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Three of five GOP candidates for governor debate on live TV

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Three of the Republicans running for governor met for a live debate on Iowa PBS last night and, while touting their own views on a variety of issues, they also took aim at Randy Feenstra, the perceived front-runner in the race who was not there, and at Rob Sand, the Democrat who’s running for governor.

Adam Steen, a former state agency director, said he jumped into the race because Feenstra isn’t the right candidate to face Sand in November. “It’s unfortunate that Congressman Feenstra is not showing up for this debate,” Steen said. “It’s unfortunate that he’s hiding in D.C. right now. It’s unfortunate that he continues to run away.”

Eddie Andrews, a member of the Iowa House, noted Feensra’s absence from the debate stage. “First of all, let me just say you have to be present to win,” Andrews said.

A spokesman for Feenstra said the congressman is in D.C. this week to work on the Farm Bill, which may come up for a vote. Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, suggested the Republican Party’s grassroots are restless and consider Feenstra the pick of the party’s establishment. “Some of the people are looking at Rob Sand. They’re saying, ‘Well, I like a couple of his ideas,” and they’re frustrated with some of the things that have happened on the Republican side,” Sherman said. “…Regardless of whether I agree with why they’re frustrated or not, the fact is they are frustrated.”

Sherman announced his campaign for governor early last year, when Governor Kim Reynolds was preparing to run again. “I think that willingness to challenge the status quo that some people feel like has been out there puts me in a good place to beat Rod Sand,” Sherman said.

All three candidates said they disagreed with Governor Kim Reynolds’ veto of a bill backed by property owners who don’t want a carbon pipeline running through their land. However, Steen, who worked in the Reynolds Administration for five years, called Reynolds a champion of conservative issues.”But I have a different background, I’ve got a business background,” Steen said. “I’ve got a background that fortunately put me in front of the Democrat nominee Rob Sand.” Steen, as director of the state’s hunan resources and property management agency, interacted with Sand, the state Auditor.

Andrews called Reynolds a hard worker and a good leader. “I think Governor Reynolds has done a phenomental job in many respects,” Andrews said. “You’re also aware of the differences that we’ve had.” Andrews also opposed the governor’s reorganization of Area Education Agencies.

All three candidates say state law should make all abortions illegal by declaring that life begins at conception, but only Sherman went one step further, suggesting abortion should be considered a crime. “Now whether people should be prosecuted for participating in abortions or having an abortion, I mean, that’s going to depend on every single situation,” Sherman said. “I don’t think you can make a one-size-fits-all for that, but if it’s a person, we have to protect that life and there should be prosecutions in some cases for that.”

Andrews said prosecuting women for getting an abortion is a step too far for him. “I think we should worry more about why that person feels like they have no choice,” Andrews said.

Steen said mailing abortion pills into Iowa should be a crime. “And we need to protect life at conception and how we get there is through conversation. It’s through collaboration,” Steen said, “but the focus is on a culture of life.”

Two of the candidates expressed concerns about the data centers that are operating and being built in Iowa. Andrews suggested the tax breaks for the facilities should be reexamined.. “The biggest concern is not the data center themselves, but the water and the acquifers that they’re taking up,” Andrews said.

Sherman says data centers use a lot of electricity. “They produce some construction jobs, but then after they’re finished there are very few jobs there,” Sherman said. “…We also need to look at the tax breaks they’re getting.”

Businessman Zach Lahn, the other GOP candidate for governor, called last night’s debate a “farce” because Feenstra wasn’t there and Lahn declined the invitation to participate. Lahn said if Feenstra doesn’t agree to a one-on-one debate with him by Monday, Lahn will ask Rob Sand to debate.

Public Meeting Next Week to discuss Arbor Lake and Lake Nyanza Water Quality Improvement Plan

Posted on by Sam Parsons

GRINNELL – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the City of Grinnell will host a public meeting at 5:30 p.m., May 5th, at the Drake Community Library in Grinnell to discuss plans to improve water quality and recreational opportunities at Arbor Lake and Lake Nyanza.

