Ilya Sutskever Says He Gathered Evidence Against Sam Altman Before OpenAI Shake-Up
Former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever testified in court that he spent nearly a year collecting evidence that CEO Sam Altman had shown what he described as a “consistent pattern of lying” before Altman’s dramatic removal from the company in November 2023.
Speaking during the ongoing legal battle between OpenAI and Elon Musk, Sutskever confirmed that he had already been considering removing Altman from leadership long before the board officially voted to oust him. He said he prepared a 52-page document for OpenAI’s board detailing concerns about Altman’s behavior and leadership practices.
According to Sutskever, the allegations included claims that Altman undermined executives and created internal conflict among members of the company’s leadership team. He also revealed that he had discussed the possibility of removing Altma
n with former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati for a long period of time before the decision was made.
Sutskever testified that Altman’s actions were “not conducive to any grand goal,” including the safe development of artificial general intelligence, or AGI.
The testimony revisits one of the most dramatic moments in the AI industry, when Altman was unexpectedly fired as OpenAI CEO before being reinstated only days later following intense backlash from employees, investors, and business partners. Sutskever, who was serving on OpenAI’s board at the time, played a major role in Altman’s removal but later publicly expressed regret over his involvement and voted to restore Altman as CEO.
The trial could have major consequences for OpenAI as the company continues raising billions of dollars while preparing for a possible future public offering.
Elon Musk, one of OpenAI’s original co-founders who left the board in 2018, has accused the company of abandoning its nonprofit mission in favor of becoming profit-driven. Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages and wants both Sam Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman removed from their positions.
During earlier testimony, Musk said Altman had reassured him that OpenAI would remain nonprofit-focused despite internal discussions about creating a for-profit structure.
Sutskever also revealed that after Altman’s temporary removal, OpenAI board members held discussions with rival AI company Anthropic regarding a possible merger that would have placed Anthropic leadership in control of OpenAI. He said he personally was “not excited” about the idea.
He further disclosed that his ownership stake in OpenAI was worth approximately $5 billion in late 2025 and has since grown to around $7 billion.
After leaving OpenAI in 2024, Sutskever launched a new AI startup called Safe Superintelligence, focused on developing advanced AI systems safely.
The trial has already included testimony from several current and former OpenAI executives, including Mira Murati, Greg Brockman, and Shivon Zilis. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also testified, describing Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI as a “calculated risk” that delivered major strategic value.
