A major courtroom battle in the artificial intelligence world ended in defeat for Elon Musk after a California jury ruled against his lawsuit targeting OpenAI and its leadership.
The unanimous verdict, delivered in federal court in Oakland, concluded that Musk had filed the case too late, effectively rejecting his claims that OpenAI abandoned its original mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and invested millions during its early years, accused CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman of transforming the organization into a profit-driven enterprise focused on enriching insiders and investors.
Following the ruling, Musk sharply criticized the decision on his social media platform X, calling it a “terrible precedent” and accusing OpenAI’s leadership of “stealing a charity.” He confirmed he plans to appeal the verdict.
OpenAI denied the allegations throughout the trial, arguing there was never a promise to remain a nonprofit forever. Company lawyers claimed Musk was aware of the organization’s evolving structure and filed the lawsuit only after losing influence over the rapidly growing AI company.
The trial, which lasted nearly two weeks, offered rare public insight into the bitter fallout between Musk and Altman, once close collaborators in the early days of artificial intelligence development.
The case also highlighted the enormous financial stakes involved in the AI race. OpenAI, best known for creating ChatGPT, is now valued at hundreds of billions of dollars and is considered one of the world’s most influential AI companies.
During closing arguments, both sides attacked each other’s credibility. Musk’s lawyers portrayed Altman as dishonest and motivated by wealth, while OpenAI’s legal team argued that Musk himself was driven by business ambitions after launching his competing AI venture, xAI.
The ruling is viewed as a significant victory for OpenAI and its close partner Microsoft, which has invested heavily in the company’s AI expansion.
Despite the setback, Musk’s appeal means the legal and ideological battle over the future of artificial intelligence — and who controls it — is far from over.