Iowa DNR and City of Grinnell staff will share proposed restoration activities for the watershed and lakes. The public will have an opportunity to express their comments and ask questions about the plan and timeline for the project.

Proposed restoration activities for the lake include removing excess sediment to increase lake depth in Arbor Lake, stabilizing the shoreline, renovation the fishery, fish habitat improvements, reconstructing Arbor Lake to meet current dam safety standards, watershed improvements to reduce runoff to the lakes, and recreational access improvements. Work is scheduled to start in 2027 and be completed in early 2029.

The City began working with DNR and Houston Engineering in 2023 to assess water quality in the lakes and develop a comprehensive rehabilitation plan. The City hired RDG Planning and Design in 2025 to develop a parks master plan, which will be integrated with the lake restoration plan.

Arbor Lake is currently listed on the State’s List of Impaired Waters due to high nutrient levels, siltation and algal growth. The overall goal of this restoration project is to improve water quality and recreational opportunities in the lakes and remove the lake from the Impaired Waters List.

Any person with special requirements such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments who wishes to participate in the public meeting should promptly contact the DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov to advise of specific needs.

Pleasantville Community School District Board of Education Names Superintendent Finalists

Posted on by Sam Parsons

PLEASANTVILLE, IA — The Pleasantville Community School District Board of Education has selected three finalists for the district’s next superintendent. The finalists are Dr. Jenni McCrory, Trevor Miller, and Brandi Wendt.

The board partnered with Grundmeyer Leader Services to assist with conducting the search and reviewing all qualified candidates.

McCrory currently serves as elementary principal and special education director for the Prairie City-Monroe Community School District. She brings more than 20 years of educational leadership experience and holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of South Dakota. In her current role, McCrory provides district-level leadership for special education programming, leads implementation of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and facilitates professional learning communities focused on curriculum alignment and instructional improvement.

Additionally, McCrory is an active member of the School Administrators of Iowa (SAI), previously serving as president of the SAI Representative Council during the 2023-24 school year.

Currently, Miller serves as shared superintendent of the Exira-Elk Horn-Kimballton and Audubon Community School Districts. In this role, he leads instructional, financial, and operational systems aligned to board priorities and student outcomes. Miller has also partnered with Des Moines Area Community College and regional districts to open the Templeton DMACC Center, expanding access to concurrent enrollment opportunities. He holds a certificate of advanced studies in superintendency and a master’s in educational administration from Iowa State University.

Miller’s previous experience includes serving as superintendent of IKM-Manning CSD and as an elementary principal and Title coordinator for the Perry CSD. He also serves on the Board of Control for the Iowa High School Boys Athletic Association.

Wendt is the current assistant principal of Ankeny Centennial High School. In this role, she leads various building-wide systems, including MTSS, instructional leadership practices, and student support structures. She has experience overseeing districtwide special education and Section 504 systems and has led professional development aligned to instructional frameworks. Previously, Wendt served as an ESOL Specialist for Ankeny, an administrator and special education director at Perry CSD, and reading interventionist at Norwalk CSD.

Wendt holds superintendent licensure from the University of Northern Iowa and a master’s degree in K-12 education from Capella University. She is also ALICE Training certified and CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) certified.

As a next step, the board and interview teams will conduct formal interviews with the finalists on Wednesday, April 29; the day will include a school/community tour, interviews with two mixed interview teams, and an interview with the board. The board intends to make a final decision shortly after concluding the interview process. The public will be notified as soon as possible after the interviews.

The next superintendent will begin leading the Pleasantville Community School District effective July 1, 2026.

Man pleads guilty to plotting attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, Austrian media report

Posted on by Sam Parsons

WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria (AP) — A man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and plotting to attack one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna nearly two years ago pleaded guilty as his trial began on Tuesday, Austria media reported.

The plot was thwarted, but Austrian authorities still canceled Swift’s three performances in August 2024. The singer’s fans, known as Swifties, who had flown to Austria from across the globe to attend a performance of her record-setting Eras Tour were devastated, but rallied to turn Vienna into a citywide trading post for friendship bracelets and singalongs.

