ChatGPT’s Head of Product will testify in US Government’s case against Google.
As part of its antitrust lawsuit against Google, the U.S. Government wants to prove that Google’s competitors face massive barriers to entry. Nick Turley, the head of product at ChaptGPT, is being called to testify in order to strengthen its case.
A court ruled in a landmark decision last August that Google has a monopoly on search. The Department of Justice, while Google appeals the decision, is now asking the Court to decide on the penalties that should be imposed, such as a 10-year ban from releasing any browser products.
The DOJ has gathered various Google competitors, such as OpenAI, Microsoft and Perplexity, to bolster its case. It wants to call specific executives like Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko. It’s not yet clear if Shevelenko will testify. Perplexity did not respond immediately to an inquiry for comment.
Recent court filings confirm that Nick Turley, the head of product at ChatGPT for OpenAI, will be a witness in the U.S. Government’s case.
“Mr. Turley was selected by Plaintiffs [the DOJ] as a witness to testify for OpenAI,” Google’s lawyers wrote on January 16. Legal filing
“Mr. Turley is an OpenAI witness who will testify for the government at the Evidentiary Hearing,” Another filing dated January 16 reads.
None specify the exact date Turley will be testifying. Turley will be asked by the U.S. to discuss “generative AI’s relation with Search Access Points and distribution, barriers to entry, expansion, and data-sharing.” According to the filingThe DOJ didn’t provide any details about what questions it wants to ask Turley. These are the same topics that it wants to ask Perplexity CBO about.
DOJ uses “search access point” to refer products like Google Chrome, which people use to search for information on the internet. ChatGPT launched their own AI search engine in October 2024.
In order to prepare for Turley’s testimony, Google subpoenaed OpenAI and demanded documents pertaining to the case. The two companies are now engaged in a heated debate over the amount of evidence OpenAI is required to provide.
OpenAI has agreed with Google to share documents from Turley’s work files that discuss OpenAI’s strategy on AI, its integration of AI in search-related products and its Microsoft partnership. A letter by OpenAI’s attorneys shows.
Google claims it needs more documents, as relying on Turley alone “would prejudice Google”since Turley was “handpicked by the U.S. Government,” according to The filing is.
Google wants documents from OpenAI which predate the launch in November 2022 of ChatGPT. OpenAI, however, says that documents this old “cannot represent meaningfully” the current AI environment.
Both parties appear to be at a deadlock, and OpenAI has asked the court to reject the full scope Google’s requested proof.
OpenAI or Google did not respond when contacted for comment. The DOJ declined comment.
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Charles Rollet, senior reporter at TechCrunch. His investigative reporting led to U.S. sanctions against four tech firms, including China’s biggest AI firm. Charles covered the surveillance sector for IPVM before joining TechCrunch. Charles lives in San Francisco and enjoys hiking with dogs. You can reach Charles on Signal using charlesrollet.12, or by calling +1-628-282-2811.
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