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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Barbara Ortutay and Matt O'Brien

In a trial pitting him against Elon Musk, nobody has more to lose than OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

In a trial featuring a clash between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, neither of the tech titans has emerged as an overly sympathetic character. But nobody has more to lose than Altman, who is expected to take the stand this week to defend himself.

Already, testimony about Altman's turbulent tenure at the ChatGPT maker has become prime fodder for internet jokes. One piece of evidence that has inspired countless memes was a text exchange between Altman and a company officer, Mira Murati, in 2023 during his short-lived ouster as CEO, when Altman asked if things were moving “directionally good or bad” and she wrote back: "Sam this is very bad."

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