Shivon Zilis says Musk offered Altman a Tesla board seat

Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member and longtime associate of Elon Musk, testified in the Musk v. Altman trial that Musk once suggested Sam Altman could join Tesla’s board as OpenAI debated its corporate structure. The testimony came during the second week of proceedings in the federal case in Oakland, California, where Musk is accusing OpenAI, Altman, and Greg Brockman of abandoning the company’s original nonprofit mission. Zilis said the company’s structure was discussed extensively, including multiple forprofit options. Zilis also described Musk’s efforts to recruit OpenAI staff to Tesla and said messages presented in court showed Musk was weighing competitive AI plans while still connected to OpenAI. The trial is expected to continue as other major tech executives may still be called to testify.