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?'