Key Takeaways
- OpenAI presented a statue of Sam Altman’s ass to the court as evidence in their lawsuit against Elon Musk.
- The statue, inscribed with “Never stop being a jackass for safety,” was allegedly given by some employees to Joshua Achiam during an OpenAI meeting in 2018.
- Joshua Achiam reportedly interrupted the presentation of this message when he warned Elon Musk about potential risks associated with developing AGI at Tesla.
A lawyer for Sam Altman’s company, Bradley Wilson, handed the statue to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers during the trial. However, the judge seemed uncomfortable accepting it as official evidence and did not want to keep it in her possession.
Musk is suing OpenAI for allegedly misusing his donations and accusing them of effectively stealing a charity. In response, OpenAI argued that Musk cared more about controlling a top-tier AGI lab than funding a nonprofit.
Earlier in the trial, Steven Molo asked Elon Musk if he ever called an OpenAI employee a “jackass.” Musk responded by saying it was possible but not meant to be offensive. He claimed sometimes harsh language is necessary when going in the wrong direction.
Sam Altman has previously stated that such messages are part of creating culture within the company, as he told the Wall Street Journal in 2023: “You’ve got to have a little fun… This is the stuff that culture gets made out of.”
Originally published at wired.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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