Elon Musk has lost his high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, with a California jury ruling that the billionaire entrepreneur filed the case too late under the statute of limitations.
As per media reports, the verdict removes a significant legal hurdle for OpenAI as the company moves closer to a potential public listing that could reportedly value the AI firm at nearly $1 trillion.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before exiting the organisation in 2018, had accused Altman and OpenAI President Greg Brockman of abandoning the company’s original nonprofit mission in favour of commercial gains. He claimed OpenAI shifted toward a profit-driven structure after receiving his early financial backing.
Reports also suggest that the nine-member jury unanimously sided with OpenAI after less than two hours of deliberation, concluding that Musk had exceeded the legal deadline to bring the claims forward. The ruling did not directly address the broader allegations around OpenAI’s transition from a nonprofit research lab into a commercial AI company.
The courtroom battle had drawn significant attention across Silicon Valley, with the trial exposing tensions between Musk and Altman amid intensifying competition in the artificial intelligence sector. Musk had reportedly sought damages amounting to $150 billion and demanded structural changes at OpenAI, including Altman’s removal from leadership.
Following the verdict, Musk took to X to issue a statement, wherein he quoted, “I will be filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit, because creating a precedent to loot charities is incredibly destructive to charitable giving in America.”
Regarding the OpenAI case, the judge & jury never actually ruled on the merits of the case, just on a calendar technicality.
There is no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity. The only question…
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 18, 2026