Austrian outlets Kurier and Kronen Zeitung reported that he pled guilty to charges related to the concert plot. It was not immediately clear what other charges he pleaded guilty to.

The defendant, a 21-year-old Austrian citizen known only as Beran A. in line with Austrian privacy rules, faced charges including terrorist offenses and membership in a terrorist organization, and his defense attorney previously said he planned to plead guilty to most of the charges. He could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

He is facing trial alongside Arda K., whose full name also has not been made public. They, along with a third man, planned to carry out simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates during Ramadan in 2024 in the name of the Islamic State group. Beran A. and Arda K. never carried out their attacks.

Only Beran A. was charged in connection with the Taylor Swift plot.

He allegedly planned to target onlookers gathered outside Ernst Happel Stadium — up to 30,000 each night, with another 65,000 inside the venue — with knives or homemade explosives. The suspect hoped to “kill as many people as possible,” authorities said in 2024. The U.S. provided intelligence that fed into the decision to cancel the concerts.

Beran A. also allegedly networked with other members of the Islamic State group ahead of the planned attack. Prosecutors say they discussed purchasing weapons and making bombs, and that the defendant also sought to illegally buy weapons in the days ahead of the performance. In addition, he swore allegiance to the militant group.

Authorities searched his apartment on Aug. 7, 2024 and found bomb-making materials. The concerts were scheduled to begin the next day.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” Swift wrote in a statement posted to Instagram two weeks later. “The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows.”

The trial is being held in Wiener Neustadt, about an hour south of Vienna. The proceedings are set to continue May 12.

Three attacks planned in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and UAE

Prosecutors have also filed terrorism-related charges against Arda K. in the trial in connection with the plan for simultaneous attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

The third man in that plot, Hasan E., allegedly stabbed a security guard with a knife at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on March 11, 2024. He was arrested and remains in pretrial detention in Saudi Arabia, Austrian prosecutors said.

Beran A. and Arda K. did not carry out their plans in Turkey and the UAE. Beran A. returned to Vienna and then allegedly began plotting to attack a Swift concert there.

The Vienna plot drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the United Kingdom in recent years.

Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.

“Many farmers got a good start on planting last week, though widespread rain on Thursday and again over the weekend parked planters for a few days,” said Secretary Naig. “The good news is that soil temperatures are on the rise, and outlooks into May are showing the potential for cooler and drier weather after a very active stretch of severe weather. I expect farmers will be making the most of every good window to keep planting moving along.”

Crop Report

There were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 26, 2026, which is 2.0 days more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 8 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 14 percent surplus. Corn planting in Iowa reached 22 percent complete, which is 10 percent behind last year when 32 percent of the crop had been planted. Soybean planting reached 11 percent, which is 12 percent behind 2025, when 23 percent of the crop had been planted. Oats planting reached 74 percent, 5 percent behind last year when 79 percent had been planted.

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at https://www.nass.usda.gov/.

Ottumwa Schools Announces Leadership Changes for Next Year

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA — The Ottumwa Community School District announced the appointment of Brandon Brooks as the Principal of Ottumwa High School for the 2026–27 school year as well as the appointment of Beau Rabedeaux as the Activities Director for the 2026–27 school year.

Mr. Brooks is a proud graduate of Ottumwa High School (OHS) and has served in several administrative capacities within the district over the past several years. He most recently served as the Associate Head Principal at OHS and previously held the role of Activities Director, where he oversaw the district’s athletics and fine arts programs. Brooks succeeds Mrs. Shelley Bramschreiber, who will retire at the end of the current school year.

“We are very excited to name Mr. Brandon Brooks as the next principal of Ottumwa High School,” said Brad McCloskey, incoming Superintendent for the 2026–27 school year. “As an alumnus and a proven leader within our district, Mr. Brooks brings an experienced perspective and has a deep-rooted commitment to the success of OHS. His experience as both an Activities Director and Associate Head Principal has prepared him well to lead our high school staff and students.”

