Ilya Sutskever confirmed that OpenAI’s board discussed merging with Anthropic after Altman’s ouster in 2023.
Elon Musk reignited his feud with Sam Altman, accusing him of theft and referencing the deposition as “a tale in 52 pages.”
The proposed merger reportedly collapsed due to practical challenges but exposed deep divisions within OpenAI’s leadership.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk are back in the spotlight, and this time tensions have risen as a result of new revelations about OpenAI’s internal turmoil during the 2023 leadership crisis. Both fired back on X (formerly Twitter) after excerpts from former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever’s recent deposition surfaced online, revealing behind-the-scenes drama during Altman’s brief ouster.
SurveyIn a series of posts on X, Musk accused Altman of theft, referring to alleged profiteering from OpenAI’s mission, while Altman responded by claiming Musk once wanted Tesla to buy OpenAI outright. The OpenAI CEO appeared to downplay the spat, concluding with, “Can’t we all just move on?”
Musk, on the other hand, referred to Sutskever’s October 2025 deposition as “a tale in 52 pages.” Sutskever’s testimony, which was part of Musk’s ongoing lawsuit against OpenAI, revealed that the company’s board considered a merger with rival AI startup Anthropic shortly after Altman’s abrupt dismissal in November 2023.
According to the deposition, board member Helen Toner was approached or contacted by Anthropic on November 18, one day after Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman were removed. According to reports, discussions included a proposal for Anthropic to take over OpenAI’s leadership structure.
Sutskever, who opposed the idea, said Toner appeared more open to it. The talks, however, collapsed due to “practical obstacles,” capping off one of the most chaotic weeks in OpenAI’s history.
The board’s decision to fire Altman, citing a loss of confidence, sparked widespread criticism, with nearly 700 of OpenAI’s 770 employees threatening to leave unless he was reinstated. Under pressure from Microsoft and key investors, the board reversed its decision within days, restoring Altman and Brockman to their positions on November 22.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
