Mira Murati Testifies Altman Lied Under Oath in OpenAI Court Battle

In a dramatic turn during the Musk v. Altman trial, OpenAI's former CTO Mira Murati testified under oath that CEO Sam Altman deliberately lied to her about safety protocols for a new AI model. Specifically, Altman falsely claimed that OpenAI's legal department had determined the model didn't need approval from the company's safety board — a statement Murati discovered was false when she independently verified it with general counsel Jason Kwon, who contradicted Altman's account.

Murati's deposition reveals a pattern of management dysfunction at OpenAI, with Altman allegedly undermining executives and creating confusion through conflicting statements. She characterized her role as "incredibly hard" in an "incredibly complex" organization where leadership lacked clarity and actively hindered her ability to perform her job. The safety board incident exemplifies this dynamic: rather than accept Altman's explanation, Murati took matters into her own hands and ensured the model went through proper safety review anyway.

This testimony isn't isolated. Cofounder Ilya Sutskever previously documented in a 52-page memo that Altman exhibits "a consistent pattern of lying, undermining his execs, and pitting his execs against one another." Former board member Helen Toner has also stated that OpenAI executives presented the board with evidence of Altman "lying and being manipulative in different situations." When OpenAI's board fired Altman in November 2023, they cited his lack of candor, stating he "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities."

The irony deepens: Murati was herself briefly appointed interim CEO after the board's decision to remove Altman, yet she criticized that same board for the decision, saying the company faced "catastrophic risk of falling apart." She departed OpenAI in 2024 and has since founded Thinking Machines Lab, positioning herself as a competitor to the organization where these trust-shattering conflicts occurred.