Mr. Brooks holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and has completed the professional requirements for school administration in the state of Iowa.

Highlighting his connection to the school and community, Mr. Brooks stated, “I am honored to serve as the Principal of my alma mater. My time as Activities Director has given me tremendous pride and fulfillment watching our students compete and participate in extracurricular activities. As a district, we have made significant progress, and I truly believe there has never been a better time to be a part of this team. I look forward to leading OHS and supporting our teachers and staff as we continue to provide the best education and opportunities for our students.”

Mr. Rabedeaux has served as the Assistant Activities Director at Ottumwa High School for the past two years. In this role, he has supported student participation, coaches, sponsors, and activity programs across the district. As the Activities Director, he will oversee all aspects of school activities, including athletics, fine arts, and co-curricular programming.

“I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and the faith entrusted in me by OCSD administration, specifically Mr. McGrory and Mr. McCloskey,” said Rabedeaux. “I’d also be remiss if I didn’t thank Mrs. Bramschreiber and Mr. Brooks for their mentorship and for welcoming me to join their team at Ottumwa High School over two years ago. Ottumwa is a special place. We have a phenomenal group of coaches, directors, and sponsors in place, and I am excited to continue leading and collaborating with them to provide outstanding experiences for our students. I look forward to continuing to elevate the activities department at OHS and throughout the district.”

Rabedeaux earned his undergraduate degree in Health & Fitness Administration from the University of Jamestown in 2018, where he was a four-year member of the university’s baseball program. He later earned his master’s degree in Business Leadership from William Penn University in 2020. He also holds an Activities Administrator Authorization and Coaching Authorization through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. His experience as a collegiate student-athlete and coach helped shape his philosophy on education-based athletics/activities, leadership, and culture.

Mr. Brooks and Mr. Rabedeaux will begin their new roles on July 1, 2026.

Out of the Darkness Walk Returns to Central College

Posted on by Sam Parsons

PELLA — In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, a group of Central College students will host an Out of the Darkness Walk on Sunday, May 3. The event will take place from noon to 3 p.m., beginning with a Support Fair in Maytag Student Center on Central’s campus.

The return of this event has been led by Kylie Carstens, Class of 2026 psychology major from Lake City, Iowa, along with Kaylee Kettler, Class of 2028 political science major from West Branch, Iowa, Alisa Smith, Class of 2026 business management major from Fostoria, Ohio, and Brianna VanGroll, Class of 2028 English major from Colesburg, Iowa. Mindy Graham-Hinners, assistant professor of psychology and 2000 Central graduate, and Stephanie Wise, assistant professor of political science, serve as faculty advisors.

The Out of the Darkness Campus Walks are the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s signature student fundraising events, designed to engage youth, young adults and their local communities in the fight to prevent suicide, a leading cause of death for young people.

“Because I’ve seen so many people I love go through the struggles of suicide, I wanted to show them hope in difficult moments,” Carstens says. “Hosting the walk allows us to create space where people feel comfortable talking about their mental health, so they see they are not alone in their struggles.”

Registration and a resource fair will begin at noon in the Maytag Student Center atrium. Speakers will present information at 1:15 p.m. in the Boat, Moore and Weller Rooms in Maytag before the one-mile walk, which starts at 2 p.m. As a fundraising event, all individuals who raise $100 or more will receive a free Out of the Darkness Walk T-shirt.

All are welcome to participate in this walk. Register or donate at afspwalks.donordrive.com/central.

Oskaloosa to Join Southeast Conference in 2028

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — After years of evaluation and conversation, Oskaloosa Schools has found its next competitive home. Beginning in the 2028-29 school year, Oskaloosa will join the Southeast Conference, pending approval by the Oskaloosa School Board and the Conference Realignment Committee established by Iowa Legislative HF783. This is a move district leaders say better aligns with the community, strengthens competition, and enhances the experience for student-athletes.

The decision follows a multi-year process that began before Activities Director Jamie Jacobs arrived in Oskaloosa. A conference alignment committee initially determined the Little Hawkeye Conference was not the best long-term fit, though no immediate action was taken. That changed as conference membership shifted and district leaders revisited the conversation.

