A jury dismissed Elon Musk's lawsuit against Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, concluding that Musk's claims were untimely. The jury deliberated for less than two hours before determining that Musk's allegations of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment did not hold merit, as they were filed beyond the three-year statute of limitations.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers oversaw the trial, which concluded after three weeks in Oakland, California. The judge indicated skepticism toward Musk's potential appeal, highlighting substantial evidence supporting the jury’s findings. Musk's legal team asserted that the case aimed to protect charities from exploitation and claimed that Altman and OpenAI had strayed from their nonprofit mission for personal profit. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but left its board in 2018, sought damages that could have amounted to $134 billion, as well as leadership changes within the company.
OpenAI and Microsoft, which was also named in the lawsuit, celebrated the verdict. OpenAI's attorney stated that Musk's claims were an attempt to undermine a competitor rather than a legitimate legal challenge. The case arose as both Musk and Altman are preparing their respective companies for public offerings, with OpenAI recently achieving a valuation of over $850 billion and Musk's SpaceX expected to be valued at $1.25 trillion.
The outcome of this trial marks a significant moment in the ongoing competition between Musk's xAI and Altman's OpenAI, as both tech leaders navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and seek to establish their enterprises in the market.