Musk vs. OpenAI Case Begins Monday, Both Sides Exchange Barbs Online

According to monitoring by Dongcha Beating, the Musk vs. OpenAI case officially opened in the federal court in Oakland, California, on April 27, with jury selection taking place that day and opening statements expected to begin on Tuesday. On the day of jury selection, both parties engaged in a heated exchange on X. The official OpenAI account fired the first shot, stating, “We can’t wait to present our evidence in court; the truth and the law are on our side. This lawsuit has always been a baseless, jealousy-driven competitive suppression. We finally have the opportunity to have Musk testify under oath before a California jury.” Musk quickly retaliated, claiming that Altman and Brockman “stole a charity,” nicknaming Altman “Scam Altman” and alleging that Brockman received stock worth billions of dollars, while Altman profited through numerous side deals with OpenAI. He also accused Altman of failing to disclose his ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund and lying during congressional testimony about not profiting from OpenAI, sharing a video clip of former OpenAI board member Helen Toner calling Altman a “fraud.” Musk stated, “OpenAI could have been founded as a for-profit company, but I chose to establish, fund, and recruit for the public good, and then they stole this charity.” The core of the case: Musk accuses Altman and Brockman of promising to maintain OpenAI as a non-profit when they founded it in 2015, enticing him to invest $38 million, but OpenAI later transitioned to a for-profit structure. Musk is seeking up to $134 billion in damages, claiming that the compensation will all be returned to OpenAI’s non-profit segment, and he is demanding the removal of Altman and Brockman and the reversal of the for-profit conversion. The presiding judge is Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, and the liability determination phase is expected to last until mid-May, with both sides set to testify.