepared a 52-page document for the board that outlined concerns regarding Altman’s conduct, including allegations that the CEO undermined senior executives and pitted them against each other.
He mentioned that he had a lengthy discussion about Altman’s behavior with former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati before ultimately backing the initiatives to remove him.
Sutskever informed the court that Altman’s behavior was “not conducive to any grand goal,” including the safe development of artificial general intelligence, often referred to as AGI.
In November 2023, Altman was temporarily ousted from his position as chief executive, only to be reinstated a few days later due to mounting pressure from both employees and investors, notably Microsoft.
Sutskever later expressed regret over his role in Altman’s dismissal and voted to restore him as CEO, concerned that the company might collapse during the crisis.
The case is a component of a broader legal conflict initiated by Musk, who has alleged that OpenAI has forsaken its initial non-profit mission in pursuit of commercial objectives.
Musk is pursuing $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and Microsoft, while also requesting the court to oust Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman from their leadership positions.
In his testimony, Sutskever disclosed that his ownership stake in OpenAI was valued at approximately $5 billion in November 2025 and has since increased to around $7 billion.
He additionally verified reports indicating that OpenAI board members considered a potential merger with the competing AI firm Anthropic after Altman’s brief removal.
Sutskever expressed his lack of enthusiasm regarding the prospect of OpenAI merging with another company.
The trial also heard testimony from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who characterized Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI as a “calculated risk.”
Closing arguments in the case are anticipated later this week before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
