Elon Musk testifies on Larry Page rift during OpenAI legal proceedings
Under oath, Musk describes a sharp divergence in philosophy with Page regarding human safety, marking the first formal recounting of their fractured friendship in court.
Elon Musk has provided testimony under oath in his lawsuit against OpenAI, identifying a significant falling-out with Google co-founder Larry Page as a primary motivation for establishing the artificial intelligence firm. During the proceedings, Musk detailed a specific disagreement regarding AI safety that he claims drove the separation between the two tech titans.
The core of the testimony centres on a conversation where Musk raised the prospect of artificial intelligence wiping out humanity. Musk stated that Page dismissed this existential risk as "fine," provided the technology itself survived. In response, Musk described Page's attitude as "insane" and noted that Page subsequently labelled him a "speciest" for prioritising human safety.
This legal disclosure underscores the depth of their previous relationship, which was characterised by a level of trust rarely seen in the industry. Fortune magazine once listed the pair as "secretly best-friend business leaders" in 2016, and Musk was known to regularly stay at Page's residence in Palo Alto. Page had even remarked to Charlie Rose that he would prefer to give his money to Musk rather than to charity.
The narrative provided by Musk suggests the friendship fractured in 2015 when he recruited Ilya Sutskever to help launch OpenAI. According to the testimony, Page felt this recruitment was a personal betrayal that led him to sever contact with Musk. While this story has been recounted in interviews and to author Walter Isaacson for his biography, Tuesday marked the first instance of Musk recounting these specific details under oath.
As of the latest reporting, Larry Page has not commented on Musk's testimony or the specific claims regarding their past interactions. The legal team will now assess how this evidence of personal motivation influences the broader outcome of the lawsuit against OpenAI.
Despite the current legal conflict, the history between the two men includes recent overtures for reconciliation. As recently as 2023, Musk told tech podcaster Lex Fridman that he wished to patch things up, noting that they had been friends for a very long time.
