Original source: Xinzhiyuan

Introduction: Just now, Ilya appeared in court! He testified under oath in the Musk versus OpenAI case: he spent a year collecting evidence of Altman's "systematic lying," which he compiled into a 52-page memo submitted to the board. Moreover, he confirmed for the first time that he holds approximately $7 billion worth of OpenAI shares. Altman is expected to appear in court as soon as Tuesday, and the drama is about to unfold.

The major lawsuit in which Musk sues OpenAI has finally seen Ilya take the stand!

May 11, 2026, Federal Court in Oakland, California.

When the curly-haired, slightly melancholic genius scientist Ilya Sutskever slowly walked up to the witness stand, everyone present held their breath.

Wherever he goes, Ilya attracts everyone's attention, especially in the courtroom hearing over Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI.

This time, Ilya is no longer the apologizer on social media expressing "I deeply regret," but rather a vengeful returner bringing a "bombshell."

He not only explicitly confirmed Altman's habitual lying but also unveiled the power black hole hidden beneath the glamorous facade of OpenAI.

This is the final chapter of an "AI palace intrigue" destined to go down in history.

This trial could determine the future of OpenAI — a company preparing for a trillion-dollar IPO with a valuation of $850 billion.

Altman is expected to appear in court as soon as Tuesday to respond.

52 pages of "lying evidence": Altman in the eyes of that man

"He habitually lies, stirs discord among executives, and undermines corporate governance."

When Ilya uttered this statement after taking the oath, the current management sitting in the defendant's seat at OpenAI turned pale.

This is no longer a rumor, but the courtroom testimony from the former chief scientist of OpenAI.

This time, Ilya revealed a shocking detail that had never been disclosed before: In the year leading up to the globally shocking "November Coup" of 2023, he had secretly collected evidence for a whole year.

This evidence document is 52 pages long.

In this "Altman exposé," daily records detail how Altman manipulates power.

For instance, he specializes in sowing discord.

He often creates conflicts between Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati and other executives, causing them to mistrust each other, thereby establishing his absolute authority.

Additionally, he is very adept at manipulating information.

Ilya testified that Altman created an environment where "executives cannot obtain accurate information." In this environment, any serious discussion about AI safety is downplayed by Altman with false market visions.

This time, Ilya candidly stated that Altman's behavior was "not conducive to achieving any grand goal," especially the development of safe AGI.

"I spent a year observing and thinking, and ultimately I felt that firing him was appropriate."

Ilya's tone is calm yet piercing. He admitted that he had spoken extensively with Murati, and the two felt a deep-rooted unease about Altman's behavior.

$7 billion "traitor": the expensive value of an idealist

Next is another climax of the trial.

As a co-founder of OpenAI, Ilya has always been viewed as a "pure scientist." But when the judge asked about the value of his shares, the figure shocked everyone: $7 billion.

Just a week before, OpenAI president Greg Brockman had just admitted to holding shares valued at $30 billion.

Meanwhile, the one accused by Musk of being "blinded by interests," Altman is worth about $3.5 billion (mostly from his external investments).

An ironic scene unfolded: these former proponents of "non-profit" have now become some of the fastest-accumulating wealthy people in human history.

However, Ilya displayed a nearly tragic sense of contradiction in court.

He mentioned that to join OpenAI, he turned down Google’s annual renewal offer of $6 million — which he viewed as an "astronomical figure" at that time.

He explained why he suddenly changed his stance to sign a joint letter requesting Altman's return that weekend during the coup.

"That was a 'Hail Mary' prayer," Ilya said in a low voice, "I saw the company was about to collapse, and Microsoft was preparing to swallow us all."

At that time, the deterioration of the situation was faster than anyone had expected. Many employees expressed their desire to follow Altman. The company was on the verge of disintegration.

Ilya later expressed regret — not for collecting evidence or voting to remove him, but for "participating in the board's actions." He criticized his board colleagues for lacking experience, accepting "poor legal advice," and acting too hastily.

On Monday in court, when he said this, the entire audience fell silent.

"I have a strong sense of belonging to OpenAI. I feel I put my life into it. I just care about it. I do not want it to be destroyed."

The panoramic view of the OpenAI mafia

Moreover, this trial subtly unveiled a panoramic view of the "OpenAI mafia."

