Microsoft CEO Testifies in Oakland Trial, Defends Partnership with OpenAI

Satya Nadella derided the 2023 ouster of Altman as ‘amateur city,’ and defended Microsoft’s projected $92 billion return.
Microsoft CEO Testifies in Oakland Trial, Defends Partnership with OpenAI
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella arrives to court at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building in Oakland, Calif., on May 11, 2026. Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images
|Updated:
0:00

OAKLAND—Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday told a federal court that his company’s landmark partnership with OpenAI—a total of $13 billion invested in a series of intellectual property licensing agreements since 2019—has helped the embattled artificial intelligence lab further its nonprofit mission.

“I’m very proud of the fact we took the risks when no one else was willing to sponsor this fledging lab that had an idea this particular technology could make a real difference,” Nadella said, pointing to the commercial products, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot, that have been launched as a result.

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Beige Luciano-Adams
Beige Luciano-Adams
Author
Beige Luciano-Adams is an investigative reporter covering Los Angeles and statewide issues in California. She has covered politics, arts, culture, and social issues for a variety of outlets, including LA Weekly and MediaNews Group publications. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X: https://twitter.com/LucianoBeige
twitter