Elon Musk’s Legal Battle with Sam Altman Ends in Defeat

After about two hours of discussion, the jury has delivered a unanimous verdict in the highly publicized Musk v. Altman case. They determined that two of the claims were barred by the statute of limitations, while a third claim was dismissed due to the previous findings.

This jury serves in an advisory capacity, meaning their verdict is intended to provide guidance to the judge and is not legally binding. Ultimately, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers holds the final say and accepted the jury’s decision.

The jury concluded that Musk’s claim regarding a breach of charitable trust was indeed barred by the statute of limitations, which also affected the claim that Microsoft assisted in this breach. Additionally, the jury found that restitution was similarly barred.

Neither OpenAI nor Musk provided immediate comments on the verdict.

A Microsoft spokesperson stated, “The facts and the timeline in this case have long been clear, and we welcome the jury’s decision to dismiss these claims as untimely. We remain committed to our work with OpenAI to advance and scale AI for people and organizations around the world.”

The Musk v. Altman trial has dominated a federal courtroom in Oakland for three weeks, centering on accusations that OpenAI deviated from its original mission and that Musk’s funding was specifically designated for a nonprofit. Musk claims that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and company president Greg Brockman violated OpenAI’s charitable trust and engaged in unjust enrichment at his expense. He also alleges that Microsoft played a role in facilitating this breach. Throughout the proceedings, both parties have taken every chance to undermine each other, with sensational evidence and surprising testimonies leaving both sides appearing even less credible than at the start of the trial.