OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly invited rival Elon Musk to the company’s GPT-5.5 launch party, even as the two face off in a high-profile federal lawsuit. Responding to a post on X in early May 2026, Altman wrote: “he can come if he wants. world needs more love.”
The GPT-5.5 launch event is scheduled for May 5, 2026, in San Francisco. OpenAI sent invites to selected users, covering travel and accommodation, with attendees chosen by the company’s Codex coding assistant from those who registered or replied to Altman’s announcement post. Registration filled quickly, prompting Altman to say OpenAI would “plan bigger parties for future releases.”
The invitation came as Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, Altman, co-founder Greg Brockman, and Microsoft entered its first week of trial at a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, before US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers. Musk testified during the first week; Altman and Brockman are expected to testify later in May 2026.
Musk filed the lawsuit in March 2024, alleging that OpenAI abandoned its founding mission of developing AI openly for the benefit of humanity in favor of a profit-driven model backed by Microsoft. Musk claims he donated around $38 million to OpenAI under the belief the technology would remain open-source, and alleges that Altman and Brockman exploited his concerns about AI’s existential risks to fund what he describes as a falsely labeled nonprofit.
Judge Rogers cautioned both parties during the proceedings, stating: “Try to control—all of you—your propensity to use social media to make things worse outside the courtroom.”
The trial also caused Altman to miss an event earlier in the week hosted by Amazon Web Services and OpenAI in San Francisco, focused on new agentic AI development efforts.
Source: mint – technology