--- title: "Under Threat of Perjury, OpenAI’s Former CTO Is Admitting Some Very Interesting Stuff About Sam Altman" description: "Under oath, former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati had some extremely interesting things to say about her time working under OpenAI CEO Sam Altman." date: "2026-05-07" modified: "2026-05-07" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/perjury-openai-cto-murati-altman" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Future Society" - "OpenAI" - "The Industrialists" --- # Under Threat of Perjury, OpenAI’s Former CTO Is Admitting Some Very Interesting Stuff About Sam Altman ![Sam Altman stands partially behind an elevator door, looking forward with a serious expression. The image has a color effect with Altman highlighted in orange tones, while the background and surrounding areas are in muted blue and gray shades.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Benjamin Fanjoy / Getty Images* The bizarre and messy court battle between OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and former OpenAI investor Elon Musk [trudges on](). And this week, as revealed in court, OpenAI's former Chief Technology Office had some *extremely* interesting — and at points, alarming — things to say about her time working under Altman. Appearing in a video deposition on Wednesday, former OpenAI CTO and current Thinking Machines Lab CEO Mira Murati, while under threat of perjury, had much to say about Altman's long-alleged perfidy — a rumored trait so widely discussed that it was the subject of a [remarkable investigation by *The New Yorker*]() just last month. Perhaps most strikingly, Murati [reportedly]() told lawyers during her deposition that Altman once incorrectly told her that OpenAI's legal team had cleared a new AI model to bypass an internal safety board tasked with reviewing new models before release. Asked whether she believed Altman "was telling the truth when he made that statement" to Murati, the former CTO hit back with a simple: "no." In other words: under oath, the former CTO — and [briefly interim CEO]() — of the company behind the world's most popular chatbot, ChatGPT, said that OpenAI's still-reigning head exec falsely told her that lawyers had greenlit the company to leapfrog over certain safety protocols when, to the then-CTO's understanding, that wasn't true. Yikes! https://twitter.com/MikeIsaac/status/2052053413563970014 Altman is the defendant in the [case]() brought by Musk, who's claiming that OpenAI illegally betrayed the company's non-profit founding by [transfiguring]() into a [for-profit]() company last year. (Musk [runs his own]() for-profit AI company, xAI, so make of his motivations what you will.) Much of the court battle has centered on the event that insiders have referred to as the "Blip," or the dizzying multi-day spell in November 2023 when OpenAI's board suddenly [pushed Altman out](), alleging he "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board" as its reason for the shock firing. After pushback from staff and intervention from key OpenAI investor Microsoft, however, Altman was rehired just days later — a triumphant return that kicked off a domino-like chain of other departures, Murati's included. Murati was grilled about her experience of Altman in the lead-up to the "Blip," with lawyers [reportedly]() asking her if "by fall of 2023, did you perceive Altman was not candid with you? Truthful? Honest?" "Not always," Murati responded. Lawyers went on to ask if Altman "undermined" Murati in her role as CTO and whether Altman pitted "other execs against one another," both questions to which Murati straightforwardly responded: "yes." **More on Musk v Altman:** *[Elon Musk Just Got Badly Humiliated in Court]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()