“This process started before my tenure,” Jacobs said. “When I joined, there was a push to reopen this committee and take another look at where we may fit in.”

The Southeast Conference, which includes Burlington, Fairfield, Fort Madison, Keokuk, Mount Pleasant, and Washington, offers a structure that more closely matches Oskaloosa in both size and community profile. All member schools are Class 3A, creating a more consistent competitive landscape.

“The move is right for Oskaloosa schools based on school sizes,” Jacobs said. “They are all 3A schools, and they are towns and communities that reflect our own.”

That alignment was a key factor in the conference’s unanimous vote to invite Oskaloosa to join. Conference leaders pointed to competitive balance, student experience, and community relationships as reasons for their support.

For Jacobs, that endorsement speaks to the district’s broader reputation.

“I think some of the things that stood out were our fine arts opportunities, the positive experiences we’ve created, and even our media presence,” Jacobs said. “Those are things we can contribute to the conference in a meaningful way.”

Beyond alignment, the move is expected to improve the day-to-day experience for students. While travel distances may increase, Jacobs sees that as an opportunity rather than a drawback.

“Some of the best memories are made on those bus rides,” she said. “That team time and sense of community is a big part of what makes activities special.”

On the field and court, the shift brings a more balanced level of competition. Historical results suggest Oskaloosa has found more consistent success against Southeast Conference opponents compared to its current conference, while still facing meaningful competition.

“It’s not a situation where we walk in and dominate,” Jacobs said. “It’s good competition that pushes us and makes us better.”

The transition timeline is set by conference bylaws, requiring a two-year window before departure from the Little Hawkeye Conference. While the Southeast Conference has expressed openness to accelerating the timeline, Oskaloosa will not be requesting this from the LHC due to its vision culture principles. Oskaloosa voted to hold Pella Community School District to the 2-year timeline when they requested to leave the conference in October of 2025.

In the meantime, district leaders are focused on preparation. That includes building schedules, coordinating with conference schools, and ensuring coaches and programs are ready for the shift.

“Right now, it’s a lot of planning to make sure it’s a smooth transition,” Jacobs said.

For students, families, and the broader community, the move signals more than a change in opponents. It reflects a long-term commitment to creating meaningful, competitive, and connected experiences for Oskaloosa students. As Jacobs put it, “It’s a very exciting time to be an Oskaloosa Indian, and the future is bright.”

Graphic photo courtesy DWS Photography

House Fire in Knoxville Displaces Four Residents; Home Considered a Total Loss

Posted on by Sam Parsons

KNOXVILLE – Four Knoxville residents are displaced after a house fire on Saturday resulted in their home being deemed a total loss.

According to the Knoxville Fire Department, crews were dispatched to the 400 block of S. 7th Street on Saturday morning at around 9am following reports of a structure fire. When crews began to arrive on scene, they requested additional backup, as smoke was billowing high into the sky.

Crews found a two-story home with extensive fire coming from the roof and the rear side of the home. As they were fighting the blaze, crews noticed that the roof of the home had started to collapse, and they were thus pulled from the home. Master streams were eventually able to put most of the fire out in around 10 minutes. The fire was brought under control in roughly 45 minutes after the scene was secured and salvage operations began. The home and its contents were deemed a total loss.

The Knoxville Fire Department reports that the home had four residents, and they are now displaced and receiving assistance from the American Red Cross and First Resources Corporation.

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown at this time and is currently under investigation.

Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman head to court in high-stakes showdown over AI

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Technology tycoons Elon Musk and Sam Altman are poised to face off in a high-stakes trial revolving around the alleged betrayal, deceit and unbridled ambition that blurred the bickering billionaires’ once-shared vision for the development of artificial intelligence.

The trial, which is scheduled to begin Monday with jury selection, centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

The trial’s outcome could sway the balance of power in AI — breakthrough technology that is increasingly being feared as a potential job killer and an existential threat to humanity’s survival.

