Mira Murati slams Sam Altman in court as Shivon Zilis opens up on relationship with Musk

Mira Murati and Shivon Zilis testified about Sam Altman's leadership, Microsoft's role during the OpenAI crisis, ChatGPT's launch, and Elon Musk's past proposals for OpenAI.

In Short

• Murati said Altman sometimes withheld information and deepened distrust among leaders
• She said her CTO role was undermined by mixed signals
• Microsoft got an early commercialisation window before broader OpenAI model access

Microsoft, which had maintained a “keep us out of this” stance since day one of the trial in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Sam Altman, came under direct scrutiny in court for its role in OpenAI and what transpired during “the blip” — the brief period when Altman was ousted from the company for a few days. In a video deposition, Mira Murati also confirmed that Altman was not fully transparent with her while they worked together at OpenAI. Murati said Altman sometimes withheld information or was not completely open and honest with her about important matters inside the company. Her testimony also claimed that Altman undermined her role as CTO in 2023 and created internal competition or tension among senior leaders instead of encouraging collaboration.

When asked if Altman was truthful and candid, Murati answered: “Not always.” Murati also accused Altman of inconsistent communication and leadership that could create confusion and mistrust within the company.
On Altman’s inconsistency, Murati testified: “My concern was about Sam saying one thing to one person and completely opposite to another person. And this made it a very difficult unpredictable environment to work with.”

On her overall criticism of Altman, Muratti stated: "It is completely messed. Management related. I had an incredibly hard job to do in an organization that was very complex and I was asked by Sam to lead and lead with clarity and not undermine my ability to do my job."

Microsoft’s role during Sam Altman’s ouster

On Microsoft’s role during Altman’s ouster, Murati’s testimony suggested that Microsoft stayed neutral publicly and did not directly pressure OpenAI’s board either way during the leadership crisis.

According to her testimony, Microsoft received an exclusivity period of around 6 to 12 months, during which it could commercially use and integrate the technology before it became publicly available. This effectively gave Microsoft a head start over competitors, allowing the company to build products, attract customers, and generate revenue using OpenAI’s models before other developers or companies could access them through open-source release.

Murati stated: “As part of the commercial agreement so that they could have a benefit of getting a head start on commercializing.”
During cross-examination, Murati said Microsoft continued supporting OpenAI during the chaotic period when Altman was fired and later brought back as CEO in 2023.

During “the blip,” OpenAI employees wrote a petition demanding Altman’s reinstatement. Murati confirmed that the employee letter demanding Altman’s return was an independent action by OpenAI staff and not something Microsoft pushed or organized behind the scenes. This became significant because there had been speculation that Microsoft may have influenced the situation due to its close partnership with OpenAI.

When asked, “Based on your experiences during that time period, did you feel Microsoft was supportive of OpenAI throughout Mr. Altman’s firing and subsequent rehiring?” Murati answered: “I hope so. Yes.”

Shivon Zilis explains her relationship with Elon Musk and role at OpenAI

Later in the day, Shivon Zilis, who is the mother of four of Musk’s children, explained how her unconventional personal relationship with Musk evolved and also discussed her role in OpenAI. She testified about her advisory role at OpenAI starting in 2016.

Zilis said her relationship with Musk began casually around late 2020 or early 2021, starting with a one-time encounter before they became friends and colleagues. She explained that she had been dealing with serious autoimmune health issues that affected her personal relationships and made her uncertain about committing to a long-term partner. According to Zilis, she still wanted to become a mother, and around that time Musk made an offer to help her have children, which she accepted.

Zilis also testified that she shared summary notes of conversations with OpenAI cofounders with Musk. She added that she had no reason to believe the cofounders were being dishonest when they said they supported OpenAI’s nonprofit mission.

When asked about a message to Musk where he replied telling her to stay “close and friendly,” Zilis said her role was mainly to help different key people communicate effectively and stay aligned with each other. She explained that from the beginning, she acted as a bridge between major parties to maintain cooperation and reduce misunderstandings.

Concerns over ChatGPT launch and OpenAI’s direction

Zilis said OpenAI’s board was very concerned that ChatGPT was launched without enough prior communication. She also opposed the proposed Helion Energy deal because she believed it was a risky investment in unproven technology.

Zilis described the ChatGPT surprise by saying: “The first instance was upon the release of ChatGPT, which kinda took the world by storm. Wasn't just me, but the entire board had voiced extreme concern about that whole massive thing happening without any semblance of prior communication.”

During cross-examination, Zilis was questioned about her work with Musk and OpenAI in 2017–2018. Lawyers pointed to her earlier deposition testimony, where she said she did not remember any specific rules requiring OpenAI to permanently stay nonprofit or open source.

Zilis said the only restriction she clearly remembered was an email where Musk expressed concern about not wanting to be “taken for a fool” if OpenAI later changed direction.

Zilis also testified that in 2017, Musk suggested that OpenAI could become part of Tesla to help solve OpenAI’s financial problems. According to her testimony, Musk also believed this move could slow down the development of AGI, or artificial general intelligence, giving more time to develop it safely.

- Ends