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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was unexpectedly ambushed and served with a subpoena during a speaking event. The 40-year-old billionaire tech tycoon was speaking inside the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco on Monday when a lawyer stormed the stage. Dramatic video captured the moment a man with a backpack bursts in, waving a white envelope and declaring that he has a subpoena for the mogul. The confused looking CEO looked on as others onstage stood in between him and the unknown man. Activist group Stop AI later revealed that their public defender had been the one to 'successfully subpoena' Altman to appear at their trial for blocking the doors to OpenAI's HQ. Their statement continued: 'All of our non-violent actions against OpenAI were an attempt to slow OpenAI down in their attempted murder of everyone and every living thing on earth,' they added. 'This trial will be the first time in human history where a jury of normal people are asked about the extinction threat that AI poses to humanity.' The trial centers on the non-violent protest group whose members claim they have been repeatedly arrested, including in February when three were taken into custody for allegedly refusing to leave company property, according to The San Francisco Chronicle. Specifically, at the heart of the trial are the organization’s alleged repeated actions of obstructing both the front door and the road outside OpenAI’s headquarters. Altman is now legally required to serve as a witness in the trial, indicating that prosecutors consider his testimony or related evidence relevant to the case. The dramatic and highly unusual moment occurred during a live event where moderator Manny Yekutiel asked Altman and coach Kerr questions on sports, leadership and AI’s future, according to SFGate. Moments into the conversation, Yekutiel pivoted, contrasting Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s $179 billion fortune with the plight of up to 42 million Americans losing SNAP benefits and now at risk of hunger. 'What does it mean about the world we live in that that’s even possible,' Yekutiel asked, 'and if you believe it is a wrong, what is the responsibility of the ultra-wealthy to make it right?' The audience erupted when Yekutiel asked his controversial question, and Altman’s reply - that Huang isn’t responsible for people losing benefits - garnered even stronger applause. Altman repeatedly defended Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, saying he has done 'wonderful' things for the country and the economy, and that creating companies and technology is valuable in its own right. Kerr offered a more relatable response, noting that the economy feels 'slanted against the younger generation,' especially given the difficulty many now face in buying a home. 'So many people are now struggling to make ends meet, and so this enormous wealth at the top end, I’m blessed to be part of that, but it feels weird, it does,' Kerr replied. 'It doesn’t feel like our country is heading in the right direction with this wealth gap and the disparity,' he added. But just as Yekutiel, stressing that he wasn’t trying to 'accuse them,' pointed out that their wealth gives them a role in the imbalance, the conversation was abruptly cut off. Yekutiel, in the seat closest to the men, got up to stop the backpack-wearing man from reaching them, while the crowd listened as he announced he had a subpoena to deliver. Altman remained seated, appearing somewhat confused, as theater security quickly escorted the man off the stage. Meanwhile, Yekutiel handed the piece of paper over Altman’s shoulder to another person. Theatergoers showered the interrupting man, who appeared to be alone at the venue, with boos as he was left the stage. Earlier this year, about two dozen demonstrators gathered outside OpenAI’s Mission Bay office, urging the company to shut down and the government to ban AI development over fears that it may one day outsmart humans. 'They have no proof that, that system, that smarter-than-human system will stay safe forever. And without that proof, they should never build it,' one protestor said, according to KTVU News. During the roughly two-hour event, protesters chanted slogans such as 'Stop AI, or we’re all going to die' and 'Close OpenAI.' Protesters at the event also demanded a deeper investigation into the death of former OpenAI employee and whistleblower Sunchir Balaji. The former 26-year-old OpenAI engineer was found dead in his San Francisco apartment in November from a gunshot wound. Authorities later ruled his death a suicide. His family hired a private investigator who claimed that there is evidence he did not die by suicide and that he was instead targeted after raising concerns about his former employer.
