2026-05-19 13:04:35
Elon Musk has lost his high-profile court battle against Sam Altman and OpenAI after a California jury unanimously dismissed his claims.
Jurors ruled that Musk had filed the lawsuit too late, meaning his allegations were barred by the statute of limitations and could not proceed on their merits.
The case centred on Musk’s claims that Altman had betrayed OpenAI’s founding non-profit mission by transforming the ChatGPT maker into a more commercially driven business after Musk donated $38 million during the organisation’s early years.
Musk argued that OpenAI and Altman had misled him over plans to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity rather than profit. He also accused Microsoft of helping facilitate the transition.
However, after three weeks of testimony and roughly two hours of deliberation, jurors rejected the lawsuit on Monday (18.05.26). Claims against Microsoft were subsequently dismissed following the verdict.
A Microsoft spokesperson said: “The facts and the timeline in this case have long been clear.”
During the trial, Musk defended his motivations.
The world’s richest man told the court: “It’s actually very simple.
“It’s not OK to steal a charity… If it’s okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving will be destroyed.”
Altman disputed Musk’s account, telling jurors that Musk had once supported a for-profit structure and sought long-term control of OpenAI.
The tech boss said: “A particularly hair-raising moment was when my co-founders asked, ‘If you have control, what happens when you die?’
“He said something like, ‘Maybe it should pass to my children.’”
Outside court, OpenAI spokesman Sam Singer described the verdict as a “tremendous victory”.
He said: “This was nothing but an effort by Mr Musk to slow down a competitor.”
Musk has vowed to appeal, arguing the case was dismissed on a “calendar technicality” rather than the underlying allegations.
Legal experts said overturning the jury’s decision could prove difficult.
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