Musk Testifies OpenAI Trial Over Larry Page AI Safety Rift

San Francisco — Elon Musk took the stand Tuesday in his lawsuit against OpenAI, revealing that a deep rift with Google co-founder Larry Page over AI safety was a core reason he helped launch OpenAI in 2015.

While much of Musk’s legal argument centers on claims that OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission, his sworn testimony focused heavily on a personal falling out with Page years ago.

'Speciest' Comment Sparked OpenAI Creation

Musk testified that he and Page clashed after Musk raised concerns that advanced AI could wipe out humanity. According to Musk, Page dismissed the risk, saying it would be "fine" so long as AI itself survived. Page allegedly called Musk a "speciest" for being "pro human".

Musk told the court he viewed that attitude as "insane" and said it directly motivated his decision to co-found OpenAI as a safety-focused alternative to Google. The move reflects his broader push into AI development, including efforts like SpaceX’s option to acquire Cursor in a $60 billion AI coding deal ahead of a potential xAI IPO.

From Best Friends to Courtroom Rivals

The revelation is striking, given how close the two tech leaders once were. In 2016, Fortune listed Musk and Page among "secretly best-friend business leaders". Musk regularly stayed at Page’s Palo Alto home, and Page once told Charlie Rose he would rather give his money to Musk than to charity.

That friendship fractured when Musk recruited Google AI researcher Ilya Sutskever to help launch OpenAI in 2015. Page reportedly felt personally betrayed and cut off contact. Analysts have since tracked Musk’s expanding AI and space portfolio, including reports on a .