Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, has disclosed new details under oath in the ongoing Musk v. Altman case, shedding light on the internal turmoil surrounding Sam Altman’s ousting in November 2023. The deposition, filed on October 1, 2025, includes a 52-page “Brockman Memo” outlining alleged management misconduct and internal manipulation. (Court filing source)

• The deposition reveals that the Altman removal effort was planned for nearly a year, with Sutskever compiling evidence and crafting a memo that cited “patterns of dishonesty.”
• Former CTO Mira Murati reportedly supplied “most” of the supporting evidence, referencing OpenAI President Greg Brockman’s conduct as part of a broader leadership review.
• The memo alleges Altman “pitted Murati against Daniela Amodei,” sister of Dario Amodei — who later co-founded Anthropic after departing OpenAI.
• The deposition also suggests Anthropic proposed a potential merger during the 2023 crisis, with Dario Amodei offering to lead a combined entity.
• The testimony surfaced through Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI’s corporate restructuring, with Sutskever undergoing a 10-hour deposition.

Why it matters: This deposition adds another layer to the November 2023 OpenAI crisis, one of the most turbulent moments in modern AI history. The revelations highlight how close OpenAI and Anthropic once were — and how diverging visions for AI alignment, transparency, and profit structures fractured the ecosystem. As Musk’s legal challenge continues, these disclosures could reshape narratives around AI ethics, governance, and corporate accountability at the world’s most powerful AI labs.