Sam Altman says Elon Musk’s mind games were damaging OpenAI
The Verge·May 12, 2026
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, testified that Elon Musk's management style caused significant damage to the company's culture. Musk allegedly required OpenAI executives to rank researchers and cut those deemed underperforming, a style Altman deemed incompatible with the startup. Altman stated that Musk's departure from OpenAI improved morale, as he believed Musk did not understand how to effectively run a research lab. Musk's actions were seen as particularly harmful, with Altman describing them as doing "huge damage" to the company.
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