Elon Musk’s Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Sam Altman Rejected by Jury

Elon Musk‘s lawsuit accusing AI powerhouse OpenAI of violating its charter to function as a charitable organization was unanimously rejected by a federal jury.

The nine-member jury on Monday decided that Musk’s allegation against OpenAI and execs Sam Altman and Greg Brockman claiming a “breach of charitable trust” was barred by the statute of limitations. Musk also had accused Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor, of “aiding and abetting” OpenAi’s breach of charitable trust; that claim similarly was found by the jury to be barred by the statute of limitations.

Musk — currently the world’s wealthiest individual with an estimated net worth upwards of $800 billion — sued OpenAI in March 2024 alleging the company abandoned its original nonprofit mission to benefit humanity in favor of maximizing profits for Microsoft. Musk filed a related lawsuit in November 2024 seeking to block OpenAI’s conversion to a for-profit entity. In his lawsuit, Musk called OpenAI’s shift a “textbook tale of altruism versus greed.”

Musk had provided initial funding for OpenAI and was seeking $150 billion in damages. Musk also wanted Altman to be removed from OpenAI’s board of directors and had sought to have OpenAI reverted to a not-for-profit company.