4:24
马斯克 vs 奥特曼：从合伙人到对手
Musk vs Altman: From Partners to Enemies
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 4 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 决定、影响、输 and walks through 4 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
5 月 18 号，美国出了一个 AI 新闻。
On May 18, an AI news story came out of the US.
不是新模型，
Not a new model,
也不是新产品。
not a new product.
是一个法院的决定。
A court decision.
马斯克输了。
Musk lost.
谁是马斯克？
Who is Musk?
你知道的。
You know him.
全世界最有钱的人。
The richest man in the world.
特斯拉、SpaceX、X、xAI——
Tesla, SpaceX, X, xAI —
都是他的。
they're all his.
他在告谁？
Who was he suing?
他在告山姆·奥特曼，
He was suing Sam Altman,
还有奥特曼的公司，
and Altman's company,
OpenAI。
OpenAI.
OpenAI 就是做 ChatGPT 的公司。
OpenAI is the company that makes ChatGPT.
是全世界 AI 第一名的公司。
The number-one AI company in the world.
这两个人，
These two people,
其实有很长的故事。
actually have a long history.
2015 年，
In 2015,
马斯克和奥特曼，
Musk and Altman,
还有几个朋友，
along with a few friends,
一起做了 OpenAI。
together founded OpenAI.
那个时候，
At that time,
他们说：
they said:
我们做 AI，
when we make AI,
不是为了赚钱。
it's not for making money.
是为了让 AI 安全。
It's to make AI safe.
也是为了让所有人都可以用。
It's also to let everyone use it.
所以 OpenAI 一开始，
So OpenAI, at the start,
是一个不赚钱的公司。
was a non-profit company.
我们说"非营利"。
We say "non-profit."
可是过了几年，
But after a few years,
两个人的想法变了。
their thinking changed.
奥特曼觉得：
Altman thought:
做 AI 太贵了。
making AI is too expensive.
我们没有钱。
We don't have money.
我们要让公司赚钱，
We have to let the company earn money,
才可以继续做下去。
so we can keep going.
马斯克觉得：
Musk thought:
不可以这样。
we can't do that.
我们一开始说过了，
We said at the start,
是给所有人的。
this is for everyone.
后来，
Later,
马斯克在 2018 年离开了 OpenAI。
Musk left OpenAI in 2018.
他自己做了一个 AI 公司，
He started his own AI company,
叫 xAI。
called xAI.
OpenAI 继续做。
OpenAI kept going.
他们做了 ChatGPT，
They made ChatGPT,
做了 GPT-4，
made GPT-4,
做了 GPT-5。
made GPT-5.
他们从一个小的非营利公司，
They went from a small non-profit,
变成了一个非常大的公司。
to a very large company.
现在 OpenAI 值好几千亿美元。
Now OpenAI is worth hundreds of billions of dollars.
马斯克看着，
Musk watched,
越想越不高兴。
and the more he thought, the unhappier he got.
他觉得：
He thought:
"这本来应该是我的。
"This should have been mine.
"奥特曼骗了大家。
"Altman tricked everyone.
去年，
Last year,
马斯克去了法院。
Musk went to court.
他告奥特曼，
He sued Altman,
也告 OpenAI。
and OpenAI.
他说：
He said:
"你们违反了我们一开始的约定。
"You violated the agreement we had at the start.
"你们不应该这样赚钱。
"You shouldn't earn money like this.
这是美国近年最大的 AI 官司。
This is the biggest AI lawsuit in recent years in the US.
法院让 12 个一般人，
The court had 12 ordinary people,
来听这个案子。
listen to this case.
他们叫"陪审团"。
They are called a "jury."
陪审团不是法官，
A jury isn't judges,
他们是普通人。
they are ordinary people.
奥特曼和马斯克都去了法院。
Altman and Musk both went to court.
都说了话。
Both spoke.
都被问了很多问题。
Both were asked many questions.
奥特曼说：
Altman said:
马斯克在 2018 年就走了。
Musk left in 2018.
他走了以后，
After he left,
OpenAI 几乎没有钱。
OpenAI had almost no money.
他不管了。
He stopped caring.
我们自己慢慢做大的。
We grew it ourselves, slowly.
现在他来说我们错了，
Now he comes saying we're wrong,
他自己当年都不在。
he himself wasn't even there back then.
陪审团 12 个人，
The 12 jurors,
听了几天。
listened for several days.
5 月 18 号，
On May 18,
他们想了不到两个小时。
they deliberated for less than two hours.