Those perceived risks are among the reasons that Musk, the world’s richest person, cites for filing an August 2024 lawsuit that will now be decided by a jury and U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.

The civil lawsuit accuses Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind his back.

OpenAI has brushed off Musk’s allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that’s aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk’s own xAI, which he launched in 2023 as a competitor.

Trial promises clashing testimony from two tech titans

Musk, who invested about $38 million in OpenAI from December 2015 through May 2017, initially was seeking more than $100 billion in damages.

But any damages now are likely to be much smaller after a series of pre-trial rulings that went against Musk. Musk has since abandoned a bid for damages for himself and instead is seeking an unspecified amount of money to be paid to fund the altruistic efforts of OpenAI’s charitable arm. The money would be paid primarily by OpenAI’s for-profit operations, and Microsoft, which became the company’s biggest investor after Musk cut off his funding.

Musk’s lawsuit also seeks Altman’s ouster from OpenAI’s board. Musk’s decision to stop funding the company contributed to a bitter falling out between the former allies. Musk says he was responding to deceptive conduct that OpenAI’s board picked up on when it fired Altman as CEO in 2023 before he got his job back days later.

But the trial also carries risks for Musk, who last month was held liable by another jury for defrauding investors during his $44 billion takeover of Twitter in 2022. Any damaging details about Musk and his business tactics could be particularly hurtful now because his rocket ship maker, SpaceX, plans to go public this summer in an initial public offering that could make him the world’s first trillionaire.

However it turns out, the trial is expected to provide riveting theater, with contrasting testimony from two of technology’s most influential and polarizing figures in the 54-year-old Musk and the 41-year-old Altman.

“Part of this is about whether a jury believes the people who will testify and whether they are credible,” Gonzalez Rogers said during a court hearing earlier this year while explaining why she believe the case merited a trial. The judge will make the final decision on the case, with the jury serving in an advisory role.

Evidence has included glimpses of the AI race’s early days

Musk, whose estimated fortune stands at about $780 billion, has long been hailed as a visionary for his roles creating digital payment pioneer PayPal, electric automaker Tesla and rocket ship maker SpaceX. But he has also provoked backlashes with his social media commentary, unfulfilled promises about Tesla’s self-driving technology and his cost-cutting role last year in President Donald Trump’s administration.

Some of Musk’s erratic behavior has been tied to allegations of taking hallucinogenic drugs, but Gonzalez Rogers ruled that he can’t be asked during the trial about his suspected use of ketamine. But the judge is allowing Musk to be questioned about his attendance at the 2017 Burning Man festival in Nevada, a free-wheeling celebration known for widespread drug use. The judge is also allowing Musk to be questioned about his relationship with former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, the mother of several of his children.

Altman, currently sitting on a roughly $3 billion fortune, didn’t emerge in the public consciousness until the late 2022 release of ChatGPT. The tech boom triggered by that conversational chatbot has led some to liken Altman to a 21st-century version of the nuclear bomb inventor, J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Although Altman was initially hailed as trailblazer he is now facing blowback amid worries about AI’s potential dangers. Earlier this month, the New Yorker magazine published a profile that painted him as an unscrupulous executive. Days later, a 20-year-old man worried about AI’s effect on humanity was arrested on attempted murder charges after throwing a Molotov cocktail at Altman’s San Francisco home.

The dueling testimonies of Altman and Musk are expected to open a window into some of the thinking that helped trigger the AI race, as well as the unraveling of their friendship. The kinship was forged in 2015 when they agreed to build AI in a more responsible and safer way than the profit-driven companies controlled by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, according to evidence submitted ahead of the trial.

Details of the bitter break between the two men were captured in a February 2023 email exchange that surfaced as part of the evidence leading up to the trial.

After letting Musk know “you’re my hero,” Altman tells him: “I am tremendously thankful for everything you’ve done to help —I don’t think OpenAI would have happened without you — and it really (expletive) hurts when you publicly attack OpenAI.”

Musk’s response: “I hear you and it is certainly not my intention to be hurtful, for which I apologize, but the fate of civilization is at stake.”

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