After leaving OpenAI in May 2024, he founded Safe Superintelligence. This company had raised $3 billion and was valued at $32 billion by April 2026.

Dario and Daniela Amodei left to found Anthropic, rumored to be valued at nearly a trillion.

Mira Murati founded Thinking Machines Lab, completing a $2 billion seed round at a valuation of $12 billion last year, with two-thirds of the team being OpenAI alumni.

Aravind Srinivas founded Perplexity, valued at $20 billion. Liam Fedus founded Periodic Labs, valued at $7 billion.

Interestingly, the reasons these individuals left varied, but almost all are related to Altman's leadership style.

The near merger with Anthropic

Ilya's testimony is not only about Altman.

He confirmed a matter that had previously only been rumored: after Altman was briefly dismissed, the remaining board members of OpenAI met with Anthropic to discuss a plan for Anthropic to merge with OpenAI and take over leadership.

Ilya said he was "not enthusiastic" about this.

The destructive impact of this detail lies in its timing — that November weekend of 2023, OpenAI almost became part of Anthropic.

If that merger had occurred, today's AI landscape would be completely different.

The shadow of Microsoft: Nadella's "takeover" ambition

If Ilya revealed internal decay, then Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella demonstrated the cold logic of capital.

Nadella described the dismissal incident at that time as "amateur city," stating he "never received a clear explanation."

But court documents revealed another side of Nadella.

An email released in court from 2022 showed that Nadella had furiously yelled at his subordinates: "If we put in this much money but have no control, it completely makes no sense!"

Under pressure from Musk's lawyer, Nadella admitted that when the coup happened in 2023, Microsoft had already prepared a "14-person takeover board list" and exercised effective "veto power" over new members of OpenAI's board.

More explosively, Nadella had been texting Altman throughout early 2023, "Launch the paid subscription version of ChatGPT as soon as possible, the sooner, the better."

Two weeks later, he was inquiring about the number of registered users.

This directly confirms Musk's accusations: OpenAI is no longer a research lab but has become Microsoft's "IT department" and monetization machine.

And this is precisely the core of Musk's accusation — OpenAI deviated from its non-profit mission.

Musk's fury: A dream "freeloaded"?

Sitting in the audience, Musk may reveal a hint of a complex smile.

The crux of this trial is: Did Altman deceive Musk into providing early investment and brand endorsement through false promises of "non-profit," only to turn around and sell the results to Microsoft?

Although Ilya did not fully side with Musk in his testimony (he denied promising Musk that OpenAI would never be for profit), his critique of Altman's character undoubtedly provided the strongest ammunition for Musk's lawsuit.

Ilya mentioned that he had opposed Musk's proposal to merge OpenAI with Tesla at the time, believing Musk was too "aggressive."

Musk's core accusation is that Altman and Brockman violated the promise that OpenAI would always remain non-profit, instead pursuing profit.

Ilya's testimony on this issue actually favors OpenAI.

He stated that he "never promised Musk that OpenAI would remain non-profit."

He said a line that may be frequently quoted: "The mission of OpenAI is greater than its non-profit or for-profit structure."

As this lawsuit has progressed, there are no absolute heroes anymore. It feels more like a group of geniuses engaging in the dirtiest of struggles over interests, power, and the definition of humanity's future on their path to divinity.

The endgame approaches: OpenAI or OpenMoney?

The trial is still ongoing.

Altman is set to appear in court this Tuesday.

The current situation is extremely dangerous for OpenAI.

If the judge ultimately rules that OpenAI has violated the original non-profit covenant, the for-profit entity valued at $850 billion could face structural reorganization.

Ilya sat on the witness stand for about an hour. According to observations from Wired reporters, he had almost no eye contact with anyone throughout.

This man was once the soul of OpenAI, the leader who led employees in company gatherings shouting "Feel AGI."

Now, dressed in a shirt without a suit jacket, he appears lonely and desolate. He said in court: "I put my life into OpenAI; I do not want it to be destroyed."

But the reality is, the pure OpenAI that he loved so much may have died long before it was written on the first page of the 52-page evidence document.

This trial is not about the success or failure of a company, but the most core contradiction in today's Silicon Valley: when the technology leading to divine power (AGI) collides with extreme human greed, can we still uphold the last vestige of integrity?

Next Thursday, the judge will deliver closing arguments.

And humanity's control over the future of AI may be quietly rewritten in these few pages of testimony.

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