OpenAI’s 2023 crisis ran deeper than most people knew. In an October 2025 court deposition, former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever said the board discussed a merger with Anthropic within a day of firing CEO Sam Altman. The plan would have put Anthropic’s leaders in charge of OpenAI.
Sutskever’s account sits inside the Musk v. Altman case. Court filings on CourtListener include his sworn testimony and a 52-page memo he sent to OpenAI’s independent directors before the ouster. Business Insider reported that Sutskever described “serious leadership problems” and used screenshots from CTO Mira Murati to back his claims.
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He linked the merger talk to the frantic weekend after Altman’s removal in November 2023. He said some directors, including Helen Toner, supported a combination more than he did. Sutskever called the idea unhappy. He added that conversations touched Anthropic co-founders Dario and Daniela Amodei. Sutskever said “practical obstacles” stopped the deal.
The proposal never closed. Even so, its existence shows how far the board looked for options as the company shook under pressure.
A week that tested OpenAI
The board that fired Altman included Sutskever, Toner, Tasha McCauley, and Adam D’Angelo. Time, Bloomberg, Wired, and Forbes covered the shock decision on November 17 and the internal revolt that followed. More than 700 employees threatened to quit unless the board reversed course and reinstated Altman. Microsoft, a key partner, pressed for stability.
OpenAI brought Altman back by November 22. A later review ended with the company expressing full confidence in him and restoring his board seat after governance changes. Sutskever left the company in May 2024.
The public feud
The deposition reignited a public fight between Elon Musk and Altman on X. Musk said Altman stole a non-profit. Altman replied that Musk wanted Tesla to take OpenAI over. He added, “Can’t we all just move on?” Musk then posted the deposition link and called it “A tale in 52 pages.”
Anthropic Angle
Anthropic launched in 2021 after the Amodei siblings split from OpenAI over safety concerns. A merger days after Altman’s firing would have handed a rival the keys to OpenAI at a crucial moment for the industry. Sutskever’s testimony confirms the board weighed that path, even if only briefly.
What the record shows
The transcript confirms the memo, the screenshots from Murati, and the quick approach to Anthropic. Many pages remain redacted. There is no term sheet in the filings. The picture matches contemporary coverage that employee pressure and investor urgency drove the outcome.
Here is the bottom line. The board explored a merger with Anthropic as it pushed Altman out. Staff organized. Investors applied heat. Altman returned within days. The deposition fixes the merger idea in the record and shows how close OpenAI came to a different leadership story.
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