The ruling will come out next week, but the damage has already been done—this lawsuit’s greatest value is that it’s taught Web3 founders a lesson: a DAO’s original intent and values must be written on-chain to count as valid.

On May 16, the Musk v. OpenAI case entered the closing-arguments stage. The plaintiff alleges that Altman and others strayed from the nonprofit mission that existed at its founding, driving the company toward commercialization in pursuit of profit; the defendant argues that the shift is meant to better fulfill the mission, and that closed-source development is a necessary means to ensure AI safety. Lawyers for both sides are trying to prove that they are the most well-intentioned guardians of the nonprofit mission. A ruling is expected as early as next week. No matter the outcome, this decade-long lawsuit has already harmed the parties’ standing.