然后他们说：
Then they said:
"马斯克，
"Musk,
"你来得太晚了。
"you came too late.
"你在 2018 年就知道了这些事。
"You knew about these things back in 2018.
"你应该早点来告。
"You should have sued earlier.
"现在已经过了时间。
"Now the time has passed.
"我们不能听你。
"We can't listen to you.
也就是说，
That is to say,
法院没有说"奥特曼对"，
the court didn't say "Altman is right,"
也没有说"马斯克错"。
nor "Musk is wrong."
法院说的是：
What the court said was:
"你来晚了。
"You came too late.
马斯克不开心。
Musk is unhappy.
他说：
He said:
"这只是时间问题。
"This is only a timing issue.
"我会再去更上面的法院。
"I'll go to a higher court.
奥特曼很开心。
Altman is happy.
他说：
He said:
"我们可以专心做 AI 了。
"We can focus on making AI now.
这个故事，
This story,
没有完。
isn't over.
马斯克会去更上面的法院。
Musk will go to a higher court.
那可能要等一年，
That could take a year,
两年。
two years.
甚至更久。
Maybe even longer.
但是这一次的输赢，
But this round of winning and losing
其实很重要。
actually matters.
它告诉我们：
It tells us:
就算你是世界上最有钱的人，
even if you are the richest person in the world,
你也不可以想告就告。
you can't just sue whenever you want.
法律有时间，
The law has a clock,
你过了时间，
once the time has passed,
就不能告了。
you can't sue anymore.
它也告诉我们：
It also tells us:
AI 这个行业，
this AI industry
钱太多。
has too much money.
人和人之间，
Between people,
很容易变成敌人。
it's very easy to become enemies.
这两个人，
These two,
十年前，
ten years ago,
是一起做 OpenAI 的朋友。
were friends building OpenAI together.
现在，
Now,
是法院上的对手。
they are opponents in court.
未来，
In the future,
这种故事，
this kind of story,
我们可能会看到更多。
we'll probably see more of.
好。
Okay.
今天就说到这里。
That's all for today.
明天再聊。
Talk tomorrow.
Decision; to decide. The episode pivots on several 决定: Musk to leave, OpenAI to add a for-profit arm, the jury to dismiss. Each one redirected the story.
Influence, impact. Musk's role in early OpenAI had huge 影响; his absence after 2018 also had huge 影响. The word covers both.
To lose (a case, a contest). The verdict headline. Paired in the episode with 赢 (to win).
To win. Sam 赢了 this round. Musk says he'll fight again.
To accept. Used here for the unwritten background: even if you don't 接受 a verdict, life moves on. (Musk doesn't 接受 — he'll appeal.)
Ordinary. A jury isn't judges — it's 12 普通人, ordinary people. That detail matters: the law lets ordinary people decide.
A court. The arena. The episode tracks Musk going to 法院 once, losing, and announcing he'll go to a higher 法院.
A jury. American legal feature; less common in China. The 12 ordinary people who heard the case and decided in under two hours.
Non-profit. OpenAI started as a 非营利 company — that founding label is the entire basis of Musk's lawsuit.
To violate (an agreement, a rule). Musk's claim: OpenAI 违反了 the original deal. Crucial legal verb.
Enemy. The closing thesis: in AI, money turns 朋友 into 敌人 fast.
Industry, sector. The 'AI 行业' framing — this isn't just two people fighting, it's a window into a whole industry.
* beyond level超纲词
也就是说 + clause
也就是说 introduces a restatement / clarification of what was just said. The episode uses it to translate the legal verdict into plain English (or plain Chinese, here): 也就是说，马斯克输了. Essential for explainer-style speech.
也就是说，马斯克输了。
也就是说，法院说他来晚了。
就算 X，也 Y
就算...也... = even if. The closing lesson uses it: 就算你是世界上最有钱的人，你也不可以想告就告 — even if you're the world's richest person, you can't sue whenever you want. Marks a hard limit that doesn't bend.
就算你是世界上最有钱的人，你也不可以想告就告。
就算他不喜欢，也要听法院的。
过了 X，就不能 Y
Time-deadline structure. The whole verdict hinges on this: 过了时间，就不能告了 — once the time is up, you can't sue. Useful for any rules-with-a-clock.
过了时间，就不能告了。
过了今天，就不可以了。
X 让 Y + V
让 puts another subject inside your verb. 法院让 12 个人来听 — the court has 12 people listen. Foundational causative.
法院让 12 个人来听这个案子。
他让公司赚钱。