Elon Musk tells the jury that all he wants to do is save people

On the stand, Elon Musk is positioning himself as a savior.

Why is Musk giving the jury so many stories about his origins? Although he may be, depending on the day, the richest man in the world, Musk has said that all of his businesses are concerned with people’s lives. The rocket company SpaceX was founded as “Insurance for life as we know it”; The electric car manufacturer Tesla was launched because it thought that continuing to rely on fossil fuels “could be very bad for the environment and society as a whole.” (On the stand, he dubiously claimed to have invented Tesla.)

He said he had been worried about AI during his college years, that it could be a “double-edged sword,” one that “could end all disease and make everyone rich, or it could kill us all.” He argued that AI has two outcomes: utopian Star Trek one, or dystopian Terminator one. He wants the future to be like that of Gene Roddenberry and not like that of James Cameron. This was his goal in launching OpenAI.

Musk has built himself up as a hero – a good guy who cares about people, meaning Altman is different.

It can be a useful strategy, especially when contrasted with Altman, whose foundation founded the long-forgotten Loopt app and his days as a partner at Y Combinator, it can sound like a no-brainer.

Musk went on to say that Altman is a thief. “It’s very simple: it’s not good to steal aid. That’s my opinion and if the defendants are found not guilty, this case will be a jury trial. It will be the first and set an example of the confiscation of all charities in America,” said Musk. “If a ruling comes out that makes it illegal to embezzle money from charity, the entire foundation of American philanthropy will be destroyed.”