Jury Dismisses Elon Musk's $150B Lawsuit Against OpenAI on Procedural Grounds
An Oakland jury rejects Elon Musk's massive lawsuit against OpenAI, ruling that he waits too long to file his claims. The decision spares Sam Altman from a trial over the company's shift to for-profit status.
An Oakland jury hands a decisive victory to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman by dismissing a massive $150 billion lawsuit filed by Elon Musk. The nine-member jury rules unanimously that Musk waits too long to bring his legal claims against the artificial intelligence company and its executives, leading the judge to formally dismiss the case.
The verdict avoids addressing the core argument of the dispute, which centers on whether OpenAI betrays its original nonprofit mission by transforming into a powerful for-profit entity. Instead, the jury focuses entirely on a procedural issue, deliberating for less than two hours before deciding that the statute of limitations expires before Musk files the lawsuit in 2024.
This ruling removes a significant legal obstacle for OpenAI as the company deepens its commercial partnerships with Microsoft and moves toward a massive public offering. Musk plans to appeal the decision, indicating that this high-profile tech feud continues despite the initial defeat in court.