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Elon Musk’s courtroom battle with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman came to an abrupt end on Monday after a jury unanimously found that Musk’s claims that Altman was “stealing from a charity” fell outside the statutory statute of limitations to be tried in court.
Musk’s proposed case is related to His past as a co-founder affiliated with OpenAI, which was founded as a non-profit organization in 2015. Musk alleged that Altman used his financial resources to expand OpenAI’s operations before turning the organization into a commercial entity.
Musk’s lawsuit said Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman violated a law Establishment Agreement (PDF) which states that the company’s technology “will benefit the public and that OpenAI will seek to open source technology for public benefit where appropriate. OpenAI is not organized for anyone’s private gain.”
Microsoft is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit, with Musk alleging that the company’s 2019 investment and continued interest in OpenAI constitutes aiding and abetting the startup in its breach of its founding agreement.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, the parent company of CNET, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that it infringed Ziff Davis’s copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
Musk’s lawsuit seeks damages amounting to tens of billions of dollars Extracted from OpenAI’s for-profit operations It was redistributed to the non-profit OpenAI Mission. He also expressed his hope that the court would rule in favor of removing Altman and Brockman from their executive positions in the company.
The case was filed in federal court in Oakland, California, and was presided over by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who accepted the advisory jury’s unanimous decision, which was reached after three weeks of evidence and only two hours of deliberation.
The court ruled in Altman’s favor, concluding that “the allegations of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment are dismissed as untimely.” Musk had to file the lawsuit within three years of leaving OpenAI for his claims to be heard. All claims against Altman, Brockman and Microsoft were dismissed. Musk’s chief lawyer, Stephen Mollo, reserved the billionaire’s right to appeal the decision.
Musk and Altman continue to maneuver their AI companies into the public market. Altman’s win paves the way for a potential OpenAI team A trillion-dollar initial public stock market offering. Musk’s SpaceX, which merged with xAI earlier this year, Submitted for public subscription In April.
Representatives for OpenAI and the law firm MoloLamken, which represented Musk, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman won the lawsuit, with Musk suing the company for allegedly abandoning its nonprofit mission.
A fast-paced clash between tech billionaires
The richest man in the world and a pioneer in the artificial intelligence industry They were friends onceBut any niceties shared between Musk and Altman are immediately in the rearview mirror.
The quick three-week trial saw the two men take witnesses to the stand to tell accounts about each other, while personal testimonies and private letters were highlighted.
Musk’s legal strategy has largely focused on portraying Altman as an amateur and fraudster, bringing in former OpenAI founders and scientists to argue that Altman was not a trustworthy actor in his business dealings at OpenAI.
Former OpenAI chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, was brought to the stand He repeated his claim That Altman “demonstrates a consistent pattern of lying, undermining his executives and pitting his executives against each other.”
The company’s former technical chief, Mira Moratti, He made a similar claimSaying that Altman would often “say one thing to one person and the exact opposite to another person.”
On the other hand, Altman’s legal team presented evidence claiming that Musk had previously floated the idea of turning OpenAI into a for-profit entity, as long as he could take the reins.
The barbs turned especially personal when Shevon Zillis, a former OpenAI board member, current Neuralink CEO and mother of four of Musk’s children, spoke out. He is accused of spying on OpenAI’s internal operations In order to inform her partner.
OpenAI’s lawyers also argued that Musk’s suit was designed to stop an xAI competitor The artificial intelligence company he founded In 2023.
The whirlwind courtroom drama came to a head Musk leaves the country To join President Donald Trump on a diplomatic trip to China, in defiance of Judge Gonzalez Rogers’ order to remain present for trial.