Elon Musk Vs. Sam Altman trial
Elon Musk is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the company in a high-profile federal trial over OpenAI’s shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit model. The case, filed in 2024, alleges breach of a founding agreement to develop safe AI for humanity’s benefit.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and donated around $44 million, claiming leaders like Altman and Greg Brockman misled him by later pursuing profits, including a Microsoft partnership. He seeks up to $150 billion in damages (to go to OpenAI’s nonprofit arm), removal of Altman and Brockman, and a return to nonprofit status.
The trial began April 27-28, 2026, in Oakland, California, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers with a nine-member advisory jury; the judge decides liability and remedies. Each side has 22 hours for the liability phase. Expected to end around May 21, no verdict as of early May 2026.
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Musk testified combatively, accusing lawyers of tricks and warning of AI risks; judge limited doomsday talk.
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Pretrial email from Musk to Brockman threatened they’d be “most hated men in America” if no settlement.
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Witnesses so far include Musk (multiple days), Brockman, Shivon Zilis; upcoming: Altman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
OpenAI, valued at $850+ billion and eyeing IPO, calls Musk’s suit a rival attack via his xAI. Outcome could reshape AI governance, nonprofit laws, and OpenAI’s structure.
