Trial background: OpenAI originally used three locks to constrain itself, but all were dismantled.

CryptoWorld News: When OpenAI established its three-tier protection measures—set up in 2019 when it switched from a purely non-profit to a “limited-profit” structure—before Elon Musk’s lawsuit went to court, all of those measures were rewritten or canceled. The profit cap provided that investor returns would not exceed 100 times the invested capital; it was canceled when the company converted to PBC in May 2025, and the structure was changed to ordinary shares with no return limit. The AGI-trigger clause stated that once the OpenAI board determined that AGI had been achieved, Microsoft’s commercial authorization would automatically terminate; however, in the October 2025 agreement, it was changed to verification by an independent expert panel, extending the authorization to 2032. Regarding exclusivity and revenue sharing, the April 27 amendment canceled exclusivity, and the revenue split was changed to a fixed arrangement through 2030, decoupled from OpenAI’s technological progress. The three amendments were completed on May 2025, October 2025, and April 27, 2026, and the last one was announced on the very day of jury selection. Musk’s side will argue that this was a deliberate dismantling of the protection mechanisms, while OpenAI’s side will argue that these were necessary adjustments in a competitive environment.