Elon Musk loses high-stakes OpenAI battle as jury backs Sam Altman

A US federal court has rejected Elon Musk’s legal challenge against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman, ending what has been one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched corporate battles over the future of artificial intelligence.An advisory jury found that Altman, OpenAI and its leadership were not liable on claims brought by Musk, a ruling later upheld by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The lawsuit, filed by Musk in 2024, accused OpenAI of abandoning its original nonprofit mission and transforming itself into a profit-driven enterprise in violation of commitments made when the organisation was founded in 2015. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI alongside Altman and others, left the company’s board in 2018.
Musk had argued that OpenAI was created to develop artificial intelligence for the broader public good and not for private commercial enrichment. During testimony, he said he contributed nearly $38 million to the organisation based on that understanding.The case also named Microsoft as a defendant, with Musk alleging the tech giant played a role in enabling OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure through its multibillion-dollar investments in the company.